Congratulations on the promotion! It鈥檚 time to order that Porsche you鈥檝e talked about for years. Your heart is set on a 911, but this is a tricky crossroads. 120,000 sticker is a bit dear. Now you鈥檙e torn between the excellent base Carrera and the even more excellent Carrera S, weighing which model offers the best package of available performance goodies. Neither, actually. Your money belongs to the Carrera T, the newest non-GT offering in the ever-expanding 911 family. Don鈥檛 think too hard about the name-the T is for 鈥淭ouring,鈥?just like the ubiquitous 鈥淕rand Touring鈥?nomenclature in GT3 and GTS. Here, the T stands alone, but it鈥檚 hardly less Grand or Sport than its big brothers. 50 years ago, the 911T served as the (relatively) cheap-and-cheerful entry point into the 911 line. It鈥檚 the same with the 2019 Carrera T, offering less tinsel and trim for fewer bucks. For that extra eleven grand, Porsche plucks some of its go-fast hardware from higher-up in the price range, creating one of the purest driving experiences available with a warranty. It鈥檚 noticeably lighter as well, using thinner glass in the rear windshield and side windows-kit pulled from the GT2 RS.
There鈥檚 also less sound insulation and GT-inspired nylon pull straps in place of the regular door handles. 5,200), Porsche yanks the rear seats out, dropping the overall weight down to an impressive 3,142 pounds. External changes are more subtle. Aside from matte badging on the rear decklid and a stripe down the lower portion of the doors, spotters should look for a Sport Design front and rear fascia, along with Agate Grey mirror caps. It cuts a sleeker profile as well, sitting 0.8-inches lower on 20-inch Carrera S wheels. It鈥檚 buckets of fun, even if it isn鈥檛 much faster than the regular Carrera. Around back, the T utilizes the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six as the rest of the Carrera lineup, from base to GTS. Here, the sixer uses the same tune as the vanilla Carrera-370 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. Power is shipped to the rear wheels through your choice of seven-speed manual transmission or seven-speed dual-clutch PDK.
The asceticism, along with a modified final drive, drops the 0-60 mph sprint of the manual transmission car by 0.1 second to 4.3 seconds, and down to 4.0 seconds for the PDK. Flat out in either Germany or Montana, and you鈥檒l hit a top speed of 182 mph for the PDK or 180 mph for the manual. Power, shmower. If you鈥檙e worried about beating meaty 鈥榁ettes light-to-light, you鈥檙e missing the point entirely. That鈥檚 not to say the T isn鈥檛 quick, however. There鈥檚 a thick, syrupy torque curve that stretches from 1,100 rpm up to 5,000 rpm, thanks to the twin snails bolted out back. Don鈥檛 for a second listen to the moans from the combative Porsche purists. From the bottom to the top, the Carrera lineup is better with forced induction. Compared to the old free-breathing 3.6-liter and 3.8-liter sixers from a few years ago, there鈥檚 fewer dead zones and power drop-offs.
Finally, the 911 has satisfying speed at every level, and not just for those with the deepest pockets. It also sounds properly Porsche with the standard active sport exhaust, now just two chutes mounted in the center of the rear bumper, a-la-GTS. From the outside, onlookers get a healthy dose of flat-six howl with a delicious dollop of turbo spool. From the inside, that thin rear glass gives way to a symphony of mechanical gnash and intake snort that reverberates through the hollow cockpit. You could take it to the track just like any other flavor of 911, but the Carrera T feels most at home out on surface streets. More specifically, it鈥檚 magic out on the snaking routes that weave through northern California鈥檚 green hills and massive redwood forests. It鈥檚 a deeply satisfying car to drive, especially with the rear-wheel steering and PTV. Turn-in and mid-corner speed is ferocious, belying the T鈥檚 bargain-basement status. Every input is tuned for tactility, from the light steering to the stellar brakes. That 3.0-liter is far from the million-volt shock of the GT3鈥檚 4.0-liter screamer, but the cabin echoes with sound, vibrating the seatbacks and steering wheel. As one of the recent 鈥減assion鈥?Porsches like the 911 R and GT3 Touring, the T signals a bright future for fans. As a purist鈥檚 car, it鈥檚 peerless-just make sure you get those perfect sport seats and rear-wheel steering.
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