Don’t overlook the Porsche 911 Carrera S: review

The Carrera S doesn’t make headlines like other members of the Porsche 911 family. The Carrera T is the enthusiast’s choice now, with a standard manual transmission; The GTS and Turbo S hybrids are technology leaders and are the latest sports cars; The GT3 and GT3 RS are the cars everyone wants.

By contrast, the Carrera S is its bread and butter 911Sole dealers will stock inoffensive colors for people who simply want a great daily driver.

However, don’t ignore the Carrera S. It may look like a “boring” 911, but that’s not the case.

Porsche updated the 911 Carrera S earlier this year, although it’s not radically different from its predecessor. The 992.2 C2S uses the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six engine that has powered the 911 Carrera for 10 years now. It gets some hardware tweaks from the old GTS to boost power while meeting increasingly stringent Euro 7 emissions standards. Now, you get 473 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque.

The new six-cylinder hybrid 911s have moved the game up a notch, but this engine is still great. Porsche put a lot of effort into making sure the throttle response was as sharp as a naturally aspirated engine, and for this new application, it focused on high-end power. This thing explodes from 6000 rpm all the way to the 7500 rpm redline. You can turn off the turbos occasionally, but the PDK gearbox makes it very easy to keep the engine in gear.

Pros: Powerful motor, excellent handling, ease of daily use

It shouldn’t leave you wanting for any performance. You may think you need a faster car, but trust me, you don’t. Keep in mind that this Carrera S has only 17 horsepower less than the 911 GT3, more torque over a wider rev range, and is only 146 pounds heavier. On track, of course, the GT3 would win every time. But on a twisty road, the Carrera S should keep up without too much trouble.

But this is much more than just a great engine. What really sets this car apart is the sense of touch.

Even though Porsche has moved the six-cylinder car towards the middle and added more advanced electronics to this car, it still feels like a 911. You can’t escape the rear-engined dynamics, and this is a car that feels lively in the hands and feet, while also having great efficiency. This car has the optional PASM Sport adaptive dampers and a 10.0mm lower ride height, which helps give this car great body control at the expense of a firm ride.

The balance of the chassis and the feel you get through all your contact points with the car gives you a lot of confidence. It’s the rare modern performance car that feels great even if it’s not hell to flog. The limits are high, yes, but it’s still fun well below them.

Cons: The sports suspension is harsh, No manual option, expensive

This car also may have one of the nicest brake pads of any car on sale today. Through the pedal, you can feel exactly where the pad meets the disc, and how tightly one grips the other as you dig deeper into it.

Despite all this sports car stuff, the Carrera S is still a very pleasant daily driver, which is what Porsche wants it to be. I personally would skip the sport suspension, because where I live, it’s too firm, and I like the softer setting regardless.

But, other than that, this car is well suited for everyday use. The engine is quiet when you want it to be, the PDK moves through the front eight ratios smoothly, visibility is great, and since many cars omit buttons, the 911 has plenty of nice physical controls. Additionally, the infotainment system is crystal clear.

There’s an interesting debate surrounding sports cars, where specialization versus ease of use is placed on a kind of spectrum. I don’t think it’s a simple binary, but more often than not, you give up part of one for the other. The Carrera S has just the right amount of both.

This is an easy-to-use car, but it doesn’t look ordinary. There are always little hints of the 911.

This ease of use doesn’t just pay off on a daily basis; It also encourages you to use the car more on special occasions. A trip in early fall, trying to find the changing leaves outside of New York City, for example.

My only real issue with the Carrera S – other than the sports suspension – is the price. Even before the tariffs, Porsches were expensive, and now with the tariffs, they’re crazy. Pricing for the 2025 Carrera S starts at $153,695 and, as tested, is $178,825. The 911 was never a cheap car, but that’s a lot of money for one of the ‘regular’ models.

For my money, I’d be very inclined to buy the base Carrera, or perhaps the Carrera T for the manual. The S’s extra speed would probably be surplus to requirements, and you’d get something similar in character.

But the price doesn’t change the fact that this is a great complete car. I’m sure a lot of people will be happy to pay the price for a Carrera S, and will be thrilled with the car. I will be too.