I'm your man: I've just spent last weekend driving a Carrera T across the alps for 6 hours a day. I've actually flown from Milan to Munich on Friday specifically to pick up a rental T that was the only one available in Europe.

Why did i do this? Because after testing the "regular" Carrera, i was happy, yes, but not truly excited. It was what i expected, i liked it, but i didn't love it. I was actually about to purchase it, and if my dealer didn't wait too much i would have actually put down the deposit and pulled the trigger. But then a week passed, and this "manual" doubt started to grow on me, i started to think "at least i need to find a way to test that thing. I'm not buying this car for posing reasons, i actually want to enjoy driving. I have to at least test the manual feeling. I've always loved driving manual before all cars became americans...".

And so it went...i started hunting for a T for rental, wasn't easy but in the end found it. And glad i did, if i didn't i would have bought the wrong Carrera.

My subjective opinion is the T literally is another car. The level of excitement is completely different. Well, the excitement is actually there, while it wasn't so with the PDK. I played with that manual hours on end, i could easily lose the rear, i would regularly throw smiles after a simple downshift. On those mountains i was constantly shifting between 2nd and 3rd, driving up the revs to the limit, going down to 1st in ultra narrow bends, getting the wheels to spin, etc. The sound was much better as well, and it just overall felt freaking exciting. Not for an instant did i desire or felt the "need" for more power. Literally no comparison vs. the emotional feeling i had with the PDK version.

Now a few caveats:
- I've spent most of the time driving along some of the best roads you can find in the world. Alpine passes with nobody up there, etc. Even an afternoon with summer tires and 5 degrees outside with some snow on the sides...just imagine the sheer fun of dosing the clutch getting out of a corner. Does it slide? Yes, hell yes, it can slide and it will slide if you want so.
- I've also drove it in Munich in a city scenario. Needless to say, if you're gonna spend your time in traffic, the manual will simply be a pain vs a PDK. But, to me, the trade off is absolutely worth it. But again, i live in Milan, i have some of the best roads in the world within 40mins driving distance.
- I have a Tesla M3 Performance, which is a rocket ship on the straights. I mean a rocket ship that leaves Ferraris in the dust, and you don't need any launch control or whatever. You just press and take off. Obviously a base carrera on a straight line is way less powerful, but i wouldn't ever want to swap the T with a GTS to get there, as that would mean that once i get to the roads i actually like, i simply could never floor down the throttle like i could with the T sometimes bringing the car to its actual limits. Let me get this clear: if price was the same and resale value was the same, i'd still buy the T manual over a GTS PDK. The fun is at the limit, that's why we all enjoy driving go karts, because we can all test their limits. I'm sure Verstappen would have more fun on a GTS, but i'm no Verstappen, and 99% of buyers are not as well. "My" fun is not reaching 200kmh as fast as possible on the autobahn, "my" fun is exiting a corner in 2nd gear at 4k rpm flooring down the throttle with the risk of spinning the tail, then shifting in 3rd for a second before an heavy downshift to 2nd...rinse and repeat for hours on end.
- Base interiors suck beyond comprehension. They felt like a sub 60k car. Literally a scandal.

There was a video review i actually saw before testing on Youtube. It's a recent video from Joe Achilles on Youtube. Look for that video, as what i felt is exactly what he describes, word for word, maybe even more but that's probably because i not only did country roads but also extreme Alpine passes.

Final outcome: if you'll have the opportunity to spend a decent amount of time on nice bendy roads, by all means get the T. Or at least absolutely test it. If you're gonna be driving only in the city, then no, it would make no sense. But then again...no sports car would make "sense".

Follow your gut, wherever it will lead you. You might end up getting a T and then after a year or two regret it and go for PDK if you spend too much time in traffic...but if you get the PDK, you'll forever be left thinking "what if" once you hit the first nice road.

 

Lots of nice replies here which I skimmed in 5 seconds and didn’t take the time to read, which I will later.

The 992.2 Carrera T manual gear linkage *COMES DIRECTLY* from 991/992 GT3. This is plain fact. I test drove the 992.2 T to confirm what I read.

I owned a 991.2 GT3 Touring. I test drove a 991 Speedster. The shifter and linkage in 992.2 Carrera T are identical to that of Speedster
and 992.2 GT3 with lightweight package (shortened lever). The shifter action is the same as 991.2/992 GT3 (which have the longer shift lever).

