2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T & 2024 Jeep Wrangler

Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

We'll downshift into a Porsche coupe on a diet, the 911 Carrera T... Then, join the Girl Scouts for a "Your Drive" demo on car care... We're getting behind a ride sharing program that's ahead of the times... Then, hitting the ol' dusty trail in the updated Jeep Wrangler...

So, come drive with us, next!

Closed Captioning provided by Maryland Public Television.

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JOHN: While, Porsche has relatively few models in their lineup, they make so many distinct versions of those few that figuring out the right one for you will definitely take some research.

Well, add another 911 to the mix, this Carrera T. Time for us to do a little research of our own.

♪ ♪ If you think all new 911's are priced like a king's ransom these days, have we got a ride for you; the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T. The T doesn't exactly stand for Thrifty, but that's what we're going with, as it comes in only about 10-grand over the base Carrera; more on that later.

The T technically stands for Touring, but that word doesn't properly describe the Carrera T's mission either, as it is supposed to be a back-to-basics effort, dropping weight and features in order to increase the fun factor.

But first, we must address the pink elephant in the room.

Officially, this paint job is called Ruby Star Neo, and most of our drivers weren't fans.

But, if you're looking ahead to future collectability, or just want to stand out, it wouldn't be a bad choice since it always turns heads.

Turbo's are great, and this particular 3.0 liter turbocharged-6 delivers a lot, including 379 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque.

So, we won't go all air-cooled nostalgic, but we do miss a good naturally aspirated Porsche.

The T is indeed stripped down somewhat, but it sure doesn't feel like it.

It officially weighs about 100 pounds less than a base 911, but part of that comes by making the lighter 7-speed manual transmission standard; the rest comes via lightweight glass, less sound deadening materials, smaller battery, and no rear seats.

At that point, why not just buy a Cayman?

But we digress.

As with anything assembled in Zuffenhausen, the Carrera T is a tremendous amount of fun at any speed, with barnacle-like adhesion to any paved surface.

And the T is not all about subtraction as it gets PASM Sport suspension with an additional 10mm reduction in ride height, along with Sport Chrono Package, Sport Exhaust System, and the Carrera S's 20 and 21 inch wheels plus a torque vectoring mechanical limited-slip rear.

Nothing launches like Porsche PDK, and we're sure it's faster, but with the manual, this Carrera T was certainly more fun at our Mason Dixon test track.

Just give it some revs, dump the moderately heavy clutch, and off you go.

There's a ton of grip for consistent drama free departures, with on time arrivals at 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds.

The shifter is buttery smooth, and power delivery stays potent for the whole quarter-mile, with an exhaust note that's more pleasant than aggressive.

Our best time was 12.4 seconds at 115 miles per hour.

Braking was beyond impressive; repeatable, fade-free, straight stops from 60 in just 90 feet.

But of course, handling is the real draw here, something you'd need much more than a cone course to fully explore.

So, we were ripping through the cones at speeds well above the norm, enjoying the amazing grip, direct and precise steering, and lack of any understeer.

Unless you really need to haul some tiny folk around, you won't miss the rear seats.

You can still throw a bag back there.

Otherwise, the T comes incredibly well-equipped with all the expected amenities.

Plus, 4-way adjustable leather sport seats, GT Sport steering wheel, and a mix of both matte, and shiny black accents.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 17-City, 25-Highway, and 20-Combined.

We averaged 24.5 miles per gallon of Premium and loved every minute of it.

That's a slightly worse than average Energy Impact Score with 14.9 Barrels of yearly oil consumption and 7.3 Tons of CO2 Emissions.

As we mentioned, pricing comes in just over a base Carrera at $126,550.

So, while still not cheap, it clearly is the best new 911 bang for the buck.

Minimalism clearly means something different at Porsche, as by giving us less, they're actually giving us more.

Much like where in the English language the letter S comes before T, yet, when it comes to the 911, the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T comes first, as Porsche has essentially created a tweener model between the base Carrera and the Carrera S. But ultimately, the result is much better than that, and when you're behind the wheel, it all just makes perfect sense.

♪ ♪ Increasing access to electric cars and charging is a crucial step for fostering the adoption of EVs nationwide, especially among lower income and the elderly.

Now, a new ride-share program is making electric vehicles available at locations across the country, and delivering a greener way to get around town.

♪ ♪ The affordable mobility platform, or AMP, is a national initiative funded by the US Department of Energy that will establish EV carsharing fleets around the country at convenient parking lots, affordable housing developments, transit hubs and tourist areas.

