Sport Turismos for all - which one would you pick (4S, GTS or Turbo)?

[W1NGE]

I guess we all knew that in time Porsche would muddy and at the same time dilute the waters and roll out the Sport Turismo (ST) body style across the range shortly after the launch of the GTS ST.

From the start of my Taycan adventure I always wished and hoped for an ST body to replace my Panamera ST but was "let down" by Porsche who then decided to introduce the Cross Turismo (CT) which unfortunately didn't whet my appetite (the plastic arches incident) and felt sure at the time the ST would have been higher on their launch agenda.

Now, having been in front of the line to place an order for the GTS Sport Turismo since last year which has features I'd rather not have (Sport Design pack for one) I'm in a right quandary whether to jump ship and switch to either a 4S ST or Turbo ST or hold fast!

With care there are 'savings' to be made and cosmetic advantages to be gained so what to do?

Anyone else in a similar position and possibly sitting on the fence?

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[BigBob]

Not really answering your question, sorry.

But what actually is the main point of difference between, say, the ST4S and the CT4S? Dimensions, price, performance, size all seem to be pretty much the same looking at the configurator. They kind of look the same too....

 

[f1eng]

I dislike the plastic wheel arch trims too but like the higher ride height less sporty suspension baseline and, funnily enough, much prefer the compass display to the second hand on the dash top clock. I decided against the GTS because of this, and the base price and won't change to the ST 4S either, despite the plastic arches.

Edit: having looked at the configurator I also do not like the styling of any of the available wheels.

 

[W1NGE]

Not really answering your question, sorry.

But what actually is the main point of difference between, say, the ST4S and the CT4S? Dimensions, price, performance, size all seem to be pretty much the same looking at the configurator. They kind of look the same too....

Ignoring the plastic arches and the slightly raised stance the body shells are 100% the same - same additional space over the saloon equivalents.

Porsche (in my view) should not have gone down the Audi Allroad route in the first instance and launched the ST instead (as per the Panamera). Now they've created a dilemma for many. Some folk have a real practical need for the higher road clearance but most not given Smart Lift.

Not studied in detail (yet) but ST4S seems to be more efficient too!

 

[WuffvonTrips]

Not answering your question (as I'm sticking with my Turbo CT and willing everyone ahead of me in the queue to jump ship ?), but an observation:
Your quandary will I assume be shared by many, and by those who have a CT on order but would have preferred a ST. All of those being current unfulfilled orders. I doubt that overall Taycan production is going up much with all these new additions (GTS too). Demand was outstripping supply even before these new variants. So I suspect that the primary effect of these new variants is an additional administrative burden of swapping builds around, rather than greatly increased fulfillable sales. (Maybe their market research suggests that many current Taycan saloon owners will be induced to change early now there's an ST alternative.)

 

[W1NGE]

Not answering your question (as I'm sticking with my Turbo CT and willing everyone ahead of me in the queue to jump ship ?), but an observation:
Your quandary will I assume be shared by many, and by those who have a CT on order but would have preferred a ST. All of those being current unfulfilled orders. I doubt that overall Taycan production is going up much with all these new additions (GTS too). Demand was outstripping supply even before these new variants. So I suspect that the primary effect of these changes is an additional administrative burden of swapping builds around, rather than greatly increased fulfillable sales. (Maybe their market research suggests that many current Taycan saloon owners will be induced to change early now there's an ST alternative.)

I agree - and the problem is further compounded by the existence of the Pana ST - I can see no business case for this now even though Gen III is coming as most folk will source these as a company car and will want to minimise taxes - no brainer really.

Perhaps its an exercise in determining what Porsche should focus on for this market segment - dabble in all and focus on the most popular. It could also be that the manufacturing costs / tooling are negligible to enable the same vehicles to be dressed up differently.

 

[Yorkshirepuds]

One other small difference is that, in the UK at least, the PB+ is an option on the ST4S but standard on the CT4S... which accounts for the roughly £4K price difference between the two. I've no idea why...

