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Having driven both the S and GTS, the GTS is a totally different experience. Way more fun and engaging. Many may disagree, but it is 98% of what my Turbo is once you add PDCC and RWS.
Having driven both the S and GTS, the GTS is a totally different experience. Way more fun and engaging. Many may disagree, but it is 98% of what my Turbo is once you add PDCC and RWS.
Porsche has tuned the suspension on the GTS differently than the S to give it sharper handling and a slightly firmer ride. I didn’t drive a Turbo but my SA told me that the Turbo model is more luxury than sport in the ride and handling department. It is softer and quieter than the GTS and doesn’t come standard with PSE. The GTS also has weight added to the steering that is not present on the S or Turbo. In short, the GTS is the sportiest driving/handling.
While I did drive an S with PDCC and a GTS without PDCC, I didn’t drive them back to back so I can’t say if a GTS handles better than an S with PDCC but. I do think it steers “quicker” and is a bit more nimble. My impression of the S with PDCC was one of amazement at how flat the S cornered. With all of these variants, you get to build how much sharpness in the handling you want. In the end, I thought the GTS handled so well that when presented with a unit on my dealers lot without PDCC, I wasn’t concerned about missing that option. If I was doing a factory order I would add the PDCC. Not sure about the RWS as I haven’t driven one with that option.
Importantly for the OP, PDCC doesn’t make the ride harsher or softer and in any event I didn’t find the ride harsh in any of the variants but the steel sprung versions do ride firmer. I wouldn’t buy a Cayenne without air suspension. The rest of the suspension options just make a great driver - better, but not necessary to enjoy the suv.
I own a GTS w/o PDCC and the handling is fantastic. So well that I don't mind not having PDCC. Just a few days drove on some backroad twisties and I was impressed how it does what it does with all that weight. Definitely improved road holding compared to Turbo. 453hp is plenty to have lots of fun in this thing.
So you would say that GTS without PDCC handles and drives better than Cayenne S with PDCC and PASM?
If I understand correctly, you liked the drive of the GTS without PDCC and RWS, but added them to your config hoping that it will make the ride even better (based on the advertisements)?
GTS is just a different driving experience from Cayenne S (w or w/o PDCC). If you like more sporty driving, you will like GTS. With GTS, you want to drive faster, but I wouldn't say so for Cayenne S.
Thank you for the thorough comparison. I would imagine the S to feel lighter due to less weight on the front axle. The biggest difference I noticed between the Audi and Porsche was the steering and how everything just seemed to be better put together. I hate Audi's steering and Porsche's seemed like levels above which sold me on the Cayenne. Problem is that the Cayenne S I optioned came to $128k as the wife wants the assistance package and full leather interior. The GTS came upto $136k but I would imagine the 4-5% discount on S would make it relatively more cheaper than the GTS.
My wife found the S to be a tad bit more firmer than the SQ5 but the steering was much better than the Audi. We have air suspension on the SQ5 and also used to own an AMG which had a very firm ride. She drives the SQ5 in comfort mode where it feels very floaty. She also found the ride to be more planted in the CS but I am not sure how much of that is due the presence of PDCC on the CS we drove. Regarding the V8, I do appreciate the rumble and better low end torque and would love to have it. We are planning to go on a day trip to a near by city that has both GTS and S in stock. Problem is, none of the dealerships here in Texas have a GTS currently so we will have to fly somewhere.
Finally, since you also drove the Macan GTS, would you mind comparing the drive between Cayenne GTS and Macan GTS please? Is the ride in Cayenne GTS less harsh than the Macan?
I negotiated a GTS coupe with several dealers and got up to 6% off MSRP on a custom build. The reactions were all over the place, some dealers said they wanted more than MSPR, some just basically hung up the phone, but the majority were willing to deal with an average of about 2% off. I did not go for the 6% because that dealer had no allocations and wanted a high deposit ($14k), and also passed on another one with 5% off because no allocation, so i landed with a dealer that had an allocation for May build (on a boat now for delivery in 2 weeks!!) and offered 4% off with $5k deposit. You can get a discount, just cast a wide net. Happy to share my strategy, just let me know.
I negotiated a GTS coupe with several dealers and got up to 6% off MSRP on a custom build. The reactions were all over the place, some dealers said they wanted more than MSPR, some just basically hung up the phone, but the majority were willing to deal with an average of about 2% off. I did not go for the 6% because that dealer had no allocations and wanted a high deposit ($14k), and also passed on another one with 5% off because no allocation, so i landed with a dealer that had an allocation for May build (on a boat now for delivery in 2 weeks!!) and offered 4% off with $5k deposit. You can get a discount, just cast a wide net. Happy to share my strategy, just let me know.
Thank you and congrats on the new GTS!
Is it alright if I reach out to you in a few weeks? Still haven't found the time to test drive a GTS yet as there is nothing available within a 200mile radius of where we live. Planning to go to a near by city that has a GTS in the coming weeks.
Thank you and congrats on the new GTS!