AMP is an extension of several successful pilot programs managed by non-profits Forth and Mobility Access Group that have proven the concept in Oregon and California over the past few years.

Goforth is an app and web-based program that offers affordable, local short-term electric vehicle rentals to use for errands, shopping and appointments, or just to test drive an EV without the pressure of a salesperson coming along for the ride!

Goforth uses the established miocar networks app.

Members can use the app, website or phone to locate available vehicles and make a reservation, unlock it remotely or with an RFID card, then use the vehicle and return it to the pickup location on their own schedule.

CONNOR HERMAN: So, with EV carsharing, it's a way to spread out the cost, so for one...uh...fee of around five dollars per hour, uh folks get to use a car, which comes with insurance, roadside assistance, the electric...uh...fuel, the charging for that, to really bring down a lot of those upfront barriers that come to owning any vehicle, but also especially with EVs.

JOHN: Better yet, the first 4-hour rental is free.

Users must pre-qualify for membership to ensure they have a valid license and maintain a clean driving record.

Now active in Oregon and Washington state, AMP programs are also rolling out in Nevada, North Carolina, New Mexico, Idaho, Michigan, and Missouri.

Also riding under the AMP umbrella, St. Louis' Silvers program follows a different car-sharing path, with a fleet of Chevy Bolt EVs based at two downtown community centers, providing free on-request rides and delivering meals to elderly city residents.

LARRY KING: My biggest route, like today, will be around 40, 45 to 50.

When I get through with the Meals on Wheels, I help out on the side doing transport, medical transportation.

It helps me out, compared to the van.

I can get into tight spaces, I can maneuver a lot faster.

It makes the job a lot easier.

JOHN: Through June of 2023, the silvers program has delivered more than 100,000 meals to homebound residents and provided over 2000 free rides.

All while saving 45000 pounds of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.

DRIVER: I love the EVs.

They kinda grew on me.

KEVIN HERDLER: They actually ask for these vehicles over the other ones.

They enjoy driving in the electric vehicles.

Something new for them and they thoroughly enjoy driving in them.

And we only have three here, so not all of them get (laughs) get the opportunity to be in the electric vehicles.

They do fight for it, though.

JOHN: The AMP program is delivering on-demand, affordable, emissions-free drive time and community services to those areas of the country that need it the most.

And giving back environmental benefits to all of us.

JOHN: The Girl Scouts are so much more than the great tasting cookies most of us know them for.

These young ladies are inspired, hands-on and eager to use the skills they learn with their troops.

Well, our Audra Fordin invited one local scout troop to sharpen their automotive knowledge in MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

♪ ♪ AUDRA FORDIN: Here at MotorWeek, we like to encourage young people to become involved in their family's automotive maintenance, repair, and safety.

The Girl Scouts are all about working together to make our world a better place.

So, it is with great pleasure that we welcome Troop 2370, joining us to today, working on their automotive maintenance and their automotive engineering badges.

And this kind of basic information can be understood by most pre-teenagers.

Girls, when you're driving in the car and you look at the stoplight, what color are they?

GIRLS: Red... AUDRA: And?

GIRLS: Yellow... AUDRA: And?

GIRLS: Green.

Audra: So, the stop light is red, yellow and green.

Those are the same colors that are on the dashboard when you start up the car.

The red lights mean stop, something needs attention.

The yellow lights on the dashboard, they mean maintenance.

Your car needs something but not emergency right away.

And those green lights mean everything is good to...

GIRLS: Go!

AUDRA: Yes, that's right!

When you're opening up the hood, there are a few things that are really important for you to take a look at.

We're gonna look at motor oil, and we're gonna look at your battery, and we're going to look at windshield washer fluid.

When you need to fill up your washer fluid, you're going to take a look, there's an icon here, it looks like this, and you're going to take some washer fluid, using a funnel, that way you don't spill... You could do that?

GIRLS: Yeah.

AUDRA FORDIN: Absolutely.

That's good.

Now, when we're taking a look at the motor oil, the motor oil has a dipstick.

We're going to take a look on the dipstick, and I want you to see... see those two dots there?

GIRLS: Yes.

AUDRA FORDIN: Those represent the minimum and the maximum lines.

So, as long as the motor oil does not go past that maximum line, everything is good.

And then, if it's in between these two lines, that means its time to add oil.

The windshield wipers need to be working because you need to see, right?

