Iconic Porsche 911 refreshed in 992.2 guise with hybrid powertrain for the 911 Carrera GTS, fully-digital instruments, a starter button and... no manual transmission!
The refresh of the iconic Porsche 911 model sees four of its six model lines modernised in just a few short months (Slate Grey Neo 911 Carrera GTS Coupé pictured above – check out the five active aero flaps on the lower bumper).
The Panamera, Taycan, Macan and now the 911 have seen nips, tucks, enhanced digitalisation and tweaked outputs to keep them fresh and appealing to the brand's enthusiast fan-base.
Most notable among the raft of revisions is the Carrera GTS's new powertrain, a super-lightweight performance T-Hybrid system (derived from Porsche's motorsports know-how) with a newly developed electric exhaust gas turbocharger that is "primed" by an integrated electric motor to help reduce turbo-lag in the single-turbo set-up.
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Naturally, the GTS variant (check out its active aero flaps in the picture above) will be available across all the models of the 911 range, including Coupe, Cabriolet and Targa (Targa 4 GTS pictured right at the bottom).
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“We developed and tested a wide variety of ideas and approaches to arrive at the hybrid system that would suit the 911 perfectly. The result is a unique drive that fits into the overall concept of the 911 and significantly enhances its performance,” says Mr. Frank Moser, Vice President Model Lines 911 and 718.
The heart of the GTS remains the familiar flat-six "boxer" engine, but it now displaces 3.6-litres in the 992.2 (versus 3.0-litre in the regular Carrera models).
Transmission duty is served by an 8spd PDK dual-clutch gearbox (which also features an integrated motor), and three-pedal purists may be perturbed to learn there's no word on a three-pedal manual option... which might leave the 992.2 GT3 the last bastion of our stick-shift shenanigans.
It will come standard with a GTS-specific sports exhaust system to let the engine really sing when you're really pressing hard.
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With the total system output of 541hp and 610Nm, this means the new GTS is rated at 61hp higher than the 992.1 GTS predecessor with its twin-turbo 3.0-litre.
Porsche has comprehensively revised the suspension and integrated the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) anti-roll stabilisation system into the high-voltage system of the 911 Carrera GTS to cope with its newfound performance, with rear-axle steering as standard.
The sports suspension with a variable damper system (PASM) and its 10mm lowered ride height provide the engaging dynamics that many have come to associate with the GTS model.
The technical updates mean the 992.2 Carrera GTS Coupé will blast from 0-100km/h in 3.0secs on its way to a 312km/h top speed.
However, it's worth noting that even without electrical assistance, the boxer engine in the GTS delivers a healthy 485hp and 570Nm of torque.
At the launch of the new 992.2, the 911 Carrera model will also be available immediately.
Apart from its tweaked design, better aerodynamics, a fully-digital interior and upgraded standard equipment, its twin-turbo 3.0-litre is also lightly modified.
In addition to inheriting the intercooler from the Turbo models – which now sits above the engine and directly under the rear lid grille – it also gets the punchier turbos from the last generation 992.1 GTS models.
These technical improvements not only achieve a reduction in emissions, but see the Carrera's output boosted to 394hp and 450Nm, which will see it dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.1secs (or 3.9secs with the Sport Chrono Package) and a 294km/h top speed.
In total, seven 19-/20-inch or 20-/21-inch wheel designs will be available for the 992.2, including Exclusive Design wheels with carbon blades that help reduce the drag coefficient of the 911.
The default seating configuration for the 992.2 Coupes will be two-seater as standard. However, a 2+2 seat configuration is available as a no-cost option.
The cockpit is now fully digital (and even comes with an engine-start button) and this digitalisation extends to the 12.65-inch curved display instrument cluster (pictured above is the Carrera's cabin).
Purists will be somewhat heartened to note that one of the seven views is an exclusive Classic display inspired by the traditional five-dials and central tachometer of earlier 911s.
