I’ve long loved Porsche’s legendary 911. As far back as I can remember my dad lauded this sports car of sports cars while driving
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
around in his ’76 VW Scirocco, the closest we could affordably get to owning one of Zuffenhausen’s rear-engine super coupes. We (that would be me riding shotgun) road tested a 924 when it came out in 1976, the week after first seeing it at our local auto show no less, but despite trying to make the numbers work my dad traded the old ’66 Beetle in for a classic metallic silver Scirocco complete with black “SCIROCCO” lettering along each rocker.
Graphics like that were all the rage back then, the lime green 924 with bold checkered seats we’d tested prior featuring something similar along its lower midsection, not to mention mirrored “PORSCHE” windshield tint stuck under the roofline. Today both German brands are much less expressive when it comes to branded decals, my most recent 911 tester making do with a subtle “GTS” stamped
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
on the front portion of the same side panel. I like this more conservative approach, because anyone in the know understands exactly what’s coming at them without the need for this or any other stylized script shouting out the announcement, those three letters now synonymous with specially tuned sporting versions of most new Porsche models. On that note the only two current nameplates not offering a GTS variant are the 918 Spyder, as it’s hardly necessary for this electrified supercar to get any sportier, and the new Macan compact CUV that hasn’t been around long enough to get any unique trim levels. While I wouldn’t completely rule out a 918 GTS, it’s only a matter of time before a Macan GTS hits the road.
All this
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
GTS talk got me pondering on which Porsche model first used the GTS designation. I naturally figured it must have been an early 911, and while the trio of consonants were first attached to the right rear deck lid of a Porsche in 1963, the very year the 911 (and yours truly) was born, it was the beautiful 904 Carrera that initially featured the “Gran Turismo Sport” abbreviation. Was the 911 second in line? Not at all. It took almost two decades for the GTS suffix to return, showing up on the aforementioned 924 in 1981 and then the fabulous V8-powered 928 a full 10 years later. As for modern-day Porsches, GTS was reborn in the most unlikely of forms, attached to the powered liftgate of the 2008 Cayenne, a model I drove
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
that year with its six-speed manual and awkward foot-operated parking brake and then retested in much more user-friendly autobox guise for 2009. Of the various GTS models, after those Cayenne examples I tested the 2011 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet and then the 2013 Panamera GTS, plus this year alone I’ve driven the new Boxster GTS, Cayenne GTS and of course this 911 GTS, only missing out on the Cayman GTS. Yes, it’s been a very good year.
As far as GTS pecking order goes, it’s mostly a mid-grade performer on paper and price, slotting in above base trims and below various Turbo lines or lower-volume specialized trims depending on the model in question, although that terse summary really doesn’t do this trim line justice. Instead, consider each GTS model the
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
purest of performance-tweaked road-going Porsches, the version that cuts back some of the fat, increases power output, beefs up the brakes, wheels and tires, and sport tunes anything that’s possible to sport tune, while (this is the important part) leaving it totally civilized for day-to-day livability.
Specific to the 911 GTS I’m reviewing here, there are a number of more powerful and edgier 911 iterations, the GT3 RS being one that I’d especially love to hurl around Laguna Seca or Mont Tremblant tracks (Road Atlanta would be just fine too), albeit likely tiresome for the daily commute (give me one for a week and I’ll let you know), while the comparatively mainstream 911 Turbo is certainly quicker, but most would agree the purer day-to-day sports car is the 911 GTS.
As
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
you may have guessed this 911 GTS is new for 2015, and available in coupe and as-tested convertible body styles, seven-speed manual or dual-clutch automated transmissions, and rear- or all-wheel drivetrains, while at the heart of the matter is a 430 horsepower naturally aspirated 3.8-litre horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine, slotting right between the 400-horsepower Carrera S and the 475-horsepower GT3. It makes a substantive 325 lb-ft of torque, which is 15 lb-ft more than the S and ironically one lb-ft more than the GT3, but just to give you an idea of how “ho-hum” its performance is compared to others in the 911 line, the same basic body shell moves along a whole lot quicker with the 500-, 520- and/or 560-horsepower GT3 RS, Turbo and Turbo S powertrains, these three getting 338, 487, and 516 lb-ft of torque respectively.
I
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
was joking about the ho-hum, of course, as the GTS’ 4.4-second sprint to 100km/h in its coupe iteration and 4.6 as a Cabriolet is hardly dawdling, although after peeling your backside from the Turbo S’ sport seats, its 3.1-second blitz to 100km/h a mere blur of unforgettable adrenaline, no doubt the GTS would feel like a Turbo S set to eco mode. Of course, this speed thing isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of performance driving, the GTS proof of such frames of thought. It’s capable of hurtling down the road faster than 99 percent of drivers have the skill to safely execute, and terminal velocity that’s certainly much faster than any North American roadway, highway or freeway allows, my tester boasting a top track speed of 303 km/h (188 mph), so if that doesn’t stimulate your senses adequately I’d recommend getting a few thousand miles on your pilots license and then finding a pre-owned USAF F5 Freedom Fighter to get yer ya-ya’s out.
