Porsche 911 Turbo S review

Like it or not, a full house Turbo S is a status symbol. Any noises we make about saving a packet and having a Carrera S instead will likely fall on deaf ears. People who buy these want the one with the bigger haunches and Turbo script.

But north of £200k must give some potential buyers pause for thought, make them more open to lesser models or alternative brands. What’ll keep them on track is the knowledge that the Turbo S will probably retain more of its value come resale time, having cost less to run in the interim. That (though it’s not written down anywhere) is the Porsche promise. But do keep one eye on the bottom line when configuring. Have fun out there, but don’t go nuts.

There’s now a big gap in Porsche’s price range between where the £144k GTS and £158k GT3 top out and this comes in. That used to be filled by the regular Turbo. No more, apparently. More people bought the S, so now that’s all Porsche is offering. As far as leases go, you’re going to be putting down over £20k and spending £2,500 a month. The era of cheap money and easy leases is over.

One last thing. Amongst all this talk of ballistic speed, it’s easy to overlook the fact that while no rival is faster in the real world, none is more efficient, either. Well, not unless you’re constantly plugging in your Conti GT or Artura and only doing short journeys. North of 30mpg is feasible, 25mpg the likelihood and that means a 350-mile touring range.