2025 Porsche 911T First Drive Review

Equipped with a four-speed manual transmission, the Porsche 911 first broke cover at the Frankfurt auto show in 1963.

Five years later Porsche offered the Sportomatic semi-automatic gearbox as an oddball alternative to shift-your-own 911 motoring. Needless to say, there weren’t a lot of takers.

Fast forward 56 years and the script has flipped. With the exception of the nearly unattainable 911 GT3 and GT3 Touring, as of this writing there are no versions of the refreshed 911 — internally dubbed the 992.2 — available with a stick. Like it or not, manuals are growing rarer by the day.

Mitigating that scenario in a small but meaningful way is the 2025 Porsche 911T. Consider this lightened, six-speed-only base Carrera as Porsche’s ode to three pedals.

Do It Yourself

Porsche knows there’s still a slice of the 911 cognoscenti that continues to celebrate the connection that comes with three-pedal driving. The 911T also caters to those who might not have the means of securing a GT3 of their own.

Porsche’s T models have historically embraced elemental performance purity at a relatively affordable price point, and while $149,200 to start is hardly cheap, Michael Rosler, director of the 911 model line, notes this new version has everything an enthusiast could want right out of the box — no options necessary. In the world of Porsche, that’s essentially an unheard of scenario. 

Aimed at Purists

Unlike the two previous 911T variants (2018 and 2022) that were available with either seven-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic transmissions, this latest variant is fitted only with a six-speed manual. It also gets standard rear-wheel steering (previously optional on the T), torque vectoring, the Sport Chrono package, upgraded sport exhaust, staggered 20- and 21-inch Carrera wheels with performance tires, and a bespoke adaptive sport suspension that has the car riding slightly lower than stock.

Inside, four-way electrically adjustable seats with black plaid inserts, a heated GT sport steering wheel, and a way-cool walnut shift knob make up the package. The 2025 911T also has bigger brakes than the previous model; the discs measure 350 mm all around, with six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston grabbers around back. Of course, there are myriad options and packages available for those who might want — but don’t necessarily need — to add some extras.

Power comes from the base twin-turbocharged 3.0L flat six-cylinder that gets bumped to 388 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque for 2025.

Stick-Shift Easter Eggs

Just in case you forget you’re driving a stick, Porsche fits an MT plaque just behind the shifter along with some cute little window stickers showing the six-speed shift pattern. If your memory is really bad, optional puddle lights project the shift pattern on the ground at night.

The six-speed manual is essentially the seven-speed unit from the previous model minus the overdrive cog; the ratios remain the same. So why drop top gear? It’s all about the purity of the experience, Rosler explained. Engineers also spent a lot of energy refining the shift linkage, giving it smoother, shorter, and more positive throws.

There is some history connected with Porsche’s 911T models (T stands for Touring) going back to 1968, when one such car won the Monte Carlo rally. Weight reduction is a calling card of this particular version, and measures for this 2025 911T include reduced sound deadening that shaves 2.5 kg (5.5 lb), lightweight glass, optional carbon seats that cut another 8.5 kg (18.5 lb), and, of course, the manual transmission that saves another 37 kg (82 lb) versus the dual-clutch unit.

Total weight savings is around 27 kg (60 lb), which is hardly noticeable in the grand scheme of a 1,490-kg (3,285-lb) car that generates 388 hp. But it’s the intention that counts.

Drop-Top Time

This is the first year a 911T Cabriolet is offered. Given the lightweight intentions, we couldn’t help but ask why Porsche would make a car that’s 86 kg (190 lb) heavier than a coupe. The answer? If you want a 911 convertible with manual, this is the only one, and customer demand for this configuration continues to exist. (The 2025 911T Cabriolet starts at $165,300.)

Pure Driving Joy

Porsche let us loose on the spectacular roads of South Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains — the perfect playground for the 911T. Except my drive in a Lugano Blue Cabriolet ($217,000 as-tested, including the vaunted luxury tax) started off in the pouring rain. But even on slick, leaf-strewn roads, the car proved to be a joyful, confidence-inspiring companion, tingling with communication and a sense of immediacy that was underscored by the rorty soundtrack, the mid-range punch of the rev-happy flat-six, and the six-speed that works in perfect harmony with the linear clutch. 

This being the latest 992.2 variant, there are a couple cherished 911 features that the incessant march of digital progress has erased. Adios, twist key to the left of the steering column — it’s now a push button. Ditto the central analogue tachometer, which is now a digital rendering.

Not to come across like a spoiled auto journalist, but after lamenting — alongside my esteemed drive partner, Ralf — how cars are getting just too damned fast for their own good these days, exacerbated in no small part by electric vehicles (EVs) that can effortlessly dial up time-warp forward thrust, it was refreshing to drive a sports car with only 388 hp. It’s enough to lean into with full throttle on occasion without immediately ending up in the scenery. Or jail.

Make no mistake: the 911T is a very quick car, but it’s capable of usable, engaging pace. This base 3.0L rounds out the T package to perfection. It does not need, nor ask for, any more power.

Final Thoughts

According to Porsche, almost 70 per cent of 911T buyers participate in driver events, be that track days, organized drives, or cars and coffee-type meets. They are also five years younger than the 911 buyer’s age average of 55. Not surprisingly, the 911T brings in 35 per cent more conquest customers than other 911s.

On a personal note, had I the pecuniary wherewithal to waltz into a Porsche store with more than just gawking on my agenda, I wouldn’t hesitate to order a 2025 Porsche 911T. And I’d gladly do so with exactly zero options.