Review: Don’t hate the Porsche 911 GTS for its electrification. It’s better for it

Yes, the Porsche 911 Carrera is now available with a hybrid powertrain, but this sports car is no Prius. The hybrid is not there to save fuel, or even to reduce emissions. It’s there solely to add performance.

Porsche purists were horrified when the news leaked that, after more than six decades, the 911 might have a hybrid option. “When it will be electrified, the 911 is done, I’m afraid,” wrote one social media cynic. “Hybrid in a 911?” wrote another. “The beginning of the end. Good night Porsche.”

And now it’s here, powering the Carrera GTS edition and soon to be seen in other versions of the 911. It bumps up the weight by 50 kilograms, which Porsche executives and paid drivers shrug off as “moderate,” though designers normally leap cartwheels of joy if they can shave 10 grams from the wheels, or five grams off the seats.

“It’s a little heavier, but everything is adjusted – suspension-wise, spring-wise, damper-wise – for the little bit more weight that we added,” said professional driver Joerg Bergmeister, “and the extra power definitely overcomes the extra weight.”

He should know. We were chatting as he drove me around the Ascari race circuit here in Spain, and we were driving very fast indeed. I’d just driven the Carrera GTS around the track at close to the maximum of my ability, and he was now demolishing my time. While chatting. On a track that he’d never driven until five minutes before I joined him in the car.

It was Bergmeister, a retired professional racer turned Porsche brand ambassador, who recently drove the rear-wheel-drive version of this hybrid GTS around Germany’s Nuerburgring’s Nordschleife circuit in 7 minutes 16 seconds, which is almost nine seconds faster than the record set by the previous edition of the 911 Carrera GTS.

There are more than two dozen iterations of the 911 and it’s their combinations of power, weight and agility that defines each of them. Some, like the 911 Turbo models, are more powerful but more of a handful; some are more agile, like the GT models; and some are comparatively straightforward, like the “entry-level” 911 Carrera. That car, designed for everyday road use, is the least expensive 911, starting at $135,600 in Canada; it now makes nine more horsepower from its three-litre, twin-turbo, boxer engine. I drove it here in Ronda too and it was fun, but it’s the GTS that’s always hit the sweet-spot balance of power and agility for both road and track.

“It’s so playful, the car. Totally, it is,” said Bergmeister as the tires squealed through a corner. “That’s where the e-motor also really helps, and the electric turbo, because of the immediate throttle response. You can really throttle-steer the car, when you turn off the ESC [electronic stability control] and all the little helpers. You can really just steer the car with the throttle and rotate it really quickly. That’s what I enjoy.”

There’s no turbo lag because the turbocharger is electrically driven, powered from a 400-volt battery under the hood that apparently weighs about the same as a conventional 12-volt battery. It doesn’t need a wastegate nor a second turbo, which saves space and weight and its motor also doubles as a generator that develops extra power from the exhaust. The various additional components are distributed around the car to keep the weight balanced, and it certainly doesn’t feel heavier for them.

The all-new engine produces 478 horsepower, with an additional 54 coming from the hybrid motor. That’s 59 more than the previous Carrera GTS, and the extra power is most noticeable at lower revs – it now accelerates from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in three seconds, which is a third of a second quicker than before.

I drove a coupe GTS to the track and then took the long way home along some glorious Spanish mountain roads in the Targa 4 GTS, which starts at $206,000. There was a lot of wind noise with the roof stowed away, but its road manners and general comfort were civilized at the slower, legal speeds. Those aren’t what gives the 911 its bragging rights, though.

Don’t take it from me, and don’t take it from a bunch of dry statistics on your screen. Take it from Joerg Bergmeister as he screamed the all-wheel-drive GTS through the Ascari curves.

“You go to throttle, where usually a turbo would have a little lag, and you go to power and the power’s immediately there, which is really cool, and it definitely gives you a lot of performance on the race track, as well,” he said, as I clung to the door handle for dear life.

“The punch that the engine has is really impressive, and the brakes are also quite an improvement. The car is just so playful.”

Tech specs

2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

• Base price / as tested: $182,900 / about $200,000, plus freight and predelivery inspection, plus fees and taxes
• Engine: 3.6-litre turbocharged flat six
• Horsepower / torque (lb-ft): 532 / 449
• Transmission / drive: Eight-speed automatic / Rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
• Fuel consumption: To be announced
• Alternatives: BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG E53, Aston Martin Vantage, Chevrolet Corvette, Maserati Gran Turismo, Audi R8, Jaguar F-Type R

Looks

The GTS has classic 911 looks with updated matrix LED headlights. It’s most easily distinguished from other 911s by its vertical active air flaps beneath the headlights, which open when cooling air is needed for the radiators.

Interior

The cabin’s updated with more-easily readable gauges behind the wheel, just as other 911s will be in coming model years. Purists are horrified the GTS now has a push-button start – the first 911 ever to not have a key that needs to be turned – but at least it’s still on the left of the wheel, which is another Porsche quirk. As Bergmeister says, “So what? Race cars have push-button starters, too.”

Performance

Undeniably quick, yet still easy to drive and comfortable on the road. I certainly didn’t find the GTS to be too heavy for the extra weight of its hybrid battery and motors.

Technology

The instrument cluster is fully digital, with a 12.6-inch curved display that offers up to seven different layouts, including a “classic” display with a large, central tachometer. Apple CarPlay is available, but still no Android Auto.

Cargo

All coupes are delivered as two-seaters with a rear parcel shelf; rear seats are available at no extra cost, suitable only for small children. Extra luggage squeezes into the front trunk.

The verdict

Don’t hate the 911 GTS for its electrification – it’s a better car for it, and it still finds the sweet spot between performance on the road and on the track.

The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.

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