New 911 Hybrid in the driving report - goodbye, convention
Electrified Porsche 911, how about that? What should the iron castings think about it? Can it really work? How dare Zuffenhausen implant an E-heart into its icon? Papperlapapp, the new GTS drives like a go-kart. Read it yourself.
Who would have thought that would ever happen? The Porsche icon with the magical number 911 is getting an electric motor for power, not for seat adjustment, mind you. It was always said that one shouldn't touch the 911. But then the air cooling went away, followed by the freely breathing engines - and now the 911 is no longer just a combustion engine.
And Porsche is packaging this new string as "GTS" - audacity, some fans and customers might have thought. The Old World is collapsing, really! And the forums are surely full of criticism. But hey, Porsche surely knew this at the very first thoughts of a 911 Hybrid. And now the twin-motor is here in real life and at least generates some explanation. The engineers laugh off every skeptical approach and think to themselves, "drive it first, and then you can still fiddle around." And at least the Hybrid script prominently on the sides shows some self-confidence.
And before I take a thorough lap with the latest go-kart, let me give a few more pieces of information. It's not just a simple hybrid. The previous 3.0-liter turbo engine is gone, replaced by the famous flat-six boxer with 3.6 liters (485 PS and 570 Newton-meters). And then the turbocharger is not just accelerated by exhaust gases, but receives a boost from a 15 PS strong electric motor. And the new E-turbo comes in single-exhaust version as well as without a wastegate. The powertrain-worthy silent aggregate, on the other hand, is in the still eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and pumps an additional 54 PS and 150 Newton-meters into the powertrain.
Boxersound is still there
Tension at its peak? Then I press the start button to the left of the steering column now. And it's new, too, because until now there was a long switch, which protruded slightly from the instrument panel, to start the go-kart without a key. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. What's important is the typical Boxersound. And it still echoes. And so a technically upgraded powertrain rumbles in idle, eager to let the chassis finally storm forward.
And the go-kart storms ahead. In this case, it's a Cabriolet with all-wheel drive (there's also rear-wheel drive). And it reacts noticeably more promptly to gas pedal commands now. In fact, that's the main difference from before. When you accelerated the old GTS, it really went stiffly forward, clear. But suddenly demanding power from the idling go-kart - that was always associated with a moment of reflection. Just because the eight-cylinder had to sort itself out and the turbocharger waited for rich exhaust gas streams. That's over.
Whenever you order "full power," this GTS effortlessly accelerates - without even batting an eye. And the compact electric motor certainly contributes to this. But even from a standstill, the new GTS packs a punch, reaching 100 km/h in just three seconds, while previously it took 3.4 seconds. And although energy is recovered through braking, the brake pedal feels anything but synthetic. The Zuffenhausen engineers seem to have benefited from their experience with the Taycan project.
GTS runs smoothly on the track
Porsche couldn't resist bringing another GTS Coupe onto the track. And on the turns of the Ascari Circuit in Malaga, the 911 can show off its rear-performance capabilities. And with the now 394 PS (up from 302 PS) over the standard model, it's better equipped. Various chassis gadgets support less experienced pilots and make the 3.55-meter-long two-seater simply faster.
So, the rear-wheel steering is series production, to achieve higher stability during cornering. In addition, optional active stabilizers are available. These are equipped with hydraulic cylinders whose oil level can be changed. At need, the actuators can be individually controlled to improve self-steering behavior. And exiting a turn is particularly fun because the 1.6-tonner then kicks in with the additional torque. It's nice that you don't even notice the electric motor. At least not negatively. Porsche deliberately opted against an electric creep function. In the sports car world, such inconsistencies in the drive are not desirable.
By the way, Porsche has managed to keep the weight of the electric unit with the approximately 2 kWh battery below 30 kg. Also not insignificant in this segment. Furthermore, there are a few optical features to distinguish the new GTS. The louvers in the area of the front apron give it away.
Characteristic for the new model year is also the disappearance of the last remaining mechanical speedometer needle for the large tachometer in the middle. It's still there, but only virtually. The driver can display the electric motor's power input in real-time. It's impressive when it's possible to modernize a traditional car without watering down its character.
It will be interesting to see how far the consumption can be pushed below ten liters per 100 kilometers in practice, although that may be secondary for potential customers. However, some might have trouble swallowing the starting price of the GTS, which is 170,600 Euro. The base model starts at 128,700 Euro. It's likely that one or two derivatives will follow in between.
Despite the traditionalists' criticism, Porsche continues to push boundaries in automobile technology, introducing electromobility to its renowned Porsche models, such as the 911. This shift is evident in the new GTS hybrid, which incorporates a powerful electric motor alongside its iconic flat-six boxer engine.
The lobbing of the 'Hybrid' script on the sides of the new GTS vehicle reflects Porsche's confidence in its electromobility endeavors, setting a new standard for hybrid sports cars.