All the decisions that are made on the road are based on you being able to see.

So, it's very important that you keep your eyes on the road.

No cell phones, no distractibility...

So, with a little bit of window spray, you're cleaning the windshield wiper directly, in case there's dirt on it.

Sometimes you don't really need to replace it, you just need to clean it.

Now, we're going to finish up and talk about tires and tire pressure.

If you take a look, yup, at the shoes on your feet, you can see how your tires... how your shoes are wearing, which is the same like the alignment on your car's tires.

Make sense?

GIRLS: Yeah.

AUDRA FORDIN: Great!

Now, let's take a look at tire pressure.

The tire pressure, you're going to find, is written on a sticker, on the driver side door jamb.

When you check tire pressure, you're going to use the tire pressure gauge.

See that big open mouth on there?

You're going to put that onto the mouth on the valve stem.

And we're going to apply some pressure, and then be able to read how much pressure is actually inside of that tire.

Can you see that?

You think you could do that?

GIRLS: Yeah.

AUDRA FORDIN: I think you can too.

Let's give it a try.

But for now, you have a great foundation to understanding automotive maintenance, repair, and safety that's needed for your family vehicle.

If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us, right here at MotorWeek .

JOHN: Time now to hop into the express lane for another QuickSpin!

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: It may or may not be true that everything is bigger in Texas; but, we can confirm bigger 3-row SUVs continue to have equally enlarged sales numbers.

And now, Lexus is giving buyers another option, the 2024 TX, a more luxurious kin to Toyota's new Grand Highlander.

As far as we know, "TX" is not a play on the Lone Star State; however, that was our destination for this First Drive event.

You'd think 3-rows would make the TX a behemoth, but that isn't the case.

It's certainly big at just over 200 inches in length, but it uses a relatively short 116 inch wheelbase.

STEPHANIE HART: The TX rides on the GA-K platform, which is shared by the Lexus RX and NX.

As a result, the TX drives much smaller than you might think it would, which is a good thing.

It's nimble on the road, it's a comfortable ride and its overall quiet.

JESSICA: Fortunately, it doesn't take nimble footing to climb into the third row, which has up to 33 and a half inches of legroom; the second row has roughly 40 inches.

Speaking of, the TX can come with a 60/40 split second row or captain's chairs, altering capacity between six and seven occupants.

Front occupants are greeted by a standard 14 inch touchscreen with smartphone integration.

Under the hood, the entry-level TX 350 packs a 275 horsepower turbocharged 2.4 liter inline-4, standard front-wheel-drive with available all-wheel-drive.

The TX 500h also uses a turbo 2.4 liter inline-4, hybrid assisted for 366 horsepower, delivered through standard all-wheel-drive.

The TX 550h+ is all-wheel-drive as well, powered by a 3.5 liter V6 paired to a plug-in hybrid system.

This top performer generates 404 horsepower, and is capable of up to 33 miles of EV range.

The 2024 Lexus TX is expected to arrive at dealers early next year, starting just over $55,000 and climbing close to $70K.

And we'll have more QuickSpins...soon!

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: We're well past the get to know you phase, as we've been driving this 2023 Acura Integra for 8-months now.

And perhaps the thing we love most about this Integra is that, unlike the typical Acura, it feels less like a tech device and more like a genuine driving machine.

There are things we want to do and then there are things, we have to do.

This Integra proves those things aren't always mutually exclusive.

I consider this Integra a jack of all trades because while it's not truly exceptional at any one thing, it's still really good at a lot of things.

And to me, that's the mark of a great daily driver.

Based on the Honda Civic's already capable chassis, the Integra's sport-tuned suspension, upgraded brakes, and 200 horsepower 1.5 liter turbo-4 take it to a new level.

But it's Acura's available Adaptive Damper System and Integrated Dynamics that bring it all together; adjusting throttle response, steering feel, in-cabin sound, and even the gauges based on whether you've selected Comfort, Normal, or Sport Drive Mode.

Or you can create your own Individual mode with your preferred settings.

Regardless of settings, our fuel mileage has stayed very consistent, now sitting at 34.7 miles per gallon over 16,500 miles; still, well above the Combined rating of 30.

We're heading into winter weather, but something tells us the Integra won't slow down much.

Time for an update from our Kia EV6 GT, on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update!

JOHN: The Jeep Wrangler has been an affordable rugged launching pad for backroad exploring for almost four decades.

