2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T Is the Best Car (For People Who Can Afford a 911, But Maybe Not a GT3 Touring)

It’s like Porsche made a greatest hits album of 911 performance options, then slapped them on a base Carrera.

It’s like Porsche made a greatest hits album of 911 performance options, then slapped them on a base Carrera.Photo: Porsche

So, the base Porsche 911 Carrera is a seriously formidable sports car. It does everything well, including destroying canyon roads, going on road trips or picking up groceries. Unfortunately, Porsche has set up its notoriously expansive options list in such a way that you can’t option some of the better performance tech unless you spend the extra cashish to get the Carrera S.

Except, that’s not totally true anymore since Porsche debuted the 2023 911 Carrera T on Tuesday, and much like the previous 991-generation T, this is the neun-elfer to get if you really want to drive it without spending a boatload of extra greenbacks.

Now, to be clear, the 911 Carrera T isn’t cheap per se, with a starting price of $118,050, including a $1,450 destination fee, but compared to the no-options Carrera S, which starts at $124,050, it’s a pretty good deal. This is especially true when you consider the unique spec that Stuttgart has conjured up for this T.

A blue 911 and a green 911 are parked, rear ends facing the camera, in front of a gray background.

Gulf Blue and Python Green are both beloved Porsche colors, and they look rad on the otherwise subtle Carrera T.Photo: Porsche

To start, the Carrera T gets the base Carrera’s 379 hp turbocharged flat-six and a standard seven-speed manual transmission. An eight-speed PDK box is also available for those who are disinclined to use three pedals. It also gets a torque-vectoring mechanical limited-slip differential, which is on the S but not available on the base Carrera, and Porsche Active Suspension Management, aka PASM, with a ride height of 10 mm lower than standard.

But wait, as they say, there’s more. The Sport Chrono package is standard on the T, and you can (and absolutely should) option Porsche’s excellent four-wheel steering system, which you normally can’t get on a base Carrera. Rad, right? It gets better. The Carrera T weighs in at a claimed 3,254 lbs, thanks to reduced sound deadening, thinner glass, a smaller battery and a rear-seat delete. If you want the back seat, you can option it back in at no charge. Also standard are a sports exhaust system and GT steering wheel.

The interior of the Porsche 911 Carrera T with carbon fiber bucket seats.

The GT wheel and available carbon buckets are a nice choice for a driver-focused 911.Photo: Porsche

The Carrera T also gets its own visual tweaks, like titanium gray Carrera S wheels, sized at 20 inches up front and 21 inches out back. There are also a bunch of T-specific dark gray accents in places like the exterior mirrors, the lower side decals and rear model designation. Inside, the trim is matte black with a few gloss black bits sprinkled throughout. The Sport Four-Way bucket seats are standard, but 18-way sport seats or even Porsche’s gnarly carbon buckets can be optioned. There’s even a Carrera T Interior Package available as an option, adding either Slate Gray or Lizard Green seatbelts, stitching and stripes in the seats.

Also new for the Carrera T is the availability of Paint-To-Sample, which (for a boatload of extra greenbacks) opens up the car’s already rad color palette (Ruby Star Neo, anyone?) to 110 additional color options.

Porsche expects the Carrera T to hit dealers in the spring of 2023.