First drive: 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS in the UAE

Porsche has been offering the GTS badge across their models for a while now. The badge is aimed at people looking for the “sweet spot” – have a daily driver that also offers enough performance to enjoy those spirited drives. Porsche recently introduced their latest iteration of the 911 Carrera GTS, which sits nicely between the 911 Carrera S and the 911 Turbo in terms of price and power.

While the 911 looks stunningly modern in its latest iteration that was introduced in 2019, the GTS adds bits and pieces to differentiate itself from the standard Carrera model. The GTS gets darkened LED headlights, distinctive tail lights, satin black trim for the front lip spoiler and the race-style centre-lock alloy wheels (usually found on more track-focused models), which measure 20 inches at the front and 21 at the back, similar to the 911 Turbo. The “Sport Design” package is standard on the 911 GTS, which includes distinctive looking front and rear bumpers. The black trim at the rear certainly works with the yellow Carrera GTS we had for our test drive, but we are not so sure it will show well with darker paint jobs.

Inside, Porsche now uses Race-Tex instead of Alcantara which is a similar kind of suede-like material. In our Carrera GTS, it was on the steering wheel, lower dash and door inserts. The snug seats were a mix of fabric and leather. The seating position is spot on with the Sports Seat Plus that is standard on the GTS and provide electric four-way adjustment. The rear seats are pretty much non-existent and can be just used to store your extra clothes or gym bag rather than trying to fit actual humans. If you really plan to shave those seconds off the track, customers can opt for the “Lightweight Design” package carbon-fibre reinforced plastic bucket seats, lightweight glass for the side and rear windows, lightweight battery and no rear seats. Rear-axle steering also is standard in this package.

The Porsche Communication Management (PCM) is very easy to use, and the latest generation has been further simplified. You can rearrange the tiles according to your liking and the touch areas have also been enlarged. Good news for Android-based mobile phone users, as now the PCM adds Android Auto as well, along with Apple Car Play.

Under the hood, we get the well-known 3.0-litre flat-6 engine, twin turbocharged and available with a manual or the 8-speed PDK automatic transmission at no additional cost. Our tester was fitted with the ultra-quick shifting PDK that’s paired with rear-wheel-drive. The motor produces 473 hp at 6,500 rpm and 570 Nm of torque at 2,300 rpm, which is about 30 hp and 20 Nm of torque more than the Carrera S.

Getting down to performance Porsche, we managed to do a 0 to 100 kph run in 3.6 seconds in our acceleration test on slightly dusty roads in Sport Plus mode, which is quite close to the 3.4 seconds the manufacturer claims. The exhaust note certainly comes alive at higher revs, which occasionally pops and crackles on deceleration.

We observed a fuel economy of 12.1 litres/100 km (8.3 km/litre) which is actually decent since we were pressing the accelerator at every opportunity we got on open roads.

Porsche has installed the suspension from the 911 Turbo on the GTS so now it sits lower than the standard 911. This makes the ride on the harsher side even at the softest setting, but it elevates the handling to another level. We were taking corners at ridiculous speeds and the way the car just stays flat around bends increases your confidence further to test the car’s limits, also helped by the fact the wheels are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero PZ4 rubber.

The braking power is also mighty impressive thanks to upsized brakes, also borrowed from the 911 Turbo parts bin.

The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is going to cost you a fair bit over the standard 911. But Porsche has yet again hit the nail in providing a seductive driving experience combined with everyday usability. This is by far Porsche’s most performance-oriented GTS release yet, and with the optional Lightweight Package to go even more hardcore, this is probably the best offering in the 911 line-up for people who will really drive their cars and not restrict them to just slow cruises on the weekend.

View the latest prices and specs in the Porsche buyer guide.