Help me decide: Turbo vs S
08-25-2018, 05:28 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Help me decide: Turbo vs S
We have narrowed our choices down to 3. Currently own a 2011 Cayenne S with over 105k miles. Never thought we'd keep it this long. It's been a great everyday vehicle and great for towing. Plan to turn it over to my daughter because it's still in great shape.
Configurations:
Turbo, Quartzite, 21' RS Spyder wheels, black leather, Premium package plus, Towing, Black window trim, Black sport tailpipes, 18 way adaptives, Carbon fiber interior trim. MSRP $133,470
Cayenne S, Quartzite, 21' RS Spyder wheels, black leather, Premium package plus, Towing, Black window trim, Black tailpipes, 18 way adaptives, PSCB, Air suspension, Heated steering wheel, Carbon fiber interior trim. MSRP $110,020
Cayenne S, Quartzite, 21' RS Spyder wheels, standard black interior, Premium package plus, Towing, Black window trim, Black tailpipes, 18 way adaptives, PSCB, Air suspension, Heated steering wheel, Carbon fiber interior trim. MSRP $106,290
Not very different configurations, except the Turbo vs the S. Am I missing any essential option? Rear wheel steering- not sure this is needed. We've done fine without it for many miles. Performance on the new S is impressive 435hp, 406 ft/lb torque. Yes the Turbo is 550hp, but I'm not sure how applicable it is to daily driving. I am curious to know how the full leather interior will hold up long term. Our S has standard black interior, so the seats are leather, but the dash and doors are not. Although it's not leather, it is extremely durable and still looks new. I doubt the leather will hold up as well over many miles, but don't know.
What do you guys think?
Configurations:
Turbo, Quartzite, 21' RS Spyder wheels, black leather, Premium package plus, Towing, Black window trim, Black sport tailpipes, 18 way adaptives, Carbon fiber interior trim. MSRP $133,470
Cayenne S, Quartzite, 21' RS Spyder wheels, black leather, Premium package plus, Towing, Black window trim, Black tailpipes, 18 way adaptives, PSCB, Air suspension, Heated steering wheel, Carbon fiber interior trim. MSRP $110,020
Cayenne S, Quartzite, 21' RS Spyder wheels, standard black interior, Premium package plus, Towing, Black window trim, Black tailpipes, 18 way adaptives, PSCB, Air suspension, Heated steering wheel, Carbon fiber interior trim. MSRP $106,290
Not very different configurations, except the Turbo vs the S. Am I missing any essential option? Rear wheel steering- not sure this is needed. We've done fine without it for many miles. Performance on the new S is impressive 435hp, 406 ft/lb torque. Yes the Turbo is 550hp, but I'm not sure how applicable it is to daily driving. I am curious to know how the full leather interior will hold up long term. Our S has standard black interior, so the seats are leather, but the dash and doors are not. Although it's not leather, it is extremely durable and still looks new. I doubt the leather will hold up as well over many miles, but don't know.
What do you guys think?
08-26-2018, 06:36 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
We have an 2005 Cayenne S with 116,000 with leather and it still looks new! I have been told air suspension is great for towing but I don't have any personal experience. We also have 2016 with the base interior, leather is much nicer and much more expensive.
08-27-2018, 04:03 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
We started with an S in the $115K range. Then my wife decided she didn’t like all the ruggedized gray plastic on the bottom of the car, and added the SportDesign kit to cure that. At $122K, we were a stone’s throw from a Turbo.
We mulled it over and decided to go Turbo, making our one (and likely only) supercar-type purchase. We love big V8 power, and those are going the way of the dodo within a decade or less, I think. So eff it.
It’s total overkill as a daily driver, especially with the PCCBs we ended up adding later. But this whole car is ridiculous anyway at the price-point Porsche is asking, even in base and S trim, unless you add zero options. But we could not resist a honkin’ badass TT V8 and a sub four-second zero to 60.
One tip: Check with your insurance agent. We are older people with pristine driving records. The base and S were basically a wash compared with the Infiniti SUV she’s driving now. The Turbo added some dollars. Much higher risk category, at least with State Farm.
Regarding leather, we spec’d the Club Leather in Cohiba / Truffle Brown. Even though we’re in miserably hot Texas, the car is garaged at night and parked in parking garages during the day. We’re not concerned with UV or heat damage.
We mulled it over and decided to go Turbo, making our one (and likely only) supercar-type purchase. We love big V8 power, and those are going the way of the dodo within a decade or less, I think. So eff it.
It’s total overkill as a daily driver, especially with the PCCBs we ended up adding later. But this whole car is ridiculous anyway at the price-point Porsche is asking, even in base and S trim, unless you add zero options. But we could not resist a honkin’ badass TT V8 and a sub four-second zero to 60.
One tip: Check with your insurance agent. We are older people with pristine driving records. The base and S were basically a wash compared with the Infiniti SUV she’s driving now. The Turbo added some dollars. Much higher risk category, at least with State Farm.
