Porsche 911 GTS 2017 Review

Middle child syndrome
Porsche Australia takes exception to anyone who dares suggest the GTS is simply part of a 911 model proliferation.

When speaking about the new GTS range, which has just landed in Australian showrooms, priced from $282,700 (plus on-road costs), local stakeholders get a glint in their eyes; as if they’re describing one of their own children.

“If the 911 GT3 is a track car with road ability then the 911 GTS is a road car with track ability,” explains a Porsche spokesman, highlighting the GTS’ placement between the regular 911 Carrera S and the manic, track-focussed 911 GT3. “It is not just some spin-off.”

You could argue the GTS is both physically and philosophically the middle child in Porsche’s hierarchy. Having first appeared in 1964, Porsche mysteriously forgot about the GTS badge until it was wheeled out again in 2010.

Since its re-introduction to market, the GTS has been a force to be reckoned with. And it’s now closer to the GT3 than ever before.

The 991.2 update helps leverage the GTS’ newfound stature. It essentially gets the same 3.0-litre flat-six as the Carrera S, but with bigger turbochargers to increase boost to 1.25 bar. And the electric provisions around the two new snails are extensive - though seemingly benign – reaching as far as the car’s gearbox and stability control parameters.

Naturally, the move has liberated more ponies – and crucially, more ponies in the right places. The GTS’ newfound 331kW and 550Nm represents a 22kW/50Nm increase over the regular 911 Carrera. And happily, peak torque now arrives at a lowly 2150rpm, while peak power now arrives at 6500rpm.

In GTS guise, the rear-mounted engine is available in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive formats. Naturally, you get a choice of the standard seven-speed manual transmission or Porsche’s more popular seven-speed PDK automatic.

Elsewhere, the GTS gets the 44mm broader rear track and pumped out guards of the Carrera 4 and is fitted with wider 20-inch centre-lock wheels from the 911 Turbo S. The coupes ride 20mm lower than the Carrera S because they are fitted with the PASM adjustable sports chassis. The convertibles and the Targa are 10mm lower because they use standard PASM.

The performance boost is supported by more standard equipment across the Coupe, Cabriolet and Targa GTS range – which is up by more than $10,000, as detailed in our pricing story. This includes Porsche’s venerable Torque Vectoring Control, a new sports exhaust and Porsche’s Sport Chrono Plus performance suite. Do the math and a GTS ends up being considerably cheaper than a fully-loaded 911 Carrera S offering similar levels of specification.

In saying that, the options catalogue remains an extensive one, comprising items such as rear-wheel steering.

Refreshingly familiar
Stepping into the GTS’ cockpit is an exercise in therapy. The cabin is furnished in premium materials and controls which are thoughtfully laid out. Sure, the button-laden dashboard isn’t the latest word in interior design, but it lends Porsche’s enduring sports car a sense of history and continuity.

With the seating position perfectly set, and the throwback key turned over, the GTS very much subscribes to the ‘everyday sports car’ brief.

The new turbo engine emits a familiar though slightly subdued burble at idle, and the PDK transmission on our test cars (no manuals available) promote efficient driving; at least when set to standard (we saw as little as 6.8L/100km on an extended highway drive).

Similarly, the suspension on the GTS coupe is firm yet well controlled on country roads – relaying road imperfections more prominently than the standard Carrera S, reflective of tweaked springs, rebound and damper rates. This trait is embellished on Cabriolet and

Targa models whose slightly softer PASM suspension tune is less exposed to jiggling over road imperfections, whilst giving up very little through the corners.

One Achilles heel is tyre noise, a direct result of the mammoth 305-section Pirelli P-Zero tyres roaring into the rear of the cabin – particularly on coarse-chip sections of road.

Turbo time
Anyway, enough of that. Upping the tempo? Another exercise in therapy. This time, the 911 is like the re-assuring hand which guides us through the Blue Mountain’s stunning surrounds.

Precise, responsive steering – the best of any electrically-assisted unit? Tick.
Excellent mid-corner poise and grip? Tick.

Stunning acceleration, aided by a highly-intuitive and incisive PDK auto? Yep, tick.

This is vintage 911. Not too soft, not too hard: a sporty, playful road car with track-ready pretensions.

Accessing the GTS’ dynamic skillset requires a neutral driving approach: smooth trail-brake, maintain a constant lateral corner speed, gentle application of throttle as you unwind the Alcantara-furnished steering wheel. Brake, turn-in, accelerate, repeat.

Doing so all-but erases any ungainly weight shifts from the 911’s engine-laden rear; an experience we were largely spared save for one enthusiastic approach on a greasy, off-camber bend, at which point its clever stability control suite swiftly intervened.

There is still some subtle understeer at the limit, prompting the question of how much of the 911’s circa-1600kg kerb weight is concentrated over the rear axle… Porsche didn’t give us an answer, but you can hardly say this car could be better balanced.

The added accelerative punch is readily evident compared with the Carrera S. Mid-range, in-gear reactions are particularly impressive in ‘Sport Plus’, the GTS reaching an effortless torque surge producing an incredible turn of pace arguably more impressive than its 0-100km/h claim (as little as 3.6 seconds).

All-wheel drive versions of the GTS are particularly confidence inspiring, plying down their full surfeit of riches confidently, only occasionally squirming at the rear.

With the GTS in full flight, such are the levels of grip and road-holding , you can ponder how a GT3 could possibly be better. Of course, this question would be quickly answered in a back-to-back comparison, but in isolation, the mind boggles.

One area where the GTS cannot emulate its storied colleague is engine theatre. The new turbocharged unit has a lowered rev ceiling of 7500rpm, and while the climb to redline is quicker and more resolute, it misses some of the previous GTS’ aural excitement. This is despite some added metallic shriek under acceleration and howl from the flat-six on the overrun (when compared with the normal Carrera S).

You have to take the good with the bad here, because in so many respects, the turbocharger intervention has only promoted the GTS’ cause. Faster, more willing at the limit and yet, friendlier as a day-to-day proposition.

This unassuming middle child may just be the sweet spot in the 911 range.

2017 Porsche 991 Carrera GTS pricing and specifications:
Price: from $282,700 plus on-road costs (Coupe), from $304,200 plus on-road costs (Cabriolet), from $320,400 plus on-road costs (Targa)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 331kW/550Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed manual, seven-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic; RWD/AWD
Fuel: 8.3L/100km ADR Combined (Carrera GTS Coupe RWD)
CO2: 188g/km ADR Combined (Carrera GTS Coupe RWD)
Safety Rating: Five-star