2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S Review

[00:18] You're watching Throttle House. I'm

[00:20] Thomas.

[00:20] >> And I'm James.

[00:21] >> And this is the updated 911 Turbo S.

[00:28] And with this new one, it looks like

[00:30] Porsche has finally attempted to beat

[00:33] the game.

[00:42] All right, what do we get? They claim

[00:44] 2.4 2.43 2.43.

[00:48] >> Okay, but we know it's quick. We've said

[00:50] for years that the 911 Turbo S has

[00:52] always been that car that simply wins

[00:55] everything. It's a car that absolutely

[00:58] pisses all over the competition. Sorry.

[01:03] But in the process of achieving victory

[01:05] in the past, it often felt like it lost

[01:07] something.

[01:21] >> This car has always been incredible, but

[01:23] like with an asterisk.

[01:24] >> A German asterisk. a German asteris.

[01:26] It's got raw speed, but it sounds a bit

[01:28] like a vacuum cleaner.

[01:42] It's got insane traction when you put

[01:45] your foot down, but there's no drama.

[01:49] And it's got well, like a speedo that's

[01:52] basically a blur, right? But there's no

[01:54] ceremony to it when you put your foot

[01:56] down.

[01:59] It's just a teleportation device. It's

[02:01] like a nurse that's really good at

[02:03] giving you a needle. It's It's over

[02:05] before you know it happened.

[02:12] And with this new 992.2

[02:14] Turbo S, Porsche has doubled down on all

[02:17] of that. The two turbochargers are now

[02:20] assisted by electric motors. So they

[02:23] spin up instantly. So the final flaw in

[02:26] the concept of turbocharging is gone

[02:30] forever.

[02:38] All of that equates to this being the

[02:40] most powerful 911 Porsche has ever made

[02:44] >> by one. But oh right, sorry. It's got

[02:46] one horsepower more than the GT2 RS,

[02:49] >> but I don't think anyone would sniff at

[02:50] 701 horsepower. And it really is.

[02:53] >> No, it's Oh my lord, it's so friaking

[02:57] quick.

[02:57] >> Well, Porsche wants to challenge your

[02:58] vacuum cleaner accusation because this

[03:01] has the active sports exhaust.

[03:03] >> Yep.

[03:03] >> Which is titanium. Saves £15. Y

[03:06] >> adds an aesthetic, which we'll talk

[03:07] about in a minute, but apparently sounds

[03:09] better. So,

[03:12] um, you know what? I think it actually

[03:14] does sound a little bit better than the

[03:15] Turbo S that I drove recently.

[03:17] >> It doesn't sound that different though.

[03:18] >> No, it doesn't sound that different, but

[03:19] it's a little bit growlier, right? It's

[03:22] less air, more engine, which is a good

[03:25] thing, but it still just sounds like a

[03:27] turbocharged flat 6. And because it has

[03:31] the electric turbochargers and the

[03:33] electric motor in the PDK and the high

[03:35] voltage battery, everything about the

[03:38] way this accelerates has just got

[03:42] smoother. Yeah. Do you notice when you

[03:44] shift,

[03:46] you don't actually feel the shift at

[03:48] all? It fills the gap between the shift,

[03:50] which they've somehow removed a little

[03:53] bit more ceremony from the process of

[03:56] accelerating.

[03:57] >> We've always said they've deleted

[03:58] corners as I'm as I'm shifting on these

[04:00] corners.

[04:00] >> It it deletes the straightaways now.

[04:02] >> But there's no there's no upset to the

[04:04] balance of the car.

[04:05] >> None whatsoever. But like just go flat

[04:09] out foot down

[04:12] >> and shift. There's Do you feel anything

[04:15] when you shift?

[04:15] >> No.

[04:16] >> No. Nothing.

[04:17] >> The downshifts are a bit slow.

[04:20] >> The downshifts are weirdly slow for a

[04:22] PDK.

[04:22] >> Look. Click. Shift. Click. Shift. Click.

[04:26] That's like a full like half second

[04:28] pause. A PDK usually has zero pause. So

[04:31] I don't I don't know what that's about.

[04:33] And we're in sport plus right now,

[04:34] right? But I have to go way faster than

[04:37] normal to scare you in the canyons in

[04:39] this.

[04:40] >> Yeah,

[04:40] >> it's confidence. It gets the job done.

[04:44] You know what it is? Have you ever seen

[04:46] the video online of Harry Potter just

[04:49] grabbing a 9 mm and shooting Voldemort

[04:52] >> and and it just plays the theme tune

[04:54] out.

[04:55] >> Yeah. Yeah.

[04:55] >> That's what the Turbo S is when it comes

[04:57] to acceleration.

[04:58] >> Yeah. It doesn't have time for It

[05:00] doesn't have time. If you think that

[05:02] would have been a better version of

[05:03] Harry Potter,

[05:04] >> then this is the car.

