Porsche engineers insist that the new 911 doesn’t feel like a hybrid. But how could it not? The new 911 Carrera GTS has an electric motor attached to the crankshaft of its flat-six engine, plus a big electric turbocharger. It took me a little time behind the wheel to understand what they meant—Porsche’s new 911 hybrid does feel like a hybrid, but it’s not like any hybrid before it.
Long rumored, Porsche is introducing its new hybrid powertrain with the updated 2025 911 Carrera GTS. It uses a 1.9-kilowatt-hour, 400-volt lithium-ion battery under the hood to power a 53.6-horsepower motor paired with a new 3.6-liter flat-six engine with an electric turbocharger. The turbo has a 14.7-hp motor located on the shaft connecting the turbine and compressor wheel, which can speed things up or slow them down as needed. That means the turbo can limit boost pressure and feed electrical energy back into the system. There’s no wastegate.
| Brief Specifications | 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS |
| Machine | Turbo 3.6-Liter Flat-Six Hybrid |
| Output | 532 Horsepower / 449 Pound-Feet |
| Speed 0-60 mph | 2.9 Seconds |
| Heavy | 3,536 pounds |
| Base Price / As Tested | $166,895 / $200,000+ |
It’s not a plug-in system like other European performance cars these days, and there’s no clutch between the engine and the electric traction motor, so there’s no all-electric drivetrain. In total, you get 532 horsepower and 449 pound-feet of torque, which goes through an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission to the rear wheels, or all four wheels.
The goal here was twofold. Design a system that was as light as possible—the target curb weight for the new GTS is just over 3,500 pounds, and the U.S.-spec car is 103 pounds heavier than its predecessor—and one that would allow the engine to run at its ideal 14.7:1 air-fuel ratio at all speeds to comply with stricter European regulations. And, of course, it had to offer a meaningful performance boost.
We head to southern Spain to try the new 992 in the Andalusian mountains and on the Ascari racetrack. At first, there’s little indication that the GTS is a hybrid. The engine fires up instantly, the traction motor taking over the traditional starter duties and the distinctive chuga-chuga-chuga-whump; and from low revs into high gear, there’s sometimes an instant sensation of torque that you don’t get in a non-hybrid 911. I spent the first few minutes trying to find a point where the car does something that makes you say, “Ah! That’s not normal!” Except for brief moments, it’s not there.
Pros: Well-Integrated Hybrid System, Excellent Handling, Feels Like a 911
In reality, it’s very hard to tell what the system is doing because it’s almost always moving electric power between the traction motor, turbo, and battery. There’s a display on the infotainment screen that shows the power flow, though it’s nearly impossible to follow how fast the power is moving.
It’s fascinating, but it also feels a bit ordinary. If you turn off the part of your brain that’s trying to figure out what the hybrid system is doing, you’ll notice the incredible throttle response, and, well, the incredible speed. We started the day in a Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, and it was a blast. There’s no electric torque like you get in other performance hybrids, but the power delivery is smooth, wonderful, and instantaneous.
I can’t say it feels naturally aspirated, because the Carrera GTS is overpowered. But it doesn’t feel turbocharged either, because the engine’s response is so good. It’s somewhere in between, and really comes into its own. The traction motor also works hard at high engine speeds, kicking in around 5,000rpm to make the GTS’s flat-six fire like a great naturally aspirated engine, counterbalancing the turbocharger when it starts to run out of steam.
What really makes this game interesting is the sound of the turbochargers. In Sport Plus mode, the car revs the turbos more aggressively when off the gas and when braking, and makes all sorts of weird noises. Hit the brakes hard while downshifting into a corner, and you can hear the whistling sound increase as the motor revs the turbos to a maximum speed of 120,000 rpm. Plus, the car will whine and groan as you step on and off the gas.
Chassis-wise, the car feels very similar to the last Carrera GTS, which is what it was all about. Porsche widened the rear tires by 10 millimeters to 315 millimeters, the same size as the Turbo, and changed some of the suspension components accordingly. The new engine is slightly narrower, allowing Porsche to fit larger tires under the narrower body, and the extra power and torque demand it. Porsche’s optional Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) active anti-roll bars now also operate from a 400-volt system, so they work more quickly and precisely.
