Porsche 911 GT3 2022 Review

As you would expect, the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 is priced higher than its predecessor, but in this instance the $369,600 (plus on-road costs) entry ticket is just the beginning.

The first caveat is Porsche’s extensive options list, our test car’s specification swelling the ask to $429,590 (plus on-road costs) and the big-ticket items being full bucket seats ($11,250), a full leather interior ($11,210), carbon-fibre roof ($7470), Shark Blue paint ($7500) and even Shark Blue seatbelts ($570) and Porsche LED courtesy lights ($300).

A bigger issue for those desiring a GT3 is that demand is far outstripping supply. Porsche Cars Australia hesitates to use the words “sold out” as supply can change and existing orders can become available, but the fact remains that if you’re not already on the list, chances are you’ll either have to pay a premium or be prepared to wait a while.

In track-focused supercar terms the 911 GT3 is relatively (relatively…) good value when compared to the likes of the Lamborghini Huracan STO ($596,000 +ORCs) or Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro ($453,200 +ORCs). Elsewhere in the Porsche line-up, you could try the soon-to-land Cayman GT4 RS ($312,700 +ORCs).

Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km, but if you engage in regular track work, it’s best to discuss servicing options with your local Porsche centre.

Despite its undoubted focus, the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 is not a stripped-out race car. If you discount the carbon-backed bucket seats, six-point harnesses and half roll cage fitted to this test car, the interior differs little from a regular 911. The driving position is low and sporty, with the pedal placement enticing you to brake with your left foot.

There’s keyless entry and climate control and electric seat height adjustment (full electric seats with heating are an option) and a large touch-screen infotainment system with smartphone mirroring, digital radio, app connectivity and more.

What there isn’t is any rear seats, though the cramped rear quarters of a 911 are of dubious use anyway, or any sort of active safety equipment. Autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, active cruise control, cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring are all conspicuous by their absence. Porsche wants to make it clear that you are responsible for driving this car.

And drive it you must. You will never fall asleep behind the wheel of a 2022 Porsche 911 GT3; this isn’t a car in which you can sit back and relax, driving with one finger gently guiding the steering wheel.

The front-end is constantly moving, weaving this way and that as the tyres follow every ridge and camber in the road. It’s not in any sense wayward but it requires focus and usually two hands on the wheel.

It’s also incredibly noisy in terms of road roar. Most 911s are, as a general rule, but on coarse-chip highway surfaces you’ll struggle to hear the GT3’s stereo.

To be honest, the pre-dawn drive to Phillip Island (more on which in a moment) was not a soothing affair. Single-digit temperatures and rain meant the tyres offered all the grip of wet soap, the steering chased not only road ridges but standing water and there was the ever-present white noise of the tarmac reverberating through the cabin.

At least the ride is reasonable; firm, of course, but with enough compliance to ensure you’re never jolted or jarred behind the wheel.

As such, while GT3 owners are likely to have a more suitable conveyance for daily duties, there’s no real reason it couldn’t and shouldn’t be used everyday if you’re prepared for a fairly raw experience.

But regardless of its daily useability the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 exists to be driven as hard and fast as possible. Porsche has honed this recipe since the 996 GT3 of 1999 (arguably the Carrera 2.7 RS of 1973) and it’s never got one wrong.

There’s never been a bad GT3. In fact, there’s never even been a good one, they’ve all been varying degrees of excellent, but even by the 911’s evolutionary standards the 992 model seems a small step forward.

The engine remains a 4.0-litre flat-six with just 7kW/10Nm more than its predecessor. Granted, 375kW and 470Nm is nothing to sneeze at, nor are performance claims of 0-100km/h in 3.4sec and a 318km/h top speed, but once again those numbers are exactly the same as the previous 991.2 GT3.

Weight is up by 5kg, the tyres are 10mm wider, the brakes are a little bigger – there are plenty of changes but it’s all real fine-margin stuff.

But the new car’s blistering 6:55.2sec lap of the iconic Nurburgring circuit in Germany is a hint as to its improvement. That time is 17sec quicker than the 991.2’s and quicker even than the multi-million dollar 918 Spyder hypercar’s.

In an effort to accurately assess Porsche’s changes we headed to Phillip Island, one of Australia’s best racetracks. Unfortunately, the first couple of sessions were marred by rain and PI felt like it had been smeared in Vaseline, but thankfully the track dried and speeds soon increased.

There are two major changes to the 992 GT3 and neither can be easily seen. The first is double-wishbone front suspension instead of the usual strut set-up, making it the only road-going 911 to ever use this system.

It was deemed worth the cost and hassle because double wishbones provide greater stability under high loads and the result is unheard-of steering response for a 911.

Typically, the unique weight distribution of a 911 – the engine being in the rear – requires careful management and while this is still the case to extract the best from the 992 GT3, you can go really, really, really fast driving in a conventional manner.

You keep turning and keep turning and enter corners faster and faster and discover seemingly inexhaustible grip reserves.

This is particularly the case in faster turns, where the 992 GT3’s second major improvement makes itself known. Compared to its predecessor the new car has 150 per cent more downforce when that swan-neck rear wing is set to its Performance setting.

Attaching at the top rather than underneath makes the wing more efficient, but the black mounts do make it look like a car is sitting in your rear three-quarter vision at a glance.

On track the easiest way to describe the 992 GT3 is that it does nothing wrong: the engine has a broad powerband yet screams to 9000rpm, the dual-clutch gearbox is ultra-rapid (a six-speed manual is also available), the brakes refuse to wilt under the strain, there’s great communication from the steering… the list goes on.

The weak link is most likely to be the driver. Even with the six-point harness holding me in place, a couple of dry sessions were enough to have my arms aching from the g force.

To be really picky a ‘Sports’ stability control setting would be handy, as the GT3 only offers on or off, with the ability to then turn traction control off independently. To be honest, the ESC system is lenient enough to not trigger unless you’ve really done something silly, but having a little more leeway would help push the limits while retaining a safety net.

On the road the new GT3 is way too fast to be fully exploited. It may lack the absurd numbers of other hypercars but it will still reach 200km/h in 10.8sec, which does rather limit full-throttle opportunities.

Nevertheless, there is still plenty to enjoy away from the track. The rising crescendo from the engine as it swings through all nine of its 1000rpm increments, the instant responses from the controls and the feeling that you’re almost installed into the machine.

In terms of its intended purpose – drive to the track, set blistering lap times and drive home again – the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 is exceedingly difficult to fault.

Yes, the drive there might not be the most relaxing of your life and, yes, it’s an extraordinary amount of money, but it’s brilliantly engineered to challenge and reward a driver while offering the visceral thrills that electric cars will struggle to match, regardless of how quick they are.

There are a couple of caveats. If you already own a 991.2 GT3 then in purely rational terms I’d think twice about upgrading, purely because the new car’s main improvement is at the very outer envelope of track use.

Likewise, if you’re not a regular track attendee, then the new 911 GTS models are likely to be more suitable for road use, with greater comfort but still scintillating performance.

The latest 911 GT3 is a much bigger step than it appears on paper, however, and absolutely continues the model’s legacy as the ultimate road racer.

How much does the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 cost?
Price: $369,600 ($429,590 as-tested), plus ORCs
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre flat six-cylinder petrol
Output: 375kW/470Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 12.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 288g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Untested