Porsche 911 Carrera GTS 2025 Review

The Porsche 911 GTS is priced from $380,100 plus on-road costs (ORCs). The all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 GTS is $400,200 plus ORCs.

If you want a removable roof you’re adding a smidge over $36K to the price: the Carrera GTS Cabriolet is $416,300 plus ORCs and the Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet is $436,800, the latter the same price as the Targa 4 GTS.

Those prices are up $25K to $30K over the model it replaces, indicative of the tech that’s gone into the latest and greatest in the 911 range.

All are powered by the same 3.6-litre horizontally opposed six-cylinder turbo T-Hybrid system and all have an eight-speed automatic transmission. A manual gearbox is no longer available.

It’s very much about the core car rather than the trinkets with the Porsche 911 GTS.

That said, there’s still a decent smattering of gear, including the choice between suede-like Race-Tex or real leather, each included for the price.

also matrix LED headlights, smart key entry, dual-zone ventilation, electrically adjustable front seats, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, and wireless phone charging.

The latest GTS also gets four-wheel steering to help with around-town manoeuvrability but mostly high-speed stability.

Plus there are active aerodynamics – flaps at the front and a wing at the rear – designed to optimise cooling and performance.

The GTS also gets the Sport Chrono pack that incorporates launch control.

And there’s a very different look courtesy of new lower front vents and a revised vertically slatted rear vent. We’re not convinced about the look of the rear spoiler when it pops up, but you can option a fixed wing for more visual aggression.

It all adds up to a GTS that looks markedly different to the regular Carrera models.

The GTS rides on 20-inch front wheels and wider 21-inch rear wheels. As well as tyre pressure sensors, the GTS has tyre temperature sensors.

There are 11 standard colours, three Legends colours – including Shade Green Metallic – and the ability to choose any colour you want, priced from $21,970.

Inside, too, you can go wild on trim choices and colours to customise the car to your liking. All of which allows prospective owners to tailor a one-off machine.

There’s also a mass of options, one of which is the front axle lift system for $4950. While the 911 is not crazy low at the front, it could be a handy addition for those with a steep driveway or when negotiating aggressive speed humps.

Like all Porsches, the 911 is covered by a short three-year, 100,000km warranty.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km.

The Porsche 911 GTS ticks the boxes on safety equipment but has not been independently crash tested. There are front and side airbags and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection.

There’s also driver fatigue monitoring, lane change assist and lane keep assist as well as adaptive cruise control.

A standard surround-view camera provides a view around the car when parking.

Matrix LED headlights can blank out other road users while high beams are active, allowing better visibility at night, especially on country roads.

The Porsche 911 GTS steps up the tech, starting with a pushbutton start. Porsche has finally abandoned the stubby key-like twist starter and replaced it with a button.

The 911 also now gets a fully digital instrument cluster, which means the end of the analogue tachometer that previously split the digital elements. The purists may not like it because it lacks some of that old school authenticity.

But it means more customisation of the 12.6-inch curved screen, with drivers now able to choose between different cluster layouts. They include the option of prioritising navigation maps in the cluster or having the driver assist systems displayed. It also means taking the tacho out of the equation, something that some may not be able to comprehend.

You can also have boost and recuperation levels displayed in the instrument panel, something that gives an interesting insight into how the T-Hybrid system works. Plus there’s a track-focused display that has the digital tacho front and centre with the redline position at the 12 o’clock position.

The central screen is unchanged with this update, still measuring 10.9 inches and still incorporating wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It’s easy to navigate and includes a volume dial and separate knob for navigating the screen, if you’d prefer not to use the touch functionality.

There are also some extra displays to show the functionality of the hybrid system.

One buried in the Performance menu shows the battery’s state of charge and temperature as well as how much power the petrol engine and electric motor are producing in real time. It also shows the energy flow and whether the car is using or creating electricity.

The associated Porsche Track Precision app allows detailed data logging on track days.

