Occasionally the test cars’ schedules match, creating an unintended comparison test. In the case of the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, the juxtaposition was the Lexus LC500 convertible. Very satisfying to drive and to look at, that Lexus is seductive. It has a 471-horsepower naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 that charms you with its soft-to-medium song. It is beautifully built and has proportions that have rarely left the concept car stage. My feelings for the LC500 were at an all-time high. Then I arrived in Los Angeles and picked up a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet.
Even in its most basic form, the droptop 911 is more expensive than the Lexus, but neither is what you’d call affordable. Before you start adding options, the 2025 Porsche costs $135,395, or over $25,000 more than the LC. By 2026, the gap grows to almost $40,000. For that extra expense, you’ll reach 60 mph a lot faster (3.1 seconds versus 4.6 seconds for a 2021 LC500 convertible). Although if you remove the 911’s violent launch-control start and roll it from 5mph, you’ll get to 60 in 4.1 seconds. Do the same in the Lexus and you’ll reach 100 km/h in 4.9. It’s clear that the Porsche experience prioritizes performance over cruising. While the Lexus is a visual feast, the Porsche is an eight-course meal that stimulates all the senses.
Every control is tuned and tuned to work intuitively and reliably when you’re driving very, very fast. You want to go fast in the 911 because it feels good. But Los Angeles traffic conspires against such joys. Even at lower speeds or when you’re stationary in stop-and-go mode, the 911’s steering wheel buzzes with information about the texture of the road surface, and the low-end hum and snore of the 388bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged six-cylinder keeps you interested. From a stop, the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission moves smoothly, albeit not as smoothly as a torque converter automatic. Upshifts are virtually unnoticeable, so much so that the gear indicator on the instrument cluster gives a better signal of the gear change than your senses.
Leave the city and head to the San Bernardino Mountains, where you’ll encounter twisting, winding roads in the canyons. Take the Porsche there and you can bend it hard into the corners. On the skidpad we achieved 1.03g of stable and easy to exploit lateral stick. So-called enthusiasts tend to undervalue convertible 911s, preferring the coupe’s stiffer structure, serious character and looks, not to mention its lighter weight (the convertible has almost 200 pounds more mass). But they miss the seduction of the convertible in relax mode: the pleasure of the sun on your shoulders and warm air on your face, the clear sound of the engine and exhaust. Dropping the roof always feels great, and with the 911 it’s a matter of one button. Deploying the air deflector covers the small rear seats, but largely softens wind gusts at highway speeds, allowing you to talk to your passenger without shouting.
In this latest version, called 992.2, the analog tachometer is gone and in its place is a 12.7-inch curved screen. We miss the old tachometer, but the digital one looks a lot like it. With the tank open and on our West Coast test surface, the ragtop surprisingly has just as much interior noise as the coupe, at 72 decibels at 70 mph. Unlike many convertibles of the past, the structure is tight and never lets in a shudder or shudder.
Not much has changed about the 911 Carrera Cabriolet for 2026, except the price. The base price of our 2025 test car was $135,395. This year the price has increased to $148,350, although the previously $4530 Leather Package, which adds a leather-covered dashboard, is now standard. Thoughts wander to the relative bargain the 2026 LC500 offers at $109,200. If you just want to cruise, the LC500 makes a compelling case, but in that case we wouldn’t recommend driving the 911. One taste and you will realize that this is the more complete and attractive car. However, you will have to pay dearly for it.
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Specifications
Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet from 2025
Vehicle type: rear engine, rear wheel drive, 2+2 passengers, 2-door convertible
PRICE
Base/as tested: $135,395/$156,895
Options: Premium Package (adaptive cruise control, lane change assistant, Bose surround-sound audio system, 360-degree camera system with active parking assistance, ventilated front seats, cabin ionizer, storage net in passenger footwell), $5,240; leather interior in Dark Night Blue, $4530; 20-inch Carrera Exclusive Design wheels front and 21-inch rear, $3820; sport exhaust system with tailpipes in silver, $2960; Sport Chrono Package (Sport Plus driving mode, PSM Sport stability control mode, analog and digital stopwatch, Sport Chrono clock, Porsche Track Precision app, tire temperature display, Sport Response button in red, launch control), $2400; 14-way sport seats with memory, $2320; 22.1 gallon extended range fuel tank, $230
ENGINE
DOHC with twin turbocharger and intercooler, 24 valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 182 inches32981 cm3
Power: 388 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 331 lb-ft at 2000 rpm
TRANSFER
8-speed dual clutch automatic transmission
CHASSIS
Suspension, front/rear: struts/multilink
Brakes, front/rear: 13.8 in. ventilated cross-drilled disc/13.8 in. ventilated cross-drilled disc
Tyres: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
F: 245/35ZR-20 (91Y) NA1
R: 305/30ZR-21 (100Y) NA1
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 96.5 inches
Length: 178.8 inches
Width: 72.9 inches
Height: 51.2 inches
Front trunk volume: 5 ft3
Curb weight: 3671 pounds
CD TEST RESULTS
100 km/h: 3.1 sec
160 km/h: 7.9 sec
1/4 mile: 11.5 sec at 120 mph
210 km/h: 13.6 sec
240 km/h: 19.6 sec
The above results omit a 1 foot rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling start, 5-100 km/h: 4.2 sec
Top gear, 50-80 km/h: 2.5 sec
Top gear, 80-110 km/h: 3.1 sec
Top speed (mfr claim): 300 km/h
Braking, 70–0 mph: 138 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 282 ft
Road holding, 90 meter skidpad: 1.03 g
CD FUEL CONSUMPTION
Observed: 23 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/city/highway: 21/18/25 mpg
CD TESTING EXPLAINED
Tony Quiroga is a twenty-year veteran Car and driver editor, writer and car reviewer and the magazine’s 19th editor-in-chief since its founding in 1955. He subscribes to Car and driver since the age of six. “Growing up, I read every issue of Car and driver from cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It is the place I wanted to work since I could read,” Quiroga says. He has moved Auto Magazine to a position as associate editor at Car and driver in 2004. Over the years he has held virtually every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues and also assisted in production CD’s early YouTube efforts. He is also the oldest test driver for Lightning Lap, having completed the Grand Course at Virginia International Raceway more than 2,000 times in 12 years.
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