THEY SAY TRAVEL broadens the mind. I say it depends what you’re travelling in. Spend two days in a 911 Turbo on fantastic roads and your mind might be warped rather than stretched:

‘Dear Rebecca, you remember how dad said he’s saved money so you could go to university? Something else came up sweetheart. Sorry. I hear the banks are more prepared to grant student loans these days. Good luck kiddo. Oh, and tell mom it’s no use dipping into the pension fund. That’s gone too. She’ll have to keep on working just that bit longer. Love Dad.’

‘PS: In case anyone asks, I’m having a blast and the Porsche is fantastic. Send money for petrol. Xxxx’

IMAGE GALLERY FOR THE 911TURBO

So this is how a mid-life crisis starts – not with a whimper but with the glorious howl of a 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat six? Yes, the new Porsche 911 Turbo will screw with your head. It’s supposed to be ‘just’ a sports car, the big 911 GT that’s easy to drive and even has seats in the back for kids. Don’t believe it. It’s a mean mother that will slice & dice almost any other supercar on the road and serve it to its gobsmacked owner as sushi with a touch of iron on the side.

It doesn’t look all that different from the previous 911 Turbo, but then 911 styling has always been a case of pedantic evolution rather than revolution. No wonder the residuals are rock solid. The tailpipes are slightly larger, the front air intakes slightly wider, the indicators are now LEDs and it’s equipped with daytime running lights front and back. That’s pretty much it.

Under the skin it’s a different story. An improved engine, a new pro-active four-wheel drive system and the seven-speed PDK double-clutch gearbox give a revised meaning to words like nimble and responsive. Use launch control (part of the optional Sport Chrono pack) and 0-100kph comes up in a whip-lashing 3.4 seconds. Top speed is 310kph. I didn’t trust myself to put any one of those stats to the test on the damp roads of Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route.

What I did repeatedly savour was the Turbo’s astonishing mid-range guts. Seven gears and a 7000rpm redline seems overly generous in this car. There’s so much surging power under acceleration that you’ll rarely come close to testing the rev limiter. Whereas older Porsches had a reputation for becoming light and jittery at the front at high speed, this one seems more forgiving and stable through dips and over ridges. It’s less nervous, more sorted. Turn-in and cornering is surprisingly neutral. It shouldn’t be surprising though. A mechanical rear axle differential and braking of the inner rear wheel when turning in (Porsche Torque Vectoring in geek speak), combined with the four-wheel drive system, means your chances of doing unwanted 180s when you lift off the accelerator midway through a bend are now remote instead of highly likely. Save the Sport Plus button for the track and opt for the Sport and PDK in manual when you hit the Long Tom Pass. It’s very, very good and very addictive to drive it hard all day long – both the road and the car.