Is it alright if I reach out to you in a few weeks? Still haven't found the time to test drive a GTS yet as there is nothing available within a 200mile radius of where we live. Planning to go to a near by city that has a GTS in the coming weeks.
yes for sure. 200 mile radius is reasonable, i went further, but thats because that was best deal + allocation and i dont mind a pick up + long (same day) drive home
Get the S if fuel efficiency is a concern. We do long weekend trips 3-5 times a month so it mattered to us.
On the driving side, the 2.9S is a good bit lighter than V8 variants so you might like its responsiveness better. We also liked the revvy V6 over the torquey V8 Turbo, along with consideration towards differences in consumables/reliability as we tend to keep cars long term.
That being said, if this were to be your only “fun” car, I would get the GTS coupe, with lightweight package.
Get the S if fuel efficiency is a concern. We do long weekend trips 3-5 times a month so it mattered to us.
On the driving side, the 2.9S is a good bit lighter than V8 variants so you might like its responsiveness better. We also liked the revvy V6 over the torquey V8 Turbo, along with consideration towards differences in consumables/reliability as we tend to keep cars long term.
That being said, if this were to be your only “fun” car, I would get the GTS coupe, with lightweight package.
Average annual fuel cost difference between GTS and S is $500.00/year. As to handling responsiveness, the S does feel a bit lighter but with the suspension tuning and setup differences in the GTS, you need to add air and PDCC to an S to get it to handle closer to the GTS.
Average annual fuel cost difference between GTS and S is $500.00/year. As to handling responsiveness, the S does feel a bit lighter but with the suspension tuning and setup differences in the GTS, you need to add air and PDCC to an S to get it to handle closer to the GTS.
Oh, less concerned about fuel, just sheer annoyance having to frequent the gas station. I already have two cars with V8s, don’t need a 3rd one. Ours optioned at $115k along with PASM, PDCC,RAS, cohiba brown NL.
Simply put, if you can afford a GTS, absolute no brainer! I took delivery of mine yesterday, which was 1 of 4 allocations left in the country for MY '21. I just came out of an '18 M5, which I loved and this has already made me forget her on the same day. Sort of like you broke up w/ a nine and landed a 10! I saw some concerns ride wise here and I can tell you that it rides better than my M5. I did load her up w/ PDCC, lt wt sport package, rear wheel steering, etc., but still it's an SAV and handles much better than my M5 did. Power wise compared to the M, she's down 100+ hp, but feels only slightly slower and means nothing to me. The unique thing, is that it has a turbo boost button, that instantaneously hyper spools the turbos and catapults the car on command for 20 sec and all around, the sound from the rear center pipes is outstanding! Note that the center pipes come w/ the lt st sport package / lt wt exhaust. If you need to worry about payments, mileage, etc, then you will surely be happy w/ an S and go GTS when you can do so.
I dunno, I live down a lumpy dirt road, in an area where it snows quite a bit, where the roads are crappy, and my Cayenne needs to deal with that and dogs and trips to the dump and more. I said it before and I do think it has some validity - it seems there's a divide in Cayenne owners between those who think they bought the world's biggest sports car and those who think they bought the world's coolest truck. Mine's a truck. My sports car is a '96 911, it's great to drive but it spends a lot of time in the garage.
edit: I'm not saying that either viewpoint is wrong or right, just that there are different ways to look at things and that different models appeal to different people for different resons.
Simply put, if you can afford a GTS, absolute no brainer! I took delivery of mine yesterday, which was 1 of 4 allocations left in the country for MY '21. I just came out of an '18 M5, which I loved and this has already made me forget her on the same day. Sort of like you broke up w/ a nine and landed a 10! I saw some concerns ride wise here and I can tell you that it rides better than my M5. I did load her up w/ PDCC, lt wt sport package, rear wheel steering, etc., but still it's an SAV and handles much better than my M5 did. Power wise compared to the M, she's down 100+ hp, but feels only slightly slower and means nothing to me. The unique thing, is that it has a turbo boost button, that instantaneously hyper spools the turbos and catapults the car on command for 20 sec and all around, the sound from the rear center pipes is outstanding! Note that the center pipes come w/ the lt st sport package / lt wt exhaust. If you need to worry about payments, mileage, etc, then you will surely be happy w/ an S and go GTS when you can do so.
Congrats on the new GTS. It looks badass! Hoping one of these days I get a chance to test drive the GTS. I am not a fan of coupe style SUVs but, imo, Cayenne Coupe is the most good looking SUV currently on the market.
06-22-2021, 09:25 AM
I saw some concerns ride wise here and I can tell you that it rides better than my M5. I did load her up w/ PDCC, lt wt sport package, rear wheel steering, etc., but still it's an SAV and handles much better than my M5 did. Power wise compared to the M, she's down 100+ hp, but feels only slightly slower and means nothing to me. The unique thing, is that it has a turbo boost button, that instantaneously hyper spools the turbos and catapults the car on command for 20 sec and all around, the sound from the rear center pipes is outstanding! Note that the center pipes come w/ the lt st sport package / lt wt exhaust. If you need to worry about payments, mileage, etc, then you will surely be happy w/ an S and go GTS when you can do so. 
