2025 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe and Cabriolet First Drive

For more than a year now, Porsche has been rolling out the iron – Carrera, Carrera T, GTS T-Hybrid, Turbo, GT3 – to fill its 911 stable with the newest 992.2-generation models.

With the launch of the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera S, the highly segmented pie is now complete. (OK, there will likely be a GT2 version, but that track-ready rear-wheel-drive monster is unobtainium for mortals not on Porsche’s preferred customer list.) The S is the best-selling variant of the 911, recently accounting for 31 per cent of 992 sales worldwide, so this is an important car for Porsche. 

Rounding Out the Lineup

In the 911 hierarchy, the S is number three, sitting above the 911 Carrera and 911T, the latter a manual transmission-only purist version of the base car. Considering how thoroughly accomplished the base Carrera is, with 388 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, why are so many 911 buyers compelled to jump up to the S? According to Oliver Hilger, spokesperson for both the 911 and 718 Series, the majority of Porsche 911 customers are the type of folks who don’t do “entry level” no matter how good the base Carrera may be.

The first 911 S appeared in 1975, two years after the debut of the 911 sports car. The “S” initially stood for Super, and now denotes Sport.

A Power Increase

In keeping with the evolution of the species, Porsche has upped the 911 S’s game for 2025. Output from the rear-mounted twin-turbocharged 3.0L flat six-cylinder leaps from 443 hp to 473 hp (the same as the outgoing GTS), while torque remains at 390 lb-ft. It's hooked up to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic — known as the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) — and there's no manual transmission is on the menu. (The only three-pedal 992.2-generation 911s are the T and the GT3.)  

Below decks, the 992.2 Carrera S retains the same spring rates as the outgoing model but benefits from damper tuning gleaned from the 992.2 GTS T-Hybrid. The standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) adaptive damping now boasts a wider stretch between sport and comfort modes, and the new S gets its brakes from the previous GTS. Rear-axle steering is available with the standard suspension and is included with the optional sport suspension that has the S riding 10 mm (0.4 in) lower to the ground. For 2025, variable sport exhaust is now standard, as about 75 per cent of previous S customers ordered it anyway. 

Porsche says the 2025 911 Carrera S has the same performance as the outgoing 992.1 GTS but delivers all those thrills in a more comfortable manner. Having driven the new-generation Carrera, Carrera T, and GTS T-Hybrid (cars that bookend the S), I was curious to see how this latest iteration of the 911 S slots in. With the 3.6L GTS T-Hybrid now pushed within sniffing distance of the 911 Turbo’s performance, there’s a big chasm for the S. Hence, its performance envelope is also pushed upstream.

At this media drive event, we were sampling the rear-drive S Coupe (starting at $159,700) and Cabriolet ($174,000). My first ride was a stunning cabrio in Ice Grey Metallic paint with a Bordeaux Red interior. It had the standard suspension fitted with optional rear-wheel steering ($2,390), Sport Chrono package ($4,000), and a host of other goodies that, with destination charge and a hit of $22,067 in luxury tax, will set a buyer back $242,622 before sales tax.

When sliding into the 18-way adaptive sports seats ($3,960), all is reassuringly familiar — exceptional comfort and support, perfect driving position, unassailable build quality, and the unmistakable bark of Porsche’s flat-six. A couple of long-held 911 traditions bite the dust in the 992.2 generation: the central tachometer is now digital, and there’s a push-button start to the left of the steering wheel instead of the expected twist fob. (Only the new 911 GT3 retains the twist fob in honour of its race car roots.)

Faster and More Comfortable

Out on mountain roads, the 992.2 911 S was quick to show its hand as a very swift and surprisingly compliant GT car. In normal drive mode, and with the top down and the powered wind blocker in place, the cabin remains comfortable and relatively calm. You could drive this 911 on an extended tour and arrive refreshed and relaxed. However, with a couple hours of scenic, smooth, and sinuous roads on the menu — the kind all sports car enthusiasts dream of — the steering wheel-mounted drive mode selector was soon toggling between sport and sport plus, where chassis stiffness, exhaust sound, throttle response, and transmission mapping ramp up accordingly.

With 473 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque on tap, the Carrera S is blazingly fast, and the farther the tach needle swings towards the 7,500-rpm redline, the more thrilling the experience gets. You’d never know this is a turbocharged engine by the way it sounds, its hunger for revs, or the lack of turbo lag. The eight-speed PDK is undoubtedly the best dual-clutch transmission on the planet, and when dialled up to sport plus, it will shift quicker and better than you with the paddles, be that under hard braking and downshifting into a bend or blasting out of a corner. Like the Amazing Kreskin, the PDK appears to read your mind.

The 2025 Carrera S runs on staggered wheels – 21 inches in the back and 20 inches in the front. Also standard is Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV+) that, in conjunction with the optional rear-wheel steering, gives the S outstanding front-end bite, cornering grip, and a heavenly balance that engages, encourages, and reassures the driver in equal measure. 

Hopping into a similarly specced coupe delivered more of the same, just without the tousled hair, vitamin D, and extra ear candy coming from the twin sport exhaust outlets. There’s no appreciable structural difference between the coupe and convertible — the droptop feels every bit as rigid.

Is the S Worth $24k More Than the Base Carrera?

Getting back to that earlier question: is it really worth spending the extra $24,000 to upgrade from the base Carrera to the S? I drove the 388-hp “base” 911 last year and came away with another question: “why would anyone need any more 911 than this?” It’s that good.

Well, there’s nothing like a back-to-back comparison to find some answers. Porsche had a base 2025 911 Carrera on hand to sample, and I was fully prepared to tell you, good readers, to pocket that difference. However, within the first few metres behind the wheel of the Carrera, it was evident the extra dough for the S might be well spent. 

Yes, there's the matter of the extra output the S delivers, but that wouldn’t be the deciding factor for me, because the base 911 is still thrillingly fast. The biggest differences are related to body control, handling, and ride quality. The base Carrera felt a little less buttoned down, a little less apex-hungry, and exhibited a busier and noisier ride. Where the Carrera in normal mode pitter-patters and fidgets over less-than-perfect surfaces, the S’s specially tuned dampers and recalibrated adaptive suspension filter it out, giving this 911 a considerably more comfortable disposition, even when cranked up to sport and sport plus.

Final Thoughts

Of course, the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera S is infinitely customizable, be that from the long list of packages, the options, or the available paint and interior schemes. both versions tested here were generously optioned, with the coupe coming in at $229,048 (including freight and and luxury tax). Indeed, that's expensive, but if you’re able to play in that sandbox, it's worth every penny. The 2025 911 Carrera S is now available to order as a coupe or cabrio with rear-wheel drive. Arrival in Canada is expected this summer.