The Porsche 911 was launched in 1964 as a one-size-fits-all package. Stump up £3,438 and you got a 130hp 2.0-litre engine inside a coupe body. Not your cup of kaffee? Sir or Madam could consider a Jaguar E-Type or Mercedes-Benz 190 SL instead.
It didn’t take long for the 911 range to expand, however. A year later Porsche showed the first Targa: a ‘safety cabriolet’ with a fixed roll bar. Then in late 1966, the 160hp 911S took a bow. The ‘S’ here stood for ‘super’, and the car retained its position as the flagship 911 until it was usurped by the iconic Carrera 2.7 RS in 1973.
Today, there are no less than 20 varieties of 911 on the Porsche configurator. The lineup stretches from the Carrera coupe at £103,700 to the Turbo S Cabriolet at £209,100. Factor in a famously lengthy options list and the combinations are almost endless. More than ever, the 911 is a range of vehicles rather than a single, definitive sports car.
Where does that leave the new 911 Carrera S? Once ‘super’, it’s now only the third rung on the 911 ladder. Priced at £120,500, it sits above the base 911 Carrera (£103,500) and manual-only Carrera T (£115,400), but below the hybrid GTS (£137,900). You can also have your ‘S’ with two- or four-wheel drive, and in coupe, cabriolet or Targa body styles. Confused? Things were so much simpler in the 1960s…
All aboard the S express
Fresh from its mid-life facelift (the 992.2 update, for Porsche geeks), the latest Carrera S packs a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six that now develops 480hp – up 30hp versus the outgoing 992.1 S and matching the 911 (997) Turbo of 20 years ago. In the rear-driven coupe tested here, which had launch control as part of the optional Sports Chrono package (£1,796), that means 0-62mph in just 3.3 seconds. Top speed is 191mph.
Apart from the Carrera T and GT3, Porsche’s dual-clutch PDK transmission is now standard on all 911s. You can leave the eight-speed ’box in automatic mode, or shift manually using the paddles behind the steering wheel. The maximum 391lb ft of torque is available across a broad swathe of the rev-range, from 2,200-6,000rpm.
Apart from its extra 84 horses, the ‘S’ stands apart from the regular 911 Carrera thanks to larger alloy wheels (20 inches at the front, 21s at the rear), a Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus differential, bigger brakes and a more vocal sports exhaust. Rear-axle steering and lowered PASM Sport adaptive suspension – both unavailable on the non-S Carrera – are on the options list.
Familiarity breeds content
Speaking of options, my test 911 Carrera S – pictured here – is fully loaded to the tune of £149,585. Gulp. It does look fabulous, though, with pastel Shade Green Metallic paint (yours for £3,235), Fuchs-style polished Carrera Classic alloys (£985) and Classic Cognac caramel leather inside (£3,312). My car-agnostic partner immediately christened it ‘California spec’, which was apparently meant as a compliment.
Indeed, the 911 is such a familiar sight, it’s worth reflecting briefly on the beauty of its silhouette, which has stayed more-or-less unchanged since 1964. To my eyes, it is particularly pure and pretty in ‘S’ guise. Its fulsome arches are amply filled by those larger wheels, but it does without the vertical-vaned bumper of the GTS, the go-faster graphics of the Carrera T, or the scoops and spoilers of the GT3 and Turbo.
If only the 911 was still the same size as 61 years ago. The Carrera S measures 1,852mm across the hips, compared to just 1,610mm for the 1964 original. On narrow country lanes, you really feel that difference.
Inside the Porsche 911 Carrera S
The paldao walnut trim (£1,386) in my 911 will likely split opinion, but this interior feels worthy of the six-figure asking price. Low-set bucket seats and a padded centre tunnel make it feel snug and sporting, while the plush materials and integrated tech add a layer of luxury.
Rear seats are no longer standard in the 911, presumably to shave a few kilos from the car’s homologated kerb weight, although they can be optioned back in at no extra cost. As ever, they are horribly cramped for anyone beyond primary school age and yet surprisingly useful. On one Saturday, for example, the Porsche picked up both the kids from football training, then later ferried a couple of friends back from a country pub. On both occasions, I’d have had to leave a two-seat sports car at home.
The 911’s dashboard combines crisp, quick-to-react digital displays with tactile physical controls, such as the knurled metal ‘piano key’ switches beneath the central touchscreen. A couple of the buttons serve as shortcuts to deactivate the lane assist and speed warning systems. Standard parking sensors and a reversing camera make life easier, too.
The everyday sports car
While rivals such as the Mercedes-AMG GT and BMW M4 can feel muscular and thuggish, the Porsche delivers a more nuanced driving experience: a gourmet meal rather than just a calorific dessert. Its steering is nicely weighted, body control is resolute and the 305-section tyres slingshot you out of corners, aided by the 911’s natural rearward weight bias. Unless you live in the mountains, the added cost and complication of four-wheel drive probably isn’t worthwhile.
The standard PASM suspension fitted to the Carrera S feels taut and occasionally jarring, so I’d caution against choosing the 10mm lower and stiffer PASM Sport setup (£939) for UK roads. Certainly, you should try before you buy. This particular Porsche didn’t have rear-wheel steering (£1,941), but my experience with other 911s suggests it’s a worthwhile addition, making the car both easier to manoeuvre and more stable at speed.
The payoff for that firm ride is eager turn-in, combined with a sense of throttle-adjustable balance when you up the ante. As ever, Porsche’s brakes are brilliant, with a reassuring feel through the pedal and powerful retardation. If the steel stoppers are this good, why pay £9,087 more for PCCB ceramic discs?
Quicker than a 911 GT3
The new Carrera S has exactly three times the power of its 911S ancestor. Granted, it’s also half-a-tonne heavier, but a DIN kerb weight of 1,540kg isn’t too hefty by 2025 standards. An AMG GT 63 S, for example, tips the scales at 1,895kg.
It’s fast, too. That 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds is a substantial 0.6 seconds quicker than the base Carrera – and the ‘S’ can even outdrag a new, PDK-equipped 911 GT3. The engine makes you work for its rewards, though, with peak power of 480hp developed right on the 7,500rpm redline.
The driving experience is thus very different to a 911 GTS T-Hybrid, which delivers great gobfuls of instant, electrified acceleration. Here, you need to keep the revs simmering and pick your moment. As a result, the Carrera S can feel a bit, well, normal when pottering around in Normal mode. Only when you click into Sport does the gearbox stop trying to short-shift, allowing the breathy flat-six to really stretch its legs.
Verdict: Porsche 911 Carrera S 2025
In the long and occasionally distinguished history of motoring journalism, it’s quite possible more words have been written about the Porsche 911 than any other car. Today, with so many different models to cover, that shows no sign of abating. Driving a 911 – any 911 – is an experience to savour, so I am grateful for that.
For as long as I can remember, my learned colleagues have also said the entry-level Carrera is all the 911 you need. And while that’s still true, the waters are muddier now. The GTS T-Hybrid has the kind of crushing all-round performance that was previously the domain of the 911 Turbo, making it arguably the best all-rounder. And the new Carrera T caters for the keenest drivers, with retuned suspension and a manual gearbox.
That leaves the Carrera S as a suitably ‘super’ sports car in isolation, but one that is slightly eclipsed by the enemy within: its siblings in the Porsche 911 range.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
Porsche 911 Carrera S
PRICE: From £120,500
POWER: 480hp
0-62MPH: 3.3 seconds
TOP SPEED: 191mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 27.7mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 236g/km