Two Turbos, 480 hp...and an automatic?
By Josh Jacquot, Senior Road Test Editor EDMUNDS
Three-point-four seconds. That's how long it takes the 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo to hit 60 mph.
That's 3.4 SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our neck muscles hurt just typing it.
Keep it pinned and the 480-horsepower, all-wheel-drive 911 annihilates the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 118.5 mph. That makes it the quickest car we've ever tested. Line it up next to a Lamborghini Gallardo and it'll make mincemeat out of the fighting bull.
Plus, the Porsche is a real car. Unlike the Lambo, it can be driven in and out of driveways without raising its suspension, it can be reversed without the aid of a camera and you don't have to be a yogi to get in or out of it. It even has a fair-size trunk.
It's Everyman's everyday supercar. Well, every man with $150 grand who's willing to tolerate Porsche's Tiptronic transmission.
Automatic for the people
Although Porsche says the 911 Turbo accelerates quicker with the optional Tiptronic than it does with a six-speed manual we're still not fans of the five-speed slushbox.
We'll admit that the latest version of Tiptronic is a showcase of automatic transmission wizardry. It now features what Porsche calls a "fast-off" function, which keeps the transmission from upshifting when you abruptly lift off the throttle. A complementary "fast-back" feature promotes quicker downshifts under braking. As part of the Sport Chrono Package ($1,840), the Tiptronic also has a "desired power function" that makes shifts even quicker. And with the "Sport" button engaged, the 911's turbochargers generate an additional 2.9 psi of boost, increasing torque by 45 pound-feet to a peak of 505 lb-ft for up to 10 seconds at a time.
If you want all these functions without a torque converter second-guessing your intentions, choose the 911 Turbo with the standard six-speed manual transmission and then go to driving school with the $3,420 you'll save. You'll probably even learn to shift.
Living with the legend
Seeing the winged Turbo bathed in sunset light and dripping in Guards Red still has our eyes watering and from behind the wheel it's equally pleasing. The driving position is excellent and the low cowl and perfect placement of the rear-quarter windows make for excellent visibility.
Our tester was packed with extra-cost options, including heated adaptive sport seats, Porsche's electronic logbook, a remote CD changer, Porsche-crest-embossed headrests and the Sport Chrono Package, which added a chronometer on the dash. These features padded on another $3,850 to the Turbo's already substantial $123,695 base price.
Pay for the seats. They're supportive, wonderfully adjustable and never gave us road ass. Too bad Porsche insists on using the most impossibly complex interface for its heating, ventilation, navigation and audio controls. In all, there are 52 buttons and two knobs. That's not control; it's confusion.
What the 911 lacks in intuitive interior controls it gives back in simple, refined driving pleasure. The steering, with just-right response, offers the sublime weight of a car that bears the majority of its mass on its rear haunches. The perfection tuned into its brake pedal is undeniable. It's always present with an immediacy and effectiveness that makes it easy to modulate and is confidence-inspiring. And the engine — a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-6, with 480 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque motivating 3,596 pounds — is hard to question.
Quick but weird
On the street the 911 is simply docile. Slap it in "Drive," use shallow throttle openings and you'd never know there's so much power waiting to be uncorked. Mostly that's because the torque converter is a power-sucking tool of the devil that masks quick throttle opening. Wood it on the freeway and there's an inexcusable delay while the tranny finds the right gear and the boost builds before any relevant acceleration happens.
In manual mode every millimeter of throttle travel can be enjoyed, but the transmission doesn't match revs on downshifts and the engine's drone around town at high rpm gets old.
Porsche's claim that the automatic is quicker might be true, but it's not entirely realistic. Here's why: You can't just put your foot to the floor and produce that 3.4-second 0-to-60 time. Here's the routine: Press the "Sport" button; engage 1st gear (the transmission defaults to 2nd); mash both pedals to the floor until the overboost indicator illuminates on the dash; release the brake; hold on.
When the brake is released, the Turbo reveals everything Porsche has learned about accelerating quickly in 43 years of building the 911. Which is, well, a lot, but because of the unpredictability of the time it takes for the boost to build with both feet pushed to the floor, it's virtually impossible to synchronize your launch against a stoplight. Get it wrong and the kid in the big-winged Mitsubishi Evo will get the drop on you.
Turning and stopping
With all-wheel drive and huge 19-inch Bridgestone Potenzas we expected great handling numbers, and the 911 Turbo delivers.
Balancing it around the skid pad at 0.95g is a matter of trusting that its all-wheel drive is capable of correcting oversteer created by closing the throttle. With trust in the dynamics established, it's easier to explore the Turbo's limits.
Through the slalom, it's clear the 911 Turbo isn't a beginner's car. Going quickly requires sensing the rear end's weight increase in proportion to the throttle position and requires quick hands. It posted a 70.5-mph slalom speed, which is wicked quick, but 1.7 miles per hour slower than the Cayman S — the quickest Porsche we've put through the cones.