[05:05] >> This might be the car for you. Yeah,

[05:06] exactly.

[05:10] >> So, yeah, it's bordering on

[05:12] teleportation. That extra voltage that

[05:14] runs through those turbochargers has

[05:16] removed any semblance of this being a

[05:18] car, but it's also done another thing.

[05:21] It's changed how the Turbo S goes around

[05:24] corners.

[05:30] So, this has Canadian special Porsche

[05:35] dynamic traction control. It doesn't. It

[05:37] says A, right? That's what it says. It's

[05:39] E8. Is the electrohydraulic PDCC.

[05:43] >> So, it's had active anti-roll bars in

[05:44] the past, but now this uses the high

[05:46] voltage battery. It uses its electric

[05:50] stuff to its advantage, which means it

[05:52] should be more controlled.

[05:53] >> It's just the most German button I've

[05:55] ever seen in my life.

[05:57] It doesn't say the A there though.

[05:58] That's a missed opportunity.

[06:00] >> No, but it's just it says PDCC. It's

[06:02] just like come up with something fun.

[06:05] >> That's a coveted button. That says

[06:07] you've gone for the option which is now

[06:09] standard on a Turbo S.

[06:10] >> So basically uses the electric stuff to

[06:12] assist the suspension.

[06:13] >> Yes.

[06:13] >> Essentially the almost any other car as

[06:15] a passenger I should be afraid right

[06:17] now.

[06:18] >> But it it turns the canyon to easy mode.

[06:20] >> Yeah. As you say, it deletes corners. No

[06:22] car has deleted corners more than this.

[06:26] Okay, the the the 911 Turbo S or the 911

[06:29] Turbo 911s have inflated in size and

[06:34] therefore weight over years. They're

[06:35] still some of the lightest sports cars

[06:37] out there.

[06:38] >> Yeah, but this one's knocking on the

[06:40] door of 4,000 lb. It's 180 lb heavier

[06:42] than the previous one.

[06:44] >> For me, this is, I think, just pushed it

[06:46] over the edge

[06:48] just a little bit with the extra

[06:50] electric stuff going on. It's enough

[06:52] more that I'm feeling it doing a little

[06:54] bit of heaving in a corner. It almost

[06:57] like it's almost like it doesn't shut

[06:58] up, right? And a German would say,

[07:00] "Yeah, but you want to say German roads,

[07:02] so you won't feel it." But I'm not on a

[07:03] German road right now, am I? I'm in a

[07:05] California where people buy these. And I

[07:07] find that this car to be I thought it's

[07:09] just a little bit

[07:11] >> it's it's getting some of those BMW

[07:13] characteristics.

[07:14] >> It's not, but it's it's so good still.

[07:16] of your

[07:17] >> annoyingly the time the times on the

[07:19] Nurburg Ring, which is the Germans love

[07:21] to boast about.

[07:22] >> Yeah,

[07:22] >> this is 14 seconds quicker around the

[07:25] ring than the previous.

[07:26] >> Doesn't it use a stickier tire than the

[07:28] old one?

[07:28] >> It uses and the tires are wider. The

[07:30] brakes are bigger. This has the biggest

[07:32] rear brake setup of any twodoor Porsche.

[07:36] >> Oh, that's very specific.

[07:37] >> Very specific. Yeah.

[07:39] >> Listen, it feels absolutely brilliant in

[07:41] a corner. It's definitely a 911.

[07:43] Definitely a Porsche. But my standards

[07:45] are so high for this car because there's

[07:49] a big problem.

[07:51] How much is it?

[07:54] >> No.

[07:55] >> Yeah, James. How much is this car? How

[07:57] much is it?

[07:58] >> This is $270,000 US starting.

[08:01] >> This one's got a modest $13,000 of

[08:03] options. So, it's like 285 with

[08:06] delivery.

[08:07] >> That is a lot. It's a lot.

[08:09] >> So much money.

[08:09] >> And it's a big jump from the last gen.

[08:11] >> And here's the issue.

[08:13] The GTS exists. Yes, it does. Have you

[08:16] driven a GTS? I have. You want to know

[08:18] what it feels like? This car. It feels

[08:21] like this car. I cannot tell the

[08:23] difference. If you back to back them,

[08:25] I'm sure you'd feel the power

[08:26] difference, but the GTS is so good and

[08:28] so fast now.

[08:29] >> Yeah. Well, it's also in the twos, but 0

[08:31] to 60,

[08:32] >> right? I just I'm having a hard time

[08:33] coming to terms with the fact that this

[08:34] is near what is it like $100,000 more

[08:37] expensive than a GTS.

[08:38] >> Yes. But this doesn't look like it.

[08:39] tested.

[08:40] >> You see a Turbo S and you know it's at

[08:42] least a Turbo.

