fkim011

This is pretty spot on. Went from S to Turbo to GTS and back to Turbo.

For the driver in all of us, the GTS is a great model variant but my significant other didn't think so. She though the ride was too uncomfortable and harsh. Sometimes refusing to ride in it unless she drove. I happen to agree with her that the ride is a bit harsh but the stance is spot on!

When I was in the GTS, I missed the extra torque that was in the turbo. Going from 65 to 80MPH in the GTS required a downshift while the turbo just stayed in gear and swallowed the ground ahead. Stoplight to spotlight, the turbo barely breaks a sweat. Does it with so much ease, it is almost boring.

In the real world, I think a turbo with PDCC is as enjoyable or more then the GTS.

rdboxster

Was the GTS the 3.6 Turbo? If so I agree with the difference between the turbo V8 and the 3.6 Turbo. It’s for that reason I test drove so many Turbos before getting the GTS. For how we use the vehicle the 3.6 works out. I keep telling the dealer while the 3.6 is a good motor it’s just not up to what I am used to from Porsche. Really looking forward to the 4.0 GTS. As far as the ride it’s really an individual thing. We keep it in sport setting except on really rough roads and during the winter. Sport provides the ride we like the most.

JCWLS3

You said it very well. I think the 4.0TT in the GTS will be spectacular right off the lot. The car will be a little slower than the Turbo (Porsche is maybe the most OCD of all car manufacturers about ensuring trims do not overlap, performance-wise), but for around-town driving I bet it'll hardly be noticed. And with PTS's comments about how easily and safely this overbuilt engine can take more boost, unleashing another 100 to 200 horsepower should be a pretty straightforward thing to do.

I really like the styling of the 9Y0 GTS. At my age, it's a little over-the-top -- I prefer the Q-ship look in our cars, with secret monster power underneath -- but I think overall it's a genuinely nice package.

SillyGoose

I know most people are saying GTS, but let me tell you why I would prefer the S.

-A lot more money for minimal performance upgrade
-You save 200+ lbs vs. the GTS in the front end of the car
-V6 sounds better (subjective)
-GTS comes standard with only 21inch wheels. S can have 20 inch which should provide better comfort
-GTS comes standard with air suspension, which is unpredictable in terms of when it will fail. Despite the better ride quality, I'd save the money and get the steels, which are predictable when they fail
-More money saved in S in terms of gas mileage

phaser

You make some very good points my friend.

DAVfoto

My answers in red.

The whole thing is, whether one can afford to bump up to the GTS or stay comfortable with the S and not worry about overextending themselves otherwise it's moot.

PTS

$119k GTS build? Teach me how. I couldn't get sub $130k on a GTS spec if my life depended on it.

Joking aside, your $104k S build has to have a bit more in it than a $119k GTS build. I understand the GTS comes standard with a few more items but I've built both trims a dozen plus times and can get my S build in the $108-110k range and my GTS in the $132-135k range.

I've always found a $20k-$25k gap between the two all else being equal.

That being said I was adamant about ordering a GTS but I am one of those who doesn't want to spend 6-figures on a car and not get all my must haves so I actually ended up ordering an S last week. My GTS build was $26k more than my S build and I just couldn't justify that given it's my "wife's car"

Once I saw APR (my favorite tuner) has been able to squeeze an additional 100hp/100tq with just a conservative tune out of the 2.9TT also found in the Audi RS4/5, the S became a lot more appealing at roughly 550hp/550tq. Plan is to flip the S into a GTS in 30-36 months

rdboxster

Audi is coming out with some strong competition with the new SQ8 and RS Q8. Both have the 4.0 turbo with the SQ8 at 500hp and the RS at 591. They seem to match up well with the GTS and Turbo. I suspect the SQ8 would have comparable performance with the GTS even though the Porsche has less HP, the Q8 carries 500 tp 600 pounds more weight. The handling of the Porsche will in all likelihood be better. Audi makes really nice interiors and adds more electronics. I configured a fairly loaded SQ8 which was about $20k less than the GTS I configured. An RS is very comparable to a Turbo in pricing. I may have to look the new Audi’s over a bit more when it comes time to replace the GTS. I have always wanted an Audi RS ever since I drove an RS6.

