Porsche 911 goes inexperienced – and the hybrid engine makes it quicker too
- Porsche unveils facelifted 992.2 iteration of the legendary 911 sports car
- The big news is it will be the first to adopt a hybrid powertrain, called T-Hybrid
The Porsche 911 – one of the most iconic sports cars of the last 60 years – has officially gone greener.
Porsche’s flagship model will now be sold with a hybrid engine, the German manufacturer has revealed.
The first updated 911 (called the 992.2) with a hybrid powerplant is due to arrive in the UK in September and cost more than £130,000.
But while it improves fuel economy, the car is not a plug-in hybrid and cannot be driven on electric power alone, so its eco credentials are limited.
Mean and green: This is the updated Porsche 911 Carrera GTS – and it’s the first time the iconic sports car is powered by a hybrid powertrain
The new T-Hybrid – standing for Turbo Hybrid – petrol-electric powertrain is as far from a Toyota Prius as you can possibly imagine.
It combines a potent 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors, one mounted to the eight-speed PDK automatic gearbox and the other within the single turbocharger.
These utilise energy from a compact 1.9kWh lithium ion battery making up a 400V electric system.
Energy is fed back into the battery via a combination of an energy recuperation system in the turbocharger and regenerative braking.
Given the car’s rapid acceleration and bounty of power, the brakes are likely to be worked overtime to provide a fresh energy source.
The new T-Hybrid – standing for Turbo Hybrid – petrol-electric powertrain is as far from a Toyota Prius as you can possibly imagine
The powertrain is made up of a turbocharged 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors and a compact 1.9kWh lithium ion battery, making up a 400V electric system
The green powertrain debuts in the refreshed Carrera GTS – the grand touring-tuned variant of the 911 that sits below the sportier Turbo and hardcore GT3 models.
For this version, the hybrid engine will produce 534bhp. This is a 60bhp increase over the pre-facelift GTS, despite its predecessor using a twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder motor.
Porsche claims its new electrified 911 GTS will accelerate from a standstill to 62mph in just 3 seconds, which is 0.4 seconds quicker than the previous model.
The car maker also states a 0-to-100mph time of just 6.8 seconds – 0.9 seconds quicker than before – and 0-to-124mph in a mere 10.5 seconds, which shaves 1.1 seconds off the previous best.
Top speed is also up, though only fractionally by 1mph to 194mph.
The green powertrain debuts in the refreshed Carrera GTS (pictured) – the grand touring 911
Power is up 60bhp over the outgoing GTS – which had a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol – to 534bhp
Porsche claims its new electrified 911 GTS will accelerate from a standstill to 62mph in just 3 seconds, which is 0.4 seconds quicker than the previous model
The impressive performance statistics come despite the T-Hybrid tipping the scale some 50kg heavier than the model it replaces.
The kerb weight is 1,595kg, with around half of the extra bulk coming from the battery alone.
But that hasn’t made it slower around a track.
In fact, the new GTS has already set an official Nurburgring lap time around the 12.9-mile Nordschleife (North Loop) circuit winding through the forests of the Eifel mountains in Germany.
It clocked a lap in 7 minutes and 16.9 seconds, which is almost 9 seconds quicker than time set by its predecessor.
Is it any greener?
The big question remains: how much better is it for the environment and your bank account?
Well, not very much at all, to be frank.
The CO2 emissions are said to be between 239 and 251g/km, so you can forget about having a 911 with cheap road tax. In fact, it sits in the second most expensive VED band, meaning annual costs of £590 per year for the standard rate.
While it doesn’t sip petrol and can’t be driven in an EV-only mode like a Prius, the quoted fuel economy figures of 25.7 to 26.9mpg are mightily impressive for a car with enough power to rearrange your facial structure.
It’s not cheap, either. Prices for the GTS Coupe start from £132,600, which is a big mark-up on the previous Carrera GTS price of just under £110,000.
The hybrid 911 Carrera GTS will be available in three body options: Cabriolet (left), Coupe (centre) and Targa (right). Prices for the GTS Coupe start from £132,600
The Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet comes with a £10,000 mark-up on the coupe, starting from £142,600
The most expensive 911 hybrid from launch is this Carrera GTS Targa at £149.100
The most notable change of all is the introduction of a new fully-digital instrument cluster. While most new-for-2024 family cars have this luxury, it marks the first time a 911 hasn’t been sold with an analogue rev counter for the first time since the original debuted in 1964
Customers can also choose it in the 911’s traditional two open-top options: the GTS Cabriolet from £142,600 or the GTS Targa, starting at £149.100.
However, for those looking to spend less on facelifted 911, the cheapest base Carrera Coupe (without hybridisation) will also be sold from launch and set Porsche fans back just under £100k (£99,800).
As with any model update, there have been subtle tweaks to the exterior and interior.
The most notable change of all is the introduction of a new fully-digital instrument cluster.
While most new-for-2024 family cars have this luxury, it marks the first time a 911 hasn’t been sold with an analogue rev counter for the first time since the original debuted in 1964.
However, it does retain its traditional analogue clock on the top of the dashboard.