[08:50] >> What are you doing? Okay. Yeah.

[08:51] >> The vent.

[08:52] >> It's the vent.

[08:52] >> The Hey, make way. The vent. This is the

[08:55] vent that represents traffic light

[08:57] superiority.

[08:58] >> For years, we've been driving around and

[09:00] he points out the vent to me like I

[09:01] don't know the vent exists. I know that

[09:03] the turbo gets a vent. It's what? Yes.

[09:04] It's what discerns it from a regular

[09:06] 911.

[09:07] >> It's a monster. It's a monster.

[09:09] >> And there's more vents now. More vents.

[09:10] >> This is the 992.2. So, we get these air

[09:12] vents that the GTS gets that opens and

[09:14] closes.

[09:14] >> Yeah, I like those.

[09:15] >> It's a bit gilly.

[09:16] >> I I think it's I know, but it lets you

[09:18] know that it's the facelift one.

[09:20] >> True. As does the air vents in the rear

[09:23] here.

[09:23] >> Where's he getting his energy from?

[09:24] >> Straight out of GT looking cars. They

[09:27] cut in and they accentuate the wide

[09:29] booty of this car.

[09:31] >> That's new.

[09:32] >> Yes, for the Turbo S. Yes,

[09:34] >> I like it. I knew that.

[09:35] >> It looks very motorsporty. The exhaust

[09:37] on the other hand,

[09:37] >> do you have to do that or is that an

[09:39] option?

[09:39] >> No, that you can option big circular

[09:41] ones.

[09:42] >> Do that.

[09:42] >> Yeah, but those because these look a bit

[09:44] weak.

[09:45] >> I like the wing. Listen, I really like

[09:46] the proportions of this car. But it's

[09:48] funny cuz we we had a classic 911 near

[09:50] us this week.

[09:51] >> Yes.

[09:51] >> And you realize how big these cars have

[09:53] have got.

[09:54] >> Yes, but that one had a big booty.

[09:56] >> It did have a big booty as well.

[09:57] >> That was modified because in modern day

[09:58] we like big booties.

[10:00] >> You're probably noticing the other

[10:01] extreme differences of the 992.2 right

[10:03] wasn't

[10:04] >> the turbanite contrasting

[10:07] >> colors of the of Well, that's actually

[10:09] paint color, but the badge is in

[10:11] turbanite.

[10:12] >> So, this is gray on gray.

[10:15] >> Yes. On gray.

[10:17] >> Yes. For some reason, even though you

[10:18] can customize these to the moon and I

[10:21] did for $427,000 Canadian, I played with

[10:23] it.

[10:24] >> Um

[10:25] >> Jesus,

[10:26] >> the the press the press cars keep being

[10:28] really dull.

[10:29] >> Why? Why? I listen, I like the

[10:32] turbanite. It's a good time. No, it's

[10:34] great.

[10:34] >> I like the idea of an under the radar

[10:36] 911. Yes.

[10:37] >> But like there's a limit to how under

[10:39] the radar you need it to be, right? It's

[10:42] just like like what if we made it

[10:43] invisible? What if we just didn't ever

[10:45] actually go out in it? What if we didn't

[10:46] even buy one? Then it's really under the

[10:49] radar.

[10:50] >> It looks It looks mean. It looks mean.

[10:52] >> I really like the look of these cars. I

[10:54] really like the styling of the 992. I

[10:56] think that this particular car is other

[10:58] than the gray is it's a it's a looker. I

[11:00] really do like them, honestly. But the

[11:02] GT cars do change quite a bit more.

[11:04] >> That's the issue is that the GT cars

[11:05] look way more exciting. They drive more

[11:07] exciting. They sound more exciting. And

[11:10] here's the problem is that lately the

[11:11] Porsche 911 lineup, and I've complained

[11:13] about this more than just now, is become

[11:16] ever increasingly homogenized. Since all

[11:18] of the nonGT cars are turbocharged, this

[11:21] is no longer the turbo one. It's just

[11:25] more of the same.

[11:26] >> Yes.

[11:26] >> It's just every dial turned up a little

[11:28] bit more for way more money. And that

[11:31] GTS was genuinely shockingly fast.

[11:33] >> Yes. And even the base, which is like

[11:36] almost 150 grand less.

[11:37] >> Yeah.

[11:38] >> I got 3.6 seconds to 60 in that.

[11:40] >> So quick.

[11:41] >> Only a second off. And I know that's a

[11:43] big ratio, but

[11:45] >> it feels all I'm saying is that now more

[11:48] than ever, it's becoming increasingly

[11:49] difficult to justify the Turbo S other

[11:52] than you you feel like you need it to

[11:56] compensate for something.

[11:57] >> No.

