The Drive Report: Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS

There is an initial, EV-like boost that propels the car, helping it get to 100kph in 2.6 seconds.

The Porsche 911 has been the gold standard when it comes to everyday sports cars thanks to its unique rear-engined layout that allows for the optimal mix of balance and thrill. Having been singularly honed by Porsche for close to seven decades, it’s the benchmark most manufacturers try and match when it comes to two-doored sports coupes. And yet, many purists would argue that the latest crop of Porsches (991 onwards) has had its mechanical purity diluted with electronic aids. The Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS T-Hybrid isn’t for that lot. Seldom has the 911 – arguably the most iconic sports car in the world – witnessed such sweeping change.

Although it bears the distinction of being the first hybridised 911, it isn’t much of a hybrid. Not in any way that matters. For starters, unlike a lot of the hybrid supercars launches we have witnessed from Ferrari and Lamborghini, the new 992.2 GTS isn’t a plug-in hybrid. Which means that it can’t run on electric power alone. It also means it doesn’t need an external power source and that it doesn’t carry a cumbersome li-ion battery which can affect its famed dynamism.

While a standard, naturally-aspirated 911 comes with a rear-mounted 4.0-litre, straight-six engine, the Carrera GTS gets a slightly downsized 3.6-litre, rear-mounted straight-six that’s good for about 485hp. This is where it gets clever. In terms of battery size, the 911 GTS features a measly 1.9 kWh battery weighing approximately 27kg. It sends power to two electric motors – one that’s placed near the 8-speed PDK gearbox and another that essentially uses electric power to help the single turbocharger spool faster. That’s right, the GTS dispenses with twin-turbocharging (that’s for the 911 Turbo S) and instead utilised electric tech to reduce turbo-lag and help deliver maximum torque in 1/4th the time it took the previous-gen GTS to do so (down to half-a-second from the previous 2 seconds).

The joint efforts of the PDK-mounted electric motor and the engine give it a combined power output of 541 hp, which in this age of superlatives isn’t all that much, but it’s the manner in which the GTS delivers power that makes it a great car and a great 911.

I drove the Carrera 4 GTS after a quick succession of hot laps in both the standard naturally-aspirated Carrera and the shredded, track-oriented 992.1 GT3 RS at the annual Porsche World Roadshow. The GT3 RS thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and a naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre straight-six putting out 504hp remains the one to beat. But the Carrera 4 GTS is no slouch. In fact the power delivery is so instantaneous, you can’t really tell that this isn’t a twin-turbo car. There is an initial, EV-like boost that propels the car, helping it get to 100kph in 2.6 seconds. Given that it weighs approximately 150 kg more than the GT3 RS, it’s ability to keep-up with what is a bonafide track car with nearly 800 kg of downforce aiding it (at certain speeds), is truly astonishing. Granted, the power deficit isn’t much (neither is the price gap, mind you) but it's the near-imperceptible blend of ICE power with a sprinkling of electric performance that allows it to keep flying the 911 flag high. There’s a smidge of understeer, which feels more pronounced after having driven the RWD GT3 RS, but boy does it know how to have fun around a racetrack.

The 992.2 isn’t a generational update so apart from a few visual upgrades including vertical slats on larger air intakes, new bumpers, front and rear lights, this is similar in profile to the outgoing GTS (and only 50 kg heavier). It’s the first GTS to have a digital-only instrument cluster, which, once again, may not be to everyone’s liking. Lean and mean, keeping the kerb weight under 1600 kg, the interiors aren’t exceptionally tech-laden. The infotainment screen remains the same as the one found in the Cayenne or the Panamera, except now there’s a screen that shows you the hybrid tech working in real time.

Hybridisation marks a new era for the Porsche 911, no doubt but the GTS is more of a less expensive alternative to the formidable Turbo S now than ever before. It makes 100 bhp less than the Turbo S, but it’s also more efficient, greener and less expensive. At present, it’s the only 992.2 911 other than the standard Carrera to come to India for a steep Rs 2.75 crore (ex-showroom). At a day-long track event, accompanied by the best of Porsche’s current line-up of EVs and ICE cars, the 911 GTS T-Hybrid didn’t have much difficulty standing out. ICE will continue to remain the way to go for the 911, but the addition of a hybrid option alongside a turbocharged and NA one, only enriches its legacy, and does not diminish it.