Road Tests: Full Test

Specifications and Performance 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo Vehicle Type: Model Year: 2001 Make: Porsche Model: 911 Style: Turbo Coupe Base Price: $111,765 Price as Tested: $114,700 Drive Type: All-wheel drive Transmission Type: Six-speed manual Displacement (liters): 3.6 Engine Type: H6 Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 415 @ 6,000 Torque (ft-lb @ rpm): 415 @ 2,700-4,600 Braking System: Four-wheel disc Steering System: Power-assisted rack and pinion Suspension Type (front): MacPherson-strut suspension Suspension Type (rear): SLA multilink suspension with antiroll bar Tire Size (front): 225/40ZR18 Tire Size (rear): 295/30ZR18 Tire Brand: Pirelli Tire Model: P Zero Curb Weight (lbs.): 3,395 Recommended Fuel: 93 Octane Fuel Tank Capacity (gal): 16.9 EPA Fuel Economy (mpg): 15 City 22 Highway Edmunds Observed (mpg): 15 Conditions for Testing: Temperature (Fahrenheit): 81 Humidity: 61% Elevation (ft): 85 Wind: 0 mph Performance: 0 - 30 (sec): 1.5 0 - 45 (sec): 2.9 0 - 60 (sec): 4.2 0 - 75 (sec): 6.3 1/4 Mile (sec @ mph): 12.7@111.0 30 - 0 (ft): 29 60 - 0 (ft): 117 Braking Rating: (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor) Excellent Slalom (mph): 65.2 Emergency Lane Change (mph): N/A Turning Circle (ft), curb-to-curb: 34.8 Handling Rating: (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor) Excellent Db @ Full Throttle: 83.0 Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 84.0 Acceleration Comments: As expected, the Porsche 911 Turbo's acceleration is the stuff of legends. Leaving the line is like blasting off from a launch pad. The all-wheel-drive grip and manual transmission encourage a delicate yet aggressive starting-line technique. If you get too aggressive off the line, the rear axles will do the two-step hop, fighting back and forth for grip. Since that doesn't allow for the smoothest of launches, a lower rpm before letting out the clutch seemed to be the better answer. Once moving, the revs come up so fast that it's hard to catch second gear before hitting the 6,750-rpm rev limiter. Into second gear, you actually have a second or so to think before grabbing third and then, just as quickly, fourth. The six forward gear ratios are so closely spaced that it does require fourth gear to get through the quarter-mile. Braking Comments: We typically start with the braking portion of the test in order to test the brakes at their coolest. We had just set up some new parameters in the computer, and our first run ended up being a bust with no reading. The second and third runs were also busts due to technical problems. On the fourth run we got it right. Since it took us until the fourth run to get any reading at all, we're sure that the Porsche could have been slightly better with completely cold brakes. That said, for all four runs the Porsche stopped straight, true and incredibly quick. We can only wonder about how good it could have been. Handling Comments: Surprisingly, this Porsche was not as stable as the Carrera 4 Coupe we had tested last fall. Add on 115 throttle-induced oversteering horses and the rear is bound to move around some more. During the first few runs, the rear felt planted and we got some really good run times. But as we got more heat in the tires, the back end seemed to go away. It was a handful. The steering has a non-assisted feel to it, even though it does have power steering. After many years of driving over-assisted steering, we found this to be a pleasant surprise. The quickest way through the cones was to drive with as little movement from the rear as possible; in other words, a nice tight line. Even with the PSM engaged, the rear never felt as planted as we would have liked. That being said, the 911 Turbo did go much faster through the cones than the previously tested Carrera 4. Specifications: Length: 174.6 in. Width: 72.0 in. Height: 51.0 in. Wheelbase: 92.5 in. Legroom (front): 41.6 in. Legroom (rear): N/A Headroom (front): 38.0 in. Headroom (rear): N/A Maximum Seating Capacity: 4 Cargo Volume: 10.6 (including front trunk) Maximum Cargo Volume (rear seats down): 7.1 Warranty Information: Bumper-to-Bumper: 4 years/50,000 miles Powertrain: 4 years/50,000 miles Corrosion: 10 years/unlimited mileage Roadside Assistance: 4 years/50,000 miles Scheduled Maintenance: No Safety Information: Front Airbags: Yes Side Airbags: Yes Head Airbags: No Antilock Brakes: Yes Traction Control: Yes Stability Control: Yes Rollover Protection: N/A Emergency Assistance System: No NHTSA Crash Test Driver: N/A NHTSA Crash Test Passenger: N/A NHTSA Crash Test Side Front: N/A NHTSA Crash Test Side Rear: N/A NHTSA Rollover: N/A IIHS Offset: N/A