The biggest car news and reviews, minus the BS
Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.
If you’re a Porsche 911 fan, you saw this coming. The 911 T-Hybrid’s arrival earlier in the year sent a message: The pathway to the most powerful, most advanced sports car out of Zuffenhausen now involves electrification. The hybrid 911 Turbo S that Porsche announced today was, frankly, an inevitability. That said, the milestone hits differently when you survey the figures.
The 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S is the most powerful production 911 ever, with 701 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. It gets there by adding a second electric exhaust turbocharger to supplement its 3.6-liter flat-six, where the Carrera and Targa GTS only have one. The high-voltage 1.9-kWh battery is the same as in the GTS, as is the eight-speed PDK with its integrated electric motor that sends power to all four wheels, via the Porsche Traction Management system.
All told, it’s a 61-hp boost over what the last-gen Turbo had. Porsche says the new car will hit 60 mph from a standstill in 2.4 seconds, and reach 124 mph in exactly six seconds more.
The 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe and Cabriolet. Porsche
You might wonder how that increase in electric power offsets the weight gain from the battery pack and associated tech. The new Turbo S is 180 pounds heavier than its predecessor, tipping the scale at 3,829 pounds. That might seem like a lot—and hey, let’s be honest, it is—but at a time when the 911’s competition is pushing well over 4,300 pounds, it’s important to remember that it could be worse.
It’s probably for that reason, if I had to guess, that Porsche included a quote from its brand ambassador and test driver, Jörg Bergmeister, in its press release about this car. According to Jörg, “You don’t feel the weight gain. On the contrary—the car is much more agile, has more grip, and is significantly faster than its predecessor in all relevant sections of the track.” The track he’s referring to, of course, is the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where the 911 Turbo S logged a 7:03.92 lap, some 14 seconds faster than the old car.
Some of that could be down to power, but it can also certainly be attributed to the Turbo’s new tires, which are 10 mm wider and made of a new compound. Porsche’s Ceramic Composite brake system, which also comes standard, uses a new pad material and 20 mm larger rear rotors.
You want to talk aero? The 911 Turbo S has active shutter flaps at the front, along with an active front spoiler and diffuser, and an active rear wing. All this optimizes not only airflow for maximum grip, but cooling as well. And we haven’t even gotten to the improved Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control system, which leverages the car’s 400-volt electric architecture to mitigate roll and pitch more quickly than it ever could in the old, gas-only Turbo.
Note the unique exhaust treatments on the coupe and convertible. Porsche
So, yes—in typical Porsche fashion, the new 911 Turbo S has plenty of little improvements surrounding the one big powertrain change. And while we can debate about the value of that change, and if the extra performance from the hybrid system could ever make up for the extra weight, the fact of the matter is this: Porsche has decided that now is the time to turn to electrification to keep the most potent 911 legal. And it’s done so in a way that’s made the car even faster. Heavier, more complex, and less “pure,” perhaps, but faster. Ultimately, that is the Porsche way.
Porsche
Got a tip? Drop us a line at tips@thedrive.com
Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
