We test the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS t-hybrid to find out.
Road tested by Hugh Maguire.
There is probably no other sports car that carries the burden of being one of the most recognisable, most respected, most iconic of names, that is the 911.
I really would not like to be on the Porsche 911 design team. How do you keep the character of the original yet modernise the car without alienating the loyal followers who buy car?
The original was born in 1963 and now some sixty three years later the Porsche 911 is still without doubt one of the most instantly recognisable sports cars.
Say 911 and you don’t need to mention the brand. Everyone just knows its Porsche. Rivals must dream of that sort of brand awareness.
Porsche have managed to evolve the shape to keep the character and profile of the original yet modernising the design to keep it looking up to date.
However it is not without its critics too, usually the most loyal of Porsche purists who sometimes disagree with the direction Porsche have taken with the 911.
When Porsche binned the legendary air cooled power plant for the 911 there was uproar from loyal fans. But Porsche had to take that route to comply with new emission regs. Then they turbo charged the 911 range (excluding the GT3) in 2016 with the 911 991.2 series. Again there are many who decried the loss of the normally aspirated engine but as before this move was driven by the need to keep and increase BHP without increasing emissions, turbo charging was the best way to achieve this.
That brings us neatly to the latest incarnation of the Porsche 911, the 992.2 series in GTS t-hybrid form.
Did I just write the word hybrid in the same line as 911? Well yes but not hybrid as you know it.
In typical Porsche fashion, their engineers have come up with their own ingenious way of boosting power using the latest automotive technology but not in the way most of us expected. They chose the 911 GTS to be the sole model to get this new tech, for now at least.
So for clarity though Porsche call the GTS a t-hybrid , this latest 911 will not travel a single km on electric power. In fact its emissions are actually higher than in the previous 911 GTS. So what’s the story here?
Porsche did not do this to turn the 911 into a green sports car. This new t-hybrid is all about future proofing the 911 while keeping a big powerful combustion engine in the rear of the legendary 911. In fact its displacement has gone up from the previous GTS to 3.6 litres. Think of this hybridisation as closer to what is used in Formula 1 than your regular hybrid saloon car.
More power, a tiny 1.9kWh battery to purely drive the single turbo. No one pedal driving, no EV mode driving, no noticeable brake regeneration but instant boost, no turbo lag and more low down torque across the rev range.
For now at least the t-hybrid tech is only in the GTS model. The Carrera range, the ionic turbo models and the GT cars remain as were.
So after some 400km behind the wheel of the newest version of the legendary 911 what did I make of the new Porsche 911 (992.2 ) t-hybrid?
My test car was the new GTS t-hybrid in cabriolet form with quite a few options.
So has it any street cred?
The shape of the iconic 911 has evolved over 63 years of production. Some say not enough, that a 911 still looks too much like the original. But the latest 911 is without doubt another success of the evolutionary styling. It’s a 911 of that there is no doubt. The large 20″ and 21” wheels give this supercar a purposeful and dynamic stance. I am not without my criticism of some areas. There is too much black plastic in the lower front and rear bumpers and and I think its pity they got rid of the headlight washers and separate indicators and day running lights at the front. Everything is now contained in the one headlight assembly. At the rear they have followed the current trend with a full width light bar again something I think Porsche did not need to do. Be individual. Don’t follow the herd. After all that is what a 911 is all about. Individuality!
That said this latest 911 looks like a 911 and all the better for that.
What’s it like inside?
The cabin is beautifully crafted, with bullet proof build quality as you would expect from Porsche. The instrument display is now fully digital but can be configured to look like the original five dial analogue layout thankfully. Again many purists and I am one feel Porsche should have kept the analogue rev counter at least. More of the cars controls are now operated through a 10’ touchscreen save for a few beautifully crafted aluminium switches for key functions. I am not a fan of the plastic push button start button which frankly could have come out of a Golf. The previous turn key type set up was far more tactile.
That tiny little drive shift selector has also come in for a lot of criticism but paddle shifts on the steering wheel do allow manual shifting.
However the moment you sit into the leather clad figure hugging sports seats you know you are sitting in a very special sports car. Blending over 63 years of Porsche sports car tradition with modern technology.
The driver sits low down into the car, you feel part of it. The level of standard equipment is good but as always with Porsche their is an extensive and very tempting options list that will soon push the asking price to wallet busting limits! You can “build your own Porsche” to exactly to your specifications on their configurator. The fit and finish is absolutely top class from the visible deviated stitching on the crafted full leather upholstery to the smallest switch, it all feels as though a real craftsman put it together. It so typically Porsche.
Whats under the bonnet?
Nothing (except that 1.9kWh battery) thats where your luggage goes! The rear engined 911 GTS t-hybrid is powered by a 3.6 litre 541 BHP flat six cylinder petrol engine with four camshafts, 24 valves and Variocam plus. Mated to an amazing 8-speed PDK double clutch semi automatic system the combination offers blistering performance. This new 911 will hit 100km/h from a standstill in just 3.0 seconds and continue to a top speed of 312 km/h.
The 1.9kWh battery powers an electric motor with spins up the turbocharger almost instantly. Unlike an exhaust driven turbo which can have lag as it needs the exhaust gases to accelerate to spin up the turbo. In numbers Porsche claim this car can spool, up the turbo in just 0.9 seconds against about 2.9 seconds in the non t-hybrid turbocharged models.
So to the key question. Was all this new tech worth it? Honestly I am not so sure. The PDK downshifts did not feel as sharp as in the other non t-hybrid models and though there is more low down torque the linear delivery of power makes it somewhat less punch in the back with more progressive linear acceleration which is ultimately less dramatic. However that said this car is all about performance and suffice to say the new 911 GTS is incredibly quick. We are in supercar territory here. Floor the throttle (or use the launch control system) and this 911 accelerates unabated towards the horizon. It just never seems to run out of power. In that its incredible.
Will I enjoy driving it?
The GTS model on test is the all wheel drive Carrera 4 GTS. The balance and handing is simply sublime. Suffice to say levels of grip are simply phenomenal and its safe to say that on a public road you will never be able to explore the full capabilities of this car. Its always better than you can deliver as a driver. A true motoring legend and a masterpiece of automotive engineering. Its reasonably quiet and refined too apart from some tyre roar on coarse surfaces, while the sound of that legendary flat-six is intoxicating. This truly is a drivers car!
Hugh’s Verdict.
Porsche have an extremely difficult task in keeping the 911 true to its roots while battling the latest emission regulations. The new 911 GTS t-hybrid is their way in part at least to address that. Is it a success? In that this car is about preserving the 911’s acceleration response, torque and identity under ever more stringent regulations then yes its a success!
The new 911 t-hybrid proves once again that Porsche are truly master automotive engineers. I enjoyed every single KM behind the wheel. No other car I can think of drives like a 911. The build quality, handling, brakes and steering are all set up to give the enthusiast driver a truly rewarding driving experience. A Porsche 911 is one of the few cars today that you will just get into and go for a drive just for the pure pleasure of experiencing the car reward your every driver input.
In this the 911 remains the king of everyday supercars and the new 911 GTS t-hybrid carries that accolade forward with aplomb!
The new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS t-hybrid costs from €266,696.
The model tested a Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet with options cost a whopping €324,855!