Porsche 911 Carrera GTS: Driven

Just as the biggest threat to the 911 in years appears Porsche unleashes its new GTS version - funny that

Most of us like a good conspiracy theory and Porsche's decision to launch this new 911 GTSin the same US state and on the same day Mercedes chose to introduce the press to its vital, all-new AMG GT S would seem to provide one. Two manufacturers from the same German city launching GTS models 6,000 miles from home but 250 miles apart? Someone is having a laugh. Surely?

This isn't the GTS you were looking for. Move along.

Porsche says no. Despite the clear temptation to use an interesting but hardly game changing new model like this GTS to torpedo the introduction of the greatest threat the 911 has faced since the launch of the Audi R8, Porsche insists its presence in California that day was entirely coincidental. Happily I was able to drive both and will provide a view as to their relative merits further down this page. But in the meantime...

What is a Porsche 911 GTS? It is a perfectly pleasant cruising machine, ideal for plying the Interstate with the wind in what's left of your hair and Radio KRAP blasting out American soft shlock classics; an easy, undemanding companion for days when you can't be bothered to try too hard.

Shock jock
Disappointed? Me too, though I'm not too sure what anyone should have expected from a four-wheel drive, two-pedal 911 GTS Cabriolet.

Greater than the sum of the parts, etc

So let's apply some 911-grade less-is-more thinking and start again at the other end of the GTS scale, where you'll find a £91,098 rear drive, manual coupe and a more than £13,000 left in your bank over aforementioned cab.

You know the details - the 430hp engine that forms the Powerkit option on a Carrera S, the 20mm wider body from the Carrera 4, the standard PASM, centre-lock wheels, active engine mounts, Sport Chrono and various cosmetic addenda. Most can be optioned into a Carrera S but the Powerkit alone adds more to the price than the entire cost of trading up to a GTS. What cannot be bought is a bespoke damper iteration that has a fairly profound effect on the car's demeanour.

And, at first, not necessarily a good one. The most surprising thing about the old 997 GTS was that it rode so well, making it the best non-Motorsport 911 both to live with and to drive. This GTS is not like that: its ride is adequate but no more. But you'll forgive that at the first sign of a decent road.

Added branded spangle for cabin too

Conspiracy theory
What it shares with the 997 GTS is that sneaking suspicion Porsche has done more to this car than it's letting on. It doesn't feel like the mildly tweaked S its spec purports to be. Although you don't gain much benefit from the extra power until you're north of 7,000rpm, the whole car feels sharper. The chassis is not just a touch more taut, it has an appetite for an apex I don't remember from a standard 991 at all. And it has grip, oodles of the stuff even on hideously twisting roads with variable surfaces and cambers. On the track it wants to be your new best friend - endlessly accommodating, unreasonably forgiving and pleasingly more neutral than lesser 911s. Add to these revelations the fact Porsche has reworked its manual gearbox so it is no longer the world's best advert for PDK. In fact I once more prefer my 911 with three pedals, which is how it should be.

Just coincidence launch held at same time as AMG

So leaving such ephemera as convertible and four-wheel drive GTS variants to one side, how good is this car? As good as the previous? Not quite. That car expanded the 911's abilities in every direction while this one is simply better to drive. But it is still a fine car and a worthy addition to the range. Like other 991s, its character is also too indistinctly 911 unless you're driving really fast, but when you do you'll know this is a car of outstanding ability and considerable appeal.

But there's something else to consider, namely that for little more than Porsche charges to put a GTS engine into an S, you can turn your GTS into a GT3, and that is an entirely different proposition. If you want your 911 primarily as a driving machine, for goodness sake find the extra.

As for the AMG GT, the Porsche is easier to live, the Benz more thrilling to drive. As an only car the choice would be the 911 every time. As part of a stable it would be the Benz by a similarly emphatic margin.

PORSCHE 911 CARRERA GTS
Engine: 3,800cc flat-6
Transmission: 7-speed manual/7-speed dual-clutch auto (PDK), rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 430@7,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 324@5,750rpm
0-62mph: 4.4 sec (4.0 sec)
Top speed: 190mph (189mph)
Weight: 1,425kg* (1,445kg)*
MPG: 29.7mpg (32.5mpg) (NEDC combined)
CO2: 223g/km (202g/km)
Price: £91,098 (Carrera 2 GTS, before options)
*Weight DIN unladen, EU +75kg; figures in brackets for PDK equipped car

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Mermaid

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