An Even-Handed Review of the 992 Turbo S

Harry Metcalfe needs little introduction. Successful farmer, founder of Evo, supercar collector, and an example of someone whose joie de vivre I’d like to emulate when I’m at a ripe old age. The latest addition to his stable: a 992 Turbo S, and as we will see, he thrashes this along some scenic English roads, takes in the little details, and determines why this plush four-wheel drive is a legitimate supercar.

True, the 992 Turbo S is bigger, heavier, more accommodating than its predecessors, but with the largest bump in power output seen in any single step of the 911 Turbo’s lineage, it really can’t be maligned as a GT anymore. If the muscular stance—10mm wider at the rear than the standard 992—doesn’t sway you, the 10-piston calipers now standard, active aero, and the outrageous 3.8-liter engine should. True, it has some luggage space and enough room for a modestly-sized friend in the back seat, but they shouldn’t detract from its purposeful image—they don’t diminish its performance.

It’s quite porky at 3,525 pounds, but 650 horsepower and 590 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm means it streaks to 120 miles per hour in 8.4 seconds. It also goes slowly better than most performers in this price range. Significantly quieter than a 992 Carrera S, a reworked gearbox with better ratios for highway cruising, and a suppler suspension setup makes this machine particularly good for mooching around town. Livability is something certain highly-strung supercars leave low on their list of priorities, but the Turbo S is a singular entity in this respect; few cars blend ballistic speed and a refined ride as well as this.

That sophistication and its ability to deploy its performance without heroics, spinning wheels, or a waggling tail might be why this car doesn’t get lumped in with the slightly smaller, lower, and less reasonable supercars that it can out-accelerate. There’s a level of restrained competence that the others aren’t quite interested in mimicking—assuming they can. A supercar in a sleek trenchcoat might be a self-defeating product in some eyes, but underneath the Turbo’s stealthy hide is a bonafide supercar that can run with the best of them, park with some dignity, and do the mundane tasks as well as some SUVs. That’s a list of abilities that is nigh-impossible to fault.