2020 Porsche 911 Carrera base model revealed

The all-new 992 generation 2020 Porsche 911 may have debuted last November at the L.A. Auto Show, but the car we saw and detailed was actually the Carrera S. That would be the second step up the sky-high 911 ladder boasting a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six good for 443 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. With PDK and the Sport Chrono package, Porsche says a coupe version can go from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds.

Today, however, we got our first details about the first 992 ladder step, the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera. It too has a 3.0-liter turbo-six, but it produces 379 hp and 331 lb-ft. That’s an increase of 9 hp from the outgoing 911 Carrera. Porsche says a coupe equipped with PDK and Sport Chrono will hit 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. The slowest variation listed was the Carrera Cabriolet without Sport Chrono at 4.2 seconds. The top speed is 182 mph for the coupe and 180 mph for the Cabriolet.

As on the Carrera S, the Porsche Active Suspension Management (adaptive dampers) come standard on the base model. The wheels are still staggered sizes, but are smaller, with 19’s up front and 20’s at the rear. The gold wheels pictured are optional. The brakes are slightly smaller as well, measuring 13 inches front and rear, and featuring four-piston calipers at all corners. The Carrera S has six-piston front and four-piston rear. You can upgrade to carbon ceramic composite brakes if you like spending lots of money on brakes.

Besides the missing S on its tail, the only significant visual difference are the rectangular exhaust outlets on each side (note that Porsche didn’t actually provide a picture of a stock car). The Carrera S has a round pipe on each side. However, should you opt for the Sport Exhaust system as shown on the above cars, you get the same oval pipes on each side that are available on the Carrera S. At that point, the difference really is just the badge, and you can certainly get rid of that. The interior is identical.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and Cabriolet are available now to be ordered at your local Porsche store with deliveries estimated to begin early next year. Starting price for the Carrera Coupe is $98,750, including the $1,350 destination charge. That’s a considerable increase from the 991, which started at $92,350 for 2019. The new Cabriolet is pricier still at $111,550, representing a $6,900 increase.

You can find out more information about what’s new for the 2020 911 Cabriolet here.