When Porsche launched the 911 GT3 Touring package in 2017, it wanted to teach 911 R flippers a lesson by offering a similar car for way less money.
The manual-only, wingless 911 GT3 Touring turned out to be so good that it made some customers serenely accept the slightly slower acceleration figures compared to the PDK-equipped 911 GT3.
The thing is the 911 GT3 Touring is far from slow. It catapults from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.9 seconds and it reaches a top speed of 316 km/h (196 mph). Still, the 911 GT3 equipped with the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic is half a second quicker to 100 km/h (3.4 seconds) and slightly faster as well with a maximum speed of 318 km/h (198 mph).
Also watch: Porsche 911 T and GT3 Touring Prove Analogue Sports Cars Are Alive And Kicking
The real question is whether these differences matter in real life. Edmunds’ Carlos Lago tried to find that out by reviewing the 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring and comparing it with the regular GT3 equipped with the PDK.
As it turns out, Porsche’s official numbers got confirmed by Edmunds’ measurements. The 911 GT3 Touring was 0.5 seconds slower from 0 to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) and the PDK-equipped GT3 held on to that advantage in the quarter-mile run as well. It stopped the clock at 11.2 seconds at 124.7 mph (200.7 km/h) versus 11.7 seconds at 121.9 mph (196.1 km/h).
Interestingly, Lago found out that the difference when it comes to acceleration is not made primarily by the PDK’s quicker shifts but rather by the phenomenally effective launch control system. So yes, the dual-clutch 911 GT3 will beat the 911 GT3 Touring in a drag race but as Lago found, the driver of the latter car will have way more fun behind the wheel. It’s simply the best 911 of the outgoing 991 generation, says the reviewer.