2025 Porsche 911 Review: A Hybrid Without Compromise

Porsche’s engineers insist the brand new 911 doesn’t really feel like a hybrid. However how may it not? The brand new 911 Carrera GTS has an electrical motor splined to the crankshaft of its flat-six, plus an enormous electrical turbocharger. It took me slightly little bit of time behind the wheel to determine what they meant—Porsche’s new hybrid 911 does really feel like a hybrid, simply not like all hybrid earlier than it.

Lengthy rumored, Porsche debuted its new hybrid powertrain with the facelifted 2025 911 Carrera GTS. It makes use of a 1.9-kilowatt-hour, 400-volt lithium-ion battery pack beneath the entrance hood to energy a 53.6-horsepower motor paired to a brand new 3.6-liter flat-six with an electrical turbocharger. The turbo has a 14.7-hp motor located on the shaft connecting the turbine and compressor wheels, which may speed up or decelerate the entire thing as wanted. This implies the turbo can restrict increase stress and put electrical power again into the system. There’s no wastegate.

It’s not a plug-in system like principally each different efficiency automotive from Europe in the mean time, and there’s no clutch between the engine and the electrical traction motor, so there’s no all-electric driving both. In complete, you get 532 hp and 449 pound-feet of torque, which runs by an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission to both the rear, or all 4 wheels.

The aim right here was twofold. Design a system that was as mild as doable—the goal curb weight for the brand new GTS was simply over 3,500 kilos, and US-spec automobiles weigh 103 kilos greater than their predecessors—and one which allowed the engine to run on the splendid air-fuel ratio of 14.7:1 in any respect speeds to adjust to stricter European rules. And, after all, it needed to supply a significant efficiency increase.

We headed to southern Spain to pattern the brand new 992 within the Andalusian mountains and on the Ascari race circuit. At first, there are solely refined hints that the GTS is a hybrid. The engine fires immediately, the traction motor taking up the responsibility of a conventional starter and its typical chuga-chuga-chuga-whump; and from low revs in a excessive gear, there may be sometimes a sensation of instantaneous torque that you simply don’t get in a non-hybrid 911. I spent the primary jiffy looking for the purpose the place the automotive does one thing that makes you go, “Ah! That’s not regular!” Apart from fleeting moments, it’s not there.

Professionals: Effectively-Built-in Hybrid System, Very good Dealing with, Feels Like A 911

In actuality, it’s exceedingly tough to suss out what the system is doing as a result of it’s nearly always shuffling electrical energy between the traction motor, the turbo, and the battery. There’s a show on the infotainment display illustrating energy circulate, although it’s nearly not possible to comply with with how shortly energy strikes round.

It’s endlessly fascinating, however it additionally feels regular. For those who shut off the a part of your mind attempting to determine what the hybrid system is doing, you simply expertise glorious throttle response, and, properly, the sheer pace of all of it. We began the day in a Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, and it hauls ass. There’s no massive wallop of electrical torque such as you get in different efficiency hybrids, however easy, prodigious, instantaneous energy supply as a substitute.

I can’t say it feels naturally aspirated, as a result of the Carrera GTS is much too torquey. However it doesn’t really feel turbocharged both as a result of engine response is so good. It’s someplace in between, and completely its personal factor. The traction motor additionally does loads at excessive engine speeds, coming in sturdy round 5,000 rpm to make the GTS’s flat-six get up like an awesome naturally aspirated engine, compensating for the turbocharger because it begins to expire of puff.

What actually provides the sport away is the sound of the turbocharger. In Sport Plus mode, the automotive spools up the turbo extra aggressively off throttle and beneath braking, and it makes every kind of funky noises. Hit the brakes arduous downshifting right into a nook, and you may hear a whistle rising in pitch because the motor accelerates the turbo towards its 120,000-rpm most. In any other case, it huffs and chuffs away as you get on and off throttle.

Chassis-wise, it feels similar to the final Carrera GTS, which was the aim. Porsche widened the rear tires by 10 millimeters to 315 millimeters, the identical measurement because the Turbo, and consequently modified among the suspension elements. The brand new engine is a bit narrower, which allowed Porsche to suit bigger tires beneath narrower bodywork, and the additional energy and torque demanded them. Porsche’s non-compulsory Dynamic Chassis Management (PDCC) lively anti-roll bars now run off the 400-volt system, too, in order that they work extra shortly and exactly.

Primarily, the 911 GTS stops and turns as brilliantly as ever. Even this all-wheel drive Cabriolet feels eager to dig into corners, and traction is usually 911 immense. There’s not a ton of suspension journey, but the damping is excellent. It’s a automotive you get keyed into immediately, inspiring the boldness to hustle it on a mountain highway. Not like lots of hybrid automobiles, the 911 Carrera GTS makes use of a standard braking system, the place the pedal solely immediately connects to the brakes. However beneath braking, the traction motor does do some quantity of regeneration, which you’ll be able to’t actually really feel.

