- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
3.0TT, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
353kW, 570Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 10.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2022 Porsche 911 GTS Coupe review
Competent, fast, comfortable and practical, the 911 GTS has, for some time, been the specification of choice for the Drive team. Trent Nikolic samples the new 911 GTS manual and automatic on both road and track to find out whether GTS is still the sweet spot in the 911 range.
- Sensational power delivery
- Effortless on road or track at any speed
- Balance and drive experience are peerless
- Manual is the choice on-track, but seven-speed is one too many on-road
- Starting price has crept up for Aussie buyers
- Didn't love throttle blip on the manual
Introduction
At the risk of restating the obvious, allow me to indulge you in the Drive perspective – any Porsche with a GTS badge is usually our smart pick of the range. Yes, a Turbo, Turbo S or GT is 'better', and if money were no object, you'd go crazy in the Porsche dealership with little concern of such triviality as budgetary constraints. However, if you're trying to squeeze every last drop of value out of your sports car purchase, a GTS is impossible to beat.
You'll see in the accompanying photos that we drove both manual and PDK at launch, and I've listed the pricing below for one of the Carrera 4 GTS models we tested. Options pricing is steep – it's something we comment on regularly regarding Porsche – but to be fair, a standard GTS with no options is still a pretty bloody special car.
You don't need to dig into the customisation space too much if you can't justify it. It's worth noting how easy it is to take a $334K starting price north of 380 grand, though, as you can see with the options breakdown below.
When you tip over the 300 grand mark, it's rare air. The 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS punches on with the likes of the Lamborghini Huracan, AMG GT and McLaren 540C among others. You could argue that the concept of 'rivals' is a moot point in this league too. If you want a 911, I reckon you're buying a 911. Still, the price ceiling illustrates what sits where.
As for the 911 Coupe range, pricing starts from $241,200 for the Carrera, moving through 4 and S, then 4S before you get to the GTS we're testing here. GTS can be had in 2WD, AWD, manual or PDK, so there's a lot to unpack in terms of what you want. And that's before you factor in the cabriolet. GTS sits neatly in the middle of the range, with Turbo, Turbo S and then the GT models above it. And, in real terms, the middle of the 911 range is a damn capable place to be.
We'll be testing the new GTS on road and track at launch with the track drive providing the safe, boundary-searching fun. I'm most interested in what the GTS is capable of on-road, though, in the cut and thrust of traffic, given my desire to drive the wheels off a car like this if I owned it. Yes, I'd go to track days, but I'd also want to enjoy my 911 every day, rain, hail or shine. As such, I'm keen to once again experience the GTS on regular Aussie roads.
GTS styling is subtle but classy, and while it doesn't scream 'look at me', it certainly stands out from the crowd. The blackened styling theme is present both inside and out, and adds a performance-focused aspect to the GTS's styling. I reckon it suits the brief perfectly. More than enough performance for most of us, without the winged theatre of faster 911s. There wasn't always a GTS model remember, but since its inception, Porsche fans have fallen in love with it.
Key details | 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS |
Price (MSRP) | $334,000 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Crayon |
Options | Lightweight carbon roof – $7470 Porsche Dynamic Chassi Control –$6750 Adaptive sports seats – $5910 Front axle lift – $5070 Rear wheel steering – $4720 LED Matrix headlights –$4020 Adaptive cruise control –$3570 Race-Tex headlining – $2440 Porsche Design clock – $2110 Active Parking Support – $1640 Yellow seatbelts – $930 Race-Tex sunvisors – $860 Colour-coded key – $780 Porsche logo LED courtesy lights – $300 |
Price as tested | $380,570 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Lamborghini Huracan | Mercedes-AMG GT | McLaren 540C |
Inside
A 911 cabin is an execution of understated beauty and practicality – certainly so far as sports cars are concerned. A little more storage space might be handy, but there is precious little to complain about given the performance capability of this car.
The example we've detailed in the specification breakdown above features 18-way adjustable seats, Race-Tex trim for the roof lining and sun visors, and yellow seatbelts. The latter seem to divide opinion, but I certainly don't hate them.
I love the way you thud the door closed on a Porsche cabin, and the focus is immediately directed on the road ahead of you. It's comfortable, it's sporty without being silly, and it's practical in terms of being capable of the daily grind.
The Race-Tex trim extends to the seat centres front and rear, the door handles, armrests, steering wheel, shifter and main centre storage bin lid. Our tester also has a heated steering wheel.
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Tasteful accenting comes via the brushed aluminium across the dashboard, with inlays elsewhere in the cabin, and a generally muted, classy finish. There's little doubt, even if you were to buy one without myriad options, the 911 GTS cabin is beautifully executed.
2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS | |
Seats | Four |
Boot volume | 132L |
Length | 4533mm |
Width | 1852mm |
Height | 1291mm |
Wheelbase | 2450mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Porsche's infotainment system is a good one, and it's easy to work out too. As we wrote in the Taycan GTS review, there's a lot going on within the various controls and menu systems, but it isn't one that requires weeks of study to decipher. Porsche Communication Management (PCM) takes care of the operation, with proprietary satellite navigation and voice control.
Apple CarPlay is wireless and Android Auto is wired only. There's also DAB+, a high-quality Bose surround-sound system, central rev counter in the main cluster, and a gear indicator.
