denaliman

I an new to Porsche cars. I have been a BMW M owner for a number of years. I am looking at a new vehicle and and a possible change. I have narrowed down to Cayenne and BMW X6MC. I currently own a X6M. I test drove the Cayenne S and personally it really did not do it for me. There was just something missing to me. Porsche dealer said I should look at the GTS and gave me the Cayenne Turbo to test. He said the performance would be closer to the GTS than the S. The turbo really changed my Impressions ( I drive the coupe version)The Turbo was a different animal and the power was there comparable with the new X6MC. Handling was exceptional. The delta between the Cayenne Turbo and X6MC is about $40,000 here in Canada. Although I really like the Turbo I am not sure I can justify a $ 40,000 premium for the Porsche over the X6MC. I am considering the GTS non coupe , nicely spec’d with all the all the handling features. For you Porsche guys that perhaps have had both Turbo and GTS In the past what do you think I can expect in performance between the Turbo and 2021 GTS? My Porsche dealer said that I probably wouldn’t notice much difference between the two being that it is a GTS. I am not sure, it’s hard not to notice a 100 HP difference. Perhaps some one could enlighten me with your insight. I am still looking at a $20,000 premium difference between the GTS and the X6MC (with my discounts and loyalty available with BMW). The dealer here in Canada said there are no discounts on the Porsche.

DAVfoto

It will be slower than the Turbo so your dealer is shining you on. However compared to the S, it may not be a lot faster but you may feel differently about it due to its handling characteristics, sound, and feel. Or you could go a year old CPO on the Turbo. previous gen GTS vs Turbo (my generation) the GTS and Turbo feel about the same from 0-50 and this is just my opinion here not a fact. The Turbo will pull much more at higher speeds than the GTS but with a N/A motor and the sound it felt visceral for the most part. The new V8TT in the GTS I have no idea what to expect but I do love the GTS line in the Cayennes. Just something about them that makes them special. Good luck with your decision!!

chassis

It's a price vs performance question. More power = faster 0-60. If you can spec the chassis (suspension, steering and brakes) the same, then the decision is on performance, price and prestige.

Are you comparing the X6 (a coupe) with the Cayenne SUV or coupe? Coupes generally carry a higher price tag. If you are comparing X6 vs Cayenne SUV, this is an apples to oranges comparison.

With BMW, the performance levels are base-->MSport-->M-->MComp

With Porsche, the performance levels are base-->S-->GTS-->Turbo-->Turbo S

BMW example using latest BMWUSA site:
X6 xdrive40i 335hp I6
X6 M50i 523hp V8
X6M 600hp V8
X6MC 617hp V8

Porsche example with latest Porsche USA site:
Cayenne coupe base 335hp V6
Cayenne coupe S 434hp V6
Cayenne coupe GTS 453hp V8
Cayenne coupe Turbo 541hp V8
Cayenne coupe Turbo S E-Hybrid not included

BMW is doing what BMW has always done, which is to slot in their models at a lower price point vs Mercedes and Porsche. BMW is the "lesser German premium carmarker" on a model-for-model comparison. I own both BMW and Mercedes and am comfortable with this comparison. If you have BMW experience, you know how much of a chequered past BMW has with V8 engines. Caveat emptor. Buyer beware.

It comes down to - which vehicle meets your requirements and your budget? There is no "right" or "correct" answer. It's up to you.

8378hjlafdljfads

Keep in mind the Turbo S is much heavier than the Turbo, therefore handling is not as agile, though it can be faster in a straight line (assuming a charged battery).

dasams

Go test drive the Panny GTS as it has the same engine as the upcoming '21 GTS. If possible, test it back to back with a Turbo to see the difference in power. Personally, I found the GTS power to be great and there's always the prospect of a tune to recover the detuned 100 ponies.

obbob

The X6M is equivalent to a Cayenne Turbo in performance and features. However, Porsche is a lot more expensive and thus the Cayenne GTS is the equivalent price wise.

The salesperson you've been dealing with must have picked up that you have reservations on blowing the extra $40,000 CAD on the Porsche equivalent, so he is trying to sell you on the GTS as being equivalent since he knows you are comfortable spending that much.

The Cayenne GTS looks like it will be a great car, I have my money where my mouth is on that as I have one coming in November. However, I'm not going to lie and claim that it's equal to an X6M performance wise. Porsche has always been at a premium price, and for that price you get a better sense of build quality, brand name, and more natural handling (I always felt that AMG and M felt like uptuned base cars, while Porsche felt like it always designed to be performance oriented even in base form).

