► New 992.2 Carrera T tested in UK
► T and the GT3 are the only new manual 911s
► But is it the best 911 you can buy?
The Porsche 911 Carrera T has always held a slightly muddled place in the line-up of this sports car, but has been given a well needed boost as part of this 992.2 facelift. Why? Because it’s the only way you can get a new Porsche 911 with a manual gearbox outside of the GT3.
With the new Carrera GTS being a hybrid and the Carrera S now PDK-only, the new 911 Touring earns its place as a bespoke model, and one that aims to appeal to the purist, not least because unlike the 992.1, it’ll only be sold with a good old-fashioned manual.
At a glance
Pros: Sensational gearbox, a joy to drive, superb ergonomics
Cons: A bit more sound deadening would be welcome, hash urban ride, badge overkill
What’s new?
Slotting between the Carrera and Carrera S in Porsche’s line-up, the T gets the same flat-six engine as the former but now uses a six-speed manual, rather than the slightly oddball seven-speeder that the pre-facelift 992 got.
Porsche has also shed 42kg compared to the base Carrera through a mix of lighter windows, reduced insulation and the manual gearbox weighing less. Though bizarrely for its ‘weight-saving’ approach, Porsche has now introduced a Carrera T Cabriolet for the first time. But I guess if you want a manual, drop-top 911, it is your only option.
The T also gets desirable options such as rear-axle steering and the Sports Chrono package as standard, with its steering being tweaked to be more direct. A walnut laminated gearknob is a great touch, though I’m not such a fan of all the manual gearbox stickers, logos and ‘MT’ badge. I know I’m driving a manual, Porsche, I don’t need the stickers…
What’s under the bonnet?
The T uses Porsche’s renowned 3.0-litre flat six that puts out 389bhp and 332lb ft of torque, figures that look quite conservative in a day and age of electric crossovers having 400bhp, but this 911 is more about how you get there rather than how quickly you get there.
A 4.5-second 0-62mph is again firmly in sports car territory, rather than supercar, and it’s four tenths of a second slower to get there than a Carrera and its mandatory PDK, though it would keep going to a top speed of 183mph.
Fuel economy is unlikely to be a top requirement but the T’s long sixth gear makes it surprisingly frugal on a sustained, high-speed run. My commute down the A1 achieved 35mpg, though get on the roads it was intended to be used for and you’ll soon see sub-20mpg on the trip computer.
How does it drive?
Though I haven’t been in the the latest GT3 yet, I can comfortably say this is my favourite 992.2 driven to date. Porsche’s PDK gearboxes are exceptional, but they are no substitute for the feel and involvement from a traditional gearstick.
The T’s shortened gear lever and six-speed gearbox are fantastic and it’s got a pleasingly mechanical action to it, but it’s not a hard transmission to use at all; always working with you rather than against, and even being easy to use around town. Moving it all the way across to the left to get into reverse requires an element of force too, but it’s all deliberate and better for it. You feel like you’re actually doing something, which on a modern car in 2025 feels like a rarity.
The flat-six isn’t instantly quick, either, bordering on being sluggish if you’re in the wrong gear. The revs climb to 7000rpm and despite twin turbochargers the revs build naturally as the engine emits an intoxicating growl, the standard-fit sports exhaust contributing further. The auto-blip feature (which can be turned down) only encourages you to change down for a corner when you might otherwise not, too and like most Porsches, I’m convinced in ‘Sport Plus’ mode that it’s quicker than the figures indicate.
The steering is super direct and quick to react, and feels pleasingly different to a Carrera S, and though you can feel the superb balance and rear-wheel-drive bias, such wide rear tyres (305-section) make it hard to break traction. That’s with the caveat all our testing was in the dry.
The one downside of such wide tyres and the result of the reduced insulation is that the Carrera T is a loud thing to travel in. Road noise seems to be a staple of the 992 but the T especially, and the sound can become tiring after hours behind the wheel. Is it a car to take to drive to southern Spain? I’m not so sure.
The T is also not a 911 to spend its life around town, either, with its standard PASM adaptive sports suspension feeling quite harsh on low-speed, broken surfaces. But build the speed and the T comes into its element. The damping on a fast B-road is superb, absorbing all put the harshest bumps. In short, drive the Carrera T faster and it’s much better – who’d have thought?
What’s it like inside?
Porsche knows how to do a great interior and the Carrera T’s is no exception. From the perfect positioning of the pedals, the steering wheel with just the right amount of buttons and of course the manual gear lever that’s exactly where you want it, it’s a fine thing.
The latest 911 moves to keyless button start (rather than turning a dial like the previous car) and fully digital instrument cluster. It’s a change that some purists might not be so keen on, but it works well. Be grateful that there are still physical buttons for the climate control, while the touchscreen isn’t too large.
One ergonomic own goal is that the only cupholder of a decent size in reach of the driver is right behind the manual gearstick, inevitably leading to a spilt coffee as there’s no way to change gear without hitting it. As with all new 911s, the T doesn’t come with rear seats as standard, though you can option them for free.
I also wish Porsche would offer the T in more inventive interior colours. Whereas a Carrera comes with all manner of leather finishes, the T is limited to black leather or Porsche’s Alcantara lookalike called RaceTex. You can have blue detailing on the seatbelts and around the centre console but it’s a shame it doesn’t go a step further. Maybe I’m missing the point.
Before you (trims and rivals)
Despite being based on the Carrera, the T’s £115,400 starting price puts it far closer to the £120,500 S, rather than the base car’s £103,700. But you’re not just paying for the manual gearbox but also the fancier suspension, sports exhaust and four-wheel-steering, with the latter not available on a standard Carrera.
As with any Porsche, you can waste many hours (and thousands of pounds) playing on the configurator, though our test car was quite conservatively specced by Stuttgart standards – the white paint is free, as are these wheels. Electric sports seats (£2,429) is the one must-have for me.
As for rivals, the days of manual sports cars is numbered, but the BMW M2 and new Ford Mustang are two of the few other options that you can still get without an automatic. It’s hard not to draw a comparison to a 718 Cayman GTS, too.
Verdict
For me, I think the 911 Carrera T might represent the pinnacle of everything I’d want in a modern 911. It’s the right balance of tech, engagement and usability, and it comes with all the options I’d want to spec on any other Carrera (sports exhaust, sports chrono and rear-wheel steering mainly).
More than ever, the Carrera T earns its place in the new 911 line-up, and if you want a taste of that more old-school feel from your sports car, it’s the one to go for. My only one wish, bizarrely, is for it to have a bit of sound insulation added back in so it would be a more complete motorway cruiser – oh, and I’d be taking those manual gearbox stickers off instantly. But neither of those things stops it being one of the best cars I’ve driven in a long time.