Porsche 911 GTS 2022 Review

The 2022 Porsche 911 GTS should not be confused with HSV’s former flagship… Indeed, its heritage goes back much further than the beloved homegrown muscle car’s.

Porsche first applied the GTS badge, which in German stands for Gran Turismo Sport (Grand Tourer Sport), to the 904 GTS of 1963 and it debuted on the 911 at the end of the 997 series in 2010.

Designed to fill the price gap between the Carrera S and the hard-core GT3, the GTS nameplate is now seen across Porsche’s entire model range, including the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman sports cars, the Macan and Cayenne SUVs and, most recently, the Taycan electric sedan.

As with the previous 991 series, the 992 GTS range spans five variants – rear-drive Carrera coupe and cabriolet, all-wheel drive Carrera 4 coupe and cabriolet, and Targa 4 – each commanding price hikes of about $75,000 to $85,000 over their base donor models, or at least $35K over the S versions.

But all that extra cash brings plenty more than GTS badges at the back and sides. For starters, all GTS variants are quicker and faster thanks to the most powerful version of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat six fitted across the 911 range, which remains topped by big-bore Turbo and naturally-aspirated GT3 models, but more on that later.

All versions come standard with the same eight-speed dual-clutch PDK auto as the rest of the 911 range, but for $314,800 plus on-road costs, the base rear-wheel drive Carrera GTS Coupe can also be had with a seven-speed manual gearbox, as per the GT3.

Visually, GTS models pack a bigger punch by sitting 10mm lower (except for the Targa, which comes standard with Porsche Active Suspension Management damping – a no-cost option for the rest) and sharing the 911 Turbo’s huge brake package including six-piston callipers and huge 408mm rotors up front, and a similar centre-lock wheel and tyre package with staggered widths and diameters – 20 front and 21 at the rear.

Further upping the exterior aggression is the same satin black finish for the front spoiler lip, rear engine cover slats and GTS badges, which are joined by gloss-black exhaust outlets and darkened headlights and DRLs.

The sportier theme continues inside, where there’s brushed black anodised trims on the dash, doors and sills, but the highlight is this hard-wearing black Race-Tex material on the steering wheel, shifter, arm rests and door handles.

If you want the full Race-Tex interior package including black leather highlights it’ll cost you an extra $8350, and that doesn’t include a Race-Tex headliner ($2440) and sun visors ($860). The seat belts and tacho can be matched with the Racing Yellow exterior paint too, for an extra $930 and $720 respectively.

Our press car was also fitted with a host of other expensive options including powered 18-way adaptive sports seats ($5910), the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control active hydraulic anti-roll system ($6750), rear-axle steering ($4720), front lift system ($5070), high-gloss black brake callipers ($1720), tinted LED matrix headlights ($4020) and a sunroof ($4720), just to name a few, bringing the total price to $371,750 plus ORCs.

The 2022 Porsche 911 GTS Coupe does come with plenty of standard equipment, however, including the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus electronically operated mechanical rear diff lock, Power Steering Plus, Sport Chrono packing with unique functions, surround-view parking assistant, powered front sports seats plus, heated front seats and steering wheel, comfort access, Bose surround sound, digital radio, dual-zone climate control, tinted bi-LED headlights with Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus and metallic paint.

And all the infotainment tech is covered via a 10.9-inch touch-screen with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity, voice recognition, navigation and two front USB ports.

Likewise, all of the important safety devices are standard too, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and Lane Change Assist blind-spot monitoring, which are both absent in the GT3.

Also included is Porsche Stability Management stability control, Warn and Brake Assist, Surround View, Comfort Access, ParkAssist front and rear sensors, a reversing camera, tyre pressure monitoring, cruise control with speed limiter and twin front, side and head airbags, plus Porsche WET Mode and an electric parking brake.

There’s no lane-keeping system tugging at the wheel, but also no spare tyre (just a compressor and sealant) and paying $3570 extra for adaptive cruise control is a bit rich for a $300K-plus sports car.

Warranty coverage is also relatively short at three years (albeit with no mileage cap) but service intervals are decent at 12 months or 15,000km. Service costs differ from state to state so there’s no capped-price service program.

As with all Porsche sports cars, the engine is the heart of the matter and perhaps more so with the 2022 Porsche 911 GTS Coupe.

Peak power and torque might be up by ‘only’ 22kW and 20Nm over both its predecessor and the current Carrera S, but it brings total outputs to 353kW and 570Nm, which happens to outdo the 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat six in the 911 GT3 by 22kW and a whole 100Nm.

Combined with an unladen weight that’s as low as 1510kg in rear-drive GTS manual form, which is nevertheless still 100kg heavier than the equivalent GT3, all 992 GTS models are quicker than their predecessors.

