Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS 991.1 vs Porsche Boxster S 987: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS hits 100 km/h in 3.97 s versus 5.07 s for the Boxster S. At this point, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS leads by 1.11 s and sits roughly 12 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS is doing 154 km/h against 143 km/h for the Boxster S. The gap is 0.88 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS crosses the line in 11.93 s versus 13.18 s. The 1.25 s gap represents roughly 60 m of track - a gap visible to the naked eye.

Past 400 metres, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS continues to build its lead. At 600 metres, it runs at 218 km/h versus 199 km/h. At 1,000 metres, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS finishes in 21.59 s versus 23.72 s, with a 2.12 s lead.

The 911 Carrera 4 GTS features all-wheel drive (AWD) against the Boxster S’s RWD. At low speeds (0-30, 0-50, 0-80 km/h), AWD doubles the driven contact area: all four wheels transmit torque to the road, virtually eliminating wheelspin at launch. This traction advantage is decisive in the range where the motor delivers peak torque, before power and aerodynamics take over.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the 911 Carrera 4 GTS is capped at 304 km/h, the Boxster S at 272 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two combustion powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (3.06 kg/hp vs 4.39 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Automatic).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 7.54 seconds. The 1.11 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.