Porsche’s 2021 911 Turbo: a great mid-way hot rod

Somebody call 911 for real. Porsche has some criminally sizzlin’ 911 beasts lined up for 2021, putting the ‘T’ in Turbo, and we’re all for it baybay!

At this point, their 2021 911 lineup can be compared to your favourite iPhone releases. You know, the 11 Pro at the top, SE way down, and standard 11 in between.

Well, at the upper end of the spectrum, with a starting price of $204,850, is its most powerful Turbo S yet, featuring a 3.8L flat-six 911 that comes with a whopping 640 ponies and gets you to 100 km/h in 2.6 friggin’ seconds.

At the lower end, we’ve got Porsche 911’s iPhone SE equivalents: the 3.0L twin turbocharged flat-six Targa 4 and Targa 4S with a starting price of around $120,000.

So what’s in between?

Finding the middle ground

Now, remember yesterday we bemoaned Twisted’s efforts to turn a classic Land Rover Defender into a $185,000 EV? If you were thinking about getting your hands on this one, hold onto your wallets.

For $185,000, you can get the cabriolet trim on this 992-generation beast, and still make 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds. Yeah, we know time is money and all that, but if you’re saving an extra $20-odd-k to put towards new mods, then why the eff not, right?

The 911’s 3.7L flat-six is equipped with larger variable turbine geometry turbochargers that have electrically adjustable waste-gate valves, and delivers 572 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Sure, it’s no ‘S’, but unless you’re really racing that thing, you can make do without the 68 additional ponies, right?

Besides, you’re still able to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 2.7s courtesy of a lickety-split eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and enhanced Traction Management AWD system that can send up to 368 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels.

Size matters

Both Turbo models are slightly wider than their predecessors, to accommodate the chunkier rubber mounted on staggered centre-lock wheels.

You’ll also benefit from new adaptive cooling air flaps and a spoiler in the nose, as well as a larger active rear wing, bringing you 15 per cent more downforce than the previous Turbo.

Pimp your 911 Turbo

Remember that $20-odd-k we talked about going towards performance mods? Here are a few you can opt into.

You can lower your new ride by 0.4 inches with Porsche’s Active Suspension Management sport suspension, beautify the back with a better-looking sport exhaust that has oval tailpipes and adjustable exhaust flaps, and glam up your brakes with Carbon-ceramics that already comes with the S.

Might as well get the S, ey?

Conclusion

The 992-gen 2021 911 Turbo is a great midway luxury car that sits between the mighty Turbo S and the slightly underwhelming Targa 4 and 4S.

You don’t even need to get all the above-mentioned mods, which means you can get the Turbo Coupe for $172,150 and save an extra $10K over that $20-odd-K.

Plenty to choose from before these hit the ground running in the US of A. Maybe its time for some soul searching.