10 Impressive Alternatives To The Porsche 911

Feb 10, 2024

You don't have to buy the Porsche 911 to have an iconic sports car, and these alternatives are the proof.

Over the course of 60 years (as of 2024) and eight generations, the Porsche 911 has cemented itself as the benchmark for high-performance sports cars. Over the years, it has undoubtedly evolved, with air-cooled engines being replaced by water-cooled engines, advanced turbocharging, and of course a plethora of technology that makes the 911 not only safer but makes it possible for even novice drivers to tame the beast. An easy way to put it is that the Porsche 911 has essentially become the global benchmark for what a sports car is supposed to be.

Be that as it may, the 911 isn’t for everyone. Maybe you don’t want what some would call the quintessential sports car, or maybe you just want to be a bit different. Either way, there are a number of excellent alternatives to the Porsche 911. Some 911 alternatives, like the Ferrari Roma, for example, are a bit more expensive, while others, like the Nissan GT-R are so old they are practically outdated by comparison, yet they still pose a commendable level of competition. Either way, if you’re interested in a new sports car, but just aren’t feeling the Porsche 911, one of these alternatives could be exactly what you’re looking for.

Related: Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Buy A V-8 Sports Car

911 Carrera

911 Turbo

911 GT3

Horsepower

379-473 HP

572-640 HP

502 HP

Torque

331-420 LB-FT

553-590 LB-FT

346 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.1-4.0 Seconds

2.6-2.7 Seconds

3.2 Seconds

Top Speed

182-193 MPH

199-205 MPH

197 MPH

MSRP

$114,400- $200,700

$197,200 - $230,400

$182,900

The Vantage nameplate has technically been around longer than the Porsche 911, with the very first use being on the 1951-1952 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage. It wasn’t until the 1970s, that the Vantage name was separated from the DB nomenclature, after which point it carried on through several generations of V-8 and V-12-powered sports cars. The Most recent Vantage was launched in 2019 with the V-8 while the V-12 followed a couple of years later in 2021.

Horsepower

503 - 690 HP

Torque

505 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.4-3.5 Seconds

Top Speed

195 MPH

MSRP

$146 986

The Vantage is powered by a either 4.0-liter V-8 engine or a 5.2-liter V-12. The former delivers either 503 or 528 horsepower and 505 pound-feet of torque, while the latter puts down a commanding 690 horsepower. Despite the massive difference in power, the V12 Vantage will get you to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, just 0.1 seconds faster than the Vantage V8. The Aston Martin Vantage is a bit more expensive, with the base model starting out at $146,986, a hefty premium over the entry-level 911 Carrera at $114,000, and some $15,000 more expensive than the comparable Porsche 911 Carrera S.

The Chevy Corvette is one of the few cars on this list that actually has the engine sitting behind the driver, and yet it’s also the cheapest with a starting price of around $65,000. The eighth-generation Corvette essentially proved that you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a mid-engined sports car, and even better yet, it’s also impressively fast.

Horsepower

495 HP

Torque

470 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.0-Seconds

Top Speed

184 MPH

MSRP

$65,895

The base model is powered by a 6.2-liter V-8 that delivers just 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. It might not sound like a lot, but it can school the Porsche 911 all day, needing just three seconds to hit 60 mph and 7.6 seconds to hit 100 mph. To put this into perspective, the $131,000 911 Carrera S needs 3.5 seconds to hit 60 mph. To even keep up with the C8 Corvette, you’ll need to spend $158,200 on the Carrera 4 GTS, and even then, you’ll still need the Sport Chrono Package, which will get you to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds.

Related: 10 Best Sports Cars For Every Budget

If you don’t want a Porsche 911 but still want a bit of German engineering in your life, than the BMW M4 just might be the best alternative for you. Not only will it give you comparable performance, but it’s also significantly cheaper too, even if you go for the absolute best, the M4 Competition xDrive. Pricing ranges from $78,100 to as much as $86,300 for the Competition M4 with AWD, though you can also opt for the Convertible and shell out $93,300 if that’s really your thing. By comparison, you’ll need to spend nearly $40,000 more to buy a base 911 Carrera.

