Carrera evolves again, turbocharging its 911 lineup

Say hello to the seventh-generation 911, the latest iteration of Butzi (Ferdinand) Porsche’s visionary vehicle that debuted an astonishing 54 years ago. The unmistakable looks, legendary handling and beastly power are all front and center. The only difference — turbocharged engines for the Carrera, Carrera S and Targa.

Well, that’s not the only difference. The new 911 lineup also features more length, lower stance, a wider front track, bigger brakes, a new rear axle design and an electro-mechanical power steering system that, despite the electric-steering naysayers, works great. There’s also Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), enhanced (and now standard) Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and improved dynamic engine mount technology.

While all that matters, the headline is still turbocharging. Those of the 911 faithful who wrung their hands when Porsche ditched the air-cooled engines in 1998 will cry heresy. However, this isn’t Porsche’s path to perdition. Welcome to the 21st century, where worldwide regulations for better fuel consumption and reduced emissions are driving everybody — including Ferrari — to turbos as the answer.

Besides, it’s hard to argue with success. The lineup’s new 3.0-liter twin-turbo, flat-six engine offers greater torque than the naturally aspirated predecessors, with none of yesterday’s turbo lag.

In the Carrera, the big news on the twin-turbo engine is 370 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque (44 more than the previous version). The S boasts 420 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque (43 more than before), thanks to different compressor wheels and a special exhaust setup. Watch the speedometer: 0-60 in an estimated 3.9 seconds for the Carrera, and 3.7 in the Carrera S. Watch the tachometer: 7,500 rpm is a lofty engine speed for a turbocharged engine. And watch the fuel gauge: The new 911 is said to be 12 percent more fuel efficient, although final EPA fuel-economy estimates have yet to be determined.

You have two options for putting all that goodness to the ground: the superb seven-speed manual transmission or the tweaked, freakishly clairvoyant and ultra-smooth dual-clutch automatic PDK, which is mercifully short for Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (a consonant-rich mouthful that amply demonstrates why Germans don’t play Scrabble).

The lush interior, full of fine leather, thoughtfully arranged controls and capacious (for a Porsche) seating are light-years beyond what a Porsche cabin was just 10 years ago. Long road trips are no longer the bone-cracking, arm and leg origami-unfolding ordeal of bygone days (that is, if you’re of a, ahem, certain age). While not as buttery and yielding as a Bentley, the 911 offers a supremely comfortable interior experience well suited for long trips.

There’s also a new 7-inch touch-screen infotainment display offering Apple CarPlay integration (which means your kids will be swiping and pinching it constantly). Models with the optional Sport Chrono package will have a Ferrari-like “manettino” switch on the steering wheel to select Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual drive-mode settings that change transmission settings, exhaust, PASM and the engine stop-start feature.

The only thing missing — the “Turbo” tag, still firmly affixed to the monster 2017 911 Turbo with up to 580 horsepower and a $160,000 price tag. The new Carrera runs around $89,000, while the S version comes in around $103,000. If you really, really want to boast about your new turbo-boost, you can find “Turbo” tags online all day long for peanuts.

Change is inevitable, especially in the competitive automobile market. One thing, however, better not, should not and, hopefully, will not ever change: the classic Porsche five-dial instrument cluster. Update it all you want, sure. Just don’t ever get rid of it. EVER.

Porsche engineers, you’ve been warned.

Brian Melton is genetically predisposed to cool cars. His mother drove a classic porthole T-Bird in the carpool lane.

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Carrera evolves again, turbocharging its 911 lineup."