The 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera S Is Annoyingly Perfect: First Drive Review

Carrera is an evocative word—Spanish for “race.” Once upon a time, Porsche reserved that term for its most hardcore sports cars, ones that required specialist knowledge to operate. Famously, the Fuhrmann four-cam in the original 1955 Porsche 356A Carrera was essentially a race engine that would shake itself to death thanks to an astronomical (for 1955) 7,000 rpm redline. Legend says a complete rebuild took around 150 hours of labor. Truly metal as fuck.

The facelifted 992.2 911 Carrera S has none of that DNA. Frankly, nor have most Carreras since the 2.7 and 3.0 Carrera RS. Carrera is now a byword for the comfiest, most common 911—the boring choice. But since the first turbocharged 991.2 generation, the 911 Carrera has become something of a stealthy performance weapon, especially the middle-child S and top-shelf GTS models. With almost 500 horsepower and a few tricks borrowed from the previous GTS, it begs the question: Is the 992.2 Carrera S all the 911 you ever need?

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

In practice, the Carrera S is essentially a continuation of the previous GTS. The new S inherits the previous model’s 473-horsepower 3.0-liter flat-six engine, 408-millimeter front and 380-millimeter rear brakes, and your choice of the standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) or PASM Sport—essentially old GTS dampers.

Even then, Porsche completely retuned those old parts; the now-standard dampers have a broader range of stiffness, while Porsche’s Torque Vectoring Plus now comes standard. The big downer? No more seven-speed manual (for now, at least). Your only path into a manual Carrera is with the T.

Porsche says the flat-six is “fundamentally upgraded” to make the same amount of power as the old GTS while simultaneously reducing emissions. Slightly reconfigured turbochargers and intercoolers mounted atop the engine feed air from in front of the deployable spoiler (like the 911 Turbo) to support the extra power. The result is slightly less torque than before and a peakier, less turbocharged-feeling powerband.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Pros: Astounding Speed, Excellent Steering Calibration, Lovely Ride Quality & Composure

But importantly, the 992.2 Carrera S still does that annoying Porsche thing: Effortless competence. Throttle response is near instant, only lacking in the initial crack of a high-strung naturally aspirated engine. There isn’t a huge swell of mid-range torque; the S feels a little tame in the middle of the tach, and it keeps you waiting for power to build. But once you cross 5,500 rpm, power swells to a solid stank face worth of acceleration.

Even with the new fully digital gauge cluster complete with the annoying left-hand start button, I don’t find myself pining for the analog tachometer during my repeated runs to redline. Porsche gives the virtual needle some vitality in its movements, tracking every micro-drivetrain RPM lash and crankshaft-snapping PDK shift.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

The handling of the S also keeps me from staring at the tach for too long, anyway. Finding the edges of grip is easy; the S is a willing dance partner that speaks at every stage of cornering with the best traits of a 911: Controllable rotation on the brakes and steadfast traction on the throttle.

A classic short-and-stiff Porsche pedal makes it child’s play to meter out brake pressure, while the brake pad compound is perfectly tailored for the initial hit. Not too much initial bite, but plenty of feel before ABS kicks in. The steering is similarly perfect—linear with a weighty effort curve and lots of talkativeness about large bumps and front tire traction. Not quite hydraulic levels of granularity, but impressive and addictive in its own way.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Cons: Pricey, Pricey, And Pricey

Visually, the new Carrera S doesn’t look all that different, apart from new front and rear fascias. But it can be optioned with Exclusive Manufaktur and Sonderwunsch-esque items, a broad spectrum of standard colors, and more standard leather than ever before.

Even with a good bit of engine vibration and road noise making it into the cabin, the 911 Carrera S is still plenty comfortable for grand touring, with minimal wind noise at speed and a supple ride. On the highway, I’m tricked into thinking this new S is a grand tourer. In the canyons, I’m then tricked into thinking it’s a rather serious sports car. There is no Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Just a nice, normal Mr. Jekyll.

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1

The biggest con is that it is not cheap. To buy a 992.2 Carrera S, you must spend at least $148,395. Currently, it’s $20,000 more than a base Carrera, and around $8,000 more than a Carrera T before options. Realistically, a Carrera S with some reasonable options will top $170,000. In the context of all 911s, you might be thinking $170,000 used to be 911 GT3 money, and you would be right. The newest 911s have gotten significantly more expensive, but the performance has grown to match. The Carrera S could almost show a current GT3 its tail lights in a straight line. Still, it is damn expensive.

Even with the big price, the 911 Carrera S is simply balanced in all areas. I can’t even accuse it of being boring. It’s definitely all the 911 you’ll ever need, and it even contends for all the 911 you’ll ever want. But if you’re a masochist in search of the purest sports car, the manual Carrera T might be more your speed.