This is the first Cayenne GTS with the Turbo engine so it will be hard to say how big the noticeable difference is. Past GTS generally used a modified S engine, so the Turbo was a big step up. With that said, the GTS is down nearly 100hp to the Turbo. That will be noticeable no matter what.

Carrera-T

If you’re shopping price then stay with the BMW. You can’t beat the performance value for dollar. I was in the same boat and was looking at the M and decided that I really wanted to stay in the Porsche brand. The BMW is nice but Porsche IMHO is another level higher on build quality, driving dynamics and prestige.

The Cayenne GTS is a nice vehicle but the Turbo is the Turbo for a reason. For the most part GTS models have been great “package” cars but lately Porsche has been doing a better job of making them special. That’s one of the reasons for putting the V8 back in the GTS. At the end of the day the GTS will not have the power level of the Turbo Cayenne or the BMW M series but it will have the badge. Only you can decide if the added performance is worth the money.

Don’t ask me. My order just locked for a $160k MSRP Cayenne Turbo Coupe :-). At least I know that I will be satisfied and will enjoy my new car to the fullest extent. Life’s too short, if you can swing the funds go for the best.

denaliman

Thanks for the reply. Your points are thoughtful and valid. This is a great forum and the members have been very helpful.

I do agree with this as well, 100 hp will be noticable

I agree the dealer is trying to make a sale. I am ok with paying a premium, is the level of performance worth $40,000 difference....i am not sure. I felt the handling was better on the Porsche it did not feel like a large heavy SUV. I feel the weight on the BMW even though it does do a good job of containing the heft, just not as "finessed" as the Porsche. I have been looking for a CPO Turbo, but they are extremely hard to find.

dspvend

Unfortunately where are you using all this power on US roads! The horsepower wars are great but I can't use all the power that my Cayenne S puts out!
Unless you plan to track these cars it's absurd power that's just not usable on the roads!! 4.2 sec to 0-60 is more than enough in my opinion...

DAVfoto

Agreed. Even my 13 Cayenne GTS has plenty of power for most stuff. I mean I was getting irritated with traffic off I-95 turnpike where 2 cars were doing 65 side by side and I had to pass them in the far right lane. Dropped it down to 3rd and was at 120 quick and almost didn't realize it.

mrhebert

If you can find a 1-3 year old CPO Turbo, you can save a bundle from new, then you can justify the one you really want,. The Turbo!

dasams

I have a ‘21 GTS incoming and have driven a ‘20 Turbo to get a feel for the car. In the past few days, I’ve driven a ‘19 Panny GTS and yesterday I drove an X6MComp. I was really surprised by how quick the Panny was but it had nearly 1,000 miles on it as it was an exec demo. The powertrain felt great. The BMW, however, only had 69 mi on it and felt really tight. Being so new, I was reluctant to crank up the rpms so this wasn’t a fair comparison. Regardless, the BMW didn’t do it for me and I’m going with a GTS.

Hmet

The GTS is made to lure S potential buyers to stretch and buy the higher variant. I do not buy what the sales rep is trying to pitch. There will be a material power difference.
as for the comparison vs BMW, I test drove the new x5 M50 and I own a turbo.
I do not see myself feeling Massively deprived of power driving the M50 (530 Hp). The turbo is a very nice car but not without its issues, and Porsche has a shown a tendency to be stubborn with warranty claims against the quirks (check the forum here to understand the myriad of problems that do not get solved readily). The car is a great car, but it’s not the brightest spot for Porsche reliability wise (or being quirks free wise). To give examples : you get strange cabin noises and brake noises etc. PCM issues ; I have had like five or six different issues that the dealer worked very hard to overcome, but the shame (to me ) is on Porsche that seemingly didn’t vet the car out of the early build issues and launched prematurely. I Don’t know if they have improved in subsequent model years of cayenne. I also don’t know how the car will fare on the long haul. I am being brutally honest here, but Porsche did and still does better on its other models lines.
i think you should also consider the audi q8rs.

smporsche

Sorry to hear about your Turbo issues. What model year do you have?

runbuh

Edited out because I am an idiot and didn't read the OP's initial ask. You know BMW's well, and I have nothing useful to add (other than I, too, have recently left BMW).