Regarding leather, we spec’d the Club Leather in Cohiba / Truffle Brown. Even though we’re in miserably hot Texas, the car is garaged at night and parked in parking garages during the day. We’re not concerned with UV or heat damage.
08-27-2018, 09:57 PM
#5
Burning Brakes
You'll have to let us know what you end up ordering. We debated about PDCC, PTV and rear-wheel steering. The RWS seemed like the best use of our money for the way the car will be driven (it's North Texas. We don't have hills or windy roads around here, but do have tight turns, parking lots and garages). In the end we passed because I was concerned as a first-time Porsche owner about adding even more complexity to the first-year thing -- solely worried about it breaking, and parts being delivered on the slow boat from Germany while we're tooling around in a base loaner Cayenne with 19" wheels.
PTV gave me pause with both the standard PSCBs and, later the PCCBs we added. If the technology uses brake-based vectoring (can anyone confirm this either way?), I figured that accelerated rear brake wear might get expensive -- especially if it produces enough heat to reduce the service life of a rotor, whether PSCB (unknown replacement cost) or PCCB (tell-your-kid-she's-going-to-community-college replacement cost).
We did splurge for the Sport Exhaust because of our redneck V8 fetish. Sport Chrono was in there no matter what, because I'm a gadget guy. And we waffled back and forth on the seats before settling on the 18-way Sport Seats. My wife said they "spoke to her." Hopefully the bolstering won't be too aggressive. I think they look awesome, especially from the rear, where the 14-way seats looked a little clunky in the headrest.
PTV gave me pause with both the standard PSCBs and, later the PCCBs we added. If the technology uses brake-based vectoring (can anyone confirm this either way?), I figured that accelerated rear brake wear might get expensive -- especially if it produces enough heat to reduce the service life of a rotor, whether PSCB (unknown replacement cost) or PCCB (tell-your-kid-she's-going-to-community-college replacement cost).
We did splurge for the Sport Exhaust because of our redneck V8 fetish. Sport Chrono was in there no matter what, because I'm a gadget guy. And we waffled back and forth on the seats before settling on the 18-way Sport Seats. My wife said they "spoke to her." Hopefully the bolstering won't be too aggressive. I think they look awesome, especially from the rear, where the 14-way seats looked a little clunky in the headrest.
08-28-2018, 09:22 AM
#6
Rennlist Member
Hey Scott
i went with a nearly an identical turbo build in quartzite. Think the base turbo is a decent value with its std equipment.
Base exhaust is better looking IMO and went with RWS, walnut wheel and interior incl comfort seats w massage/ac also..
deleted the badging for an understated build used daily for business.
good luck but go with the turbo!
i went with a nearly an identical turbo build in quartzite. Think the base turbo is a decent value with its std equipment.
Base exhaust is better looking IMO and went with RWS, walnut wheel and interior incl comfort seats w massage/ac also..
deleted the badging for an understated build used daily for business.
good luck but go with the turbo!
08-28-2018, 08:39 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Hey Scott
i went with a nearly an identical turbo build in quartzite. Think the base turbo is a decent value with its std equipment.
Base exhaust is better looking IMO and went with RWS, walnut wheel and interior incl comfort seats w massage/ac also..
deleted the badging for an understated build used daily for business.
good luck but go with the turbo!
i went with a nearly an identical turbo build in quartzite. Think the base turbo is a decent value with its std equipment.
Base exhaust is better looking IMO and went with RWS, walnut wheel and interior incl comfort seats w massage/ac also..
deleted the badging for an understated build used daily for business.
good luck but go with the turbo!
Love your new Cup car! Agree- considerable added value on the Turbo for a ~ $20k difference. Not sure on RWS. I am also back and forth on the red leather interior. It’s really nice in person. Just not sure I’d still love it 3 years down the road. The massage will put me to sleep so I can’t do that.
Best wishes at RA if you’re going!
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08-28-2018, 08:41 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
You'll have to let us know what you end up ordering. We debated about PDCC, PTV and rear-wheel steering. The RWS seemed like the best use of our money for the way the car will be driven (it's North Texas. We don't have hills or windy roads around here, but do have tight turns, parking lots and garages). In the end we passed because I was concerned as a first-time Porsche owner about adding even more complexity to the first-year thing -- solely worried about it breaking, and parts being delivered on the slow boat from Germany while we're tooling around in a base loaner Cayenne with 19" wheels.
PTV gave me pause with both the standard PSCBs and, later the PCCBs we added. If the technology uses brake-based vectoring (can anyone confirm this either way?), I figured that accelerated rear brake wear might get expensive -- especially if it produces enough heat to reduce the service life of a rotor, whether PSCB (unknown replacement cost) or PCCB (tell-your-kid-she's-going-to-community-college replacement cost).
