Every Angle of the 2018 Porsche 911 Turbo S

It's claimed that more than 1200 varieties of sausage are available in Germany. An impressive feat of charcuterie, the country's diverse selection of encased meats has been referred to as the gastronomic equivalent of flourishing regional dialects. Peter Peter, the aptly named food correspondent of the equally aptly named Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Frankfurt General Newspaper), has gone so far to refer to the diversity of wurst as "history on the plate." What, exactly, this has to do with the Porsche 911 Turbo S is nothing and everything. While Porsche works in a different medium, it clearly shares the nation's penchant for crafting numerous flavors from a single, simple blueprint.

Let us not underplay the Turbo S's blinding performance. And by blinding, we mean the first time you use launch control it takes a moment for your eyes and inner ear to reconcile the corporeal inputs.

Select Sport+ mode, turn off the stability control, depress the brake, depress the accelerator, lift the brake pedal for launch, and prepare for the 911 Turbo S's unique take on the theme of acceleration: a tidy, controlled, and extremely rapid accumulation of speed.

2018 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

We've sampled a smorgasbord of 911s of late, and here's how they stack up in terms of acceleration: The 911 Carrera T with the seven-speed manual was one full second slower to the 60-mph mark and 1.4 seconds pokier in the quarter-mile with a trap speed of 118 mph.

The naturally aspirated GT3 with a seven-speed manual was also a full second slower to 60 and required an additional 1.8 seconds to complete the quarter-mile with a trap speed of 125 mph.

The price for this special brand of magic is steep-our car's $193,440 bottom line is a significant chunk of change for even the most dedicated Porschephile.

2018 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

To ensure stopping power commensurate with its accelerative capabilities, Porsche fits the Turbo S with its third-generation Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system as standard (it's optional on the non-S Turbo).

Comprising 16.1-inch rotors with six-piston calipers in front and 15.4-inch rotors with four-piston units in the rear, it provided enough bite to haul our Turbo S to a stop from 70 mph in just 133 feet.

Serving up 1.12 g of lateral grip and remarkable agility dialed in via steering that's quick but never twitchy, the Turbo S nonetheless can relax and offer a calming environment generally not associated with vehicles capable of such dynamic derring-do.

Both familiar yet so very contemporary, the 911 Turbo S again validates Porsche's ability to take its time-honored smorgasbord of hardware, blend in some fresh seasonings, and put it in a familiar casing without genericizing the flavor.

The interior materials are of quality, and the purposeful design is devoid of flash, although some of the switchgear requires familiarization.

Of course, feasting on the GT2 RS will set you back at least an additional $130K, but variety, as they say, is the spice of life-right?

Despite its straight-line prowess, the 911 Turbo S has an exhaust note that is a paragon of deportment compared to the sonic overload produced by the naturally aspirated engine in the GT3, the manual version of which registered 100 decibels in the cabin at wide-open throttle-the Turbo S registered 84 decibels.

When cruising along the highway at 70 mph, the interior noise level in the Turbo S is a very pleasant 76 decibels.