The Porsche 911’s silhouette, without a doubt, is the most recognized one in the world of sports cars. This iconic design was first revealed in 1963 and after over 50 years, it still remains ingrained in the company’s DNA. After tasting such phenomenal success, 12 years ago Porsche decided to upgrade its Carrera and Targa line up with a more powerful and sportier-looking 911, but still very much in the lines of the company’s lineage. Behold the 911 GTS, which sits below the 911 Turbo models. The Stuttgart-based sports car maker has now launched the 2022 911 GTS, which offers more power, promises better driving dynamics, and looks even more distinctive. The new GTS is available in Coupe, Cabriolet, and Targa body styles.
Seeking The Middle Ground
The Carrera GTS was first showcased at the Paris Motor Show in 2010 and the idea behind it was to retain the Carrera’s practical sport car strengths along with more power and superior dynamics that won't intimidate the person behind the steering wheel like the maverick Turbo and the track-focused GT3 models. As mentioned earlier, the GTS range not only offers three different car body types but the ride and suspension set-up also varies. The Carrera Coupe and Cabriolet are more tightly sprung and aims to cater to enthusiasts thanks to the adaptive suspension system or Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which is borrowed from the 911 Turbo. The dampers respond to different driving conditions quickly and with new helper springs at the rear axle, this further improves the Carrera’s handling capabilities. The Targa, on the other hand, is tuned on the softer side and is ideal for your day-to-day driving requirements. All GTS cars come equipped with the 911 Turbo's more powerful and effective brakes as compared to the regular Carrera lineup. It comes standard with 408mm discs in front with six-piston aluminum monobloc fixed brake calipers and the same four-piston ones at the rear with 380mm discs. Porsche additionally offers ceramic brakes — 410mm in front and 390mm in the rear — for better braking performance, offers low weight advantage, improved traction, and comfort. Porsche engineers have worked overtime to ensure the GTS exhaust plays a distinctive soundtrack. Both the Coupe and Cabriolet are available in both the traditional rear-wheel-drive and optional all-wheel-drive, while the Targa only comes in all-wheel-drive
Now don’t let words like ‘usability’ and ‘practicality' fool you, after all, it’s a Porsche and it continues to offer power-packed performance with class-leading dynamics. The GTS range is powered by the rear-mounted 480 hp 3-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder with 420 lb-ft at 2,300 - 5,000 rpm, that's 37 hp more than the Carrera S.
The GTS version comes in two transmissions — an eight-speed Porsche dual-clutch automatic transmission (PDK) or a seven-speed manual stick, which is now shorted by 0.4 inches for faster gear shifts. The automatic trim does 0 – 60 mph in 3.2 seconds while the manual completes it in 3.9 seconds with the aid of the Sport Chrono Package along with Launch Control. It has a top speed of 193 mph. So, what does the Sport Chrono Package include? It comes with goodies like four driving modes — Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual, Sport Response — gives the engine and the transmission a power boost for around 20 seconds, a Track Precision app, tire temperature display and a dash-mounted stopwatch.
Making A Profound Statement
The Mantra for the 911 range has always been to retain its distinguished design with exquisite yet subtle changes within the family. Even though GTS is based on the styling of the Carrera, the former receives darkened exterior detailing in the alloy wheels, the engine cover louvers, the spoiler lip, and the GTS badges on the doors and the rear. The LED headlight rims and daytime running light surrounds are also darkened, while the GTS models get a uniquely designed rear light. For an additional cost, all these parts can be further painted in high-gloss black.
A Porsche is all about improving the driving dynamics and with the Lightweight Design package, the 911 GTS trims 55 pounds of excess weight due to the lighter carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) full bucket seats, lightweight glass for the side and rear windows, and lightweight battery. Porsche also gives the rear seats a boot, so no backseat drivers. This kit further enhances performance with rear-axle steering and additional aerodynamic finishing touches like underbody aerodynamic paneling.
The GTS lineup comes standard with the sixth-generation Porsche Communication Management (PCM 6.0) or infotainment system, which is integrated into wireless Apple CarPlay and for the first time comes with Android Auto. With Voice Pilot voice assistant, the vehicle carries out commands without the driver having to take their hands off the steering wheel or their eyes off the road by simply saying “Hey Porsche” and controlling the cabin temperature, activating massage function in the seats or ambient lighting. Voice Pilot will continue to learn new phrases over time and will keep improving the system and provide more support to the driver. The new infotainment system also comes with a faster and intuitive navigation system that reads out real-time traffic data.
The 2022 Porsche 911 DTS range starts from $136,700 MSRP for the rear-wheel-drive coupe and the four-wheel-drive line up is from $144,000 MSRP onwards.