The roads surrounding the twin peaks of Doi Suthep and Doi Pui in Chiang Mai, Thailand are lovely to drive on, offering a mix of technical corners and elevation changes. With the right car, tackling the route that circles around the twin peaks makes for a great driving experience.
Thankfully, we have the right cars, as Porsche Asia Pacific has brought along two units of the latest Porsche 911 facelift, specifically the facelifted 992-generation model that broke cover back in May 2024 – find out what’s changed here.
The first of two cars is a base 911 Carrera in Jet Black, which features a 3.0 litre twin-turbo flat-six petrol engine developing 394 PS (389 hp or 290 kW) and 450 Nm of torque. This is paired with an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels, enabling a 0-100 km/h time of 4.1 seconds and top speed of 294 km/h.
The second car is a big deal because it is the 911 Carrera GTS, the one with the brand’s new T-Hybrid system. At this point, some purists would exclaim, “Porsche did what?!” and associate a hybrid 911 with the German automaker selling its soul as it bows down to regulation overloads.
That part about regulations is true, but Porsche didn’t just make a hybrid 911 for that sake alone. Instead, the T-Hybrid system is a clever solution to a problem that also elevates the GTS to a new level. A win-win, if you will.
The GTS also comes with a flat-six petrol engine, but with an increased bore and stroke to now have displacement of 3.6 litres compared to the 3.0 litres of its predecessor. There’s also one less turbo in this setup, although the remaining one is an eTurbo (Porsche’s term) that incorporates an electric motor. This doubles as a generator to recuperate up to 11 kW of energy using the exhaust gas stream, which means there’s also no need for a traditional wastegate to limit excess pressure.
It gets more complicated, as the PDK clutches, gear sets and bevel-gear drive have been strengthened so the transmission can incorporate an electric motor rated at 40 kW and 150 Nm. This too can act as a generator, feeding up to 40 kW to the compact, Rimac-branded 1.9-kWh battery positioned in the front, under the bonnet for better weight distribution at no expense to frunk space.
In addition to working with the eTurbo to support the engine, the electric motor integrated into the PDK also performs the functions of the alternator. As the GTS has an electrically-powered air-conditioning compressor, the lack of an alternator and pulley for the AC system means there’s no need for belt drive. Capitalising on this, Porsche used the space made available to install a pulse converter and DC-DC converter for the hybrid system.
If that isn’t enough, the electric motor also performs the task of the starter, which makes for a unique start-up experience where you don’t hear the engine cranking as it just fires up – like this, minus the whir of the electric motor to get going.
Still with me? Ok, let’s continue the lecture. Porsche says the multiple roles of the PDK-integrated electric motor is meant to save weight, which is necessary to maintain the dynamics expected of a 911 while also offsetting the heft gained from all the hybrid bits. A 12-volt LFP battery instead of a conventional lead acid unit also helps in this regard.
On its own, the 3.6 litre engine develops 485 PS (479 hp or 357 kW) and 570 Nm. With the electric motors in play, the total system output is 541 PS (534 hp or 398 kW) and 610 Nm, which is 61 PS (60 hp or 45 kW) and 40 Nm more than the old GTS. In fact, it’s even more than the 911 GT3 with 510 PS (503 hp or 375 kW) and 450 Nm.
The new GTS’ 0-100 km/h time is also 0.3 seconds quicker than its predecessor at three seconds, with the top speed marginally higher at 312 km/h (+1 km/h). All these improvements at the expense of a 50 kg gain over the previous GTS – a mid-range 911, mind you – is admirable, at least to those who take an interest in vehicle engineering.
To make sure the GTS is easily identifiable, it gets gilled side intakes on the front bumper and centrally-mounted exhausts. Our tester didn’t even come with the T-Hybrid decal on the bottom of the doors, although you can add that in through the configurator if you really want others to know. The interior of the GTS is also the same as a regular 911, albeit with hybrid-specific displays in the instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen to track energy flow. It’s all very subtle.
What’s not subtle is the difference in driving experience between the two cars we got the keys to in Chiang Mai. In isolation, the new 911 Carrera is a very competent car. It doesn’t take long to get familiar thanks to the pleasant seating position and ergonomics, and when you’re on the move the size of the car is easily manageable despite the view of the side mirrors being partially made up of the car’s wide hips.
The ride is firm and tad stiff, but there is good compliance so it doesn’t feel like you’re crashing into bumps. Entering the twisties, the 911 Carrera’s brakes provide great feel and feedback, with turn-ins being sharp and precise with communicative steering. You’ll want to manage the gears yourself to keep the car in boost when on corner exit to not have to deal with turbo lag.
Several corners in, the 911 Carrera proves itself to be a pleasant B-road stormer, building this driver’s confidence and even showcasing the model’s knack for being playful if you’re a little exuberant with the throttle when exiting a corner. It’s plenty fun.
However, the 911 Carrera is not alone. Swapping into the 911 Carrera GTS, I expected more of the same but that wasn’t the case. Power delivery in the GTS is night and day compared to the previous car, with the eTurbo building up boost so quickly. Validating Top Gear’s claim of responsiveness, the old GTS’ graphs showed there was two-second delay between mashing the throttle and peak torque arriving at the rear wheels. That delay is now half a second.
As such, speed buildup is even faster, and short straights can result in you going very, very fast. Remember the three-second century sprint time? The 911 GT3 needs 3.4 seconds. Our GTS came with the same brakes as the Carrera, although you can option 10-piston front carbon-ceramic brake discs (PCCB) borrowed from the Turbo S if you fear fade with continuous lapping.
In the corners, the GTS’ standard rear-wheel steering allows for even tighter turning, which caught me off the guard when attempting to mimic what was done in the Carrera prior. Hairpins and tight turns are easier to handle and the immediacy of the powertrain to regain speed meant the Carrera comes nowhere close unless there is traffic ahead. We reckon the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 GTS would be even faster.
Downsides? Well, the GTS isn’t like a typical hybrid where it can run on the electric motor alone and the ride feels even firmer and stiffer than the Carrera. There’s also the matter of pricing. In Malaysia, we get the Carrera 4 GTS (with all-wheel drive) that is priced from RM1.89 million, which is 32% more than the base Carrera from RM1.43 million.
If you have the means, the new 911 Carrera GTS is a tour de force of Porsche’s engineering prowess. The company has come under scrutiny time and time again, with the usual response to its new creations being “Porsche did what?!” which can indicate excitement or disappointment. This one deserves the former.
Adapting to change but never losing sight of its identity is something Porsche does well. The company deems its 911 a performance benchmark, and the new Carrera GTS raises the floor for the model in a world that looks to hold back the progress of the internal combustion engine.
The GTS may still have its naysayers, but like past milestone 911s that have been scrutinised, it may just be another “we knew what we are doing” in Porsche’s book, even if it may take time for doubters to change their mind. The original 911 Turbo, the Targa and the decision to fully turbocharge the entire 911 range are just some of the past controversies in the model’s history – they have all survived until now.
The T-Hybrid is likely here to stay because we don’t think Porsche would do all this work and not roll it out across the range. When whatever the company comes up with next is revealed, expect another round of “Porsche did what?!”
GALLERY: 2025 Porsche 911 facelift APAC media drive
GALLERY: 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS facelift
GALLERY: 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera facelift
