2025 Porsche 911 (992.2) Carrera GTS Coupe



If you want a 911 that's at home on a race track but can still cope on the road, the GTS has always been the middle ground for you. But then the 992-generation 911 came along, and things went south a bit, with an overly firm ride that made the car unbelievably responsive, but also made it incredibly stiff.

Now, though, there's an updated version, complete with mild-hybrid power and a brave new look, which is trying to right the wrongs of its predecessor. We've already tried it in Carrera 4 GTS all-wheel-drive form and enjoyed it, but will the purer, rear-wheel-drive version prove even more compelling?

Test Car Specifications

Model: 2025 Porsche 911 (992.2) Carrera GTS T-Hybrid Coupe
Price: 911 Carrera from £99,800, Carrera GTS from £132,600
Engine: 3.6-litre six-cylinder turbocharged petrol mild hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power: 541hp
Torque: 610Nm
Emissions: 239-251g/km
Economy: 25.7-26.9mpg
0-62mph: 3.0 seconds
Top speed: 194mph
Boot space: 135 litres

Styling

For most people, the 911 GTS won't look much different from any other 911, but Porsche has tried to differentiate its models a bit more with the new generation. As a result, the GTS gets a different front bumper with those funny gills in it, allowing cooling air into the powertrain and brakes, but shutting when that's no longer required. And like previous GTS models, it also gets dark mirrors and badging, a sports exhaust, and some dark alloy wheels that barely hide red brake callipers. Unless, of course, you opt for the carbon brakes.

Interior

Just as the 911 GTS’s exterior design isn’t all that different from the other 911 models, the same goes for the interior. The basic dashboard is identical to the standard Carrera, with the same digital instrument display and touchscreen infotainment system, as well as the same new drive mode selector on the wheel, the same toggle-style gear selector and the same new push-button ignition switch.

The difference is that Porsche has trimmed the dashboard almost exclusively in Race-Tex – its own microsuede material – for a sportier look, and there’s lots of dark trim as standard. It’s very dark in there, but it’s all supposed to add to the cockpit-style feel. For all that, though, it’s a luxurious cockpit. The materials, including the Race-Tex fabric, are all pretty upmarket, and they’re still beautifully stitched together.

Practicality

Nobody is about to call the 911 practical, but the Coupe version has its plus points. For starters, it's available in two- and four-seat forms, with no cost difference between the two. Obviously, losing the back seats means you can't carry four people, but then you couldn't really do that anyway. Headroom back there is practically non-existent, and legroom is no better, so it's only really for kids. And then only at a pinch. The luggage space is useful, though, because the 911 only has a 135-litre luggage tub at the front, and that isn't exactly massive. It's just about big enough for a couple of soft bags, but that's about it.

Performance

Like every other new-generation 911 GTS we've driven, the Carrera GTS Coupe has the 3.6-litre T-Hybrid system under its haunches. Combining a turbocharged flat-six petrol engine with an electrically assisted turbocharger, a small battery and an electric motor that lives inside the eight-speed automatic gearbox, it's good for 541hp and 610Nm of torque, giving the car spectacular performance.

With such wide tyres, even this rear-wheel-drive version of the GTS has huge amounts of traction, and in dry conditions, it'll get from 0-62mph in three seconds flat. But in the wet, the rear-wheel-drive version tested here is not as planted as the all-wheel-drive option, which makes the power more accessible.

Whatever, the GTS is quick, and it's responsive, too. The electrically assisted turbocharger more or less eliminates the turbo lag, and the electric motor is there to fill in when the engine isn't offering its full might. All of which means you get the power the moment your foot twitches on the accelerator pedal. And there's plenty of power. And plenty of noise, with the flat-six snarling and the turbocharger punctuating that noise with its huffs and puffs.

What the T-Hybrid system isn't, however, is efficient. The economy and emissions are no better than those of any other 911, so while the T-Hybrid system has allowed for a power hike without ruining the economy and emissions, it hasn't exactly turned the GTS into an eco-warrior.

Ride & Handling

The last-generation GTS models weren’t quite our cup of tea, predominantly because they were a little too stiff for road use. And though the new Coupe models feel fractionally softer, they still get a suspension set-up tuned for handling, rather than comfort. The whole car sits 10mm lower than standard, and it gets its own stiffer suspension configuration, regardless of whether you choose the Coupe or Cabriolet. Strangely, the Targa maintains the same ride height as a standard Carrera.

So the GTS models are still firm – in Coupe form, they’re borderline too stiff for everyday use – but they’re closer to being acceptable around town. The bumps still have plenty of impact, but they don’t feel quite as jagged as they did in the old GTS.

And anyway, the GTS is designed with half an eye on track use, and the suspension is there to keep the car stable on a circuit. It’s great at that, limiting body roll and allowing plenty of grip. You get all-wheel steering as standard, which allows the car to turn more tightly at low speeds, but doesn’t detract from the intuitive, natural-feeling steering that makes the car impressively driver-friendly when you push it hard.

With rear-wheel drive, the GTS feels a bit lighter and more agile than the all-wheel-drive examples, and though it’s a bit easier to rotate the car using the accelerator, it doesn’t quite feel as planted on the exit of corners. It’s a bit twitchier as a result, and it’s even less stable in wet weather, which makes it exciting and fun on a track, but a little more daunting on the road.

Value

No 911 is cheap these days, with even the basic Carrera Coupe costing just £200 short of £100,000, but at £132,600, the Carrera GTS Coupe is decidedly un-cheap. And though you get a decent amount of kit, including all the visual and performance upgrades we've already discussed, you're going to spend more than the headline price. A lick of paint here, a different upholstery choice there... It all adds up, especially at Porsche option prices. Our test car came with a handful of relatively desirable options, but a price tag of more than £145,000.

Verdict

When we drove the Carrera 4 GTS, we said it was still slightly too firm to be a true road car, and the same is still true of the rear-wheel-drive Carrera GTS. But then this rear-drive car is the more likely of the two to be used as a track-day toy, and if that's what you're after, then this car will do the job brilliantly. It's a spectacular car for circuits and sunny days. But if you want to use it every day, we'd recommend the slightly softer open-top versions, preferably with all-wheel drive.