Porsche actually needs you to know that the brand new 992.2 facelift of the 911 Carrera T comes solely with a handbook transmission. Large stickers on the aspect home windows present the shift sample, as do the puddle lights. The 917-inspired shift knob is fabricated from wooden and unimaginable to overlook once you look inside; should you do miss it, there’s a badge that claims MT on the base of it, in addition to the shift sample etched into the passenger aspect of the dashboard. If that wasn’t sufficient, you may get loads of contrasting-color stickers that inform the world you’ve acquired a Carrera T, not some lowly base mannequin Carrera.
Corny as that each one may appear, the Carrera T is focused at a buyer that actually cares about driver engagement, particularly in the case of having a handbook transmission. Porsche says that take charges for its manuals are steadily going up within the U.S., and 70 p.c of pre-facelifted 992.1 Carrera T consumers went for the handbook transmission — thus why the automated choice was dropped for the brand new one. In accordance with Porsche, 69 p.c of Carrera T homeowners take part in driving occasions, greater than the 911’s common, and greater than 50 p.c watch racing in individual. Over 25 p.c of homeowners use their Carrera Ts as their each day drivers, and never solely are they 5 years youthful than the model’s common, however the proportion of Carrera T prospects which are new to the model is 35 p.c greater than the 911’s common. Whereas area of interest, sure, the Carrera T is a vital mannequin for constructing Porsche’s fanatic base, and fortuitously for these prospects, it’s actually implausible.
Full disclosure: Porsche flew me to Atlanta and put me up in a elaborate resort that seemed like a French chateau so I may drive the 2025 911 Carrera T and 2025 Taycan GTS within the mountains of north Georgia.
As with the different 992.2 Carreras, the brand new Carrera T makes use of the identical twin-turbo 3.0-liter flat-six as earlier 992s, however with a couple of upgrades and extra energy. It now makes 388 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque, up from 379 hp in final 12 months’s mannequin thanks to greater turbos and a brand new intercooler. Its 0-to-60-mph time stays the identical at 4.3 seconds for the coupe, with the cabrio taking two additional tenths. Positive, that’s nearly half a second slower than a PDK-equipped base Carrera, but it surely’s nonetheless loads fast, and outright velocity isn’t the purpose of the Carrera T anyway.
Driver engagement is the purpose, and the Carrera T delivers it in spades. I’m not normally a “save the manuals” sort of man, however when a handbook is pretty much as good as this one, I’m radicalized. As an alternative of utilizing the seven-speed transmission that the 992.1 Carrera T shared with its different Carrera brethren, the 992.2 Carrera T has a six-speed unit that has tightened ratios. The shifter itself is shorter in top and has a shorter throw, and it feels merely implausible. It has actual heft to it and splendidly notchy motion, and that wooden end makes the shifter good and grippy, too. Porsche has the perfect automated rev-matching system I’ve skilled, a boon each in efficiency driving and on a regular basis conditions — and don’t fear, you possibly can simply flip it off if you’d like.
The roads twisting by Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Oconee Nationwide Forest are filled with steep elevation adjustments and bankings, off-camber moments and abruptly tight apex, and the Carrera T is completely fitted to all of it. Rear-axle steering is now normal on the Carrera T, partially as a result of 39 p.c of 992.1 consumers opted for it, and it’s a giant a part of making this 911 one of many sharpest sports activities vehicles you should purchase. The 911 actually does have a few of the greatest steering available on the market, each when it comes to suggestions and precision, and the rear steer additional tightens up its responsiveness, helped by the mechanical rear differential lock that’s a part of the Porsche Torque Vectoring system.
Little adjustments to my steering and throttle inputs make a giant distinction with out the automotive feeling twitchy or reactive; it’s all simply linear and pure with out the automotive being too competent and boring. Porsche’s Energetic Suspension Administration can also be normal and 0.4-inch decrease than in a Carrera, and regardless of the massive wheels and huge tires, the experience is supple and does an ideal job of absorbing street imperfections whereas nonetheless telling you what’s occurring beneath you. Brake pedal really feel is great as nicely, and the Carrera T has bigger discs than earlier than for higher stopping energy.
A part of the Carrera T’s attraction is its method to lightweighting. Regardless of the added weight from its new normal options, in its lightest type the Carrera T coupe weighs 59 kilos lower than a base Carrera. Chalk that as much as the slight weight financial savings from the handbook, plus light-weight glass and fewer sound deadening than in different 911s. On the launch I spend my time in a Carrera T cabriolet — the 992.2 marks the primary time the T has been supplied in droptop type, as greater than a 3rd of 911 consumers within the U.S. go for a droptop — so I can’t communicate to how the coupe sounds with the light-weight glass, however the usual Sport Exhaust system actually sounds nice even with the roof and home windows up. That lowest weight determine is with the elective $3,900 carbon-fiber roof, however Porsche nonetheless gives a typical metal roof, a $1,550 metal sunroof and a $2,000 glass sunroof as nicely. Porsche says 42 p.c of 992.1 Carrera T prospects took the usual roof whereas 10 p.c went for the carbon choice, 9 p.c for the metal sunroof and 39 p.c for the glass sunroof, with the metal and carbon roofs having a lot greater take charges than different Carreras.
I do need to spend a little bit of time speaking in regards to the Carrera T’s styling, which could possibly be a bit controversial for people who find themselves boring. In its normal guise the one variations are the entrance lip from the Carrera GTS, 20-inch entrance and 21-inch rear wheels from the Carrera S, and a Vanadium Gray aspect strip that claims Carrera T. For $2,310 you possibly can choose a Carrera T Exterior Bundle that turns that stripe Gentian Blue, additionally including a Gentian Blue stripe down the hood and roof and placing Gentian Blue paint on the wheels and rear vent slats. It positively received’t be for everybody, however I believe it appears enjoyable, and I like that it’s not restricted to particular exterior colours. You possibly can delete all of the decals and badging for no price if you’d like, too.
There’s some enjoyable stuff occurring on the within as nicely. As normal you get Sport-Tex upholstery with a pleasant plaid sample, however go for the Carrera T inside package deal ($3,030 for the traditional one or $7,560 for leather-based) and it provides a bunch of Gentian Blue accents, together with to the plaid sample and stitching. I just like the blue trim items on the sprint and middle console, although I’d need to customized order my Carrera T with extra wooden trim to raised match the shifter. Rear seats are a no-cost choice, and you’ll nonetheless get the Carrera T with bucket seats, although they aren’t obtainable with the rear seats. Yeah, you not have an analog tachometer, with each 992.2 as an alternative getting a curved digital gauge cluster, however I don’t care about that. The display appears extraordinarily good, and the Carrera T will get helpful shift lights surrounding the tach — and you probably have that Carrera T package deal, the digital dial is blue.
Porsche is asking $135,995 (together with $1,995 vacation spot) for the Carrera T coupe and $149,295 for the Carrera T cabrio, that are $13,900 greater than their base Carrera equivalents. Think about all the T’s normal gadgets, and it’s solely a pair grand greater than a equally outfitted Carrera can be. As with Porsche’s different T fashions the worth proposition is inarguable, however with the 2025 911 Carrera T’s distinctive handbook transmission and different tweaks, it’s a fair simpler selection for lovers to make. Whether or not or not you need the world to know simply how a lot of an automotive nerd you might be, the brand new 911 Carrera T might be precisely the sports activities automotive you’re on the lookout for.
