Porsche actually needs you to know that the brand new 992.2 facelift of the 911 Carrera T comes solely with a handbook transmission. Huge stickers on the facet home windows present the shift sample, as do the puddle lights. The 917-inspired shift knob is product of wooden and inconceivable to overlook while you look inside; when 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 facet of the dashboard. If that wasn’t sufficient, you will get loads of contrasting-color stickers that inform the world you’ve received a Carrera T, not some lowly base mannequin Carrera.
Corny as that every one might sound, the Carrera T is focused at a buyer that basically 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 patrons 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 house owners take part in driving occasions, increased than the 911’s common, and greater than 50 p.c watch racing in particular person. Over 25 p.c of homeowners use their Carrera Ts as their day by day drivers, and never solely are they 5 years youthful than the model’s common, however the proportion of Carrera T clients which are new to the model is 35 p.c increased 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 clients, it’s actually unbelievable.
Full disclosure: Porsche flew me to Atlanta and put me up in a flowery lodge 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 just a few upgrades and extra energy. It now makes 388 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque, up from 379 hp in final yr’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 further tenths. Positive, that’s nearly half a second slower than a PDK-equipped base Carrera, nevertheless it’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 often a “save the manuals” sort of man, however when a handbook is nearly 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 unbelievable. 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 may simply flip it off if you’d like.
The roads twisting by Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Oconee Nationwide Forest are stuffed with steep elevation modifications and bankings, off-camber moments and all of the sudden tight apex, and the Carrera T is completely fitted to all of it. Rear-axle steering is now commonplace on the Carrera T, partially as a result of 39 p.c of 992.1 patrons 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 number of the greatest steering in the marketplace, each by way of 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 modifications 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 Lively Suspension Administration can be commonplace and 0.4-inch decrease than in a Carrera, and regardless of the massive wheels and extensive tires, the experience is supple and does an incredible job of absorbing highway imperfections whereas nonetheless telling you what’s occurring beneath you. Brake pedal really feel is superb as properly, and the Carrera T has bigger discs than earlier than for higher stopping energy.
A part of the Carrera T’s attraction is its strategy to lightweighting. Regardless of the added weight from its new commonplace options, in its lightest kind 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 provided in droptop kind, as greater than a 3rd of 911 patrons within the U.S. go for a droptop — so I can’t converse 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 affords an ordinary metal roof, a $1,550 metal sunroof and a $2,000 glass sunroof as properly. Porsche says 42 p.c of 992.1 Carrera T clients 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 increased take charges than different Carreras.
I do must spend a little bit of time speaking concerning the Carrera T’s styling, which may very well be a bit controversial for people who find themselves boring. In its commonplace 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 facet strip that claims Carrera T. For $2,310 you may choose a Carrera T Exterior Package deal 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 gained’t be for everybody, however I believe it appears enjoyable, and I like that it’s not restricted to particular exterior colours. You may delete all of the decals and badging for no value if you’d like, too.
There’s some enjoyable stuff taking place on the within as properly. As commonplace you get Sport-Tex upholstery with a pleasant plaid sample, however go for the Carrera T inside bundle ($3,030 for the traditional one or $7,560 for leather-based) and it provides a number 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 must customized order my Carrera T with extra wooden trim to higher match the shifter. Rear seats are a no-cost choice, and you may nonetheless get the Carrera T with bucket seats, although they aren’t out there 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 screen appears extraordinarily good, and the Carrera T will get helpful shift lights surrounding the tach — and in case you have that Carrera T bundle, 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 commonplace 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 an excellent 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 searching for.