Porsche claims the Carrera GTS PDK Coupe hits 100km/h in 3.4 seconds, matching the GT3 and making it three tenths quicker than before. The all-wheel drive C4 is a tenth quicker again at 3.3sec and completes the quarter mile in a rapid 11.5 seconds.

The heavier Cabriolet and Targa models are slightly slower, and despite being the lightest of the bunch the base manual is a full seven-tenths slower to 100km/h at 4.1sec

The top speed of the base GTS coupe increases to 311km/h with either transmission, making it faster than all other GTS variants, but the manual is the least efficient in the range with combined fuel consumption of 10.7L/100km – more than even the Targa 4 and Carrera 4 Cabriolet.

If you’re familiar with 911s you’ll know interior storage space is tight and cargo capacity limited to the frunk up front and the rear seats, which are strictly child-only zones.

But Bunnings runs are not what the 911 – and the GTS in particular – are about. It only takes a short drive in the 2022 Porsche 911 GTS Coupe to appreciate this is the sharpest, loudest and, in manual form at least, most involving 911 to drive this side of the GT3.

Less sound insulation and a new exhaust system with map-controlled internal flaps result in more noise right across the rev range, and the lower ride height and revised springs, dampers and steering makes it feel more agile than any other 911 Carrera.

With peak power at just 6500rpm, the 3.0-litre turbo boxer doesn’t rev anywhere near as hard or freely as the glorious 4.0-litre atmo six in the GT3 and the Cayman and Boxster GTS, and nor is it as flexible as the 911 Turbo’s 3.8-litre flat six.

But with crisp throttle response, noticeably more power than lesser 911s and higher peak torque from just 2300rpm (all the way to 5000rpm), the GTS engine delivers devastating top-end performance and effortless flexibility and driveability.

That makes it the perfect match for this chassis, which not only steers more sharply and sits flatter in corners than lesser 911s, but delivers a cosseting ride on all manner of road surfaces – including road works on the launch drive, even without PASM – giving the GTS a broader range of capability than any other 911.

I’m a big fan of manual transmissions and this one has an even shorter shifter than the seven-speed unit denied to Aussies in overseas versions of the Carrera S, making the GTS manual just as involving and faster than the six-speed Cayman.

Thanks to its shorter final drive ratio it’s also easier to get off the line than the Cayman GT4 manual (even second-gear standing starts are possible), but seventh is there only for economy and all those gates makes for notchy shifts that aren’t always easy to get right.

It’s not rubbery like the manual in my V8 ute, but nor is it a buttery extension of your arm like 911 manuals of old, and while finding the right gear from the four forward gates is not quite a lottery, thankfully there’s a gear display to tell you what gear you’re in.

If you’re a purist and can’t stretch to a GT3 though, you’re likely to quickly get used to that and will enjoy the well-placed pedals and the snap, crackle and pop that accompanies the manual gear shifting, both up and down.

Yes, the deal-breaker for some may be that the manual GTS coupe is not only a lot slower than the auto but also thirstier. But nobody buys a 911, let alone a 911 GTS, for its efficiency and out in the real world the cheapest manual coupe feels like it’s the fastest and most involving GTS of them all.

It’s a different story at the racetrack, however, where the GTS PDK’s slicker shifts made it quicker and easier to drive than the manual around the tight but fast 2.1km Norwell circuit.

In fact, in the hands of carsales’ own Bathurst-winning Luke Youlden, the AWD Carrera 4 GTS Coupe auto was just a second slower than the GT3 on the day, thanks to its ability to get its power to the ground earlier out of all seven turns at Norwell.

It might cost almost $75,000 more, but the 2022 Porsche 911 GTS Coupe delivers more power, pace, noise, agility and street cred than a base 911.

And for $90,000 less than the cheapest 911 Turbo, it brings a similar footprint, suspension and brakes – and is equally user-friendly – while also undercutting the far more compromised GT3 by about $55K.

No, Porsche hasn’t saved the best 992-series 911 variant for last; that honour will go to the upcoming GT3 RS and then, perhaps, a new GT2 RS. And, yes, the automatic version is much quicker and more efficient, and the Carrera 4 auto is quicker again.

But of the five new 911 GTS variants available, the cheapest rear-drive manual coupe is the lightest, fastest and most involving to drive, and combines performance, practicality and passion better than any other 911.

There’s no such thing as a cheap 911 and if you plan on taking yours to the track frequently, you’ll need to fork out at least $370K for a GT3.

For everyone else, the most basic GTS is probably the ‘goldilocks’ of the 911 range and the most complete sports car available today for around $300K.

How much does the 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Coupe cost?
Price: $314,800 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol
Output: 353kW/570Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed manual
Fuel: 10.7L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 245g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested