The 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Porsche may be getting greedy here. With apologies to anyone who is not already an irredeemable Porsche-head, the company’s new 2023 911 Carrera 4 GTS is going to take some explaining.
In case its alphabet soup of a name didn’t give it away, this is a geeky car. Last year, the GTS received a slew of minor updates, making it (slightly) more of a hardcore, driver-focused sports car and therefore also (slightly) less practical. The differences are not night and day; we’re talking nuances, but that’s what happens when a brand offers 25 variations of its famous rear-engine, two-door sports car.
The ballooning 911 lineup now includes some wonderful oddities, such as the rally-inspired 911 Dakar, the stealthy GT3 Touring, the pared-back 911 T, as well as some models that seem like filler, existing only to round out the catalogue.
That brings us back to the updated Carrera 4 GTS, which costs $166,600 and slots somewhere into the middle of Porsche’s 911 family. Still with me? We haven’t even got to the really geeky stuff yet.
Only an obsessive fan – and Porsche has legions of them – would notice the minor bits of blacked-out trim, such as the engine cover grille or the spindly centre-lock wheels and darkened headlight surrounds that distinguish the GTS from its peers. If you thought this 911 was looking more hunkered-down than usual, you’d be right. Porsche pillaged parts for the GTS from the even-more-expensive 911 Turbo range, including a set of brakes and suspension that lowers the car by one centimetre.
Twist the ignition switch to the left of the steering wheel and the three-litre, twin-turbo engine starts with a surprisingly explosive bark. It sounds like they moved the engine closer to the seats. (They didn’t; what the engineers did instead is remove some of the usual sound-dampening material). Press the button to open the active exhaust flaps and drivers get to hear even more of the wonderful flat-six warble. As one of my neighbours remarked: “Wow, that car is so loud.” I doubt it was meant as a compliment, but Porsche-heads will love the added volume.
The 911 Carrera 4 GTS has blacked-out trim on the engine cover grille.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Look over your shoulder from the driver’s seat and you’ll see this particular GTS has no rear seats. That’s because of a new, optional Lightweight package, which adds – no joke – lightweight glass for the rear and side windows, carbon fibre seats, a lighter battery, rear-axle steering and the aforementioned rear-seat delete. The Lightweight package costs nearly $10,000 and saves “up to” 25 kilograms. Drivers might be better off spending that money on a gym membership.
On the road, it doesn’t take long being bounced around by the stiff ride in the GTS to realize what we’ve got here is more like a 911 GT3. The extra engine noise, the precision feel of the steering, the tactile feedback of the brake pedal, the way the front tires never seem to slip into understeer, the sheer speed at which corners can be carved – it all evokes a strong sense memory of the GT3. Like that car, the GTS feels uncomfortable and slightly inert at low speeds, but comes alive when pushed faster. On a track, the GTS would surely be spectacular.
So, the GTS is a budget GT3. Except – hold on – our GTS is the same price as the GT3. This particular GTS has nearly $40,000 in options, bringing the price up to just over $200,000. That’s the same as a no-option GT3 Touring. And for $200,000, the choice is obvious: Get the GT3, if not for its glorious naturally aspirated engine, trick suspension, nicer six-speed manual transmission, or its pure rear-drive chassis, then for the resale value. A GT3 is a future classic. The GTS, sorry, is ultimately just another 911.
If, on the other hand, you won’t be spending 40 grand in options, I’d still hesitate to recommend the GTS. The stiffer-than-standard suspension makes it less suitable as a fun, everyday sports car than the relatively back-to-basics 911 T, which is more than $20,000 cheaper, or the open-top Targa 4. The Carrera 4 GTS has all-wheel drive, sure, but throw a set of winter tires on any rear-drive 911 and you’ll have even more fun when the roads are covered in snow.
Porsche got carried away with the 911 lineup and they’ve taken it too far; there may be a handful of drivers for whom the GTS is perfect, but I can’t imagine who those drivers are. Maybe the GTS is simply here to upsell customers from lesser 911s? Or, maybe it’s a gateway to the GT3? Or maybe, as one company employee mentioned, the GTS is simply for people who don’t want to endure the long wait to get a new GT3. At least that makes sense.
Tech specs
2023 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS
- Base price/as tested: $166,600/$202,340
- Engine: Three-litre twin-turbo flat-six
- Transmission/drive: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto, or seven-speed manual/all-wheel drive
Looks
It looks like a 911. Only Porsche fanatics will appreciate the satin-black engine cover, wheels, rear “Porsche” lettering and darkened headlight trim.
Interior
It feels exceptionally well put together, but it’s just your usual 911 cabin with a few little extras, including a one-centimetre-shorter gear stick for the seven-speed manual.
The 911 Carrera 4 GTS has an optional Lightweight package that removes the rear seats.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Performance
On the road, I’d be lying if I said you could feel the added 23 horsepower (as compared to the old GTS) but the low-end torque from the twin-turbo motor makes the car feel more urgent pulling away from a stop than the non-turbo mill in the GT3.
Technology
The front seats and dash.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
The engine makes 473 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, while the unladen car weighs 1,560 kilograms. For reference, the rear-drive Carrera T is $25,000 cheaper and 90 kilograms lighter, but less powerful with 379 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. That’s still plenty for public roads.
The optional $3,150 front-axle lift system is a must-have, unless you’re happy to risk scraping the bumper over speed bumps or curb ramps.
Cargo
The fact the 911 has rear seats is one of its best features; why you’d want to go without them in the $10,000 Lightweight package, I can’t fathom.
The front trunk.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
The verdict
A very sporty middle child in the 911 family that struggles to find its place.
Porsche pillaged parts for the 911 Carrera 4 GTS from the 911 Turbo range that lowers the car by one centimetre.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
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Matt Bubbers