The 10.9-inch screen is the focal point of the redesigned PCM system, and it's fast to respond to inputs and accurate. If you jump straight out of a Taycan, for example, and get into the 911 GTS, you could be forgiven for thinking the 911 is lacking some of the high-end tech, but there's a level of connectivity and functionality that befits the 911 badge.
Safety and Technology
Porsche's 911 is untested by ANCAP, and there is therefore no ANCAP rating to go with it for Australia. As we're accustomed to from Porsche, a limited amount of safety technology is standard – for the asking price – and you could argue the case for more to be standard at this end of the market.
The argument stands that prestige buyers like to be able to specify what it is their car is capable of. Pick your poison I guess in that sense.
Brake warning and assist are standard, along with park assist/surround view. Lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control are all optional equipment, and the starting price will climb quickly once you start adding them in.
In terms of hardware, the GTS has the structural nous and inclusions you'd expect. There's also Wet Mode for inclement weather, cruise control, and lane-change assist standard.
2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
Value for Money
The price has crept up a little, with the GTS starting from $314,800 for the Carrera GTS before on-road costs. Carrera 4 GTS starts from $334,000 before on-road costs, while the cabriolet variants start from $347,700 and $366,900 respectively, both before on-road costs. For those so inclined, there's also a Targa 4 GTS available starting from $366,900.
How you apportion value at this end of the market differs wildly, depending on whether you fit into one of two camps. Those who can justify $300K on a car, and those who can't.
At a glance | 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS |
Warranty | Three years / 100,000km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
In terms of driving engagement and the ownership experience, few sports cars deliver the same value proposition as a 911. That's why owners we speak to keep going back to the well. Rarely does someone buy a 911 and not lust after another. You'd have to say, then, that it punches well and truly above its weight in this sense.
Despite a 0–100km/h time of just 3.3 seconds, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupe claims only 10.4L/100km on the combined cycle. At launch, our fuel use was skewed by a punchy track session – or two – and you can expect something in the low to mid 11s around town.
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Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 10.4L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 14.2L/100km |
Fuel type | 98-octane premium unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 67L |
Driving
The proof in a GTS – and indeed any 911 for that matter – comes from time spent behind the wheel, and once again, this platform shines brightly. While the models further up the 911 food chain get the glory, there's a stealthy and formidable edge to the Carrera 4 GTS. That edge is the product of 353kW, 570Nm, 0–100km/h in 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 309km/h. A RWD GTS with the manual gearbox is capable of storming from 0–100km/h in 4.1 seconds.
At launch we drove both manual and PDK, and while the Porsche manual is one of the best – if not the best – in the world, there's a surefire precision to the PDK that you can't beat. On any road, on any track, the GTS is a fast car, very fast. And it goes without saying that you will need a racetrack to explore the outer edges of its performance ability.
The moderate – on paper – increases of 22kW and 20Nm from the old model might not seem like a lot, but true to form Porsche has massaged the new GTS to such an extent that it 'feels' faster almost everywhere. It feels punchy, urgent, ready to rumble, especially on-track where you roll the dial round to Sport+ and get ready to have some fun.
It might be more common now, but I never cease to enjoy the way in which Porsche can deliver a car capable of such performance at the outer reaches, that remains so banal and well behaved when you're simply rolling around town. The surge of torque from just off idle, through the middle of the rev range, is such that you can lazily roll on the throttle in any gear to get moving, and the GTS just responds with barely an exhale.
The GTS is mighty on any road, in any conditions – especially with AWD smarts – and it's a sports car that rewards the enthusiastic driver.
Whereas a Turbo or Turbo S is so ridiculously fast, your mind can't keep up with what's going on, there's a mechanical, connected feel to the way the GTS gets to work, made even more engaging by the exhaust symphony that's exiting the pipes. Those pipes are part of a standard sports exhaust, and they are glorious in terms of the sound they emit.
There's a really nasty shriek as you approach redline, encouraging you to tempt the tacho one more time – every time.
One option I would tick is Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, which transforms the GTS into something way beyond the ability of the average driver.
The chassis is so good, in fact, it makes you feel like a better driver on-track, and makes it easier and safer to learn how to put together faster laps the more time you spend behind the wheel. The brakes are sensational, pulling the GTS up with surety every time you use them, and helping to position the car right where you want it for the corner.
Precise steering, and optional rear axle steering on our tester, ensure tremendous stability in terms of going where you point it, and there's absolutely no doubt this GTS is a very sharp instrument. We expect a 911 to perform on-track, but it's out on the road where you find out just how clever the engineers in Stuttgart really are.
You see, for all its ability flat-out on-track, the GTS is a masterclass of bump absorption, ride quality, and all-round stability on a B-grade, coarse-chip country road – something you probably shouldn't expect of a high-end sports car. It's impressive how comfortable the GTS is over what would constitute an Aussie weekend road trip, and it's this duality of character that most embodies what the GTS stands for.
Key details | 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS |
Engine | 3.0-litre flat six-cylinder tiwn-turbo petrol |
Power | 353kW @ 6000rpm |
Torque | 570Nm @2300-5000rpm |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 221kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 1595kg (PDK) |
Turning circle | 11.2m |
Conclusion
The new 911 GTS is once again the stand-out model in a range that offers something for buyers from most affordable to most expensive. While any 911 is a noteworthy sports car that demands respect, the GTS remains the smart choice smack-bang in the middle of the range.
In a phrase, it's all the 911 you need. Need and want are two very different things, no doubt, but the 911 GTS fulfils the need part of the equation with aplomb.