Facelifted 2010 911 Introduced

The slow, steady evolution of such an iconic vehicle like the Porsche 911 is an interesting thing to watch. Why mess with success? Two vehicles that are almost always compared are the Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette. For all intents and purposes, the 911 and Chevrolet Corvette have each followed on a similar development pattern.

It's amazing how the two are so often compared but yet so radically different. And for the most part, each one gets progressively better each time around.

But this article isn't about the Chevrolet Corvette, it's about the latest 911 Turbo. As expected, the Porsche 911 Turbo is faster - what else?  The increased power comes from a different powerplant that Porsche dubs "the first entirely new engine in the 35-year-history of the Turbo".

Previously a 3.6-liter unit was used; this time the  Turbo eschews that for the 3.8-liter direct injected engine that does duty in the Carrera S. The new engine results in a power increase to 500 horsepower - wow! The 911 Turbo is also able to be combined (for the first time) with Porsche's seven-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe gearbox.I'll think I'll let you figure out what that means....

Just kidding, it's a long German word for dual-clutch gearbox. A new way to control that gearbox is available as well: a 3-spoke steering wheel with F1-style wheel-mounted paddles. Perhaps the biggest surprise here though is the increase in efficiency!

A direct-injected, turbocharged, dual-clutch gearbox-equipped 911 Turbo reduces C02 emissions by 18 percent and ups fuel economy from 20.8 mpg to a startling 24.8 mpg. For a performance car like this, that is simply amazing! It also enables the 911 Turbo to escape the U.S gas guzzler tax

From the sounds of it, the 911 Turbo truly is the latest and greatest in a succession of great 911s. Porsche has already released pricing for the coupe and cabriolet models, with the coupe coming in at $132,800 and cabriolet checking in at $143,800.