Socialpro

Ive been set to finding a private party low mileage panamera turbo but to no avail the past several months. Recently I have been watching and reading up more on the GTS and it might not be a bad option to start looking for that as well. I have yet to see a bad review of the car.

I dont necessarily need the 'fastest' car out there - but I do want a smooth, quiet ride (majority of driving is highway).

I have never test driven a GTS, but drove my friends turbo quite a few times. I do like the turbo a LOT but feel like its missing a bit of 'soul' that the GTS might have. The only thing I do not want to compromise much on is the car being on the 'edge' at all times (as some 911s can be), or straying to far away from good daily usability and interstate long distance trips.

What say you panamera-ists who made the decision of one over the other? Who has had both with a recommendation of which one they liked more?

There are also other pros to the GTS over the turbo that I like such as the slightly louder exhaust, exterior looks, and better resale value.

Were there any major upgrades to the car in 2014 over 2013?

They are roughly (used) in the same ballpark price wise, so automatically my brain just goes to 'oh just get the best one there is (panamera turbo)'...but is that faulty thinking as the GTS offers an altogether different driving experience?

robhamster

I went from a 2012 P4S to a 2014 PTT. The difference is noticable to say the least. For a dd any panamera will do imho. Buy what you want and enjoy. Resale is a small factor.

Jafetica888

I had the same decision 6months ago and went for the GTS.
I love the PTT and the speed, but after driving both for a full day rather than around the block from the dealer, I actually thought that the GTS is the faster car in low rev driving. The turbo always seem to need some revs before becoming (ungodly) fast, the GTS was immediately ready to jump.

Phenomenal daily driver, quiet, composed, relaxing when needed (I.e. Morning traffic), but a beast whenever needed.


Look and feel are the same for me as the PTT, resale value maybe a bit better percentage wise then PTT as repairs/maintenance is possibly a bit lower (though still Porsche high).


You can't go wrong with either one, both are sensational cars and a beast on the track....

Hammer911

You won't go wrong with either car. When I spent a few months a year ago scouring the country for a Panamera, I had homed in on the GTS.

Over the last several years I decided I would have a Panamera at some point. Drove various loaners from my dealer when the 911s were in for service and always enjoyed the smooth quiet ride and interior comfort. The loaners were usually base models, with an occasional 4S, and one hybrid.

Coming from the 911s, and actually planning to trade a Cayenne turbo S, the sporty look and feel of the GTS had immediate appeal, and price wise was generally more attainable.

Long story short I wasn't able to quite find a GTS deal I felt was compelling enough, decided to wait until the right one came along. During the "cooling off" period I stumbled across, and into, a Panamera turbo S at a deal I could not refuse. I posted a thread about my purchase, shouldn't be too hard to find on this forum if you're interested.

The trade off was a little edginess in looks, and a little of the "growl" if you know what I mean. On the plus side, the luxury is over the top, and the ride and comfort and quiet cabin are wonderful (the quiet cabin really lets the Burmester audio do its thing!) The turbo S blades are lighter and allegedly spin up a bit faster, but the GTS may (real or imagined) step a bit quicker off the line. The roll-on speed of the turbo S, especially from 70 to 120, is breathtaking however.

Other little things may make a difference to you as well...alcantara seats in the GTS don't allow ventilation if that makes a difference to you.

In any case, I've been very happy with mine and no doubt would have been happy with the GTS as well. Good luck and happy motoring!

Socialpro

Thank you for the write up.

I believe I have honed in on looking for a turbo for now....now to find a clean private party example!

AndrewP

Cannot go wrong with any Panamera, but if at all possible, a CPO car from a dealer may save you despite its initially higher price than private party purchase, unless the car has enough CPO remaining.

FWIW, I loved my '15 991 TTS and 13' PGTS, but opted for a new PGTS and an NA 991, so will wait for the 991.2 GT3. Turbo S is insanely fast from any speed one is likely to drive on road or track and gets the job done without any drama, but cannot match the soul of an NA Porsche.

jasonfreed

you have a PM

EMC2

I'm on my 3rd Panamera (a GTS) so you know I like them
Whilst one cannot deny the extra HP in the Turbo, I feel the GTS is just a more engaging drive.
A fellow Rennlister and a serious Porsche enthusiast has this great GTS for sale which I've sen in person (in fact if it had been for sale much earlier I would have bought it myself)

https://rennlist.com/forums/vehicle-...015-black.html

vtgt

Slightly off topic, but what was your favorite cayenne trim? Currently rocking a 957 gts that I will never sell, but throwing around the idea of adding another variant. With the money factor a first gen panny turbo or 957 turbo s seems hard to beat.....might also keep monkeying around with the gts and just add a gt3. I'm building a v10 Audi as we speak as well.

Back on topic: My perspective is Gts of any p model are great drivers, my cayenne Gts is my fav all around car to date and it keeps me outta jail in the USA, and is more fun at legal speeds and around corners p, and oh the exhaust

Hammer911

I had an 2008 Cayenne GTS, great car. Loved the alcantara interior and the suspension. The exhaust sound was awesome. The 2009 Cayenne Turbo S was unbelievable. Didn't have the exhaust note, but I swear you could outrun the sound anyway! It had full leather interior, which was impeccable, but I would have preferred the sport seats versus the comfort seats. I believe it was also the first vehicle with the PDDC.

Hammer911

To Vgtg's second point, it seems to me 4S and GTS are the sweet spot cars in terms of performance/value. That said, I think if "value" is not the primary concern, the turbo S cars are the flagship of any model.

CAlexio

Difference between s & 4s is ttv6 vs NA v8?.. Exhaust sound I imagine? I'm seeing such good deals on 4s vs gts that I wonder if I should just go for that for a daily driver. Big sensory difference between the two? Would miss that awesome gts rear spoiler for sure

dnsacks

Believe you need to drive both before you make a decision -- the 4s is pulling its power out of a relatively small 3liter v6, while the gts has a non-turbo 4.8liter v8 -- while the turbo has a much wider torque band than the v8, it loses the immediacy of power that only a non-boosted large displacement engine can provide.

Turbo Spoiler and exhaust note are both nice, for sure, but it's the GTS' n/a v8's performance that does it for me.

Skidmarkz

Not quite..

2010-2013 S and 4S both came with the 4.8L V8 NA rated at 400HP
2014-2016 S and 4S both came with the 3.0L V6 Turbo rated at 420HP

Summary: S and 4S have the same engines within the same model years, the only difference being RWD and AWD.

2013-2016 GTS always came with the 4.8L V8 NA, 2013 rated at 430hp and 2014+ rated at 440hp, although a salesperson has told me they are all exactly the same engine and that the 2013 was just underrated.

The GTS also has a lower suspension than all of the other Panamera models, and of course the exhaust sound...

AndrewP

I had a '13 PGTS and since earlier this year a '16 PGTS. Both have plenty of grunt, although my seat of the pants meter favors the '16. Maybe that is because the exhaust note is a bit more intense on the '16. FWIW, whether 430 or 440, Porsche is very conservative on their bhp and torque ratings, so it is likely that both produce more than the factory rating. With a PGTS it is how it puts the power down on corners that separates it from the higher torque sedans that will walk away on straights.