And while constant updates have made the current Wrangler more modern and capable than ever, a lot has changed since the JL model first arrived for 2018.

So, Jeep engineers did their thing again, handing us yet another, better Wrangler for 2024.

♪ ♪ To most people, the Jeep Wrangler is all about tradition, a craggy aging dinosaur among the smooth fleet-footed crossovers of the modern era.

But the Wrangler has come a long way with modernization in recent years, and takes another big step for 2024.

Side curtain airbags for the first and second rows are now included in all but the base Wrangler Sport, and Uconnect 5 with 12.3 inch touchscreen is now standard across the board.

And since the 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain has proven so popular, Jeep has made it available in more trims, including all the way down to Sport S, which means an even lower entry price point for what has quickly become the best-selling PHEV in America.

So, the 4xe has truly brought the Wrangler into the modern era in more ways than one, and it was also what we chose to spend the bulk of our Southern Utah drive time in.

It still delivers the same impressive, combined output of 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, with the added bonus of 21 miles of EV time.

The 4xe is just one of many engine options however, including a 270 horsepower 2.0 liter I4 turbo and the monster 470 horsepower 6.4 liter V8 exclusive to the Rubicon 392.

Standard engine remains the 285 horsepower 3.6 liter V6, which is the only way to go, if you want to shift your own gears, as the rest are all 8-speed automatics.

Speaking of the Rubicon, they've made it even more capable for '24, with a new Dana 44 HD full-floating solid rear axle which should hold up better when you stuff bigger tires in there, plus boosts towing capacity from 3,500 to 5,000 pounds.

And a factory-installed 8,000 pound Warn winch is now available as an option.

Off Road+ drive mode makes its way into 4xe models for '24 too, optimizing throttle, traction control, and transmission parameters to maximize off-road performance whether rock crawling or doing high-speed desert runs.

And since people really can't get enough of Rubicon, Jeep has added a new Rubicon X model with 35 inch tires on beadlock-capable 17 inch wheels, integrated off-road camera, steel bumpers, and full-time Rock-Trac 4:1 transfer case.

Back on our home turf, it was a trip to Mason Dixon Dragway with this 4xe plug-in performer.

Provided you've still got some battery power for additional boost, the 4xe will jump off the line with surprising authority on its way to a 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds.

Power deliver stays strong once you get rolling, with things really coming alive as the tach needle climbs.

Automatic shifts were both quick and smooth, resulting in quarter-mile runs of 15.0 seconds flat at 97 miles per hour.

There's nothing about the Wrangler that wants to be pushed hard through a cone course, but we did it so you won't have to.

And truth be told, it wasn't that bad, but when you're sitting this far off the ground, it's a natural tendency to keep inputs smooth and steady and not tempt tipsy fate by being overly aggressive with steering inputs.

But rest assured, even if you are heavy handed, there are plenty of safety systems in place to help keep bad things from happening.

There was a lot of weight transfer on hard braking, which is to be expected, but 145 foot stops from 60 were still longer than we like.

The only real change to the new Wrangler look-wise is an updated 7-slot grille with shorter openings; though there are also the usual new color and wheel choices.

Multiple soft and hardtop options remain available.

And inside, the dash has been reshaped a bit to house that new touchscreen, 12-way adjustable power seats are now available, and additional sound deadening has been added to higher trim levels.

But, just about every trim level also comes with additional content for '24, and thankfully they haven't eliminated the 2-door yet.

Which starts things off with Sport trim at $33,690, 4-grand more for the 4-door.

4xe's remain 4-door only, but now start at just over $50,000, with the exclusive High Altitude trim at $68,790.

Love 'em or hate 'em, Jeep sells an incredible number of Wranglers every year, and it was really what kept the former Chrysler Corporation afloat for many years.

Stellantis has big plans for EVs going forward, but the 2024 Jeep Wrangler is not only more capable and modern than ever, it's proof that electrification and old-school off roaders can coexist; and it's a pretty good bet that the Jeep Wrangler will always remain a major part of their portfolio.

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time!

We'll shift into a luxury hot-hatch, the Acura Integra Type S, and we'll test a midsize pickup that's far from "mid," the new GMC Canyon.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about MotorWeek , Television's Original Automotive Magazine, visit... To order a DVD of this program... MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper, a nationwide network of stores and shops providing major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast, and in your local community.

Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

TireRack.Com is proud to support MotorWeek !

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it TireRack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

♪ ♪ This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

(engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.