DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Porsche lobs 911 GTS

A layer of wider, faster and more powerful GTS models is about to be draped over the top of the Porsche 911 range, and it's due on sale in Australia in the second quarter of this year.

Five GTS models will be blanketed across the standard 911 models – priced from $11,300 more than before at $279,000, which still positions them between the Carrera models and the 911 Turbo – all pushing their top speeds out beyond 300km/h thanks to a new turbocharger and enhanced aerodynamics.

When the GTS arrives in Europe in March, its upgraded 3.0-litre six-cylinder engines will add another 22kW of power to give the five models 331kW, which will also be up 15kW on the last 911 GTS generation.

The horizontally opposed motor also pumps out 550Nm of torque between 2150rpm and 5000rpm in a range-topping package that will be offered with either the seven-speed manual gearbox or the PDK dual-clutch transmission.

The GTS upgrade will be available on both the coupe and cabriolet versions of the rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera, the all-wheel drive Carrera 4, plus the all-wheel drive 911 Targa.

The hardest hitter of the newcomers, the all-paw 911 Carrera 4 GTS, will punch to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds, while the lighter rear-drive 911 Carrera GTS claims the badge’s top-speed honours with 312km/h.

Besides having the highest top speed, the PDK version of the lighter rear-drive 911 Carrera GTS also has the lowest consumption figure with 8.3L/100km on the NEDC cycle, giving it 188g of CO2 emissions per kilometre.

All of the GTS models have the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system as standard, so they ride 10mm lower than the standard variants, and all of them use the all-wheel drive 911 Carrera’s wider body shell.

Using the all-wheel drive's body means its wider (1852mm) hips give it greater cornering muscle, while it also gets the Sport Chrono Package as standard equipment.

The GTS models integrate the package's stopwatch into the centre of the dashboard and the GTS's launch also coincides with an upgrade of the Porsche Track Precision app. It now has automatic recording, a more detailed smartphone display and more detailed data analysis.

Visually, the GTS versions all score a deep front spoiler and a higher extension of the rear spoiler to reduce lift at speed, while the all-wheel drive versions get exclusive use of a light trim strip between the tail lights, while the rear-drive versions use a black strip.

The centrally mounted exhaust tips are also black, while Porsche has smoked the GTS's tail lights and blackened the rear-engined car's air-intake grille.

There will also be GTS logos on the doors, while the four-way adjustable electric sports seats also have GTS logos on the headrests. The steering wheel rim, armrests and centre console are all trimmed in Alcantara, while brushed black aluminium trim strips have been fitted to the instrument cluster.

The GTS family will start at €124,451 for the Carrera GTS, rise to €131,829 for the Carrera 4 GTS, rise again for the rear-drive GTS Cabrio at €137,541 and top out at €144,919 for both the Carrera 4 GTS Cabrio and the Targa 4 GTS.

In Australia, where, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) will be standard on all GTS models, pricing starts at $279,00 for the base 911 Carrera GTS Coupe, with the Carrera 4 all-wheel drive version adding about $16,000, the cabrio costing $20,500 more and the 911 Targa 4 GTS topping the range at $316,600.

2017 Porsche 911 GTS pricing (plus ORCs):
911 Carrera GTS Coupe — $279,000
911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupe — $295,100
911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet — $300,500
911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet — $316,600
911 Targa 4 GTS — $316,600