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2017 Porsche 911 Turbo Review

I recently visited a local park with my children around where I live. On arrival I have to say I was not only shocked, but also stunned by the amount of young females who seem to have congregated into one corner of the park with what I have to say was the biggest collection of Ford KA’s I have ever seen.

I observed the antics of these young individuals in full swing for a little while, and this got me thinking. What drives young girls to act in this strange way? As I was curious, I strolled over to ask them what was so special about the Ford KA.

The answer of course was quite predictable – ‘we love them’ one young girl told me.

One of the girl’s allowed me into the confides of her KA and what I found was remarkable. She had Satellite Navigation, a Speed Camera Detector, aluminium pedals, big stereo, groovy floor mats, and a race harness – my god this KA was better equipped than my mates Jaguar, although I have to draw the line at the pink steering wheel cover and the pink seat covers, as these were a little bit much even for me.

I have to say though – the girls really do have the boys whipped at the moment when it comes to pimping their ride – Ok, so they don’t have the Fiesta ST’s, the Focus RS or the Evo’s yet – but that will come. What they do possess though is an ability to not only beat the lads hands down on kit, they also have the ability to not mess it all up either by fitting stupid items like dump valves and Shelby stripes; that for me serve no purpose whatsoever.

So after many ice creams and cans of coke and much talking, I may have stumbled upon the answer. Girls, really just want to be like one of the lads – with their Ford Fiesta ST’s and their Vauxhall Corsa VXR’s. They also want the Big Stereo’s, the fury dice and the 20inch wheels – but without all the idiocy that everyone has associated with the Boy Racer image. So there is the answer – they can do all this and still be sensible – where as us mere males seem to make a complete mess of everything we do.

Also, they do seem to drive better than us most of the time – for instance, my wife’s insurance is half the cost of mine. Apparently being a guy with a pimped car when you are at an age when you have discovered grey hair – means you have just entered a phase of officially having ‘a midlife crisis’.

This of course sets me up nicely to talk about the Porsche 911 Turbo.

I’m going to be honest here – I am not a big Porsche fan – but the 911 Turbo is a fantastic car. So first off – here are some stats; inside you will find a 3.8 litre twin turbo horizontally opposed engine that sits at the rear and produces 397 kW (540 hp) and a maximum torque of 710 Nm. 0 to 62 mph comes up in 3.0 seconds (with launch control) and a on a race track you will reach a max top speed of 198 mph.

Now I have your full attention I will begin;

Design: The new 911 Turbo is one of the best looking in the range and it has this ability to appeal to a person’s heart as well as their heads. I said I was not a Porsche fan – but if I am honest, I can’t stop looking at it because it is such a stunning looking machine that’s extraordinary in every way. Looking down its flanks makes me go all giddy – as does looking at that rear end because it is positively one of best designed rear flanks you are ever likely to set your sights on.

Yes the 911 has been around as long as the beginning of time – but then Porsche have an ability to take a design that let’s face it, has had many incarnations over many years – and then refine it until they end up offering you something that is simply staggering – this will of course immediately send you into a sort of guilty daze and a wanting that you can’t even begin to describe.

At the front you will find an all new front section which has the addition of LED headlights and 4 point daytime running lights as standard specification on all models. Then, at the rear you will find the elegantly designed three dimensional taillights and the powerfully shaped twin tailpipes that you tend to find nailed to the back of NASA Rocket.

On the inside: The interior is just as dynamic as the exterior. Sitting inside a modern Porsche is just as good as it has always been. This is a driver focused car – everything is in the right place and placed perfectly at the drivers fingertips. Nothing for me in here is out of place or fussy.

One of the most important features for me is the next generation steering wheel which is derived from the 918 Spyder. You can actually feel those emotions associated with motorsport once you press the starter and take control. The only way I can describe the feeling is that – and this may sound completely bonkers – but it feels like the 911 has become part of your central nervous system. You instantly have this feeling of wanting to race. What other car makes you feel this way – nothing I have been in for a while anyway – I can assure you of that.

As standard the Turbo also comes with plenty of equipment, including dual-zone climate, heated windscreen washer jets, electric sports seats and a media system that features integrated sat-nav, USB, Internet functions and a whole host of things to keep you happy for hours if not weeks.

Chassis: The chassis of the 911Turbo is epic – there is no other word to describe it. The smooth high speed manoeuvrability of the 911 is the icing on your nans sponge cake when it comes to having a lot of fun with a car that basically, has a very large engine hanging out the back. Also, being a 911 it has exceptional levels of stability and cornering agility thanks to those Porsche engineers and those large 20 inch wheels which all help in playing their part in keeping the 911 firmly planted onto the tarmac.

Even with four-wheel drive, if you are planning on dialing in a generous amount of throttle, a degree of caution needs to be applied in the wet by the driver, no matter what your experience level is – because it will – make the car rotate with ease and catch you out when you are least expecting it.

But, the chassis is transparent enough to make up for the loss of traction from the rear and you can feel when things are getting on the edge so that makes it a little bit more predictable – which then allows you to correct any errors you may have made in your quest for speed.

Also, remember 540bhp should not be dismissed – because at times it can be a little scary – especially because of the way the 911 Turbo gets you from standstill to Defcon1.

Rear-axle steering: I am not sure I understand this fully – but here goes anyway

Porsche says: ‘Thanks to the rear axle steering – at speeds up to 31 mph, the system steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction to that of the front wheels. This has the virtual effect of shortening the wheelbase. The turning circle is reduced, steering into corners becomes much more dynamic and parking is noticeably easier.

At speeds above 49 mph, the system steers the rear wheels in the same direction as that of the front wheels. The result is a virtual extension of the wheel base and increased stability, for example when performing high speed manoeuvres on the motorway’.

I hope you all got that – so, for people who don’t understand it either, this basically means is that it is pretty much nailed to the road ahead at any speed.

To sum up:

Everything about the 911 Turbo is perfection and I for one am missing it terribly right now.

Price: 911 Turbo from £126,925

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