LOS ANGELES — The Porsche 911 2023 The Carrera T is truly a 911 with the base Carrera engine but with a few mechanical upgrades as standard or optional on the more powerful and expensive Carrera S. Otherwise, those upgrades won’t be available on the base car. The Carrera T also slims down a bit compared to both the base 911 and the Carrera S thanks to thinner, less muffled glass, which is smaller and more compact. the batteryand the removal of the standard rear seats (you can still add it back in).
Great, but why would you want that? If you can get the Carrera T base price of $118,050 including destination, chances are you won’t blink when you get a Carrera S with the same mechanical upgrades for about 132,000 dollars. Oh, and more power: 443hp compared to the 379hp you get with the Carrera T. Does it matter that that advantage is only gained in a 0.3 second faster 0-60 time? No, you already have money, why less power? As much as possible.
This is a valid argument against the Carrera T, and as such, it’s certainly not for everyone to buy a 911. Except as we’ve previously documented, very thinly cut 911 cake. And those pieces are even thinner thanks to Delicious 911 Dakar. While it is true that the Carrera S has more power than the Carrera T, the GTS has more power than the Carrera S. And the Turbo is so much more. And then GT3 and Turbo S and whatever else porsche come out with. Basically, you can play this game forever and constantly ask yourself “Oh what the hell, how much is another $14,000?”
Carrera T, and the author of that issue, are here to tell you that you don’t have to do that. Simply put, the 911 Carrera’s base 3.0-liter turbocharged boxer-6 is such a stellar performance engine that it’s completely downsized that Porsche needing to sell even more enticing versions seems silly. silly. While driving on the famous Angeles Crest Highway north of Los Angeles, my driver friend at a press conference turned at one point and asked, “Did you drive in third place this time?” I stopped, looked at the tach then looked down at the T’s standard seven-speed manual transmission, and replied, “Yes, I guess. Didn’t really need anything else.”
You see, the 3.0-liter’s 390 pound-feet of torque is powerful, coming in between 1,950 and 5,000, so downshifts are really only needed in the tightest corners. Meanwhile the engine revs up to 7,500rpm with that 379hp peaking at 6,500rpm, and if you do, you’ll Fast. Fast even for a real track like Angeles Crest Highway. It’s hard to think of where you could be really Straighten the legs of this car without going over your own limits or the threshold of the local police to throw you into the jingle. You’ll need a track, giving the T light weight and various performance upgrades, would actually be a pretty good idea.
So what exactly are the upgrades from the Carrera S options list that have become standard on the Carrera T? The PASM sport suspension brings with it adaptive dampers, three settings, and a 10mm lower travel height. Rear-wheel steering and a sports exhaust are standard, along with the Sport Functions package that includes sport stability control settings, launch control, active driveline rack, select the gearshift mode on the steering wheel, the tire temperature display, the Porsche Precision Track app to see how you’re doing on the track and a cute little clock on the dashboard. The T version also gets 20-inch front/21-inch rear wheels (Titanium Grey) and Porsche’s Torque Vectoring mechanical limited-slip differential as standard on the Carrera S.
Honestly, without a basic Carrera or a Carrera S to drive head-to-head with the Carrera T, it’s hard to say for sure how much advantage you’ll enjoy on a road like Angeles Crest. It’s a 911, though, and that means it’s fun at home on those long-distance sweepers, quick transitions, high-altitude, and just general automotive fun. The steering seems never-ending and the steering is a tactical delight, with the rear-wheel steering mostly working in the background without making the car feel like it’s in an amusement park . The Carrera T allows you to move with ease on the road, striking the right balance between making you feel part of the experience and providing the reassurance that it is capable of supporting you (blasphemy, it won’t bite you).
And despite the upgrades in weight and performance, the Carrera T is surprisingly comfortable. Drive our car through downtown Los Angeles and onto Californians highway options are nothing but comfort. It also seems less noisy than 911 Turbo we drove with its Weissach package similarly removed the rear seats and reduced the sound, although those are different paths. This will be an important point: the T is comfortable and reasonably quiet, which means paying more for the Carrera S is even less of a necessity.
That said, the Carrera T shed 100 pounds from the base Carrera’s waistline, but (!) Most of that comes from the standard manual transmission and clearing the rear seats. Using the free options of the PDK and rear seats means you only get significantly less savings over thinner glass, smaller batteries, and reduced noise. On the other hand, you can make the letter T lighter by using the option carbon fiber, fixed reclining Full Bucket seat option. That would be a good idea if you have a desire to follow, but otherwise, using the standard four-way power Plus Sports Seat or the optional 18-way power-adjustable Adaptive Sports Seat Plus is fitted to the Our test car will be better. Full Buckets are surprisingly comfortable, but they get old on longer drives when you just want to Fat Joe it a little and lean back.
Besides the Carrera T graphic on the doors, you can distinguish it from other 911s thanks to the numerous Agate Gray trim elements: mirror caps, engine grille slats and model markings. The sports exhaust is finished with tall glass black pipes, while the interior features high-gloss and matte black trim. A really special interior element is the Carrera T-specific Lizard Green seat belt and stitching option (pictured above right), although our Guards Red test car wasn’t equipped with that. . That is probably the best thing.
This visual difference is also key, because even if that Carrera S has more power and costs more money, the Carrera T offers more exclusivity. It’s special and people will think it’s special and therefore will assume you paid more for it. And you did… more than the base Carrera. There’s no reason to let them know it’s cheaper than everything else. However, you can happily assume that the Carrera T is considered the 911 of the purists with the connoisseur’s choice of performance upgrades. Sometimes the value is sexy.
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