We did splurge for the Sport Exhaust because of our redneck V8 fetish. Sport Chrono was in there no matter what, because I'm a gadget guy. And we waffled back and forth on the seats before settling on the 18-way Sport Seats. My wife said they "spoke to her." Hopefully the bolstering won't be too aggressive. I think they look awesome, especially from the rear, where the 14-way seats looked a little clunky in the headrest.
PTV gave me pause with both the standard PSCBs and, later the PCCBs we added. If the technology uses brake-based vectoring (can anyone confirm this either way?), I figured that accelerated rear brake wear might get expensive -- especially if it produces enough heat to reduce the service life of a rotor, whether PSCB (unknown replacement cost) or PCCB (tell-your-kid-she's-going-to-community-college replacement cost).
We did splurge for the Sport Exhaust because of our redneck V8 fetish. Sport Chrono was in there no matter what, because I'm a gadget guy. And we waffled back and forth on the seats before settling on the 18-way Sport Seats. My wife said they "spoke to her." Hopefully the bolstering won't be too aggressive. I think they look awesome, especially from the rear, where the 14-way seats looked a little clunky in the headrest.
Thanks! I considered the sports exhaust but it’s pricey for more sound. Couldn’t you get this with a cat by-pass aftermarket for less? I’m also not sure on RWS for a heavy SUV...
08-28-2018, 10:35 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
Objectively, I’d say the Sport exhaust made the Panny 66 percent more juvenile. The $3K price pushes it into the ZIP code of Stupid. So of course we ticked the box. Folks may think we’re determined to have our whole neighborhood hate us.
08-29-2018, 01:21 AM
#10
Man, you are so right. It’s incredibly overpriced. We asked our SA to take us for a drive in a Panamera Turbo with the Sport exhaust. With the baffles closed as with a standard exhaust, it was a tame-sounding thing. Opening the baffles made a noticeable difference — lots of V8 rumble, with the interior octave dropping quite a bit and the pops and crackles on overrun obvious and (for us) grin-inducing. Outside the car, the difference was equally striking.
Objectively, I’d say the Sport exhaust made the Panny 66 percent more juvenile. The $3K price pushes it into the ZIP code of Stupid. So of course we ticked the box. Folks may think we’re determined to have our whole neighborhood hate us.
08-29-2018, 09:28 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
Hi Joe!!
Love your new Cup car! Agree- considerable added value on the Turbo for a ~ $20k difference. Not sure on RWS. I am also back and forth on the red leather interior. It’s really nice in person. Just not sure I’d still love it 3 years down the road. The massage will put me to sleep so I can’t do that.
Best wishes at RA if you’re going!
Thanks! New cup is better in every way than 997.. Limits so much higher. First outing at RA this wknd.
i considered the brown interiors with the anthracite wood but liked the 958 color better. Red just too flashy for my daily driver..
agree huge mark up on sport exhaust for no perf gain. Get sport chrono w turbo for 'push to pass' over boost button! IMO RWS will make car easier to maneuver when parking in tight lots and more stable at higher speeds. I think about this every time I park my GLE63.. this technology has been on the gt3s and 911 turbos since 2014 and works quite well.
i considered the brown interiors with the anthracite wood but liked the 958 color better. Red just too flashy for my daily driver..
agree huge mark up on sport exhaust for no perf gain. Get sport chrono w turbo for 'push to pass' over boost button! IMO RWS will make car easier to maneuver when parking in tight lots and more stable at higher speeds. I think about this every time I park my GLE63.. this technology has been on the gt3s and 911 turbos since 2014 and works quite well.
08-29-2018, 12:43 PM
#12
Man, you are so right. It’s incredibly overpriced. We asked our SA to take us for a drive in a Panamera Turbo with the Sport exhaust. With the baffles closed as with a standard exhaust, it was a tame-sounding thing. Opening the baffles made a noticeable difference — lots of V8 rumble, with the interior octave dropping quite a bit and the pops and crackles on overrun obvious and (for us) grin-inducing. Outside the car, the difference was equally striking.
Objectively, I’d say the Sport exhaust made the Panny 66 percent more juvenile. The $3K price pushes it into the ZIP code of Stupid. So of course we ticked the box. Folks may think we’re determined to have our whole neighborhood hate us.
08-29-2018, 10:01 PM
#13
Burning Brakes
Fixinbones (orthopedic surgeon? WAG by me), JCL59, and other multiple-Porsche owners: I am in equal parts impressed and jealous of you folks. I hope you enjoy the success (and, most importantly, awesome cars!) that your hard work has produced. Well done -- and thanks for all the input and information here that is so helpful to an amateur like me! 
08-29-2018, 10:34 PM
#14
I was considering base model and as build got more expensive the s sounded better, but what is getting you guys to consider the turbo at such a high Msrp more than benz or bmw?
08-29-2018, 10:44 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Trying not to think about the cost. I have a 991 turbo which I love but still have a slight twinge of regret that I didn't get the Turbo S - even though rationally there is no good argument for it. So got this one I knew I had to get a turbo or look at something else. Again not rational but as a DD a Cayenne is overkill anyways.