Horsepower

473 HP

Torque

406 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

2.8 Seconds

Top Speed

180 MPH

MSRP

$72,795

Under the hood and behind that controversial grille sits a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, inline-six that generates 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque in standard form or 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet in Competition form. The former can hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds while the latter makes the same sprint in 3.8 seconds. Opt for the M4 Competition xDrive, and that time drops to an impressive 3.4 seconds. All told, the BMW M4 is, quite literally, one of the best bangs for your buck in the sports car segment.

While there are a ton of different options to pick from in the Porsche 911 lineup, it’s much easier when it comes to the Jaguar F-Type. For the 2024 model year, you have just three options: P450 RWD Automatic, P450 AWD Automatic, and P575 AWD Automatic. Unfortunately, this means there’s no hope for a manual, so that’s one sacrifice that you’ll have to accept, but like the BMW M4, the F-Type provides impressive bang for your buck.

Horsepower

444 HP

Torque

428 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.5 Seconds

Top Speed

186 MPH

MSRP

$74,150

The V-8 engine in the base P450 with AWD or RWD is tuned to deliver 444 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, which is good for a 4.4-second sprint to 60 mph and a top speed of 177 mph. Jump up to the P575 AWD, however, and you’re looking at 575 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque – enough for a 3.5-second sprint to 60 mph and a top speed of 186 mph. The base model might be a bit slower, but it’ll only set you back $77,900, a significant discount over the base 911. The P575, which is significantly faster that the base 911 comes in at $113,000 or $1,000 cheaper than the 911 Carrera. You won’t get the 911’s legendary handling, of course, but the F-Type’s V-8 is legendary in its own right.

The Audi R8 is a pretty unique proposition on this list, as it’s the only one that gets you the dominating roar of a V-10 engine – a mainstay in the R8 lineup since the V-8 model was dropped with the launch of the current, second-generation model in 2015. Like the C8 Corvette, the Audi R8 is a mid-engined sports car, however, unlike the C8 it is a bit more expensive than the entry-level base Carrera 911.

Horsepower

602 HP

Torque

413 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.4-3.5 Seconds

Top Speed

200-204 MPH

MSRP

$253,290

The base model Audi R8 delivers a cool 685 horsepower at 8,100 RPM and 406 pound-feet of torque at 6,400 rpm. The GT, on the other hand, is a bit more potent with the V-10 tuned to deliver 602 horsepower at 8,700 om and 413 pound-feet of torque at 6,700 rpm. The GT is capable of hitting 60 mph in 3.4-3.5 seconds on the way to a top speed just north of 200 mph.

Some people will argue that the Lexus LC500 is more like a luxury car masquerading as a sports car, and to a certain extent, they might be right. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some serious performance chops. Right off the bat, you should know that it’s not going to be quite as fast as even the base 911 Carrera, but it’s hard to beat that appearance and the tone of that Lexus V-8.

Horsepower

471 HP

Torque

398 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

4.4 Seconds

Top Speed

168 MPH

MSRP

$99,050

The model you probably want is the LC500, which has a 5.0-liter V-8 that delivers a cool 471 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque. It runs to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds – 0.4 seconds slower than the base Porsche 911 – and up to a top speed of 168 mph. If you want to be a little greener (and see an improvement of around 10 mpg across the board), you can go for the LC500h, with a hybridized 3.5-liter V-6, 354 horsepower, and a 4.7-second sprint to 60 mph. You can get into the LC500 for $99,050, so it’s a fair bit cheaper than the 911, while the LC500h comes in at $102,350.

