Everyone is all too aware of the modern Porsche GTS story, a tale that now extends back more than 15 years to the first Cayenne Gran Turismo Sport - but came good with the 997-era a couple of years later. Take a Carrera or S or similar, include some desirable options, maybe bump power up a tad, Alcantara that bit and darken this bit and - voila - a new pick of the range. It’s easy to see why Porsche continued in the same vein for so long, though now things are a little different; the latest Taycan GTS gets a huge output increase over the standard model, and the 911 is no longer a nicely specced Carrera S - it has a powertrain all of its own.
You’re probably aware of what the GTS T-Hybrid is all about by now, given the first electrified Porsche 911 in more than 60 years is a pretty big deal and the car has been reviewed overseas already. A brief reminder if not: power now comes from an evolution of the previous 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six, now 3.6-litres and with a single twin-scroll turbo said to spool up faster. That’s supported by a 1.9kWh battery, an e-motor that lives in the PDK and an electric supercharger to get that turbo going even quicker. It adds 50kg to the kerbweight of a Carrera S, and nudges official fuel consumption beyond 25mpg.
It’s a comparatively small step for 911 kind into electrification, then, though Porsche was unlikely to meddle too much with its iconic sports car right now. The 992 is selling very well, and battery-powered Porsches aren’t so much. Those intrigued will be pleased to know that the T-Hybrid is available in every possible flavour of 911, just like the old GTSes: coupe, cabrio or Targa, two- or four-wheel drive. Although anyone who still craves a manual 911 must take a new T - or hope they get a GT3 allocation…
That soft launch of electrification extends to the look, because to most folk this is just another 911. So we won’t dwell on it long. But you might notice the ventier front end, which is actually quite drastic by the standards of subtle 911 evolution but sort of fits with the serious demeanour. Otherwise this is 992, always a little larger and more luxurious than you remember. Maybe one day 21-inch wheels will seem normal.
Now they’re in the UK, priced from £132,600 for a two-wheel drive Coupe as seen here. Senior 911 performance means a senior 911 price, and having experienced the 4WD and Targa abroad it made sense to tick off in the UK ASAP. A Convertible drive will follow. Unfortunately for both two-wheel drive and drop-top 911s with almost 550hp, Britain is enjoying its freezing snap during our day driving. So it was a more sedate drive than perhaps would normally happen - slithering down an ungritted hill five minutes in does dampen enthusiasm somewhat.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t take long at any speed to confirm that the T-Hybrid is a tangibly different 911 prospect - and in a very good way. Even against the very latest crop of variable vane geometry turbos, electrification makes other force-fed 911s seem almost laggy and dopey. Response at low revs, more akin to historical milestones than combustion engines, is superb, the flat-six shoving hard from nothing. At less than 2,500rpm in fact, and probably with more energy than a full-fat Turbo. The electric turbo and electric motor conspire to create next to no inertia, and make for a 911 that feels potent whatever the scenario.
The urgency isn’t at the expense of excitement, either; this is still a sports car engine that wants revs, rather than dumping all it has in your lap at 2,000rpm. When there's a chance to grab more than 7,000rpm (more easily accessible than might be assumed, with reasonable gear ratios), there’s a cascade of performance hurling the GTS T-Hybrid along. The sound is cool also, with a bit of electric whirr and extra turbo chuff. Even against reasonably fast, reasonably recent 911s, this thing absolutely romps along, seemingly not much slower than a Turbo and aided in that impression by the linearity. The PDK seems to be even sharper, somehow, presumably thanks to the hybridisation. Kickdown is perfect, and so fast, every single time. It’s an elevation of the GTS powertrain experience that no previous model has been close to achieving.
Elsewhere the experience will be familiar from the 992, with an additional soupcon of excitement that comes from knowing so much power and torque, via a single driven axle, is a couple of button presses away. It never normally happens in newer 911s, because they feel so well contained, either by four-wheel drive or huge tyres or semi-reasonable power outputs. While the weather will have helped the impression, there’s that feel of a 911 hot rod to the GTS that’s very welcome. For a ‘normal’ 911, it’s spectacularly quick. And there’s no chance of getting even close to draining the battery on the road. The full gauge barely moves, regen clearly doing plenty in the background.
The hot rod thing is all relative, of course, because by and large, the GTS is a model of precision, composure and accuracy. But there’s just the odd occasion where it can be felt working really hard to contain all that hybridised muscle, a sensation that's very welcome in the 992, which can feel a little detached when it's so obviously on top of everything. The T-Hybrid remains an eminently satisfying car to interact with, with all the control weights just so, albeit now with a jet engine in its behind. A slight exaggeration, perhaps, yet no turbocharged 911 has ever felt so urgent and so alert as this - which is saying something - to the extent that you end up driving in Sport and Sport Plus, just so the rest of the car matches the energy of the powertrain. The damping remains exemplary regardless of mode, the traction supreme even in less favourable conditions, and the steering pretty damn good given everything that’s going on.
Gripes? Perhaps the brake pedal has a fraction of dead travel compared to other Porsches, though otherwise it’s pretty fantastic. More notable, and much harder to overlook, is the tyre noise. Maybe it’s been too long since we drove a 992 in the UK, though the drone here from the rear 325-section Pirellis was ever present. You would get used to it, but never escape it. Probably it was an impression exacerbated by a two-seat spec for the test car, and having the 2+2 arrangement would surely help, though even a cabrio with four seatbelts suffered for it. The GTS’s cabin is always louder than expected, regardless of speed or situation, and that’s a bit of a shame. Thinner glass can’t be helping the problem, either.
Still, buying any 992 means buying into a bit of road roar, so perhaps it’d seem less problematic in the context of a Carrera and Carrera S. Certainly the rest of the electrified driving experience justifies the GTS premium in a fashion no other predecessor has. There are almost all the benefits of embracing hybridisation in terms of drivability with none of the drawbacks associated with weight or a dulling of the wider experience. Which might also explain a 22mpg average; this feels like a beautifully judged, very exciting, not massively hybridised 911… because that’s exactly what it is. In the fullness of time, electrification will play more of a substantial part going forward - but if Porsche can continue to integrate it as sympathetically and positively as this, 911 fans will have precious little to fear.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 PORSCHE 911 T-HYBRID CARRERA GTS (992.2)
Engine: 3,591cc, turbo flat-six, 1.9kWh battery, electric motor
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch PDK, rear-wheel drive/ all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 541 (ICE 485 plus up to 54hp from electric motor)
Torque (lb ft): 420
0-62mph: 3.0 secs (with Sport Chrono)
Top speed: 194mph
Weight: 1,645kg (DIN)
MPG: 26.9
CO2: 239g/km (WLTP)
Price: £132,600 (price as standard; price as tested £145,543, comprising Ice Grey Metallic for £1,068, Full bucket seats for £4,622, Preparation for roof transport system for £51, Tinted HD-Matrix LED headlights for £2,562, Windscreen with grey top tine for £98, Lightweight and noise insulated glass for £1,151, Fire extinguisher for £129, Surround View with Active Parking Support for £1,299, Lane Change Assist for £740, Bose Surround Sound System for £1,223)
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