The standard sound system is a 12-speaker 570W Bose set-up, or you can splash out $6700 for a 13-speaker, 915W Burmester system.

It’s out back where most has changed with the Porsche 911 GTS.

It boasts a new 3.6-litre engine arranged in the iconic horizontally opposed layout. But instead of two turbos as fitted to the previous 3.0-litre engine, the new one uses a much larger single turbo.

But it’s no ordinary turbo, as the T-Hybrid name alludes to.

Hidden within the turbocharger is an electric motor that can spin the turbo up to speed almost instantly, virtually eliminating turbo lag.

Any excess boost pressure – including when you lift off the throttle – can reverse the flow of the electrons in the e-motor, turning it into a generator that can capture up to 11kW of electricity. It stores that electricity in a 1.9kWh battery under the bonnet.

There’s no wastegate, with the pressure released when lifting off the throttle instead used to regenerate electricity.

It’s similar to the system used in modern Formula 1 cars.

There’s also another 40kW/150Nm electric motor sandwiched between the engine and eight-speed PDK automatic transmission.

That motor is powered by the under-bonnet battery and adds to the thrust from the 357kW/570Nm 3.6-litre engine.

The result is 398kW and 610Nm.

That’s a full 45kW and 40Nm than the model it replaces. By Porsche 911 standards they’re big jumps.

And even though it adds 50kg by the introduction of the electrical system (the battery accounting for 27kg of that total), it’s still significantly quicker to 100km/h.

The claimed zero to 100km/h time of the new model is 3.0 seconds, an improvement of 0.4 seconds. The dash to 200km/h takes 10.5 seconds.

Like all 911s, once you get to the all-wheel drive models and take the roof off you add more weight. For the GTS the range between the lightest (Carrera GTS) and heaviest (Targa 4 GTS) is 150kg.

That naturally affects performance, but not dramatically.

The Targa 4 GTS is 0.1 seconds slower to 100km/h but 0.6 seconds slower to 200km/h.

So, if pace is important to you – hey, it’s a sports car! – then the fastest option is the most affordable, the Carrera GTS.

It may be a hybrid but the Porsche 911 GTS is hardly a fuel miser.

The official claimed average fuel use figure is 10.7 litres per 100km, or slightly more for heavier variants with all-wheel drive and/or the drop-top body styles (the 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet and Targa 4 GTS each uses 10.9L/100km, for example).

That’s slightly more than the model it replaces (as little as 10.1L/100km).

But, of course, there’s a whole lot more performance.

And considering the slower 911 Carrera – which continues with a version of the familiar 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder – uses 10.6L/100km, it’s an indication of the benefits of the hybrid system.

It’s long been the benchmark sports car and it doesn’t take long behind the wheel of the new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS to realise the bar has just shifted.

It starts with the noise, which is classic 911 but with more bark. Turns out some of that raucousness in Sport/Sport Plus modes comes from the speakers, but it’s a darn fine rendition of the explosions occurring in those six combustion chambers.

But it’s the performance gains that help define the latest GTS. A drag race against the old model shows it’s no contest. Similarly, chasing the very impressive original 992 GTS around a track in 992.2 guise makes it an easy win to the newcomer.

It’s particularly effective firing out of slow corners, where the extra low-rev torque comes on quickly with devastating effect.

There’s more pull across the rev range and superb linearity to the power delivery.

The eight-speed PDK auto also synchronises beautifully with the engine. As well as enabling ballistic launch control starts (they seriously shove you back in the seat), it slots into the next ratio quickly and cleanly. Closely spaced ratios help with the performance equation.

The 911 GTS is also superb through corners.

With more weight over the broad rear tyres it demands some braking (or, at least, a lift off the throttle) to get the nose pointing.

But get it right and the GTS darts assertively towards the apex.

Grip levels are phenomenal. We drove cars on both Goodyear and Pirelli rubber and each was great.

Any 911 is quick, but the GTS has some added cornering crispness and rawness that reinforce the sports car flavour.

