2010 Porsche 911 Turbo: First Look
- Competes with: Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Maserati Gran Turismo, Audi R8
- Looks like: Every other 911, silly
- Drivetrain: 500-hp,3.8-liter turbocharged six-cylinder with six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic; all-wheel drive
- Hits dealerships: January 2010
Cayenne, Panamera, 911 GT2 and now this: the 911 Turbo, Porsche’s latest addition to the 500-horsepower club. Thanks to a larger six-cylinder engine — 3.8 liters versus 3.6 in last year’s Turbo — and direct injection, the new 911 Turbo puts nearly double the Boxster’s chutzpah to the road via standard all-wheel drive. A six-speed manual is standard, with Porsche’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission replacing last year’s five-speed Tiptronic as the automatic option. When it hits dealerships early next year, prices will run $132,800 for the coupe and $143,800 for the convertible.
Get the dual-clutch transmission with Porsche’s launch control feature, and the automaker says zero to 60 mph takes just 3.2 seconds. (Forget the gym membership: This is really how we want our abs flattened.) That’s a couple ticks ahead of the Corvette ZR1 and few more out front of a V-10 Audi R8. It’ll kick the stones out of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage or a Maserati Gran Turismo.
Naturally, we doubt the 911 Turbo will score as many looks as any of those. In typical Porsche tradition, this year’s changes comprise of a tucked taillight here and a redesigned wheel there. Only the detail-obsessed will notice the differences. As you’re pumping gas at Wilshire and Beverly in Beverly Hills, Calif., we bet most of the world’s Mrs. Ari Golds won’t be able to tell the car apart from any 911 released in the past 15 years.
At least you’ll be pumping that gas a bit less often. Thanks to direct injection and the more efficient automatic, Porsche spokesman Dave Engelman said highway mileage could increase similarly to what it did when lesser 911s received similar mechanical improvements last year. Though official EPA figures are pending — Engelman said he didn’t want to give any guesses — we’d estimate mileage on automatic-equipped 911s could hit 24 or 25 mpg. Not too shabby.
So, don’t fret the lack of attention — you’re driving a pretty efficient beast. Besides, our illustration would never actually play out: We checked Google Street View, and there’s no gas station at Wilshire and Beverly.
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500hp and 25mpg. I bet no other car company can do that! My next car will be a Porsche. But it will have to be a Cayenne V6 or a Boxter. Can't quite put forward house money for a car.
Cool cars, but I am not sure why in my hometown you can find a lot of them for sale with 2k miles in them.
Lease returns for the rich guys that just use it every other weekend and not as a daily driver.
Nic,
The Corvette Z06 gets 24mpg, 505hp, 7.0L, without direct injection and that has been out for a while.
this is better then a porsche 911 GT2
better mialege, better accel, who cares about 204 MPH, are you really going to waste your time to go to the airport and drive that fast on the runway,
my estimate is about 195top speed for this bad boy, 911 GT2 is still cooler
@Thinkerdude: Extremely low milage twins happen all the time when a mid-life successful guy rewards himself for a lifetime of hard work with his first Porsche - a nice new Twin Turbo. It's a hell of a ride until he makes a sudden and unplanned discovery of the vast gap between his cars' capabilities and his own. He really likes his new Mercedes.
I have owned a few...the cars capabilities enable you to drive like a bat out of hell. Nearly impossible to loose control of the car...even in the rain. Accelerates like a rocket; stops on a dime.
i think 996ttowner and Robert are both right! but if youv'e never driven a car capable of sub 8 sec 0-100 it can be really scary! im still getting use to mine and i've had it a year already! i guess with the 2010 the question is "how fast is fast enough" lol. but it's a ride you will never forget!
@smokin88lx-Yes the Z06 has comparable performance but that’s where the comparisons stop. The hand stitched leather, all-wheel-drive, and overall fit and finish is off the scale and makes Chevy's interior look very fisher-price. I challenge you to drive a vette with >30k miles and not want to pull your hair out from the rattles and squeaks that or almost non-existent in a refined car like Porsche. That’s just my opinion but then again I don’t have the mullet, leather Nascar jacket and country draw to pull off driving a vette.
I love my 996 but wish I could trade up too the 997 great card
The new Turbo just hit dealer lots this week, priced to start from $132,800 for the Coupe and $143,800 for the Cabriolet. That's a nice chunk of change, but it's nothing compared to many of the cars in its performance class. With a 500-horsepower 3.8-liter turbocharged engine, the newest 911 Turbo lays down a mean 3.2-second 0-60 mph time and screams on 196 mph.
rr
This car is hype to even mention this car with a zr1 is crazy. A Z06 will whup on this car. Thats my opinion
Porsche Driver wrote "I challenge you to drive a vette with >30k miles and not want to pull your hair out from the rattles and squeaks that or almost non-existent in a refined car like Porsche."
Sounds like you are describing a C4 Corvette (including your description of the drivers.) A C5 or better yet a C6 with composite body panels, hydroformed steel frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components might change your mind.