Related: 10 Affordable Sports Cars That Prove You Can Have Reliability And Performance

In all reality, this entry should be the Mercedes-AMG GT, but it’s now out of production, and there may not be another one for at least a year or two. So, we have to look at the next best thing, and that happens to be the AMG E53 Coupe. It’s not as fast and not as powerful as the 911 Carrera, but it’s significantly more affordable and it’s pretty close in terms of performance.

Horsepower

429 HP

Torque

384 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

4.3 Seconds

Top Speed

155 MPH

MSRP

$77,300

The AMG E53 Coupe is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six with hybrid assist that is good for 429 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. It can sprint to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and tops out at 155 mph when the electronic speed limiter kicks in. It might be a few seconds slower to 60 mph, but it is one of the few cars out there that still feature classic coupe styling, and it starts out at $84,500.

The Nissan GT-R is practically a dinosaur at this point, as it has been in production since December of 2007 and on the market since the 2009 model year. This 14-year-old sports car isn’t called a supercar killer for no reason, and as long as you can get past the somewhat dated technology, it’s a solid alternative to the Porsche 911. Of course, you will have to get past the entry-level price of $120,990 or $220,900 if you want to go for the GT-R Nismo.

Horsepower

600 HP

Torque

481 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.0 Seconds

Top Speed

198 MPH

MSRP

$120,990

Under that menacing hood lurks a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V-6 that delivers 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque or 600 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque in Nismo form. That’s enough for a 2.9-second sprint to 60 mph and a top speed that comes dangerously close to 200 mph. Shifting duties are handled by a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, but the manual shifting mode is on point. A new Nissan R36 GT-R is on the way before the end of the decade, but the R35 may be your last change to get one with a proper and unadulterated high-performance engine.

With the Nissan GT-R Nismo effectively taking us into $200,000 territory, then it only makes sense to discuss the legendary Ferrari Roma. With a starting price of $226,570, you can have a true Italian stallion for the same price you’d pay for a higher-end 911, and you get some impressive style and performance to match.

Horsepower

612 HP

Torque

561 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.1 Seconds

Top Speed

199 MPH

MSRP

$222,620

The Ferrari Roma is powered by a 3.9-liter F154 twin-turbo V-8 (yes, it’s one of the few on this list with a proper V-8) that puts down 612 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque. With this kind of power, you can stylishly sprint to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, up to 100 mph in 6.8 seconds, and on to a top speed of 199 mph. RWD is the only driveline option, but you’re also stuck with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic – one of the reasons why you can get 22 mpg when cruising on the highway.

Related: The Most Underrated V-8-Powered Sports Car Of 2023

The current Maserati GranTurismo was launched for the 2023 model year with all-wheel drive and a fairly potent 3.0-liter V-6. This is Maserati that we’re talking about, so you’re definitely going to pay a premium price, with the base GranTurismo Modena coming in at $175,500 and the Trofeo trim commanding $200,500.

Horsepower

483-542 HP

Torque

442-479 LB-FT

0-60 MPH

3.5-3.9 Seconds

Top Speed

188-199 MPH

MSRP

$177,500-$206,500

For this price, the V-6 under the hood will deliver 483 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque in base form or 542 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque in Trofeo form. This is enough for a 3.5-3.9 second sprint to 60 mph and a top speed of up to 199 mph. In fairness, you do get better performance from a similarly priced 911, but the Maserati GT has it’s own unique flare that’s completely different from that of the 911 yet just as iconic.

Alina has been enthusiastic about vehicles her entire life, and even from an early age found herself itching to get behind the wheel. Through high school and college, she could be found reading through whatever car magazines she could get her hands on, and her love for anything with four wheels has grown with each and every passing day. Over the years, Alina has Alina has accumulated so much knowledge about common and obscure cars that she’s always able to surprise people with interesting facts and information. These days she spends her time working for Topspeed.com, reading up on the latest news and information, and occasionally hunting down hard-to-find information – something that she enjoys and is passionate about.