Braking, too, is top notch, the GTS hunkering down to wash off pace with even more enthusiasm than the firepower that built it.

Despite such pace and driver involvement there’s also an encouraging level of adjustability and forgiveness in the way it devours a track. Get it close to its limits and it’ll start moving around, the front or rear wagging predictably as those tyres hit their limit.

But it never feels like it’s trying to offload you, instead providing the occasional electronic hand-holding to keep things pointing in the right direction.

The real talent with the 911 GTS, though, comes when you drive it on regular roads.

The T-Hybrid system adds loads more thrust low in the rev range – and it’s electricity making the difference.

Press the throttle and the digital display shows the electric motor providing near-instant boost before quickly reverting to exhaust-driven thrust as revs build.

That extra low-rev enthusiasm makes the engine more useful in traffic and when driven gently.

Keep the dampers in their softest setting and it’s compliant enough to make everyday driving vaguely comfortable. Sure, there’s some firmness to the set-up, but it never jars or jolts.

And while you have to respect the low-ish front apron, a nose lift system and decent clearance ensure it’s not as dainty as some supercars.

However, those broad tyres do transmit noise into the cabin at speed, especially over coarse bitumen surfaces.

It’s the one hiccup that could make long journeys that little more challenging.

But given the driving excellence and character oozing from every other pore, you could argue it’s a small price to pay.

Only if it looks like a race track!

Sure, Porsche does the 911 Dakar for some rough road fun, but the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is very much an on-road machine.

The changes in the cabin for the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS are minor and generally don’t mess with a winning formula, right down to the familiar clang when you close the door.

The one exception to that is the removal of the analogue tachometer that has long been a staple of the 911, even splitting the digital display of recent integrations.

Now everything is digital across the curved cluster.

While that gives loads more flexibility with the information that can be displayed and how it’s displayed, the authenticity of that analogue gauge is missed.

As before, the 911 is a four-seater, or technically a two-plus-two.

The rear seats are for people who are either very understanding and prepared to compromise on space or those who are very (very) small. Only enlist them as a last resort…

Up front, though, the 911 is deceptively spacious, in part because you’re sitting so low. From the driver’s seat the instruments are front and centre and you get a reassuring glimpse of the front wheel arches. Like a fighter jet there’s a business-like set-up to the way you slot into the equation.

The pushbutton start and stubby gear selector work and shift paddles on the steering wheel allow you to take full control.

Seats are snug and comfy, the optional sports buckets (which get rid of the back seats altogether) add bolstering for track days.

Sumptuous finishes grace every corner of the cabin, with the suede-like Race-Tex beautifully suited to the GTS.

The GTS gets the same luggage capacity as other 911s, with 135 litres under the bonnet. There’s also another 261L behind the front seats.

There’s a lot more right than wrong with the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS – and the inclusion of a hybrid system has added to the driving experience and sheer pace of a car that continues to set the sports car benchmark.

Yep, there’s tyre roar at speed and the back seats are tight.

And anyone expecting to slash their fuel bills may be disappointed to learn the 911 GTS doesn’t tick that box.

But, hey, it is a 911. And the trade-off in added pace is worth it.

It’s a car that not only delivers serious sports car performance – brilliant handling, equally brilliant braking and ferocious pace – but dishes it up with the sort of personality and driver involvement that no rival matches.

The biggest hurdle to parking one in your driveway is the price tag, which has leapt again.

But 911s have never been for everyone. That, ultimately, is part of the appeal.

2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid at a glance:
Price: $380,100 (plus on-road costs) 
Available: June, 2025 
Powertrain: 3.6-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol-electric 
Output: 357kW/570Nm (electric motor: 40kW/150Nm) 
Combined output: 398kW/610Nm 
Transmission: 8-speed automatic 
Fuel: 10.7L/100km (ADR combined) 
CO2: 244g/km
Safety rating: Not tested 

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