● Updated GTS has new 3.6-litre engine with hybrid assistance● Styling and interior tweaks introduced across full 911 range
Jordan Katsianis Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk
PORSCHE has revealed its long-awaited hybrid 911 alongside wider updates to the iconic sports car. Now in the 992.2 generation, the range is initially headlined by the GTS edition, featuring a new engine. More variants will come over the following months, but the line-up will launch with the GTS and Carrera. They’re available to order now, priced from £99,800 for the Carrera and £132,600 for the GTS, with deliveries towards the end of the year.
The heart of the GTS continues to be a turbocharged flat-six engine, but bored out to 3.6 litres and optimised to suit a new lightweight hybrid module called T-Hybrid.
The system comprises two electric motors that draw power from a compact 1.9kWh lithium-ion battery running a 400V electrical system. One of these is mounted inside a new electrically assisted turbocharger between the compressor and turbine, replacing the previous GTS’s purely gas-driven twin-turbocharger set-up.
By placing an electric motor inside the turbocharger, it can instantly build boost pressure when the throttle is opened, rather than waiting for the exhaust gases to reach it. This is similar in principle to the electric turbocharger AMG has been fitting to some of its new models, but Porsche’s unit can feed energy back into the battery.
This is joined by a second electric motor within the eight-speed PDK transmission’s housing, which can produce up to 54bhp and 140Nm of torque. Its output is added directly to the driveline, and powers some ancillaries, such as the air-conditioning condenser, eliminating the need for drive belts and therefore tightening the engine’s packaging. The whole powertrain produces 533bhp and 610Nm of torque, while only adding 50kg to the overall weight.
Performance figures for the new model are improved over the previous GTS, with a 0-62mph time of just 3.0 seconds – a 0.4-second improvement; the 193mph top speed is unchanged. Due to one motor being mounted within the PDK’s housing, the hybrid powertrain won’t be available with a manual gearbox, but an all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 GTS is on the cards.
There have been tweaks elsewhere to the GTS’s chassis, with standard fitment of rear-wheel steering