[11:58] >> No. But it's got the vent. you know,

[12:00] accusations happening there. I'm just

[12:01] saying. But but the vent

[12:03] >> and wait, you're also not accounting for

[12:05] the massive changes inside the turbo.

[12:06] >> Are there massive changes inside?

[12:08] >> Yes. You wait.

[12:09] >> Okay.

[12:11] >> Aha.

[12:12] >> Okay.

[12:12] >> Says Turbo S.

[12:13] >> That's different.

[12:14] >> That, as far as I'm concerned, is the

[12:16] interior version of the vent.

[12:19] >> And we've also got the uh the leather

[12:21] package with turbanite accents.

[12:24] >> More gray. Yes. Um well, hold on before

[12:27] you the 992.2 two stuff is here. Yes.

[12:30] Which is the digital gauge cluster, the

[12:32] push button start, and a few other bits

[12:34] and bobs that I don't exactly remember.

[12:36] >> Um, you know, it's a high quality

[12:37] interior. No problem.

[12:38] >> High quality, great driving position.

[12:39] Yep.

[12:40] >> The digital cluster people are upset

[12:41] about, but now you can see every single

[12:43] gauge within that steering wheel.

[12:44] >> Yeah. I still think you could do a

[12:47] physical tack in the middle.

[12:48] >> You could do

[12:49] >> and then just do the smaller digital

[12:50] screen. They didn't have to make the

[12:52] whole thing digital, but

[12:53] >> and pass down the cost to the consumer.

[12:55] >> Yeah.

[12:55] >> Because Porsche is not afraid to do

[12:56] that. like ventilated seats. These are

[12:59] like $700 for this car.

[13:02] >> Adaptive cruise. Two grand.

[13:04] >> Why would a $270,000 US car not have

[13:07] adaptive cruise if

[13:08] >> that's so nickel and dimey, isn't it?

[13:09] >> It doesn't make any sense.

[13:10] >> Yeah, it's very silly. Like, I mean, it

[13:12] comes with a sport chrono, I guess, cuz

[13:14] it's not in an option. And there it is.

[13:16] And the leather package is a steal at

[13:18] what?

[13:19] >> 1850. Um, anyway,

[13:22] >> I uh I like the Turbo S. I think it's a

[13:25] good car.

[13:25] >> Yes. It's just not one that I would ever

[13:28] consider buying because here's how I see

[13:30] it. If you want a high performance

[13:33] Porsche, buy a GT car. If you want a

[13:36] really fast daily, which is what

[13:38] everybody says this car is, get a really

[13:41] fast daily. Get an RS6 or a M5 or

[13:44] whatever the hell it is.

[13:46] >> You're losing the It's the superlative.

[13:48] It's the superlative. It's the fastest

[13:49] daily. It's

[13:50] >> I guess I'm just I just I'm not

[13:51] concerned with having to own the

[13:53] superlative of a thing. Well, you're not

[13:55] a Turbo S buyer. Listen,

[13:56] >> I'm really not.

[13:57] >> But let's get the record straight. Gun

[13:58] to the head. Right now, you have to buy

[14:00] a 911 from the lineup.

[14:01] >> T,

[14:03] >> that's quite quick.

[14:04] >> Yeah.

[14:04] >> Yeah. You really embrace that gun to the

[14:05] head thing.

[14:06] >> Yeah.

[14:07] >> I think I'd still go GT3.

[14:10] >> Uh, yeah. But, you know, the money is a

[14:12] thing and I just would rather save the

[14:15] money and get a T.

[14:17] >> Okay. So, once again then, the Turbo S

[14:20] has done the annoying thing of just

[14:22] being Yeah. The superlative, the king.

[14:24] >> Porsche has beaten the game. The game

[14:27] that they invented, they wrote the rules

[14:29] for no one else playing.

[14:34] >> So, the new 911 Turbo S continues to

[14:37] fulfill the mission of unquestionable

[14:39] road superiority this side of a supercar

[14:42] and even deep into some supercars. Its

[14:45] ability to gain speed, scrub speed, and

[14:47] manage corners feels like cheating. It

[14:50] still doesn't sound like much, and the

[14:52] now seamless, almost non-existent

[14:54] upshifts are a marvel to some and a bore

[14:58] to others. But the new Turbo S is still

[15:00] objectively the best 2 plus two seat

[15:03] performance daily sports car all round

[15:05] bestest mostest thing. But put it this

[15:08] way, if you're someone that's learned to

[15:10] love someone else in your life because

[15:12] of their flaws rather than in spite of

[15:14] them, then we'd like to point you in the

[15:16] direction of an Aston or a Corvette or a

[15:20] McLaren or even a Ferrari. But for those

[15:23] of you who organize your socks by

[15:25] polyester content, there is no

[15:28] substitute. And the massive price tag

[15:30] proves that Porsche know that, too.

[15:33] Thanks for watching.