As before, I\u2019ll be writing from the perspective of a wife who uses a car for everyday errands. In a follow-up article, my husband will share his thoughts as a Porsche enthusiast and driver.<\/p>\n
The 911 Carrera GTS we borrowed was a 991.2, the facelifted version of the 991. It came in GT Silver and didn\u2019t have a long list of options, but it did have the GT steering wheel with heating and the interior Leather Package. As a GTS, it also came with features such as Sport Chrono, the Sport Exhaust System and PASM.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_7513-1280x854.jpg\")
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Test-Driving the 911 Carrera GTS<\/h3>\nRide Comfort<\/h4>\n
The first time I drove the 911 Carrera GTS, I didn\u2019t find the ride particularly comfortable.<\/strong> It wasn\u2019t quite as firm as the GT3, but I felt quite a bit of side-to-side movement<\/strong>. I was pregnant at the time, so every time we crossed a rough patch of road, my belly got jostled, and I\u2019d instinctively tense up. After about 30 minutes, I started to feel queasy. When I got home, I said:<\/p>\n Nope, this is too much for a pregnant woman. It\u2019s just too uncomfortable (-_-)<\/p>\n My husband replied:<\/p>\n Maybe you were driving too slowly because you were nervous, haha. The ride is actually pretty good once you get up to speed.<\/p>\n He had a point. We\u2019d driven along some mountain roads that day, but roadworks had left the surface in rough shape, and I\u2019d been creeping along. Maybe that had something to do with it. So, the next day\u2026<\/p>\n I took the GTS to a nearby supermarket and drove at a more normal pace. Sure enough, I barely noticed the side-to-side movement I\u2019d felt the day before. What stood out instead was the confidence that came from the car\u2019s solid, planted feel.<\/strong><\/p>\n The day before, I\u2019d probably been so nervous at the thought of getting to drive a 911 GTS that I was tense the whole time, haha.<\/p>\n Still, our 981 Boxster GTS (with 40,000 km on the clock)<\/span> has a more supple ride, so for driving around town, I personally find the Boxster easier and more comfortable.<\/strong><\/p>\n That said, the 911 GTS had only done about 7,000 km when we borrowed it. Perhaps its ride would become more supple after another 20,000 km or so.<\/p>\n The engine is loud\u2014quite a bit louder than I expected.<\/strong> The startup sound reminded me of our Boxster GTS and Panamera Turbo, both of which are pretty loud. The tone itself was appealing, with that unmistakably turbocharged character.<\/p>\n It was a lovely spring day, so I drove with the windows open the whole time. Maybe that\u2019s why the volume of the engine at idle while waiting at traffic lights caught my attention.<\/strong> It seemed louder than the Boxster, and I found myself thinking, \u201cI\u2019d feel a little self-conscious about this much idle noise at every stoplight in town\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I also tried Sport and Sport Plus in town. Since I wasn\u2019t going very fast, the transmission suddenly downshifted, the revs climbed, and the engine note became surprisingly loud and high-pitched<\/strong>\u2014loud enough to make a pedestrian walking beside me turn around.<\/p>\n I was startled too, and couldn\u2019t help muttering, \u201cS-sorry\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n But when I switched to Sport Plus on a mountain road, the revs rose just right, and the engine note climbed in a way that was genuinely thrilling. I had a blast driving it and thought, \u201cThis is the kind of road the GTS was made for!<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Looking at it another way, you can take it easy in Normal mode around town, then let the GTS sing on mountain roads and winding passes.<\/strong> Having both sides of the car in one package is pretty special.<\/p>\n Of course, there\u2019s no way to fully explore the power of the 911 Carrera GTS on public roads. To really experience what it can do, you\u2019d need the chance to take it to a track.<\/strong><\/p>\n The 718 Cayman I drove recently also felt solid and was very easy to handle, but the 911 GTS took that sense of solidity and substance to another level.<\/strong> It\u2019s a 911, after all\u2014and a GTS.<\/p>\n Despite its substantial feel, it pulled away smoothly and lightly. I was impressed by just how easy a modern 911 is to drive.<\/p>\n I recently drove an air-cooled 964 and was reminded how heavy the steering can be and how much skill it takes to drive one well. With the 911 GTS, even someone like me can get behind the wheel and drive smoothly and confidently without having to think too hard about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s amazing how much cars have advanced over the past 30 years.<\/p>\n Another difference is ride height. In a GT3, the car sits low enough that you have to watch out for even small bumps and dips. The GTS doesn\u2019t demand quite that much caution, which makes it easier to drive and, in my view, perfectly usable day to day.<\/p>\n While writing this article, I realized something: even though I\u2019m lucky enough to get behind the wheel of so many different cars, I\u2019m often so cautious that I just crawl along. As a result, I finish each test drive without really understanding what makes the car special or what it can do.<\/strong> My husband has told me:<\/p>\n Just drive it like you drive our own car. Why do you always creep along so slowly? You\u2019re missing out, haha.<\/p>\n When it\u2019s someone else\u2019s car\u2014and especially when it\u2019s a Porsche\u2014I get nervous every time and find it hard to drive naturally\u2026 (-_-)<\/p>\n If I get another chance, I\u2019ll try to drive as I normally would. That doesn\u2019t mean speeding or pushing the car to its limits; I just want to experience it in my usual driving routine and share what I think.<\/p>\n With that in mind, I could see the 911 GTS working well for a family where the husband commutes on the highway and enjoys going for drives on weekends, while his wife uses the car for everyday errands during the week.<\/p>\n But for a household that doesn\u2019t often go out for spirited drives and mainly needs a car for everyday use, speaking as a wife, I\u2019d be happier with a model I could drive without having to think about it so much.<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s why I find a base 911\u2014or the 718 Cayman I drove recently\u2014easier to live with. Though if my husband actually came home with a 911 GTS, I\u2019d be absolutely thrilled, of course!<\/p>\n That\u2019s it for my review. I\u2019ll be back with my husband\u2019s impressions of the test drive in a later article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"911 Carrera GTS The other day, my husband borrowed a 911 Carrera GTS from an acquaintance, and we had the chance to drive it for a little while. Today, I\u2019m sharing my impressions. I\u2019m truly grateful that we get to experience so many different Porsches in our everyday lives. It\u2019s a rare opportunity, and I\u2019d like to take this chance to thank my husband\u2019s friends for letting us enjoy their cars (though I doubt they...","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":17730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=17570","footnotes":""},"categories":[72,30],"tags":[183,195,197,212,215,232],"class_list":["post-37807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-testdrive","category-30","tag-porsche-911","tag-porsche-report","tag-gts","tag-sport-exhaust","tag-sport-chrono","tag-232","en-US"],"yoast_head":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_7227-1280x960.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1198-1280x854.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEngine Sound<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1188-1280x854.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_7511-1280x854.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEase of Driving<\/h4>\n
The Verdict on the Porsche 911 GTS<\/h3>\n