Using your education analogy, S is like getting an undergraduate degree. You spend 200K (hypothetical number) to get plenty of education and go on to have a successful career. GTS is a grad school where you spend 100K more to get an advanced degree that may or may not benefit YOU depending on your career. Sure, a grad school diploma on the wall looks nice. Did you really reap 100K worth of benefits? For some people absolutely. For other, not really, and may have been better to have invested that 100K on something better.

Just like you wouldn't consider an S, I would never consider a base because the most important point of me buying an S is the 2.9 V6 engine. And what good is a bundle if it includes 1/2 of what like and 1/2 of what i couldn't care less for not-so-insigificant amount of money when I can have just the options that I like for less?

S has its target buyers. I am it. You are not. GTS has its target buyers. You're it. I am not.

(I get that you don't need a degree to be successful but just using the education system to prove a point. )

 

Education is one thing that a person can never lose . He can lose his business, house , finances , friendships etc . He can't lose his degree . I am not even the primary driver of the Macan . My wife is . I came to the SUV world from a different world . After 19 Porsches and over 30 years I at least know where the brand places its strength . I wouldn't want any Macan as my only car . I have made every sacrifice to have a 911.

Years ago I had a similar discussion with a guy on Macanforum who sounded just like you .Rather than get a GTS he wanted the S with all the leather and iPCM nfotainment garbage that is now dated . Look at the cars from 2015 and most of what he chose is gone . The engine and performance parts have not evolved at the same rate than the junk he sought after . He doesn't post anymore because he probably doesnt have the car . Many of the guys from that time who have their car chose the gear . They are still there but post less . The combination of all the newbie posters with "help me I am lost " and aggressive thread merging led them to vanish from posting .

Its your money , car and time . I have seen many buy an S and and say "next time I want a GTS " . I have never seen the visa versa . You'll learn .

 

Lol, I'm sure you know all about me and what I want/need, yeah OK . I get that you think you know all about Porsche cars because you owned 19 of them, which you are never shy of disclosing in many of your posts, therefore people should follow what you say. Maybe you feel like the "newbies" are tarnishing the GTS's good name. Well, I heard you and I don't agree so accept it and move on. I accepted the fact that some people will enjoy S just as much as some will enjoy GTS. Why you can't do the same is beyond me And, no, I will not regret my decision and sulk. I will not get a GTS after getting this S. Most likely I will move onto an electric because, you know, EVs are the future baby!

 

I didn't say the newbies have tarnished anything . I just feel that Macan Forum changed and many long time posters have become quiet . Whats left are newbies with the same confusion all of us had at one time . I haven't left .
I think that most new buyers simply want is to affirm THEIR purchase and they push back when they cant get that .

The only reason. why I have replied ad naseum is because I am in disbelief that one Nick Murray video with zero evidence to back up his claims is taken as fact . I even remember Nick Murray's first car and I like many of his videos but he's not always right . I dont usually even post on S Vs GTS threads. In fact the only reason I liked Macan Forum so much was because when they car first began we felt like pioneers . Here was this new SUV with PDK and that was a first for Porsche . Many of us back then ordered the car before it even launched much like I did with my 992 GTS that I just got in April .

You have already made up your mind . I wish you peace with it .

 

I built my dream spec in GTS trim several times...color and appearance was generally consistent. What do you know, it showed up at my local dealer in S trim for a solid $16K less than the GTS specs I'd built online. I bought that S, last 2021 Carmine Red delivered to my area so I got the center console buttons instead of the annoying gloss black panel. First 10k miles went down in 6 months. I never wake up in the morning wishing I had a GTS. $16k more than covers an all inclusive weekend trip to the Grand Prix of Monaco, we're going to the French Riviera baby!

 

The only problem with the 2021 S is that it does not have the 2.9l engine. I would take the gloss black panel any day to be able to have that engine.

 

Not a problem for us, we bought ours to tour the wilderness. It'll have a set of wheels for A/T tires to access hiking trails down unpaved roads in the mountains. Wanted the ability of a small Jeep with the comfort of a Porsche. Have a Corvette for days I feel like driving like a jackass.

 

Ultimately this debate is a true 1st world problem , so there is no wrong or right choice. Heck ...even a current base Macan would give a 1st gen Audi SQ5 fits .

That said, choosing an S model Pcar will always be the sensible/budgetary choice. Bang for the buck so to speak, whereas the choice of a GTS is for someone that wants that ever so slightly "next level" model that has enough special sauce going on that makes spending the extra $12-14K moot .

If I may here's my perspective....though its my wife's daily now, a while back, I bought a 2013 Cayenne S back when finding an affordable Cayenne GTS was very tough. Eventually , I went ahead with the CS because it was super high spec, almost an MSRP of a poverty spec GTS and to this day , it's been one of the most reliable Porsches I've ever owned. We've over maintained it but we simply treat it as fast transportation, nothing more, nothing less.

It never had that vibe of a special car .It has never been garaged nor spoiled like my other cars. In fact, I recently drove a friends 2014 Cayenne GTS and it is without a doubt a special rig .

Totally different transmission programming, gravity defying suspension and the noise is sublime. It makes my CS feel closer to a service loaner , but that's ok too.

That is why I bought a Macan GTS for a daily. I wanted the drama of a GTS. It just feels special every time I fire up that honey badger...always an occasion . It gets as pampered as my GT4 & 964 for simply that reason. Emotional connection is priceless. I don't want to ever be bored while driving....

YMMV.

 

Assuming PCCB on the 911, as they're not available on US spec Macans last I checked... an entirely different conversation.

My suggestion is to skip the Macan altogether if what you really want is a Porsche sports car. Go grab a CPO 991.2 Carrera for the same price or less and you'll be MUCH happier. (Or, even better, a 718- unless you HAVE to have a 911. If that's the case, definitely get a 911.)

Exactly- the delta is still there, I'm not sure why I'm supposed to be shocked at these dyno charts. It's the same engine... which is, I think, the core of these S vs GTS debates.

Much like the 911 GTS models in the past few generations, the GTS is just a little bit "more" of everything. To the target market for the GTS models, it's perfect. To those who can make do with the "normal" S, the GTS is unnecessary.

I think where the emotion starts coming in, is that arguably MOST folks who are in the market for a Porsche are just fine with unnecessary.

Let's break it down even further... the Macan is just a Porsche-fied version of a Q5. If folks are ok with compromise, why not consider a Q5, or even an SQ5? There's a reason you wanted a Macan. So there's validity behind the argument that the S model is compromised by definition. Yrralis has a point- the S is already "unnecessary", so why stop at the S?

This is coming from a guy who's had a '15 Macan S and currently a '20 S, about to put a deposit for a '23 GTS this morning. I would have actually gotten the GTS this last time around but I missed the release by a couple months (they announced the GTS model with the 2.9L a month after I took delivery). I loved both cars, but the thought of "more" of what I already love is exciting to me. I'm the GTS model's target demographic.