Porsche Carrera T vs Carrera S – What you need to know
The Porsche Carrera is one of the longest-running lines of Porsches and has been around now, in one form or another, for over 60 years!
Most car companies, in their entirety, don’t even last that long! In this article we’re going to focus on two of the newest, most powerful, and most impressive Carrerra’s to ever hit the streets.
This blog post will pit the Porsche Carrera T vs Carrera S head-to-head in an effort to decide once and for all which is the superior Carrerra. And the answer might surprise you! Let’s jump right into it right here and right now.
Highlights
- The article compares the Porsche Carrera T and Carrera S models.
- The Carrera T, introduced in 2018, features a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine with 370 bhp, a 6-speed manual transmission (optional 7-speed PDK), and goes from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds.
- The Carrera S, introduced in 2019, houses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine with 443 bhp, an 8-speed PDK automatic transmission, and achieves 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
- The Carrera T is lighter and handles better, while the Carrera S is more powerful and faster.
- The Carrera T utilizes a race-focused suspension and updated torque vectoring system.
- Both models have distinct aesthetic differences, such as decals and exhaust placement.
- The choice between the two depends on personal preferences, with factors like handling, power, and aesthetics influencing the decision.
A Summary of the Porsche Carrera T
The 2018 Porsche Carrera T was designed to be a lighter, faster, sleeker upgrade to the much revered 991 911. The Porsche Carrera T boasts a punchy and powerful 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine.
This highlighted a move away from naturally aspirated engines that Porsche had seemed to stick with for so long. This 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine is capable of producing a whopping 370 brake horsepower and just over 330 lb-ft of torque.
What does that get you? It gets you from 0-60 in just 4.3 seconds, in part thanks to its 6-speed manual transmission. Since you can also get the 7-speed automatic PDK transmission, you can potentially manage to drop that 0-60 from 4.3 to 4.0 seconds flat!
A Summary of the Porsche Carrera S
After the Porsche Carrera T came the 2019 Carrera S which was designed to upgrade the weight, power, and speed departments.
The Carrera S to houses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine that is capable of producing, as stock, 443 brake horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. That is a lot of freaking power.
The Carrera S only comes with an automatic gearbox, but unlike the Carrera T, the Carrera S has an 8-speed PDK transmission, which is highly unusual.
The Carrera S can get from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of just over 190 miles per hour. The end of the production cycle for the Carrera S came with the new and improved PASM suspension management system that was perfected for track or race conditions.
It also saw a slightly updated media system that improved on a slightly disappointing touchscreen media center.
Porsche Carrera T vs Carrera S – How are they different?
Let’s start, as we often do, with the engine. Both cars have the same size engine that is near enough the same.
So how come the Carrera S is so much faster and, more specifically, so much more powerful? How does it produce 20% more torque with the same engine?
Because that same engine harmonizes with an incredibly efficient transmission that is also quite a lot lighter than its predecessor.
But interestingly, the Carrera T is the lighter car overall. This tells us that the T will handle far better than the S because it’s less likely to swing its tail out.
The Carrera S has been known to be a little tail-happy, especially in wet or rainy conditions. The Carrera T makes use of a better race-focussed suspension, and Porsches updated torque vectoring system.
Torque vectoring allows the Carrera T to push more or less power to each wheel individually as it needs it to ensure you get the maximum power combined with vastly improved traction.
The Carrera T is about 10 miles per hour faster at its peak and gets there quite a lot faster. Almost a whole second faster than the manual S, which is pretty huge when you think about just how fast either of these cars really is.
These two great cars also have a slightly different look and feel to them aesthetically. In part, these changes in style and, therefore, aerodynamics have very tangible effects on their performance.
But for the most part, it just differentiates the cars in a way that isn’t always prioritized with other lines.
There are a lot of 911s, and there are a lot of Carreras, they are bound to look alike. But that being said, the T and S manage to differentiate themselves enough to feel as if they are almost different production lines.
Porsche Carrera T vs Carrera S – Which is the bestlooking?
Both of these cars are beautiful and in similar ways, but they do have their differences. For example, the Carerra T has decals on the lower doors as well as side mirror caps that are exclusive to the T and cannot be found on any other vehicle.
The S has no such decals, which is kind of surprising. Whether you think that adds to their overall look and vibe is a matter of personal preference.
Personally, I am far more interested in the center-mounted tailpipes and exhaust rather than side mounted. This again is exclusive to the Carrera T.
Conversely, the Carrera S makes a lot of effort to improve the almost futuristic style of the car. Flush door handles, LED light bars, tighter trim, and a more beefy appearance in some of the side paneling and skirts.
It’s obviously a matter of personal preference which car you think looks the best, there is no right or wrong answer. But personally, the Carrera T just offers a little more.
Porsche Carrera T vs Carrera S – A summary
While both cars are simply excellent examples of how Porsche has gone from strength to strength over the last five years, it’s only natural for us to try and compare them in such a way that provides a definite answer to which is best.
While you could argue that the Carrera S is far more powerful and adept for race conditions, the T isn’t half bad in its own right and costs much less!
Personally, the T just has a little more going for it in the looks department, but to each their own. Let us know in the comments below which of these two great cars you think is the better Carrera, we’d love to know what the community is thinking and feeling. Thanks again, and be sure to check back in with us soon. Cheers.