Driving on monitor has a beautiful means of focusing the thoughts. There’s not likely time to consider how the hybrid system is working when concentrating on hitting your marks, particularly on an unfamiliar circuit. Ascari is fascinating, too, a protracted, slim, technical monitor with principally one in every of each kind of nook, and right here, we profit from following an teacher in a 911 Turbo S.

In a scenario like this, you desire a predictable automotive. Its outputs should match your inputs. Regardless of its complexity, the Carrera GTS isn’t underfoot. It does precisely what you need if you need it.

I spent the primary jiffy looking for the purpose the place the automotive does one thing that makes you go, “Ah! That’s not regular!” Apart from fleeting moments, it is not there.

The hybrid system by no means crosses your thoughts right here, which is a outstanding achievement. Once you push the throttle pedal, it’s not merely sending a sign to the throttle physique to open a certain quantity. Instantly, the automotive has to make every kind of choices on how one can use the engine and the hybrid elements, and each time you return to the throttle pedal—or come off it for that matter—the calculus modifications. But, as a driver, you haven’t any sense of this. You simply get the torque if you need it.

Positive, the additional grunt of the system helps you to use third gear to drag out of a chicane the place you might need wanted second in any other case, however there’s no penalty for revving it both. Simply drive it as you’d some other 911.

Cons: Costly, Digital Cluster Not As Cool As Analog Tachometer

And as ever, the 992-generation 911 is a superb monitor automotive. Candy dealing with steadiness, a talkative chassis, and mighty brakes encourage large confidence, and the automotive feels prefer it’s able to run all day. We sampled each rear-drive Carrera GTS and all-wheel drive Carrera 4 GTS, and admittedly, it’s arduous at instances to inform the distinction between the 2.

Perhaps the rear-drive model has barely sweeter steering. However on turn-in and in mid-corner, the automobiles behave nearly precisely the identical. The all-wheel-drive system feels so refined, the automotive obediently tucking the nostril with a elevate of the throttle, but offering even higher traction to drag the automotive straight at nook exit. Jorg Bergmeister, the Porsche manufacturing unit driver who helped develop the brand new automotive, says the massive variations between the 2 are solely actually evident if you’re far over the restrict of grip.

All the automobiles readily available for lapping had non-compulsory $9,780 carbon-ceramic brakes, which Porsche enlarged for the additional energy. The entrance brakes and 10-piston(!) calipers are off the 911 Turbo, whereas the rears are distinctive to this automotive. Within the nice Porsche custom, they’re unflappable, stopping the automotive time and again with out a trace of fade and with seamless ABS engagement. Pedal really feel can also be very good, serving to the motive force meter out precisely how a lot stress you want on preliminary software and as you bleed stress off on turn-in.

On monitor, we additionally acquired an opportunity to pattern the bottom, non-hybrid 992 Carrera for a number of laps. It positively feels lighter than the GTS, and sure, you clearly discover the relative lack of energy. However, with 388 hp from a revised 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six, the Carrera remains to be lots fast, and for lots much less cash than the GTS, you get the overwhelming majority of the 911 goodness. It’s a sweetheart.

The remainder of the modifications for this facelifted 992 are fairly minor. A digital gauge cluster brings extra performance, however it’s far much less elegant than the analog tach of the earlier mannequin. The seems to be are subtly completely different, however integrating all the sunshine capabilities into one unit helps clear up the entrance finish. And there’s a push-button for beginning the engine, which doesn’t have the identical sense of event as a key. Issues Porsche individuals could most likely care about an excessive amount of, however in the end don’t matter.

A more durable tablet to swallow is the value. Porsche is fast to level out the extra customary gear and efficiency, however the Carrera GTS coupe begins at $166,895. Even the bottom Carrera, which isn’t all that completely different from final yr’s mannequin, rises in worth by nearly $8,000 to $122,095. And the entire GTS fashions we drove had been specced past the $200,000 mark.

Actually, this facelift is all in regards to the hybrid. Porsche is rightfully pleased with it. Its engineers are rightfully protecting of the 911, they usually really feel like that is the most effective answer for the sports activities automotive. Porsche’s hybrid system is much lighter than any of its opponents’ programs, and it successfully meets the wants of accelerating efficiency and response whereas coping with extra stringent rules.

I nonetheless contend it seems like a hybrid as a result of it feels completely different from the earlier Carrera GTS. But, I get what the engineers are saying. This seems like the primary really no-compromise efficiency hybrid on the market.

Extra importantly, it seems like a 911.