Most 911 fans are up in arms since Porsche unveiled the revamped version that ditched the naturally aspirated flat-six in favor of a new, turbocharged unit.
Yet Porsche has been using this technology for 40 years, initially in racing and then in road cars as well. Apart from the Turbo and GT2, though, they never employed forced induction in their regular models.
Now, the 991.2 (as the facelifted model is code-named) employs a 3.0-liter twin-turbo unit with 370 PS (365hp) and 450Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque in the Carrera and 420 PS (414hp) and 500Nm (369 lb-ft) in the Carrera S.
This makes them both more powerful and torquier than their predecessors, despite a decrease in capacity. Along with lower CO2 emissions to comply with the latest legislation, these are the upsides of turbocharging.
The downside, purists fear, is the 911 losing its instant throttle response and having its trademark sound muffled by the turbochargers. The review of the Carrera S over twisty mountain roads will show whether they are rightly upset or if Porsche has managed to combine the best of both worlds.