5 Reasons Why The New Porsche 911 Turbo Is Better Than Before

Good news! Today is the day that Porsche has dropped the 911 Turbo bomb on us, and the stats make for some exciting Friday morning reading. Here are 5 reasons why this new car is better than its predecessor:

1. It's faster

Like its predecessor, the new 911 comes with the choice of two power outputs in two models - Turbo or Turbo S. The standard Turbo now gets 513bhp, while the the full-fat, I'm going to rearrange your organs Turbo S produces 552bhp. Compare these figures with those of before and that's an increase of 20bhp and 30bhp respectively.

For that reason, your Turbo S will catapult you to 62mph in just 3.1sec and won't let go until 197mph shows on the speedo. As before, both models are powered by everyone's favourite turbocharged 3.8-litre flat-six.

2. It's got active aero

This is a first for the 911 model, and it certainly won't be the last. The active aero system consists of a retractable three-stage front spoiler, which you control at the push of a button. In full attack mode, the three parts are fully extended, which produces extra downforce on the 911's nose. At the rear, the angle of the spoiler also changes to push the Turbo's arse-end down onto the tarmac. Sound like a gimmick? Porsche says the 911 will lap the Nürburgring 2sec quicker with the spoilers in 'angry' mode.

3. It laps the 'Ring faster than a Zonda

Porsche's claimed Nürburgring lap time of "well under" 7min 30sec (that means 7min 29.99sec probably) in the Turbo S makes this a pretty rapid ride - in fact, it's 3sec quicker than the 594bhp V12 Zonda F. Granted, the new 911 does have four-wheel drive, unlike the rear-drive Zonda. But impressed we will remain.

4. It features rear axle steering

Here's a trick piece of kit that will make your city commute that bit easier. At speeds of up to 31mph, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front's. This makes turn-in quicker and, says Porsche, effectively shortens the 911's wheel base by 250mm for 'unrivalled cornering agility'.

Put the hammer down above 50mph however, and rear axle steering steers the rears parallel to the front's. This 'adds' 500mm to the car's wheelbase for better high speed stability. That'll explain that rapid lap time.

5. The 911 Turbo is green. Ish

For a car that'll batter the Nürburgring, and hit obscene speeds, the Turbo's actually pretty green. Thanks to its clever 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (PDK) and stop-start system (yes, seriously), the Turbo will achieve 29.1mpg - that's even better than a Lotus Exige S!

So what's the price for all this kit you ask? In the UK, you can get your hands on a 911 Turbo for £118,349, while the Turbo S version tips the scales at £140,852. That's an obscene amount of money, but not when you remember that a similarly fast Mclaren MP4-12C will set you back £176k. Decisions, decisions..