2015 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS [UPDATE]

• The GTS is offered in coupe or Cabriolet body styles, each with a choice between rear- and all-wheel drive. Buyers are also offered a choice between a traditional seven-speed manual gearbox or Porsche's seven-speed dual clutch transmission (PDK). The GT3, meanwhile, is only offered as a coupe with PDK. We grabbed the keys to a Guards Red rear-wheel drive coupe with PDK for our outbound drive, and a GT Silver Metallic all-wheel drive Cabriolet with a seven-speed manual for our return trip.
• Finding another 30 horsepower from the naturally aspirated 3.8-liter flat-six required some old-fashioned tricks. Most notably, the engineers increased the valve stroke from 11 millimeters to 11.7, and streamlined and polished the intake induction pipes. Both tweaks increase airflow, which boost power at the high end without hurting fuel economy. With the sport exhaust activated (via a console-mounted button) the engine has a very unique and raspy note that is unmistaken for anything but a horizontally opposed six. It wails under full throttle, and booms and cackles under deceleration. Bystanders outside the Porsche get the finest audible show, as the noise filtered through the rear bulkhead is dulled and muted by the thick firewall insulation (of course, with the top down, the Cabriolet lets all the combustion music in).
• The naturally aspirated six-cylinder doesn't have the torque of today's best turbocharged units, but what it lacks at the low end of the tachometer is more than made up once the revs climb. The engine lives to spin, eagerly shooting from idle to redline without so much of a hiccup or hesitation. The 911 GTS feels plenty quick off the line, but it really screams once it clears 6,000 rpm – at that point, with all of the intakes open, the engine is in a frenzied boil. Only the arrival of the fuel cut-off, just shy of 8,000 rpm, ends the party.
• Porsche permits the driver to configure powertrain and suspension dynamics separately with a series of buttons on the center console. By default, all settings are in the softest setting. Engage the 'Sport' or 'Sport Plus' modes to aggressive alter the dampers, throttle (and pedal) response and mapping of the PDK gearbox. The volume of the exhaust note is altered with its own button. Default setting is plenty sporty for daily driving, with stiff damping and quick throttle response, but spry 'Sport Plus' (with much higher stability control thresholds) is the preferred setting on a race circuit.
• On public roads, the GTS rides firmer than the Carrera S (as expected) and there is more tire noise permeating the cabin (also expected), but our enthusiast side accepted the tradeoff as there isn't a road west of the Mississippi that poses even a remote challenge to the Porsche's capability.
• On the intimidating Big Track at Willow, the Porsche performs remarkably. The GTS' lowered stance and wider track (when compared to the standard and S models) complement the staggered Pirelli PZero tires to provide neck-aching lateral grip (the on-board computer registered 1.32 gs laterally). Our laps are effortlessly fast, thanks to a near-perfect balance of horsepower, handling dynamics and braking capability. Even with its engine hanging aft of the rear axle, the refined 991-platform is completely docile at the limit. More important, it hasn't lost any rear-engine strengths, which include eyeball-bursting braking and the ability to mash the throttle early upon corner exit. With most of its weight over the rear tires, the GTS rockets around difficult and tight Turn 4 without scrubbing its outside front tire and it is impressively stable around white-knuckle Turn 8 at well over 100 miles per hour.
• We went into the drive expecting the seven-speed manual to be our preferred gearbox, but the PDK stole the show. When left in Drive ('Sport Plus' mode), its shift logic was nearly faultless and lightning fast. We can't say the same about our rowing performance when we attempted the same exercise in the three-pedal model.

By Michael Harley