Is The 2023 Porsche 911T The Sweet Spot In The 911 Lineup?

MotorTrend's Joe Berry checks out the 2023 Porsche 911T to see how it fits into the 911 lineup.

Transcript

00:00 There are currently 26 different versions of the Porsche 911 on sale, and yet this might

00:05 just be the sweet spot, because this is the 911 Carrera T. Like the GT3 Touring and the

00:11 GTS, this is a rear-wheel drive, 7-speed manual coupe car.

00:17 Unlike those two cars though, this one is at Motor Trend's Car of the Year.

00:20 Why?

00:21 Let's find out.

00:22 Think of the Carrera T as something of a baby GT3 Touring, only this vehicle you can actually

00:27 buy at list price.

00:29 It's a 911, with a load of weight taken out, but the same, if not more, attention to detail

00:36 put in in terms of driver feel and dynamic performance.

00:40 Now in terms of the design, despite this rather loud python green paint, which is an optional

00:45 extra on this specific car, I think you'll agree with me in saying it's pretty refined.

00:50 They've not gone too overboard with the decals, there are no hood vents, it's really quite

00:55 lovely this car, and it's the same story on the interior.

00:59 Oh, I could listen to that all day.

01:12 The interior is another example of restrained, practical luxury.

01:18 I want for nothing, and yet there isn't anything superfluous, there are no added touches that

01:25 are purely there for the aesthetic.

01:27 These seats, fantastically supportive.

01:31 You know, in a world full of cars in which everything, if not electronically driven,

01:44 is electronically aided, monitored, it's really refreshing to drive a car as analogue as this.

01:53 Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that this is a car free of electronics, on the

01:58 contrary.

01:59 This actually has more electronic systems than the previous 911T.

02:04 This car has electronically adjustable dampers, active electronic engine and transmission

02:13 mounts.

02:14 What this car does so well is it feels analogue.

02:16 It gives you just enough control that you really feel like you're driving.

02:21 That is the masterstroke of what Porsche have done here with this fantastic Carrera T.

02:27 You know, on paper, the 379 horsepower and 331 pound feet of torque offered in the Carrera

02:36 T doesn't sound like a lot.

02:38 And you drive it and you realise it's exactly the right amount.

02:43 Any more power would spoil all the fantastic work the engineers did with the chassis, and

02:48 would ruin what is a very, very pure style of driving.

02:54 The Carrera T offers a more connected driving experience.

02:57 And I'm not talking about the connection with the cloud, I'm talking about the connection

03:01 between driver, car and road.

03:05 It is, as our editor Scott Evans put it, a masterclass in balance.

03:10 It's a pure driving experience, the 911 Carrera T.

03:13 Wow.

03:16 Wow.

03:18 (dramatic music)