How is the shifter in 992.2 Carrera T? It’s downright awesome. And better than anything Porsche has ever offered that isn’t a Speedster-GT3-S/T. Not much more to say than that. It’s eons better than any BMW manual except Z4 Handschalter which is almost as good and truly excellent.

I’ll read the other replies here and make some comparisons in a subsequent post.

 

Oak green neo with brown top and cognac deviated stitching is also under consideration.

 

I currently have a 991.1 GTS PDK. Love the car, but don't really like the PDK. Previous car was an E46 M3 6MT which I had for a decade. Loved that car and it's my only basis for comparison.

 

Good point. It's not that expensive an option either.

I'm on the west coast of Canada near Vancouver. Thank you for the offer though! That's very kind of you.

 

Thank you. I really appreciate your response. I live in British Columbia, so tons of windy mountain roads as well. I currently have a 991.1 C4 GTS PDK. Love the car, but don't really like the PDK and AWD was a mistake as well. Before the GTS, I had an E46 M3 6MT that I had for a decade. What you described is very much how I liked to drive my M3, constantly up and down between 2nd and 4th, revving it out constantly, getting on the throttle hard in 2nd and getting the rear tires a bit loose. Tons of fun. My GTS is "too fast". I realize the Carrera T will be similar, but I think it will be more fun for the reasons you described. With my GTS, it has a high revving NA motor and a surgical transmission. It's just not that exciting unless you floor it, wind it out then use the paddles to snap through the gears. Tons of fun, but suddenly you're going 220 km/h.

 

Ok, if you’re coming from a 991.1 GTS, it might be worth taking a proper test drive in the 992.2 T.
I know your car well, and although AWD and PDK take away a bit of the involvement, you still have the best N/A engine ever fitted to a non-GT LC 911, and you might miss it once you drive the new turbo engine.

To be clear, the 992.2 T is a sublime car, but your GTS is the only Carrera that, after I drove it, made me say about the GT3 of that era: “Is that it?” (only regarding the engine).
That’s not obviously the case with the 992.

If I were you, coming from an E46 M3 and a 991.1 GTS, I would seriously consider a 991.2 GT3 with a manual gearbox, maybe a Touring. There’s a good chance you might be disappointed by the 992.2 T in terms of engine character.

 

I had a new-to-me 992.1 T with the 7 speed manual gearbox. It was a great car, and I loved the cloth interior. But after about 9,000 miles in 7 months there were a few things that were bothering me. The biggest issue was the lack of sound deadening combined with the thinner glass. It would get loud inside even when just driving on the freeway. Not intolerable, but noticeable. Also, I really wanted a moon roof and that car did not have one. Lastly, I never really liked the color (Chalk), but that could be fixed with a wrap. My dealer got in a 992.1 S with the 7 speed manual in a color I really liked (Arctic Grey), a moon roof, and the extended leather interior. It also has rear active steering and the front axle lift. I drove it and found the extra power to be intoxicating, it also sounded better than the T, and I loved the color and the moon roof. I got a great deal so I made the switch. I have now put about 1,200 miles on the 992.1 S, and I still love the extra power, the sound and the moon roof. I look at the car as I walk up and I love the color even more than I did when I first saw it. Having the FAL is critical, particularly with the driveways around where I live (Los Angeles) and I am so glad that the car came with it. But I am having serious doubts about the rear axle steering, something that is standard on the 992.2 T. I drive the canyons near Malibu a lot. The 992.1 S corners like it is on rails. It is really amazing. But because the rear wheels turn, it lacks the drama/fun of the 992.1 T, whose rear end was always just threatening to break away but didn't. The 992.1 S comes across just a little sterile because it lacks that sensation. Also, the more miles that I put on the car on freeways, it feels like the car is shimmying just a little bit, whereas the 992.1 T was rock steady. I don't know if that is a symptom of rear axle steering or a balance issue. It is back at the dealer right now having that checked. Just something to consider.

