2022 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet review

It seems contradictory for something this potent to simultaneously be as relatively understated. You can’t call the 992-generation Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet a sleeper – it is a 911 after all. Plus the giant rear haunches, intakes, and whale-tail inspired spoiler do give the game away somewhat.

But those who aren’t up to date with the details of Porsche’s sports car line-up are unlikely to give this convertible a second glance – particularly in Carrara White metallic.

During my loan of the car, I asked numerous friends and family two things – how fast they thought the 992 Turbo Cabriolet was, and how much they think it’s worth. The answers were consistently wrong on both fronts, and their shocked responses to the answer were only magnified once placed in the passenger seat.

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This is a seriously fast car. It isn’t showy or overstated with gratuitous addenda - aside from the OTT optional stripes - shouting exhausts and intricately hinged apertures, but the real-world pace places this car firmly in the supercar category.

You’ll pay a supercar premium to buy one as well – $425,700 to be exact. Our tester comes fitted with more than $50,000 of options on top of the not-insignificant sticker price. Porsche’s request of $7100 for the sports exhaust is expensive, but the system adds genuine auditory depth to what can sometimes be an anodyne flat-six sound.

Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control will add $6750 but is an integral part of what makes the Turbo as devastating a weapon as it is. Finally, a $5070 front axle lift system means the everyday supercar can retain its moniker despite the aggressive stance.

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Everything else is a matter of personal taste but get eager with the box-ticking and the drive-away price will quickly become something starting with a six.

That everyday supercar reputation and nickname is well-earned with the 992. The cabin has an exemplary level of fit and finish, and while there are a handful of UX quirks – like the now rectified lack of Android Auto at the time of testing, or how the outer instruments in the digital display fall out of sight behind the steering wheel – they barely register as nit-picks in terms of overall design.

The ride quality is a highlight. While firm in its comfort mode, it is never crashy or brittle. You’re politely informed of imperfections in the road instead of being accosted with a jolt. Switch the adaptive dampers to a firmer setting and you gain more direct feedback and response from the chassis, but the apparent witchcraft means no major sacrifice in secondary ride quality is made.

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Even nasty mid-corner bumps taken at speed couldn’t perturb the Turbo. At worst it shudders subtly over smaller, high frequency undulations.

You’d need a race track to really notice any chassis concessions (which isn’t really in the Turbo’s remit), and scuttle shake has been a thing of the past for at least a full generation now.

Road noise is up at highway speeds, but only nominally, and you don’t make a significant visual sacrifice either to our eye. With the fabric roof lowered you are protected from buffeting by a retractable and somewhat awkward-looking wind break even at highway speeds.

Outputs of 427kW and 750Nm boasted by the Turbo Cabriolet were out of reach for Bugatti 30 years ago, and even then, the French manufacturer had to deploy double the cylinders and turbochargers of the 992. Okay, so engine technology progressing isn’t a huge shocker, but it’s important to remember where we are now and not take it for granted.

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Then there is the way said power is deployed. Peak torque arrives at just 2250rpm and stays on song to 4500rpm. You only need to travel another 2000rpm up the rev range before full power takes over. Shaping the power and torque curves in this way gives the Turbo an incredibly linear feel to its delivery and is achieved in part by the variable geometry turbine turbochargers.

Moveable vanes replace fixed designs on the turbochargers to control exhaust flow and allow powertrain engineers greater flexibility in managing air volumes. Long story short, you can dispense with the idea of spiky turbo lag when debating the merits of the 911’s most capable variant.

A giant rubber footprint and four driven wheels combine to give the Turbo cab phenomenal levels of grip. Grab it by the scruff of the neck and drive hard and in short order you’ll find yourself having to pull over to regain your senses. While it tolerates spirited inputs, the 992 Turbo cabriolet rewards a more deliberate driving style.

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At turn in, thanks to its vast contact patch, there’s usually little typical 911 off-throttle understeer. Braking crisply to the apex will dial any sniff of push out, giving a fleeting impression of neutrality. It’s at corner exit where traditional go-fast logic gets thrown out the window.

You can press the accelerator into the firewall earlier and harder than initially expected and the drop-top Turbo will simply gulp manically at the bitumen.

The traditionally understated claim from Porsche is 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds and given our experience with prior 911 Turbos we have no reason to doubt that as an achievable mark in real-world conditions. Perhaps more impressive than the launch is in-gear acceleration, which when mated to the sharpest setting for the eight-speed PDK is staggering. Cruise at 80km/h, stand on the throttle, and it’ll block downchange straight to the chubbiest part of the torque curve.

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The steering is beautifully balanced, and the communication from the front tyres is concise and easily digestible considering the complexity of the forces at play on the front axle. I’m thankful for the Turbo’s direct response to inputs as it’s a wide car and feels it on-road. An expressive nature and a well-judged, progressive rack means that its girth is easy to place in your lane and adjust at speed.

On the aural front the 992 Turbo isn’t a headline performer. It is purposeful and avoids the worst of the idle blare that can befall blown flat-sixes from Porsche. However, it’s the turbos that still do most of the auditory heavy lifting. Whooshes and flutters are frequent and add an enjoyable level of character to the driving experience.

Yet all that potency is never put on full display until you make the very conscious decision to do so. Despite being capable of such extreme highs, the Turbo Cabriolet never gratuitously eggs you on. It’ll match your pace anytime, anywhere, anyhow, and feel sublime doing so.

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If you only ever tootled around town, you’d never be the wiser that this easy-driving convertible that slips slyly through its gears and takes off from the line with the same competence as a base Macan could send many A-lister supercars packing.

That understated nature does play against the current breed of 911 Turbo variants somewhat, particularly when the base 992 Carrera is so dang impressive. However, don’t let that lull you into thinking the Turbo is obsolete. Far from it.

If you are, like Editor Enright, disposed of a dislike of drop-tops, then you’ll never be charmed by the Cabriolet Turbo. However, if million-mile headroom and seemingly limitless performance sound like a fine pairing then the 992 Turbo Cabriolet is more convincing than ever.

Enzo Ferrari, perhaps apocryphally, said that “aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines.” In the halls of Zuffenhausen, that motto has likely been adapted as, “Compromises are for people who can’t afford a Porsche”.

2022 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet specs