Porsche 911 2023 review: GTS

The GTS is designed to fit between the Carrera S and GT3 - both in terms of performance and price. Like its siblings it comes in a variety of body styles, Coupe, Cabriolet and Targa as well as both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants.

The GTS range starts at $314,800 (all prices exclude on-road costs) for the Carrera GTS and $334,000 for the Carrera 4 GTS coupes.

The sporty, black theme from the exterior carries over to the interior design.

The Carrera GTS Cabriolet starts at $347,700, while the all-wheel drive drop-top and the Targa 4 GTS are both priced from $366,900.

That means the GTS range costs anywhere from $35,000 to almost $50,000 more than its equivalent Carrera S.

The touchscreen features sat nav.

As is typically the case Australian-delivered Porsches get a higher level of standard equipment compared to other markets. For this latest 911 GTS line-up it comes with keyless entry and ignition, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, electronically-folding exterior mirrors, a Bose surround sound system, digital radio and metallic paint.

This is on top of the performance upgrades and safety equipment we’ll detail later.

To get the GTS to stand out from its 911 siblings and give it a sportier look, Porsche’s design team have given it black highlights. The front spoiler lip, rear grille slats and the alloy wheels (20-inch front and 21-inch rear) are all finished in satin black.

The exhaust tips are also finished in high-gloss black stainless steel. Even the headlight surrounds have been given the black treatment.

The GTS wears 20-inch alloys up front and 21-inch at the rear.

A specific detail for the Targa 4 GTS is the roll hoop is finished in black, rather than the typically aluminium.

There are 12 colours available across the GTS range, with eight of them being metallic.

The GTS scores black highlights to separate it from a regular 911.

While Porsche positions the GTS as having an “outstanding level of comfort for everyday usability” it really doesn’t do anything differently on a practical level as any other 911 in the range below it. It does however offer back seats, which aren’t available in the GT3, so that’s a plus for anyone who values the rear chairs in a sports coupe.

The sporty, black theme from the exterior carries over to the interior design. Porsche’s faux-suede material, Race-Tex, covers the seats, steering wheel, doors and gear lever. 

The front seats are what Porsche calls its ‘Sports seats Plus’, with four-way electric adjustment and extra lateral support.

The front seats are what Porsche calls its ‘Sports seats Plus’.

The back seats are the same as what you find in the rest of the 911 range, which is to say they are technically seats, but with the small cabin and sloping roofline, the rear is only for emergencies, and even then only for small children.

Space in the back is very limited.

Luggage space is at a premium too, with only 132 litres of room underneath the bonnet. 

Our test drive was limited to the coupe, so we can’t comment on any practical differences for the Cabriolet and Targa.

The 'frunk' has 132 litres of space.

The 911 GTS is powered by the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine that’s in the 911 Carrera and Carrera S; rather than the 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six that powers the 911 GT3.

To ensure the GTS stands apart, the engine has been upgraded for more performance. It makes 353kW and 570Nm, which is an extra 22kW and 40Nm over the Carrera S.

A seven-speed manual gearbox is available on the rear-wheel drive GTS coupe only. 

The engine is fitted to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (known as ‘PDK’) as standard, however, for those who want to embrace driving purity, a seven-speed manual gearbox is available on the rear-wheel drive GTS coupe only. 

This makes it the only 992 generation variant available with the seven-speed manual transmission. The only other three-pedal option for this iteration of the 911 is the GT3, which uses a different six-speed gearbox.

The GTS coupe fitted with the PDK is the most frugal variant, using 10.1 litres per 100km, compared to 10.2L/100km for its Cabriolet equivalent. The all-wheel drive models are naturally thirstier, with the coupe using a claimed 10.4L/100km and the Cabriolet and Targa rated at 10.6L/100km.

With the standard 64-litre fuel tank, the 911 GTS has a theoretical range of 646km between visits to the bowser. However, when driven in anything other than a fuel-saving way, hitting the company’s claimed figure is challenging. Driven with some spirit on the road, you’re likely to see consistent returns in the mid-teens.

We weren’t able to get a real-world economy figure because our test drive included a large period of track driving, which saw a significant increase in consumption.

ANCAP hasn’t tested the Porsche 911, in large part due to the significant cost of testing what is ultimately a relatively niche product. But that isn’t to suggest the car is unsafe in any way, the GTS comes well equipped in terms of safety features.

In a passive sense there’s airbag protection for the front seat occupants, but anyone who squeezes into the back isn’t covered.

The active features are more wide ranging, with autonomous emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane change assist and active parking support all included as standard.

The 911 GTS is covered by Porsche’s standard three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. While Porsche is obviously a prestige brand and the 911 a thoroughbred sports car, a three-year warranty has become increasingly rare across the Australian market. Even the likes of fellow premium brands Audi and Mercedes-Benz now offer five years of coverage, although other sports car makers including Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren are sticking to shorter periods.

Service intervals for 911 are 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. Pricing isn’t available on a national level, with charges varying from state-to-state.

This is where the 911 GTS is really meant to come into its own, for all the talk about practicality and usability, the GTS is all about how it performs on the road and track. Fortunately we were able to experience the car in both situations.

Porsche has given the chassis and suspension a performance upgrade beyond what you find on the Carrera S, with the company using the more potent 911 Turbo chassis as a starting point. 

For starters the ride height is 10mm lower (although not on the Targa model), it’s also fitted with the latest Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system with adaptive dampers as well as Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV). 

In outright performance terms the 911 GTS is really quick.

Both Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and Rear Axle Steering are optional extras if you want even more performance.

Beyond all this technical jargon and acronyms the 911 GTS is just a superb car to drive - whatever conditions you find yourself in. 

On the road it’s certainly a firm ride but with excellent control so it never feels unsettled or uncomfortable. Instead it feels direct and responsive, in large part thanks to its excellent steering. The Power Steering plus system is a standard feature and has been designed for the best response and feedback at speed but easy use at low speeds, like parking.

You can feel the full force of the twin-turbo flat-six and big brakes on track.

In outright performance terms the 911 GTS is really, really quick. Porsche claims 0-100km/h comes up in just 3.3 seconds and it will keep accelerating to a top speed of 311km/h.

Fortunately stopping power is just as ferocious as the acceleration. At the front there are sizable 408mm rotors clamped by six-piston calipers and at the rear the discs measure 380mm and have four-piston calipers.

If that’s not good enough for you, you can option Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) for even greater stopping power.

On a racetrack you can really feel the potential of the GTS.

Certainly you can feel the full force of the twin-turbo flat-six and those big brakes on track. Porsche let us out on the Norwell Motorplex - a short circuit that has been the BMW and Holden driving training facility in the past - to really experience the GTS at its limits.

On a racetrack you can really feel the potential of the GTS, with its finely-honed chassis responding to every input the driver gives it. While the 911 Carrera is a fine sports car and the 911 Carrera S is even quicker, the 911 GTS manages to elevate the experience again.