I
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
have to say my 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet test car provided ample straight-line performance for me, while its stunning Carmine Red paintwork looked at least as fast as its specs suggested. The overall theme was bold red and black, without a scrap of bare or silver painted metal outside the car, disc brakes aside. From its black grille slats, blackened headlamp bezels and awesome matte-black 20-inch rims on 245/35ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear Pirelli P Zero rubber framing massive drilled rotors clamped down on via big red calipers, the anthracite treatment even including four black chromed tailpipes poking out from its potent underbelly, to its red stitched black leather and suede-like Alcantara interior boasted a bright red tachometer dead centre amongst black-faced primary gauges, the perfect match to the bright red electronic key that slotted in to the left
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
side of the steering column, my GTS loaner was a loud and proud sight to behold, not to mention one of the biggest attention getters I’ve driven all year.
The suede treatment covered the lower instrument panel and glove box, steering wheel rim, door pulls, inserts and armrests, centre armrest, and of course the seat inserts front and rear, while all the dash and door inlays, plus the lower console surround were done out in genuine glossy carbon-fibre in all its 3D glory. Spectacular seems like an understatement, because in the case of my 911 GTS tester words really can’t do it full justice.
Those sport seats are some of the most supportive and grippy perches I’ve ever experienced
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
in a 911 off the track, and that’s saying something, and while I’ve heard many an auto scribe deride the 911’s diminutive rear seatlettes as wasted effort, in my younger years I was able to use them for fathering duties on many occasions when the alternative would’ve been leaving the sports car at home. I’m going to guess that these moments will be some of my kids’ fondest memories of time spent with dad, the yelping and hollering from the back seat certainly some of mine. These seats fold flat for added cargo space, by the way, how most leave the more often than not, while a deep front trunk allows loads of cargo space for short road trips.
There were no kids around during my stint with the GTS, mind you, and something tells me I wouldn’t be able to fit them back there anymore even if they’d come over for a visit. Instead, my partner and I spent a week of fun-filled mini-commutes
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
across Vancouver’s downtown core, unreasonable but nevertheless “necessary” jaunts over the Lion’s Gate Bridge to go shopping at our favourite Persian market in North Van, chow down on dinner at Andrea’s Greek restaurant just up the road, and then suck back a couple of bubble teas and fruit and chocolate covered bubble waffles at our fave snack shop, Zestea. We burned through a lot of calories and premium, for sure, but it was worth every ka-ching on the credit card, while those that care will be happy to note its five-cycle EnerGuide rating is a very reasonable (all things considered) 13.4 L/100km city and 9.3 highway made better via standard auto idle-stop.
One of those North Shore visits took us up a favourite mountain roadway to an ideal
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
photo shoot location, but really, while the excuse for going made to my significant other was the picturesque backdrop that would make this 911 visually pop in the lens, my ulterior motive was so obviously transparent she had no difficulty seeing right through me. Just the same I drove across the bridge with newfound enthusiasm, took to the roundabout on the other side with an especial verve, and climbed my way to the Upper Levels portion of Highway 1 without a moment’s hesitation, and then crested along the leftmost lane of this ever-scenic albeit painfully speed-limited stretch of tarmac as quickly as possible before coming to the Cypress Bowl exit, after which we took every opportunity to open up the throttle and let our hair blow about as freely as possible.
This
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
was the same stretch of road my dad and I tested the 924 on in ’76, incidentally, and one I use quite often as a regular test “track”, but I must say there’s no way I could fully let it fly on public roads. Of course I wound my way through its various hairpin corners with enthusiasm and let its legs stretch every now and then, yet really it’s not about how fast you can go in this car that matters, but how brilliantly it performs at any speed. It takes to corners with unbelievable tenacity, holding its line to perfection, allowing its tail to wag when coaxed if electronic driving aids are unleashed, pulling itself together magically when locking all that power up on exit, and hightailing away into the distance like there’s no tomorrow, all the while delivering an experience that will safely thrill novice to expert drivers alike. Any 911 is a car that average folks can drive quickly,
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
although for those seasoned professionals it’s a race-winning sports car that knows no peers. The GTS enhances all of the 911s best attributes, while, as already mentioned, maintaining the level of livable luxury that buyers in the $130,300 to $151,500 crowd expect. The former is for the “base” Carrera GTS with rear-drive and the latter for my tester, sans automated transmission with paddles and other options.
Features in mind, all GTS models come standard with the Sport Chrono package, one of my favourite upgrades that benefits interior design as well as performance, plus those awesome 20-inch centre-lock wheels I spoke of earlier. On top of these extras, and the cosmetic details noted before, the GTS gets most everything from the base 911 including HID headlamps with automatic leveling, LED turn signals, LED
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
DRLs and LED taillights, rain-sensing wipers with auto-heated washer nozzles, heatable powered side mirrors, powered windows with one-touch auto up/down, dual-zone automatic climate control, seven-inch touchscreen infotainment with navigation plus USB and aux ports, Bluetooth hands-free, cruise control, four-way powered seat operation, and all the expected safety features plus front knee blocker airbags.
My only complaint is a small one, some of the switchgear a bit hollow feeling and not damped well enough, resulting in some sloppy wiggle from a company that really shouldn’t allow such quirks, but compared to the refinement of 911s that I first
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
drove 15 years ago this latest one is a Rolls-Royce. Suffice to say there’s nothing about my 911 C4 GTS Cabriolet test car that could possibly turn me off if price wasn’t an object, and if you’re so blessed I couldn’t recommend it any higher. Then again, Porsche has come out with yet another GTS model for 2016 that might sway your decision, this being the all-new 911 Targa GTS. Yes, deciding between these two is definitely a first-world problem of the highest order. I’ll leave you to it. Either way, I can guarantee one of the better performance cars money can buy.
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