Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet review

The Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet is clearly a very accomplished drop-top sports car. But while the visual enhancements and engine tweaks add a dose of go-faster appeal, the not insignificant £20,000 premium over the standard 911 Cabriolet makes it very difficult to justify.

The new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet adds more kit, extra power and bespoke suspension settings to the standard 911 to boost the legendary Porsche’s appeal. This extra kit makes the rear-drive Carrera 2 GTS coupe the pick of the range – and thus the best all-round sports car in the world. But things aren’t as clear cut for the four-wheel-drive Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet.

Styling add-ons include 20-inch black alloys, unique bumper treatments and Alcantara cabin trim. There’s also an extra 30bhp and the sport chrono package with active engine mounts.

For a drop-top sports car, the Carrera 4 GTS drives brilliantly. There’s not much body flex, loads of lateral grip and sharp steering. The four-wheel drive lets you get on the power sooner, and inspires confidence in the wet. Plus, with the sun shining and top down, you appreciate how the sports exhaust enhances the bark from the 3.8-litre flat six engine.

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But the GTS pack doesn’t improve the Cabriolet dynamically in the same way as it does the Carrera 4 coupe. The extra 115kg of weight is always going to affect agility, so this car doesn’t drive that much better than the standard 911 Cabriolet, which is £22,216 cheaper. So while the soft-top Carrera 4 GTS is a fine car, the dynamic tweaks are diluted by the nature of the drop-top and the all-wheel drive.