PTS

Having just come from owning 3 different Audis from 2014-2017 models I'm not sure how anyone can cross shop the 2. Porsche is multiple levels ahead in just about every category. Porsche is about 20% more expensive for ~40% more car. That's my unbiased opinion after having owned/experienced many cars of both brands. If you can afford the Porsche version of the car category you're cross-shopping, it's a no-brainer

phaser

This post is of particular interest to me as I was deciding between the '21 GTS and '20/'21 S model Cayennes but then began considering the '21 SQ8 as another less expensive alternative.
I've never owned an Audi and am relatively new to Porsche with a '19 base Cayenne. The Audi interior appears quite nice but have not driven either a Q8 or SQ8. The '19 base Cayenne rides and handles near perfect for me but now live in SW Florida where there is no real corner carving to be done like where I used to live in South Western PA.
The Cayennes do seem to run about 20% more for similar equipment. Getting 40% more at that point sounds great. I just don't know enough from my own experience to make that call personally.
I'd love to hear more input and opinions on this. This is really a great forum!

SF_

I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't like the look of the front end with the sport design pack. That alone would probably push me from the GTS to the Turbo. I think many on the forum can afford all versions of the Cayenne, so it's more about how you value the different versions. Porsche is great at upselling because they make you think you're getting things for free, although they are just including things as standard for a higher price. I specced my Cayenne in all versions except Turbo S. I ended up ordering the S, but here are where they ended up - base @95k, S @110k, GTS @123k and Turbo @140k. If I really seriously considered the Turbo it may have crept up to 150k. The way I thought about it was relative to base - the S was for sure worth 15k more than the base for me. Is the GTS worth almost 30k more than the base to you? I'd skip the GTS at MSRP and order a Turbo at a discount if you're leaning GTS - the gap will be pretty small.

PTS

My comment re getting 40% more is obviously one guy's opinion, and maybe a stretch. I was attempting to make the point that the premium of the Porsche over the Audi is very justified if comparing apples to apples trim levels of the SUVs

"What you don't know can't hurt you" is very applicable to your situation. Your Porsche experience is with a base Cayenne so if you were to walk into an Audi dealer and drive the SQ8, you'd likely find the Audi more desirable than your Porsche...that is until you went back to the Porsche dealer and drove a Cayenne GTS.

rdboxster

The Cayenne, Q8 and Q7, among others, are assembled in the same plant, on the same platform with many shared parts. The secret sauce for Porsche is the ability to take the Cayenne to a higher level of performance and handling. Porsche has a different target customer than Audi. I agree comparing a base to an SQ8 isn’t necessarily a fair comparison. Better to compare the S and/or GTS to the SQ. Reading through many reviews (European) of the S compared to the SQ the results are as expected, the Cayenne is a better at handling, driving and performance which is why we spend the extra. The original point I was making is that Audi is offering some competitive vehicles using many of the same parts as Porsche, like the 4.0 Turbo, but focusing on the target customer of Audi, which typically prefer more comfortable ride and all the electronics. I for one will need to look it over but am most concerned that Audi hasn’t reduced the weight like Porsche has. Here is an interesting series of drag races .

Slim37

I just bought a 2020 S. A 2021 GTS arrived off the boat when I was ready to sign for the S, but started looking at the GTS to be sure the S was the best choice. However, I was surprised to discover that the sales reps told me that it was worth it. About 45 more hp and it sounds better and in my case it was going to be a 25k difference given the huge discount they were giving me on a leftover nicely optioned S model. I never drove the GTS, but I was struck by the fact that they could have tried to sell me on it to earn another 25k and didn't even try. I have a sports car with a V8 so that also factored into my decision not to have a SUV that may cause me to give up some utility. My S has all season tires and is crazy fast and the V6 sounds great. The rep said that the GTS had summer tires. I live in the north east and did not want to change my wheels every winter. That's why I bought an SUV!!

obbob

Dealers will usually push previous year models because they are given strong incentives to do so.

Cayenne GTS come with all seasons if you don't get 22 inch wheels.