 

Best shifter I’ve driven in a Porsche is 981 Spyder.
Had a 992.1 T and always found the shifter a bit notch, and gears were crowded up around 5/6/7. 7th felt superfluous.
Now have 992.2 TCab. 6 MT is much better than 992.1 7speed, both in ease of shifting which I believe is due to GT3 linkage as specified above and lack of crowding.
if you like the 992.2 overall, you should get the car and you’ll enjoy the shifter.
If it’s purely the shifting feel you’re after you’d enjoy the 981 Spyder more. It’s a masterpiece of a sports car. That said, the 992.2 Carrera T is an easier car for everyday use. Feels bigger inside, better tech, quieter, power top, and Nannies which are good if for no other reason than to help you protect a near $200,000 investment.
Between standard rear axle steering and power steering plus, the rear end of the 992.2 T DOES feel a bit less stable than either the Spyder or the 992.1T, but it’s fairly subtle and coming from any other car than a Porsche without those features I don’t think you’d notice any difference. The trade off is more nimble feel and improved traction while turning.

 

That's definitely a concern. The engine is pretty wild. Issue is that top of second gear is speeding, top of third gear is impound your vehicle speed and top of fourth is criminal charge where I live so it's hard to really take advantage of it. I'm hoping the turbo will be a bit more fun to short shift.

 

This is where it is at. No disappointment. Tons of on line reviews.

 

@Selo

Thanks for your review.

Can you expand a bit on your comment about the rear-end on 992.2 feeling *less* stable? Less stable during what kind of maneuvers? I have rear axle steering on my 991.2 S (manual), and I’m wondering why rear axle steering on 992.2 would make for less, not more, stability?

Also, do you really think the manual transmission feel of your 992.2 T isn’t superior to that of 981 Spyder? I proudly own two 981s Spyder but I must say the GT3/992.2 shifter feel and linkage are even better.

 

Off topic but I would think about having the top the same color as the interior.

 

Let’s see, if you (348SStb) have two Spyders and you feel the 992.2T shifter feels even better, I don’t know that I have words to prove my point. Perhaps it’s just personal preference…. But I’ll give it a try.
To me the Spyder feels like slipping the gear into a slightly tight fitting cashmere lined glove, perhaps with just a bit of thick lubricant in the glove. There’s just the right amount of resistance but it’s even all the way through the shift. It’s not sloppy by any means, but each shift has a directness yet softness to it. Every time I drive it I’m struck. The 992.2T has a slightly more mechanical feel and it lacks the cashmere metaphor- to me. Sometimes there’s an ever-so-slight resistance when shifting, especially when I’m NOT doing it under ideal circumstances such as a less than perfect heel toe downshift, or when I take a little bit longer than ideal on an upshift and the revs have dropped The Spyder is a bit more forgiving and usually maintains that amazing silky but direct feel, despite my technical imperfection.
As for the rear end being slightly jittery in the 992.2 T, I mainly notice it while moving in a straight line at highway speeds, where the wheel needs slight slight corrections on dead center. I don’t notice this with the Spyder which feels like it’s on rails and all I have to do is hold the wheel straight. My recollection is that in the 992.1 I never noticed the phenomenon of needing slight wheel corrections either, but it hasn’t been driven back to back with the 992.2 as I don’t have it any longer. But when I did have it,I wasn’t aware of any difference in the steering on straight aways compared to the Spyder. I attribute this to the fact that the previous cars didn’t have RAS or PSP. A buddy of mine who has little experience with modern Porsche‘s except mine noted the same thing, without me having told him anything about my experience. It’s subtle, and he ASKED me if there was maybe a difference in the feel between the stability of the Spyder Versus the 992.2 T rather than tell me but he definitely noticed it. And of course my answer was “why yes, as a matter of fact, I do notice a slight difference…” interestingly, he helped me drive the 992.2T from a museum delivery in LA, through Joshua tree, and to Las Vegas, where we then trailered the car back to Albuquerque. He didn’t notice anything at that time. But when he came to visit me a couple months later, and we drove the cars relatively back to back, that was when he mentioned it. OTOH, another friend in ABQ who hasn’t owned Porsches but drives a Miata and Caterham on the track said the 992.2 T is the most stable car he’s ever driven. His words, with no prompting from me.
I hope this helps….

 

read through this thread and this is prob the most accurate and contextualized feedback. agree --the 987/981/982 6 speed feel might be best in Porsche lineup. 991.2 GT3 6 speed probably better than 992 GT3 6 speed.

since the Carrera T is always based on the MECOSA mechanism, I'd be hard pressed to believe it will ever shift as fluidly as an original design that was meant to be a true 6 speed manual. the GT3 linkage prob helps tighten up some of the vagueness in the 992 7 speed manual and I am sure the 992.2 6 speed manual is as good as it will ever be and objectively, it will be better than the 7 speed.