Rain pelts hard onto the windscreen and glass roof, assaulting the teardrop-shaped sportscar from all directions as, technically, we’re out at sea. The patter is loud in the cabin but not loud enough to drown out the new, 3.6-litre flat-six and the standard-fit sports exhaust. The storm’s ferocity is only amplified by the fact that we’re sitting at the 100kph speed limit on India’s longest sea bridge, something lesser cars wouldn’t dare attempt in this weather. Then again, perhaps most 911 owners wouldn’t dare venture out at all on what feels like the rainiest day in a decade.

Putting the ‘all-weather’ sportscar through all of the weather.

Our plan started out innocent enough. It’s not every day we get a 911 to take home for a few days, and since it’s widely regarded as the everyday sportscar, we thought we’d do some everyday things with it. As luck would have it, however, on those very few days, Mumbai was hit with the triple whammy of Ganesh Chaturthi, reservation protests and an IMD Orange Alert. These are not the extremes I was hoping to go to with the 911.

The sweet spot

Of course, it continues to do its best work on a smooth, twisty road.

And this isn’t just any 911; it’s the fabled Carrera 4 GTS, and its raison d’être is in its name. ‘Carrera’ implies a degree of friendliness and usability, while ‘GTS’ points to a bit of spice inherited from the more track-focused GT models. As for ‘4’ – in this weather, I’m grateful for the blessing of all-wheel drive. The GTS version of the 911, or any Porsche for that matter, is typically the sweet spot in the range; the bridge between entry-level and high-end. It achieves this by cherry-picking the best components from various models across the catalogue to create the ultimate ‘Goldilocks’ version of the model in question.

This 992.2 GTS is different, though. While it does borrow many components, it also debuts a brand-new, never-before-seen engine. It’s the first-ever hybrid 911, and if you think the idea was to save fuel, the reality is quite the opposite. Its WLTP economy rating is lower than the non-hybrid version, you can’t plug it in, there’s no pure-electric mode, and it does 0km of 0-emissions driving. No, the motorsport-derived T-Hybrid (see box), as it’s called, exists solely to provide added performance. The total output is 541hp and 610Nm. For a mid-range 911!

Of course, as is often the case, numbers simply cannot tell the entire story, and so, come hell or bad weather, at the other end of this bridge is our favourite ribbon of backroads, and we’re taking the GTS there to wring it out. It doesn’t disappoint. Every time we drive a new turbocharged sportscar, it feels like they’ve eliminated turbo lag completely, but then the next one comes along, and we realise there was a bit more left to eliminate. So too here in the T-Hybrid, where electricity expertly inserts itself in places where internal combustion can’t quite deliver. Yes, other hybrids do this too, but this feels altogether…new. More seamless, not as ballistic as an EV, not as pure and predictable as a normally aspirated engine, but instead edgy, boosty and ceaseless in its thrust.

Truly fascinating is watching the small battery meter as it charges and discharges, which seems to happen totally at random. It could be charging at idle or while going flat out, or it could discharge, and it barely regains anything under the hardest of braking. This is not your uncle’s Camry. 

Visually, it’s hard to tell it apart from a standard Carrera, but IYKYK.

Predictably, then, on the performance front, it elevates itself far above the Carrera (which you’ll notice we’re lucky enough to have along, just for reference; when it rains, it pours) and, in fact, comes closer to the bigger boys. It’s got the mad urgency of the Turbo, but it’s also got some of the knife-edge precision of the GT3, for better or worse. Standard-fit rear-axle steering affords it an even greater agility than the Carrera, but, and I never thought I’d say this, it can almost feel too sharp, to the point of being twitchy in certain corners.

What also feels different to the otherwise-uncorrupted front end of the 911 is the added pull that comes from the AWD system as I floor it out of a corner, which you can feel through the steering. After a few go-arounds, however, I start to appreciate it, and in this greasy weather, it feels like the only way you could possibly put down all that power relatively safely. 

Daily it!

Shots in the bag, grin on my face, it’s time to make the sodden trudge back into town, but then I remember I’ve got a whole day more with the GTS. Even in this weather, it didn’t take long to prove its worth as a performance car, but what about that other side of its personality? First up, I’m famished from a long day out, and the quickest meal is one you can have on the go. There aren’t many drive-through restaurants around, but I’m determined to use one, and happy to find it’s wide enough for the GTS’s engorged hips. I have to shout to the man at the counter, as he hasn’t seen the low-slung Porsche pull in under the window, and then it’s a bit of a stretch up and out to actually collect my food.

Wide body, low seat means it’s a bit of a stretch to reach your McShake and fries.

Burger scarfed down, I carefully wipe my hands so as to not get fryer grease onto the Race-Tex steering wheel, and just as well, as I’m in for some frantic manoeuvring. The bombed-out battlefield that Mumbai roads become in the monsoon warrants caution in a Cayenne, let alone a 911, and it’s here I realise how heavy the steering gets at low speeds. It’s not long before I encounter my first ‘non-regulation’ speed breaker. Indian Porsche buyers already know the Rs 4.8 lakh hydraulic nose lift option is not negotiable, and with it deployed, even the 10mm-lower GTS will clear most speed humps. But Maharashtra is notorious for leaving indiscriminately large cylinders of painted concrete across the road, and some of these truck stoppers do force me to hold up traffic as I crawl carefully over at an awkward angle.

