What's all this about?

It's time for the 992-generation Porsche 911 to be updated, which means altered looks, increased in-car tech... and the first-ever hybrid-powered model in the legend's 60-year-plus history.

Really?!

Yes, although we knew this news was coming, because Porsche had already told us that it was 8.7 seconds faster around the Nordschleife than its non-electrified predecessor. Perhaps the greater surprise is what the company has chosen to call it. We were expecting it to be a Carrera of some sort, most likely a Carrera S. And, technically, it is a Carrera, although the letters following that part of its badging are some of Porsche's most hallowed: they read GTS.

Really really?!

Incredulous today, aren't we? But yes, it is so. If you were to give it the full official name, it would be the 992.2 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid, but we'll just stick to the latter part of that from now on. It takes the old 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine as its basis, with Porsche's engineers having bored and stroked it out (to 97- and 81mm respectively) to increase swept capacity to 3.6 litres. On its own, the German firm reckons this would make five more horsepower than the old 480hp/570Nm spec (and the same torque) of the 3.0-litre which was used in the 992.1 GTS, but of course the boxer-six is not on its own.

Reduced down to a solitary turbo, Porsche has installed an integrated electric motor between the compressor and the turbine of the blower. This helps the turbo spool up instantaneously, hence why the GTS T-Hybrid (as Porsche calls the tech) no longer requires two turbos to eliminate lag, but it can also recoup up to 11kW (15hp) of energy from the waste gases of the exhaust. Alongside this little doozy, there's a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) sequestered in the eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission, this a meatier unit rated at 40kW (54hp) and 150Nm.

All of this is powered by a new 1.9kWh, 400-volt battery which is situated where the old, traditional 12-volt item lived, although this has necessitated Porsche fitting another lithium-ion power pack to deal with the car's ancillaries on the 12-volt system. Anyway, all combined, it serves to give the 992.2 GTS a combined output of 541hp and 610Nm (gains of 61hp and 40Nm), which more than compensates for the additional 50kg the hybrid gear brings to the 911's form and allows the car to do 0-62mph in three seconds exactly (a reduction of 0.5 seconds) before topping out at 194mph (+2mph).

So is the hybrid 911 my only drivetrain choice in the revised range?

Oh no, the entry-level Carrera has come in for a bit of light fettling as well, although rarely has the term 'entry-level' been so spectacularly misapplied. Well, all right, it remains entry-level compared to other 911s, but anything with 394hp and 450Nm that can run 0-62mph in sub-four seconds is hardly what you'd call tame.

That's only 9hp up on the old Carrera and it makes the same torque as the car it supersedes, with the uplift coming from the fitment of (ironically enough) the turbos from the 992.1 GTS, as well as an intercooler from the mighty Turbo. It means that, when fitted with the Sport Chrono package with launch control, the 992.2 Carrera can run 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds, making it the first Carrera in more than six decades of production capable of ticking it off in less than four seconds. Even without Sport Chrono, it's still abnormally quick for a 'base' car, taking 4.1 seconds to hit 62mph from rest.

Bear in mind we're only talking about the Carrera and GTS at this stage, as the rest of the 992 range will soon undergo a similar process as well.

OK, so what else has changed with the 992.2?

Visually, all forward lighting functions are now clustered in the headlamp units themselves, which means the lower bumper has a cleaner appearance - and better cooling airflow to the radiators, among more. The Carrera can be optioned with a set of Exclusive Design alloys which are aerodynamically optimised, while all versions have a different coast-to-coast light strip at the back and an upper grille that has five vanes on each side. Every 911 also comes with rear-axle steering as standard as part of the facelift, while the 400-volt electrical architecture on the GTS T-Hybrid means it can have the active anti-roll system known as Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) from the factory, which is paired to 10mm-lower sports suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) variable dampers.

Then, inside, the influence of the other ranges updated in 2024, which are the Panamera, Cayenne and Taycan specifically, is obvious in the new 12.6-inch Curved Display instrument cluster. Porsche has also fitted an engine start-stop button to one side of the steering wheel, although the more intriguing move is that all Coupe 911s will now be two-seaters as standard. You can still have the 2+2 arrangement within and it's a no-cost option, but you need to physically tick a box saying you want the vestigial rear seats, otherwise your tin-topped 992.2 will come from the factory with just the front chairs.

Duly noted. And are all the body styles still available?

Yes, the Carrera comes as either the Coupe or the Cabriolet, while the GTS T-Hybrid will be sold in both of these as well as the attractive Targa body. The GTS can be either rear-wheel drive or a GTS 4 all-wheel-drive model as a Coupe or Cabriolet, but the hybrid Targa is four-wheel drive only. Prices begin at £99,800 for the Carrera Coupe, while the GTS hybrid is pricier at £132,600. Order books are open now, with first deliveries of the Carrera in late summer while the T-Hybrid should be with customers by the end of the year.