Porsche 911 Carrera or Carrera S

Today, I want to share a question we received on the blog earlier, along with my husband’s response.

Currently planning to purchase a 992, but I’m torn between the Carrera and the Carrera S. I’m switching from a Macan GTS and don’t own any other Porsche models.
The blog highly praises the base Carrera, but could you explain a bit more about the differences between the Carrera and Carrera S?

That was the question.

It seems this person had already used the configurator and gotten a quote, and including options, the base Carrera comes to about 18 million yen, while the Carrera S jumps to around 20.5 million yen.

Because of budget concerns, they reached out to the blog for advice from my husband, who has experience with various Porsche models.

Still, 911s are really expensive…! My husband’s first Porsche, a 981 Boxster GTS, cost just under 10 million yen new with options, so when I first heard this,

“Wait, 10 million yen for a car!? Why!? That’s way too expensive!! You could do so many other things with that money!”

I thought. But now, I find myself thinking, “Compared to the 911, the Boxster GTS is actually quite a bargain.” My sense of car prices has completely warped…

Is the base 911 more than enough for Japanese roads?

Regarding the initial question of “Carrera or Carrera S?” I asked my husband and here is the reply I shared.

My husband recommends the base 911

When it comes to low-end torque and ease of handling in city driving, the base Carrera is easier to manage. Compared to the Carrera S, you might feel a slight hesitation in torque pickup in town with the S.

The ride quality is smoother and better in the S compared to the base model.

Many Porsche owners we know say similar things, so I don’t think this is far off.

As for speed, the base model is more than enough on Japanese roads. Acceleration merging onto highways right after toll booths is impressively quick. Regarding high-rev power, you’d have to compare acceleration above around 180 km/h to really notice the difference between the base and S. Even though the S has more power, there are almost no opportunities to fully utilize it on public roads in Japan.

Also, when my husband drove a base 992 Cabriolet at Fuji Speedway last year, it was more than fast enough, and the straight-line acceleration was incredible. The engine’s response is so strong it hardly feels like a turbo engine. In Sport Plus mode, if you really floor the accelerator, it bursts past the 7,400 rpm redline and aims for 8,000 rpm.

He’s also driven the 992 Carrera 4S on the track, and while it’s definitely faster, the difference wasn’t overwhelmingly large. To be honest, from my perspective, the roughly 3 million yen price difference didn’t feel justified.

After driving various roads in the base 992, he feels that “for driving in Japan, the base model is more than satisfying.” So if you’re torn between the Carrera and Carrera S, it might be better to think of it this way: “Choose the S if you prioritize ride comfort, or the base if you want easier handling in town.”

If you still want to emphasize power, speed, and the hierarchy, waiting for the GTS model to come out is also an option. Historically, GTS models tend to hold their value better.

That was his take.

The person who asked this question said they had already booked a test drive for the base 911 at their dealer, so I’d love to hear how they felt afterward.