A far cry from the Autobahns it was designed for, but it will do it.

My quiet neighbourhood gathers as I pull into my driveway, the flat-six burble quite a novelty amidst the usual birdsong and scooter horns. I answer a few curious questions, let the neighbourhood kids snap some selfies with it, and then I call it a night. My plans for an early morning blast around town are shattered by my mother, who reminds me of errands I’d promised I’d help her run today. But who says we can’t do both? Fairly warned of the impending speed and noise, she’s excited to try it out. Lowering oneself into a 911 might be a hassle for most 70-year-olds, but not my mum, who hops in like a seasoned co-driver. 

A little low for my mum to hop into, but worth it for the grin on her face as we hit 7,000rpm.

As we get going, she’s nervous, but not because of the speed. “What if someone hits the car?” A valid concern, as even in this uninspired shade of Slate Grey Neo (a Rs 7.7 lakh option, in case you were wondering), people are falling over their motorcycle handles to photograph it. We take the smooth, wide Coastal Road to open the taps a little. Her passenger-seat verdict? She loves the speed and the sound, but it moves around too much over bumps. Astute, as yes, that wide body, firmer sports suspension and wafer-thin 315/30 ZR21 rear tyres mean the ride on our malformed urban roads gets tiresome after a while.

Promised me he didn’t inflate the prices after seeing the car.

On-street parking is hard enough in Mumbai in a hatchback; try stopping at a vegetable market in a 911. Harder still is haggling for a better price after what you just stepped out of. Though the 135-litre frunk can take as much as a medium-sized suitcase, as with any car, soft groceries are better kept on the rear seats. Now a no-cost option on the 911, you certainly won’t be using them to seat people, as my colleague Nikhil will attest to, having been tricked into the rear seat against his will. Still, it’s better to have and not use them than not have them at all.

Weekend getaway? A midsize suitcase and a few soft bags are no hassle.

Chores done, en route to home base, out of nowhere, we’re stuck in gridlock traffic, as protests have brought South Mumbai to a standstill within minutes. Not how I’d imagined this drive would go, but it’s certainly giving Mumbaikars an opportunity to get a good look at the GTS. Not that they’d be able to tell it’s a GTS, as there are few visual clues to set it apart that only a nerd like myself would spot. Vertical vanes in the bumper, centre-lock wheels, central exhaust tips and badging are the only giveaways. My mum isn’t so sure about the Bordeaux red leather interior, but it’s grown on me, and I like that it’s standard on the GTS. They’ve made other options standard too, like Race-Tex trim, and best of all, as we’re stuck in traffic, the 12-speaker Bose sound system.

Very easy to see out of, but GTS steering is heavy in traffic.

The one that you want

It’s not just feel-good options that have been made standard here either. The Sport Chrono Package and sports exhaust are too, as are rear-axle steering and torque vectoring, which means for the Rs 72 lakh premium over the Carrera, you’re getting more than just a spicier engine. 

So, is what they say true? Is the GTS the perfect distillation of the 911? If I’d only driven it hard and fast, the answer would have been a resounding yes. The performance and handling enhancements alone put it on so much higher a pedestal than the Carrera, more so than any GTS before it. Having lived with it a few days, however, I’m not so sure, as its hard edge and heavy steering make it a chore to do chores in.

In the Indian context, it boils down to this: if you want a cool-looking sportscar that’s great to drive, which you can realistically use every day, the Carrera is the one for you. It will scratch that itch and still be forgiving enough to live with; the true everyday sportscar. If, however, you’re into regular late-night blasts, seeking out great driving roads and maybe even a track day or two, move up to the GTS. It’s still an everyday sportscar, just for the more committed driver.

Our Verdict

The GTS picks the best bits from the range to make the ultimate 911.

The T-Hybrid is the latest in a long line of tech introductions that 911 purists will publicly scoff at but secretly admire, and eventually accept as canon. Twin turbos are replaced by a single e-turbo, where there is no wastegate, while an e-motor between the compressor and turbine spins it up before the engine does. As a result, 500Nm of torque is available at just 1,500rpm, and the full 610Nm is delivered by 2,000. A second e-motor is integrated into the 8-speed PDK, and this alone produces 54hp and 150Nm to fill in any remaining torque deficit of the engine. The battery is a small 1.9kWh unit, but crucially, also a light one, amounting to a weight penalty of just around 50kg. And though it might not contribute to better fuel economy, it does help with emissions.

All prices, ex-showroom, India

Also see:

Driving a 2JZ-powered Mercedes 190: Dragon heart

Off roading EVs: Tata Harrier EV and Mercedes G Class Electric