2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T First Drive: One Sports Car, Every Day, Forever

• The Carrera T builds on the base 2025 Porsche 911.
• A six-speed manual transmission is standard, as are goodies like rear-axle steering, torque-vectoring tech and a sport suspension.
• It might start at $136K, but this is arguably the best buy among 911s.

DIY delights

For the 2025 Carrera T, Porsche is rewriting the rule book slightly. You can get the T package on both the 911 Coupe and Cabriolet now, and you can't get an automatic transmission anymore. Yep, the U.S.-spec version is manual-only. Shoutout to the 70% of 2023-24 Carrera T buyers who opted for the stick — you're the real heroes.

To make the manual more appealing, Porsche didn't just carry over the seven-speed transmission from the last 911. The Carrera T uses a six-speed gearbox, and while it's technically just last year's 7MT minus the seventh-gear overdrive, many of the transmission's internal components are stronger. There's also a fab new shifter borrowed from the 911 S/T with an open-pore wood tip, though I could certainly do without the tacky "MT" badge on the center console or the plethora of stick-shift stickers around the cabin and on the windows.

The six-speed manual is connected to Porsche's 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine, which makes 388 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. Hitting 60 mph should take either 4.3 seconds or 4.5 seconds, depending on whether you buy the coupe or Cabriolet. But considering Porsche's acceleration numbers tend to be somewhat conservative, I won't be shocked to see something closer to 4 seconds flat when the new Carrera T shows up at the Edmunds test track.

Engineered to a T

Porsche stocks the Carrera T with 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels, a sport suspension with a 10-millimeter-lower ride height, 13.7-inch cast-iron disc brakes at all four corners, rear-axle steering, and a torque-vectoring differential that modulates power side to side across the rear wheels. Those last two technologies are especially pertinent since they sharpen the Carrera's already brilliant handling chops while retaining the overall balance and composure 911s are known for.

Winding my way along the beautiful mountain roads of northern Georgia, it's easy to wax poetic about the new Carrera T. The steering is perfectly weighted and vividly communicative about what's happening where the tires meet the pavement. Clicking through the gears of the six-speed manual is super satisfying — the clutch pedal is the right amount of heavy, and there's less effort required to physically move the stick through the gate. Automatic rev-matching tech also works a treat; you can grab third or second gear while braking for a hairpin turn without needing to heel-and-toe shift. (And, yes, you can turn this off if you'd rather play sports car footsie yourself.)

The engine in this thing absolutely rips, and no, you do not need more power. The standard sport exhaust sings a sonorous song, and there's never a lack of grunt, even if you forget to downshift and bury the throttle at low rpm. All of this in the lightest-weight 911 Porsche offers — just 3,316 pounds. This car will dance all day.

Choose your options carefully

All of the 2025 911's interior updates carry over to the Carrera T, including the fully digital instrument cluster, updated multimedia tech and, yes, a start button in place of where the ignition used to be. (It's fine, stop complaining.) When you order the T, definitely get the model-specific interior spec that includes fabric seats with Gentian Blue contrast stitching and matching door inserts. And don't forget, the 911 Carrera models don't come standard with rear seats anymore, but you can add them back in if you want.

The liberally optioned white car you see here costs $155,655 including $1,995 for destination. You could surely do without the Gentian Blue exterior package ($2,130), Porsche's Power Steering Plus tech ($300), matrix-design headlights ($1,780), leather-trimmed seats with an embossed Gentian Blue "911" in the headrests ($1,900), night vision assist ($2,440) and lane change assistance ($870), but the Bose stereo ($1,600), surround-view camera system ($850), extended-range fuel tank ($230) and the Carrera T interior package ($7,560) are must-haves in my book. I'd also definitely get the front-axle lift system ($2,980) and, what the heck, some kind of awesome paint-to-sample exterior color ($14,190).

The best value among 911s

The Carrera T isn't the quickest, fastest or most powerful Porsche 911. But it's arguably the best balanced, and it's currently the only way to get a manual 911 without ponying up for a GT3. You could drive this car every day and never want for more power or sharper reflexes. $136K isn't chump change, but is there a better 911 for the hypothetical "one car every day for the rest of your life" question?