Base 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera Debuts at Just Under $100K
New 992-gen Porsche Carrera and Cabriolet cost $6k more, but offer up quite a bit more content for those extra dollars.
The all-new 911 debuted earlier this year, but Porsche only showed us the Carrera S. Now, some time later, we’re finally getting a look at the base Carrera and Carrera Cabriolet. Not that there’s a ton of difference between the two, mind you. But budget conscious shoppers will be happy to hear that. What they may not be happy to hear is that the 992-gen Carrera and Cabriolet start out at $97,400 and $110,200, respectively, plus a $1,350 destination fee. Which is roughly $6,000 more than their predecessors.
The good news is, you do get more goodies for those extra dollars. The 911’s upgraded 3.0-liter flat-six produces 379 hp (nine more than the 991 Carrera) and 331 lb-ft of torque. It might not sound like much, but those extra ponies help the 992 shave two-tenths of a second off its 0-60 time, taking it down to 4.0-seconds flat. Opt for the Sport Chrono package and you’ll shave two more tenths, doing the deed in a respectable 3.8-seconds. The heavier Cabriolet takes 4.2-seconds or 4.0-seconds, and packs a slower top speed of 180 mph versus the coupe’s 182 mph.
The new Carrera also comes with Porsche’s PDK transmission as standard equipment, which was a $3,210 option before. A manual transmission should join it in the coming months, however. It also gets the same adaptive dampers as the Carrera S. And in terms of engines, there aren’t many differences between the two, either. The Carrera’s turbo simply has smaller turbines and compressor wheels, therefore pushing out less boost than the S. And subsequently, it makes a little less power.
Unfortunately, you can’t get the Sport suspension on the base Carrera, nor rear-wheel steering or a limited-slip differential. But you can get carbon-ceramic brakes, which upgrade the standard 13-inchers with four-piston calipers in the front. The base wheels come in staggered 19/20 inch sizes, with 235/40 ZR 19 and 295/35 ZR 20 tires, respectively. If you want to go bigger, you can opt for the same 20/21-inch wheels that come standard on the S.
As far as looks go, both the Carrera and Carrera S are nearly identical. The only noticeable difference (besides the badges) are the rear exhaust openings. The base Porsche Carrera features one rectangular, single-tube tailpipe on each side. Meanwhile, the S models are fitted with a set of round twin-tailpipes on each side. If you want twin oval tailpipes, the Sport exhaust is optional on all models. On the inside, both the base and S models are identical.
So yes, the 992-gen Porsche Carrera is undoubtedly more expensive. But on the other hand, you’re getting quite a bit of content for that extra $6k. And in the end, we think that it all adds up to a pretty solid value.
Photos: Porsche
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