Our test car was also fitted with the painfully expensive but brutally effective ceramic composite brakes, an $8,840 option. The Turbo stopped from 60 mph in 103 feet, a performance few cars can touch, including the Corvette Z06 we tested last year in our 2006 American Exotics Comparison Test.
Is it you?
Here's the deal with the 911 Turbo: With the possible exception of the Tiptronic transmission, it's a magnificent machine. It feels right in the ways a sports car should. It fits snugly — like it's wrapped around the driver. It has massive power, huge grip and the best brakes money can buy. It's among the best all-around performance cars we've ever tested.
But the Tiptronic steals this car's famous ability to fully engage its driver. It's a bit of technology that should be reserved for cars that aren't half this capable. Or bear this kind of legacy. Still, if you spend a ton of time in traffic you'll probably want your 480-hp, 11-second sports car to come with the ease of two-pedal driving. About 50 percent of 911 Turbo buyers do.
Not us. We believe cars with this much personality deserve pure manual transmissions. We're narrow-minded purists and proud of it.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Model Year:
2007
Make:
Porsche
Model:
911
Style:
Turbo 2dr Coupe AWD (3.6L 6cyl Turbo 5A)
Base Price:
$123,695
Price as Tested:
$141,645
Drive Type:
All-wheel drive
Transmission Type:
5-speed automatic
Displacement (liters):
3.6
Engine Type:
flat-6
Horsepower (hp @ rpm):
480 hp @ 6,000 rpm
Torque (ft-lbs @ rpm):
460 lb-ft@ 1,950 rpm
Braking System:
Front ventilated disc - rear ventilated disc
Steering System:
Speed-proportional power steering
Suspension Type (front):
Modified MacPherson strut
Suspension Type (rear):
Multilink
Tire Size (front):
235/35Z19
Tire Size (rear):
305/30Z19
Tire Brand:
Bridgestone
Tire Model:
Performance
Curb Weight (lbs):
3596
Recommended Fuel:
Premium unleaded
Fuel Tank Capacity (gal):
17.7
EPA Fuel Economy (mpg):
18 city/25 highway
Edmunds Observed (mpg):
15.3 city/23.1 highway
Conditions for Testing
Temperature (Fahrenheit):
50
Humidity:
0.14
Elevation (ft):
1120
Wind:
6 mph from East
Performance
0 - 30 (sec):
1.2
0 - 45 (sec):
2.1
0 - 60 (sec):
3.4
0 - 75 (sec):
4.7
1/4 Mile (sec @ mph):
11.6 @ 118.5
30 - 0 (ft):
27
60 - 0 (ft):
103
Braking Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor):
Excellent
Slalom (mph):
70.5
Skid Pad (g-force):
.95g
Handling Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor):
Excellent
Db @ Idle:
N/A
Db @ Full Throttle:
N/A
Db @ 70 mph Cruise:
N/A
Acceleration:
Launching the 911 effectively means using heavy brake torque to build boost before releasing the brake. "Sport" mode must be engaged. Manual shifting is not required.
Braking:
Spectacular pedal feel and effectiveness. Feels like it could do this test indefinetely. Zero fade.
Handling:
The 911 makes less mechanical grip than we expected. It's hard to hold at the limit (wants to oversteer) because of its high polar moment and rear weight bias. Far from a beginner's car, the 911 is most stable in the slalom while accelerating.
Specifications
Length:
176.3 inches
Width:
72.9 inches
Height:
51.2 inches
Wheelbase:
92.5 inches
Legroom (front):
N/A
Legroom (rear):
N/A
Headroom (front):
38.1 inches
Headroom (rear):
N/A
Maximum Seating Capacity:
4
Cargo Volume:
10 cubic feet
Maximum Cargo Volume (rear seats down):
10.1 cubic feet
Warranty Information
Bumper-to-Bumper:
4 years/50,000 miles
Power Train:
4 years/50,000 miles
Corrosion:
10 years/Unlimited
Roadside Assistance:
4 years/50,000 miles
Scheduled Maintenance:
Not available
Safety Information
Front Airbags:
Standard
Side Airbags:
Dual front
Head Airbags:
front
Antilock Brakes:
4-wheel ABS
Electronic Brake Enhancements:
Braking assist, electronic brakeforce distribution
Traction Control:
Traction control
Stability Control:
Stability control
Rollover Protection:
N/A
Emergency Assistance System:
N/A
NHTSA Crash Test Driver:
Not tested
NHTSA Crash Test Passenger:
Not tested
NHTSA Crash Test Side Front:
Not tested
NHTSA Crash Test Side Rear:
Not tested
NHTSA Rollover:
Not tested
IIHS Offset:
Not tested
Print | posted on Sunday, August 19, 2007 12:38 PM