With the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T, Less Is So Much More

Senior features editor Scott Evans struggled mightily to find three “cons” in his review of the most recent Porsche 911 Carrera T that contended at our 2023 Car of the Year, eventually coming up with 1) Too many shift gates, 2) Less focused than it used to be, and 3) Still can't see the gas gauge. Just two short years later, we commend Porsche for rectifying all three of these shortcomings in the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T.

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Just-Right Shifter

There must have been arguments about reducing the manual 911’s ratio count in today’s more-is-always-more world, but Porsche realized we were right: Trying to guide a shifter into one of five gates across the top of that shift pattern was unnecessarily difficult, and deleting seventh gear was absolutely the right call. Note that we didn’t say “simply” deleting it. Yes, those cogs are gone, saving maybe 3 pounds, and there was no reshuffling of ratios to ensure the same or better ratio spread, but considerable effort was expended upgrading the cables, bushings, linkage structure, and synchronization (using some parts from the GT3) to ensure optimal shift feel. And then there’s that sublime walnut shift knob capping it off, which 911 product director Michael Roesler confided costs four times as much as the leather-wrapped one. (Worth it!)

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Sharpening the Laser Focus

Much of the 992.1 911 T formula carries directly over—20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels wrapped in big rubber, standard Porsche Torque Vectoring, Sport Chrono pack, Porsche Active Suspension Management Sport Suspension (stiffer springs and a lower ride height not otherwise offered on Carrera), plus reduced insulation and thinner glass. But this time around the ante is upped with standard rear-wheel steering and bigger front brakes borrowed from the outgoing Carrera S—13.8-inch rotors chomped by six-piston calipers (the last T made do with 13.0 inches and four pistons). Aerodynamic improvements include fitment of the GTS chin spoiler and a more aggressive rear spoiler angle.

The new dampers are physically larger units from the GTS, so they employ more fluid, though the internal valving is unique to the T, and the front anti-roll bar is 10 percent softer to better coordinate with the revised damping, quicker steering ratio, and rear steering. We’re assured the new T nets out at least 26 pounds lighter than a Carrera despite all the added gear. If that’s not enough, the most serious (and skinniest) drivers can still opt for the racing shell seats to save another 18.5 pounds. Sadly, the lighter-weight lithium-ion 12-volt battery is no longer offered, as it couldn’t properly support the latest OBD requirements.

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Visible (Digital) Gas Gauge

There’s been some moaning about the loss of a mechanical tachometer on the 992.2 911, but man, is it nice to be able to see all the gauge information presented clearly through the small-diameter steering wheel. The digital tach also enables a great peripheral-vision upshift indicator. Progress.

How’s It Drive?

Sublimely. It makes such a compelling case for 388 being the perfect number of horses in this chassis. Any more will simply overwork the traction control and serve to shorten the quality time spent listening to the rpm swell to that magic point where the blue shift indicator LEDs signal it’s time to grab the next gear and do it again. And you’ll struggle to find a more pleasurable shifter in any other new car today. Searching our back-catalog of spectacular shifters experienced over three decades evaluating cars, the closest match for this one’s mechanical feel might be the Honda S2000, while the knob itself hearkens to the sensual pleasure of an E34 V-8 5 Series’ wooden knob.

As you might expect, the 2025 Carrera T flies down mountain hairpins like a luge sled in its groove, and making about as much tire noise. Despite thinner sound deadening and our best efforts to explore the limits of adhesion, we only managed to hear the tires in a handful of the tightest corners under full power on exit, when the sport-plus ESC programming allowed a bit of wheelspin and measured oversteer. The steering is every bit as telepathic as in any other Carrera—maybe slightly more so, with the quickened ratio and more aggressive tires. The driver is never conscious of rear steering or PTV managing rear torque (via a mechanical limited slip differential and brake action), but that’s a good thing.

The brake feel and travel is about perfect, although the pedal remains a trifle too high for easy heel-toe rev-matching except when deep into the binders. No problem, the auto-blip feature performs this task perfectly. It automatically engages in Sport and Sport+ modes but can be defeated. Haters can even program the diamond button to defeat it, although we recommend assigning that button to defeating lane keep assist, which is way more annoying and muddles the otherwise fantastic steering feel (it can also be defeated via button on the steering-wheel stalk).

Note that there is still a hard 3,500-rpm limit to how fast the engine will rev when the clutch is in, which is still not enough to spin these big tires on dry pavement. (Yankee Doodle Dandy burnouts are anathema to German engineers.) Porsche claims the coupe will hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, with the cabriolet a tenth behind it. By slipping the clutch, we got 3.9 on the last coupe we tested. Maybe Porsche’s times reflect a less aggressive launch? Point is, don’t buy this car for bracket-racing, buy it for solo canyon carving. It’s spectacular for that use case.

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When and How Much?

You can order a 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T today for deliveries expected to begin in the summer of 2025. The price is $135,995 for the coupe and $149,295 for the cabriolet. We look forward to measuring its performance, driving one for photos, or manufacturing any other excuse to plug our posteriors into this driving-pleasure orgasmatron. We do not look forward to brainstorming new “cons” for this one.