2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T First Look: Spilling the T

• The Porsche 911 Carrera T is reborn for 2023.
• It takes the base Carrera and adds a mix of special bits to make it fundamentally better to drive.
• The 2023 Porsche 911 T is the 25th 992-generation 911 variant on sale.

At first, the T looks like a bunch of option packages from the base Carrera bundled up under a new submodel. After all, there's no more power than the standard car — the Carrera T makes the same 379 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of peak torque the standard 911 does. But that's the thing about the Carrera T, it's not about power.

The most noticeable change, aside from the new badging on the exterior of the car, will probably be that the Carrera T lacks a back seat (though it can be added back in for those who want to stick their toddlers in the back). The lack of a back seat, thinner glass, and less sound-deadening material all result in a reported 100-pound weight loss compared to the base 911. The new T also comes with a seven-speed manual gearbox as standard, whereas the base 911 can only be equipped with the PDK (Porsche's eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox). The PDK is available as an option on the Carrera, but our recommendation for enthusiast cars like this is to stick with the third pedal.

Carrera Ts also get access to a few options that don't appear on the menu for the standard Carrera. A mechanical limited-slip differential, Porsche's Sport Chrono package, and Porsche's sport suspension (called PASM) are all standard on the T, and you won't find those on any standard Carrera. The Carrera T also comes from the get-go with a sport exhaust system, four-way manually adjusted seats, and a sport steering wheel. Meanwhile, rear-wheel steering, the Carrera T interior package — which adds stripes on the seat centers and colored seat belts in Slate Grey or Lizard Green and contrast stitching — and carbon fiber-backed bucket seats are all optional extras.

The Carrera T will sprint from 0 to 60 in a claimed 4.3 seconds with the manual and 3.7 seconds with the automatic and will saunter on to a claimed top speed of 181 mph. Porsche will also offer its Paint to Sample program on the Carrera T, meaning you literally have hundreds of colors to pick from. The 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T will start at $118,050 (including destination) and should hit dealerships in the spring of next year.

Edmunds says

Out of all 25 Porsche 911 variants you can buy right now (yes, there really are 25 versions to pick from), the Carrera T looks like it might meld both performance and a level of attainability that many 911s lack.