Basically, the 911 GTS stops and turns as well as it always has. Even the all-wheel-drive Cabriolet feels eager to corner, and the grip is as good as any 911 should be. There’s not a lot of suspension travel, but the damping is excellent. The car instantly gets you going, which gives you confidence to drive it up a mountain road. Unlike most hybrids, the 911 Carrera GTS uses a conventional braking system, where the pedal is directly connected to the brakes. But when braking, the traction motors do some regeneration, which you can’t feel.
Driving on a track has a wonderful way of focusing the mind. There’s no time to think about how the hybrid system works when concentrating on hitting a target, especially on an unfamiliar circuit. Ascari is also interesting, a long, narrow and technical track with almost every kind of corner, and here we had the benefit of following an instructor in the 911 Turbo S.
In situations like this, you want a car that is predictable. Its output should match your input. Despite its complexity, the Carrera GTS is never slow. It does what you want it to do when you want it to do.
I spent the first few minutes trying to find a point where the car does something that makes you say, “Ah! That's not normal!” Except for a few brief moments, it doesn't exist.
The hybrid system never crosses your mind here, which is a remarkable achievement. When you step on the accelerator, it doesn’t just send a signal to the throttle body to open a certain amount. In an instant, the car has to make a bunch of decisions about how to use the engine and the hybrid components, and every time you step on the accelerator—or let go—the calculations change. As a driver, though, you don’t feel it. You just get torque when you want it.
Sure, the extra power of the system lets you use third gear to exit tight corners where you might need second, but there’s no penalty for revving the engine. Just drive it like you would any other 911.
Cons: Expensive, Digital Cluster Not As Cool As Analog Tachometer
And as ever, the 992-generation 911 is a superb race car. The well-balanced handling, agile chassis and strong brakes inspire confidence, and the car feels ready to go all day long. We tried both the rear-wheel-drive Carrera GTS and the all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 GTS, and frankly, it was hard to tell the difference at times.
The rear-wheel-drive version may have a slightly sweeter steering feel. But on corner entry and mid-corner, the cars behave almost identically. The all-wheel-drive system feels very smooth, the car obediently pushing the nose down when lifting off the throttle, but providing better traction to pull the car straight on the way out. Jorg Bergmeister, the Porsche factory driver who helped develop the new car, says the big difference between the two only really becomes apparent when you’re well beyond the limits of grip.
All race cars have the optional $9,780 carbon ceramic brakes, which Porsche has enlarged for extra power. The front brakes and 10-piston(!) calipers come from the 911 Turbo, while the rears are unique to this car. In great Porsche tradition, these brakes are unfailing, stopping the car repeatedly without the slightest hint of fade and with smooth ABS engagement. Pedal feel is also excellent, helping the driver gauge exactly how much pressure you need on initial application and when to ease off as you turn in.
On the track, we also got a chance to take the base, non-hybrid 992 Carrera for a few laps. It certainly feels lighter than the GTS, and yes, you’ll notice the lack of power. Still, with 388 hp from its revised 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six, the Carrera is still plenty quick, and for a much lower price than the GTS, you get most of the 911’s goodness. It’s a damn cool car.
The other changes to the updated 992 are minor. The digital gauge cluster offers more functionality, but is far less elegant than the analog tachometer on the previous model. The look is a little different, but integrating all the lighting functions into one unit helps to tidy up the front end. And there’s a push-button start button, which doesn’t have the same feel as a key. Things that Porsche people might notice a bit too much, but ultimately they don’t matter.
What’s harder to swallow is the price. Porsche is quick to point out the standard equipment and performance extras, but the Carrera GTS coupe starts at $166,895. Even the base Carrera, which isn’t much different from last year’s model, is up nearly $8,000 to $122,095. And all of the GTS models we drove were specced above the $200,000 mark.
In fact, this facelift is all about the hybrid. Porsche is proud of it. Its engineers are fiercely protective of the 911, and they feel this is the best solution for a sports car. Porsche's hybrid system is much lighter than its competitors' systems, and effectively meets the need for increased performance and response while facing stricter regulations.
I still think this car feels like a hybrid because it feels different from the previous Carrera GTS. But I understand what the engineers are saying. This car feels like the first truly uncompromising hybrid.
More importantly, it feels like a 911.
