OVERVIEW:

THE 992-series range grows with the launch of the new GTS, offering Porsche buyers a ‘sweet spot’ 911 with purist upgrades and subtle styling. 

The line-up comes with increased grunt, a (significantly) more raucous soundtrack, better driving dynamics over previous GTS models, and in staying true to the purist theme, the manual ‘box lives on.

All GTS model options share the incredibly capable 911 Turbo chassis, re-worked to achieve ‘touring’ comfort and added performance over the slightly cheaper Carrera S.

The unique blend of comfort and performance has forged a cult following for GTS models, particularly the 911 that first scored the badge a decade ago, widely considered as the pick of the bunch by Porsche owners.

The GTS is a 911 for purists that don't want outrageous wings or aero, which on heavily policed Australian roads aren’t likely to offer a tangible benefit.

As a concept, Gran Turismo Sport came about nearly 60 years ago when works racing drivers Colin Davis and Antonio Pucci requested that their Porsche 904 be both comfortable and quick enough to win the gruelling 1964 Targa Florio endurance race in Italy.

Porsche engineers concocted the 904 GTS, which managed to achieve the ideal mix of performance and comfort, allowing them to take the win in seven hours and ten minutes of racing at the limit.

Australian buyers score the following five 911 GTS variants, with a mix of rear-wheel and all-wheel drive options, and choice of automatic or manual transmissions:

• 911 Carrera GTS Coupe (rear-wheel drive)
• 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (rear-wheel drive)
• 911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupe (all-wheel drive)
• 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (all-wheel drive)
• 911 Targa 4 GTS (all-wheel drive)

The 992-series 911 GTS offers subtle visual tweaks, with GTS badging and satin black body parts like the front spoiler lip, wheels, rear lid grille, light surrounds, and the exhaust tips are finished in high-gloss black stainless steel.

The ‘blacked-out’ theme continues inside, with brushed black anodised aluminium accents and the black Race-Tex (Porsche’s durable Alcantara-esque material) interior package is standard fare, too.

Existing GTS owners will feel at home in the latest generation 911 GTS, many of whom, we’re told, have been waiting for this release. It doesn’t disappoint.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS:

First up, we drove the rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera GTS Coupe, in seven-speed manual form, through Queensland’s Gold Coast Hinterland, before swapping it out halfway for the all-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupe with eight-speed PDK dual-clutch ’box. 

Both the all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive coupes pack the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six engine, with 353kW and 570Nm on tap, but their on-road manners differ slightly.

The rear-wheel-drive, in our case the sensational manual option, is a slightly more intimidating beast. Not due to a lack of grip because, in fact, it has loads of it. But because it’ll squirm around in Sport Plus, reminding you the 305mm tyres up back are fighting for all that grip.

Its manual gearbox is a real treat, and just feels ‘right’ in a 911 GTS, with a precise, short throw, and ratios that don’t demand constant shifting. In fact, second and third gears account for most of the fun.

The all-wheel-drive, PDK-equipped, 911 Carrera 4 GTS offers even more savage acceleration as it bangs through gears at a rate no human possibly could.

The 0-100km/h times tell the full story, with the manual rear-driver clocking 4.1 seconds and the all-wheel-drive PDK model (the quickest in the GTS range) taking just 3.3 seconds to hit triple figures. 

You feel the difference, although what the manual lacks in outright acceleration, it makes up for with pure driving pleasure and a connectedness that is only achievable with three pedals and a gearstick.

The eagerness with which the 911 GTS accelerates, right across the rev range and regardless of transmission choice, well and truly fulfills the performance brief.

First comes the noise and then, with a cursory glance at the digital speedometer, comes the realisation of speed. Speed that, especially in Australia, could cancel your licence quickly – restraint is required. 

Noise is a true centrepiece in the new 911 GTS, close to perfect tunes emanating from the turbocharged flat-six, as it growls and snorts at low RPM then wails up top.

Intoxicating injections of wastegate whistle, depending on how liberal you are with your right foot, further add to the reworked exhaust system.

Porsche did this on purpose, of course, because what better way to complement the variable dual-flow exhaust, than with piercing wastegate ‘woosh’, and on top of all that the car has less sound deadening than before. 

Despite its boisterous performance chops, the GTS retains impressive levels of comfort and is a Porsche you could genuinely daily drive.

While you could daily drive the GTS, you could also track it on weekends – making it the Swiss Army Knife of the 911 range, in many ways.

Porsche achieves both comfort and performance, in unison, with its Active Suspension Management (PASM) system, making constant dynamic changes to damping.

At suburban speeds the ride is firm, but comfortable, however the car quickly reminds you that you’re in a highly capable 911 once you push on. 

The gorgeous high-tech, yet sporty interior design is supremely functional once planted firmly in the driver's seat, as everything falls nicely within arm's reach, especially the drive-mode selector perched below your right hand and begging for a cheeky twist to Sport Plus. The cabin experience comes together to give the car an ‘everyday supercar’ feel, without being too soft about it. 

While primarily designed to cling to you mid corner, the tight bolstering and low profile of the seats doesn't leave you needing an ice pack. At least not after an hour of bum-in-seat fun on some pretty bumpy Queensland b-roads.

Steering is razor sharp, in true Porsche fashion, and while incredibly direct it doesn’t feel twitchy, even at ludicrous speeds (on track, of course).

Speaking of which, on track the 911 comes alive as if to transport you back in time to offer a taste of that original 904 GTS DNA. 

Once lapping Norwell Motorplex, in the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, it was clear you likely won’t find the limit of the car, and the car itself won’t be the limiting factor in shaving tenths of a second off lap times, unless you’re a professional driver. 

Brake markers came up quick, and after the car instilled us with more confidence than we deserved, brake points were pushed further and further out. 

Those brakes are borrowed from the 911 Turbo, so it’s unsurprising they’re as good as they are. Up front, 408mm rotors are squeezed by six-piston aluminium monobloc calipers, with four-piston stoppers up back.

If you’re after more, or do plenty of track work, Porsche offers ceramic composite rotors that are more resistant to fade. Our test car was optioned with the standard brakes, and after back-to-back five-lap bouts, they didn’t suffer – so only track fiends are likely to need the upgrade.

The 911 remained calm as it dived deep into corners, hurtling at the apex with enthusiasm hard to fathom in a road car, but still providing feedback in the form of back-end squirm if overzealous with the go-pedal. 

The GTS offers an engaging mix of techno-wizardry to make you a better driver than you'll ever naturally be, coupled with immense mechanical grip and braking potential, yet importantly it still points out mistakes. 

Porsche understands the importance of constructive driver criticism, it seems, because the GTS doesn’t just do it all for you once in Sport Plus, dialling back the driver aids. 

The as-tested price of the manual 911 Carrera GTS we drove was $371,750, made up of the standard $314,800 base price, and a healthy checklist of options, among them the optional rear-axle steering. 

On the more expensive end, the as-tested price of the 911 Carrera 4 GTS was $380,570, made up of the $334,000 base price and a similar array of extras.

At the price point the GTS sits at, across the range and even with some boxes ticked at the dealer, it remains significantly cheaper than a ‘Turbo’ (from $404,900), yet offers most of the thrill of its big brother. 

Porsche nailed the ‘sweet spot’ brief with the latest generation 911 GTS, true to the Gran Turismo Sport moniker it proudly adorns, with a do-it-all car that miraculously combines luxurious comfort with blistering performance.