Which Porsche 911 is better: one with a turbo, or one without?
In the evolution of the Porsche 911, three milestones stand out as changes that altered the core definition of what a 911 could be. First came turbocharging, then came all-wheel drive, and then came water-cooled power. As a result of these additions, the Porsche 911 has morphed into a rather different car to its early ancestors, even if its layout and styling concept remained unchanged. Then, in 2016, the next disruption came: widespread turbocharging almost across the board.
‘Bahn-storming boosted 911s
We’re not talking about the monstrous top-level 911 Turbos here, mind you: those have been around since 1975, and have earned themselves a fearsome reputation first, before turning into one of the most usable supercars you can buy. Since the immortal 993-series Turbo arrived in 1995, the 911 Turbo has featured all-wheel drive to harness all those ponies, and an available automatic transmission helped it cater to luxury-car buyers.
Subsequent redesigns simply added to the 911 Turbo’s stunning spread of abilities, gaining adaptive suspension and rear-wheel steering along the way, and making it an ever-more capable speed monster. In parallel, Porsche also offered various rear-wheel drive 911 GT2 motorsport-oriented models, featuring higher-power versions of the Turbo’s engine. So, up to this point, you could have a RWD, maximum-attack GT2 (as the natural successor to the original 930 Turbo), or a driver-friendly AWD Turbo. All was well, because all the bases were covered at the top end of the range.
Naturally-aspirated goodness withers away
While the 911 Turbo and GT2 rapidly continued their own development down the path towards ultimate turbocharged speed, lower-rung 911s still stuck to naturally-aspirated flat-six-cylinder (“Boxer”) engine to maintain some continuity with older models. But then, for the 2016 model year, Porsche threw most of their old engines out the window, and slapped a new, turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six into the entry-level 911s.
And just like that, another link to the traditional-formula 911 almost disappeared: the only things the latest 911s still have in common with their predecessors are their general silhouette and engine location. Gone are the rev-happy, large-displacement engines which used to power baseline 911s up till then, replaced by torquier but arguably less-charismatic units – all in an effort to improve emissions and performance at the same time. This left the GT3 variants as the only remaining naturally-aspirated options in the range (for a while, at least).
The present situation
Maintaining the naming convention established in 1989 with the 964-series, today’s (992-series) entry-level 911s carry the Carrera designation in some form or another, with no sign of a turbo badge anywhere – that name is still reserved for the high-power derivatives. But, whatever the badge says, all 911 Carreras now employ a 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six engine is two stages of tune. And, as buyers would expect, this new engine outperforms its predecessors in every way.
Related: This first drive report has all the details of the 992-series Porsche 911.
The current range opens up with the 911 Carrera (or Targa semi-convertible or Cabriolet), with either rear- or all-wheel drive (the latter adding a “4” suffix to its name), tuned to produce 283 kW and 450 Nm in basic trim. This represents a substantial increase over the last of the older, non-turbo Carrera’s 3.4-litre engine, which could only muster 257 kW and 390 Nm, and spreads the torque over a much wider rev range.
One step up is the 911 Carrera S (again either with or without AWD), which bumps outputs to 331 kW and 530 Nm. Compared to the older (991-series) 3.8-litre non-turbo Carrera S, the latest turbo version has an advantage of 37 kW and 90 Nm, again with a broader and flatter torque curve. And, because the new turbo-boxer has a smaller displacement and every possible modern technology added, it’s supposed to be substantially lighter on fuel as well.
The GT3
We’re still awaiting the announcement of the latest (992-series) GT3, but it’s expected to continue in its established role as the most driver-focused 911 in the range, with a big, 4.0-litre non-turbo engine. Using a naturally-aspirated development of the full-blown 911 Turbo’s powerhouse, even the outgoing (991.2-series) GT3 was a very potent machine (with up to 368 kW and 460 Nm), and the next one should squeeze even more power out of its now-legendary powerhouse.
There was a simpler, less-ostentatious variant of the GT3 in the older 991.2 range as well: for the 2016 model year only, the 911 R used the GT3 RS’s running gear, but wrapped it all in a sleeker and lighter body. The R was (at that stage) the only GT3-engined 911 with a manual gearbox in this generation, and because it was only available in limited numbers, it’s bound to become a collectible car in the future.
Related: Find out more about the new Porsche 911 Targa in this launch report.
GT2 and the “real” Turbo
As with the new GT3, we’re still waiting for the arrival of the latest (992-series) 911 GT2, but it’s certain to be even more insane than its predecessor. The outgoing car produced 515 kW and 700 Nm, paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic (PDK) and rear-wheel drive only. Predictably, the GT2 variants should be a real handful for inexperienced drivers, but purists will revel in the old-school (terrifying) driving experience that’s sure to continue into the next generation.
We do know what the latest 911 Turbo S is packing, however: a 3.7-litre twin-turbo flat-six producing 478 kW and 800 Nm. As has been the norm since the 993-series, the new 911 Turbo S employs AWD, and it’s only available with an 8-speed PDK transmission for easy access to stupendous speed: Porsche claims a 0 – 100 km/h sprint in 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h, but we’ve seen enough 911 Turbos better their official claims to believe that the new one may even slip below 2.5 seconds in the benchmark sprint.
So which one is best?
Porsche has realised that the 911’s target market has split into two distinct groups: luxury-car buyers make up the largest share of 911 sales, so the mainstream model range was tailored to cater for these buyers. They will appreciate the new turbo engines’ smoother power delivery, and not really bemoan the loss of their predecessors’ high-revving characteristics. This applies equally to the top-level Turbo derivative, which has evolved into being more of a very, very rapid touring car than a hairy-chested monster.
Purists will still be served brilliantly by the GT3, however, because it will be the closest that a modern 911 could get to the older models’ hard-edged nature, and there’s no turbo in sight. Meanwhile, the upcoming GT2 will fill the same role as 911 Turbos of old: a maniacal, shrieking and challenging driver’s machine with a reputation of being lethal in the wrong hands. In the end, this means that there’s a 911 for every taste, from effortless luxury to no-holds-barred brutality. Looking back on the 1964 original, it’s almost unbelievable how diverse the 911 family would become over the years.