 

[whitex]

Not yet available in the USA configurator so cannot compare, but for us in the USA these would just be more theoretical cars you cannot order anyways. Porsche hasn't even been able to deliver on the current lineup to-date, for example how many CT Turbos have you seen in the USA? By the time they do have allocations available, the option sets and prices will likely be different, so no reason to compare and choose until actual factory allocations are in hand. My Porsche experience is starting to feel like Tesla - trying to keep you excited about cars you cannot actually order. I waited over 3 years for Tesla to finally produce the Model X, by the time they did, it turned out to be a let-down for me so I cancelled my reservation.

 

[W1NGE]

One other small difference is that, in the UK at least, the PB+ is an option on the ST4S but standard on the CT4S... which accounts for the roughly £4K price difference between the two. I've no idea why...

But no one in their right mind (apologies to those who disagree) would not choose the PB+ - extra range and performance.

 

[Yorkshirepuds]

But no one in their right mind (apologies to those who disagree) would not choose the PB+ - extra range and performance.

Absolutely right... and only Porsche themselves know why they would make it standard on one and an option on the other.

I'm also a little disappointed with the ST choice of wheels. I thought the 21" CT design wheels were a design masterstroke but am slightly underwhelmed by the ST's RS Spyder design wheels... Only a small niggle I suppose (and I expect some will love them) but I don't like using aftermarket wheels and I guess I was hoping for a bit more originality and flair.

 

[f1eng]

But no one in their right mind (apologies to those who disagree) would not choose the PB+ - extra range and performance.

Extra range, yes and a higher top speed but the extra weight of the battery means the power to weight ratio is about the same for both as evidenced by the same 0-60 times of the saloon with and without the bigger battery.
I suspect easier to sell though but it is a lot of money for a bit more range if you don't do many long trips.

 

[W1NGE]

Absolutely right... and only Porsche themselves know why they would make it standard on one and an option on the other.

I'm also a little disappointed with the ST choice of wheels. I thought the 21" CT design wheels were a design masterstroke but am slightly underwhelmed by the ST's RS Spyder design wheels... Only a small niggle I suppose (and I expect some will love them) but I don't like using aftermarket wheels and I guess I was hoping for a bit more originality and flair.

Talk nicely to your dealer - they can probably override the restriction and let you choose the wheels you want. Mind you the non-black RS Spyder wheels are a grower particularly if you don't want the gloss black window surrounds - darn it I'm already thinking 4S / Turbo ST rather than the GTS ?

 

[f1eng]

Absolutely right... and only Porsche themselves know why they would make it standard on one and an option on the other.

I'm also a little disappointed with the ST choice of wheels. I thought the 21" CT design wheels were a design masterstroke but am slightly underwhelmed by the ST's RS Spyder design wheels... Only a small niggle I suppose (and I expect some will love them) but I don't like using aftermarket wheels and I guess I was hoping for a bit more originality and flair.

I don't dislike the Spyder wheels when they are all one colour but dislike them with the shiny machined stripes, that is my problem with almost all the Taycan wheels though.

 

[W1NGE]

Extra range, yes and a higher top speed but the extra weight of the battery means the power to weight ratio is about the same for both as evidenced by the same 0-60 times of the saloon with and without the bigger battery.
I suspect easier to sell though but it is a lot of money for a bit more range if you don't do many long trips.

Range in the winter in UK (Scotland) with PB+ is at best 'poor' - 185 miles @ 85% and 171 miles once you pre-heat - imagine not having the PB+ (20 / 25 miles less) ... I'd be more range anxious than a range anxious thing!

 

[f1eng]

Range in the winter in UK (Scotland) with PB+ is at best 'poor' - 185 miles @ 85% and 171 miles once you pre-heat - imagine not having the PB+ (20 / 25 miles less) ... I'd be more range anxious than a range anxious thing!

I only do trips longer than that 3 or 4 times a year and am pleased the CT has the bigger battery. It just doesn't really increase performance much if at all. We will be in the Cairngorms at Easter, I may even have my Taycan by then, 9 months after deposit, but maybe not...

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