Differences Turbo S vs GTS

[t8rco]

Hi,

New to site so dont shoot me down too quick. Appreciate this may have been covered already but dont have the inclination to trawl for days trying to find an old post.
Looking at either a Gen 1 TURBO S or TURBO or GTS - Now looking at this from a handling/suspension and driving point of view:
1. Which is the best version?
2.What are the main differences?
3.Must have options?
4. 21 or 22" Wheels and tyres best combination?

Thanks Mark

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[Bennachie]

The one you are able to get insurance for....................................

 

[W1NGE]

Hi,

New to site so dont shoot me down too quick. Appreciate this may have been covered already but dont have the inclination to trawl for days trying to find an old post.
Looking at either a Gen 1 TURBO S or TURBO or GTS - Now looking at this from a handling/suspension and driving point of view:
1. Which is the best version?
2.What are the main differences?
3.Must have options?
4. 21 or 22" Wheels and tyres best combination?

Thanks Mark

22" aren't an option so 21" P Zero.

Turbo.S is stupidly fast and worst range. Comes with carbon bits and if CT model Gen 1 has gloss black painted arches.

360 surround. RAS, PSP, extended leather, PCCB or PSCB brakes.

Many are standard at this level.

A few months ago you could get a new unreg MY23/24 Turbo S for around £135K.

Insurance could be an issue if not Turbo S if power is everything.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Hi,

New to site so dont shoot me down too quick. Appreciate this may have been covered already but dont have the inclination to trawl for days trying to find an old post.
Looking at either a Gen 1 TURBO S or TURBO or GTS - Now looking at this from a handling/suspension and driving point of view:
1. Which is the best version?
2.What are the main differences?
3.Must have options?
4. 21 or 22" Wheels and tyres best combination?

Thanks Mark

Mark, plenty of data is available for you to research and compare the trims in Gen 1, starting with the configurator with Gen 1 models still available with Technical Specs and Standard Equipment lists, at least in the US. I would say the best way to help you choose is for you to locate an example that you are interested in and post all the specs, then we can provide inputs on the differences and options, since you are not building one from scratch. The main differences are performance: GTS -> Turbo -> Turbo S (only faster in Launch mode), standard brakes: Standard (Steel) -> Carbide Coated (PSCB) -> Ceramic (PCCB), cosmetic bits exclusive to each trim, and packaging of different options and performance features with most configurable for any trim.

 

[daveo4EV]

Hi,

New to site so dont shoot me down too quick. Appreciate this may have been covered already but dont have the inclination to trawl for days trying to find an old post.
Looking at either a Gen 1 TURBO S or TURBO or GTS - Now looking at this from a handling/suspension and driving point of view:
1. Which is the best version?
2.What are the main differences?
3.Must have options?
4. 21 or 22" Wheels and tyres best combination?

Thanks Mark

GTS vs. Turbo saves a lot of money and the only performance differences are under launch control and sports plus drive mode - around town off track or dragstrip it's hard to see/measure/feel any difference between a GTS and Turbo/TurboS

_IF_ I was to order a new Taycan it was going to be a GTS CT/ST to replace my 2020 Taycan Turbo, but I'm going the Macan EV Turbo route…I was going to put my money where my mouth was on this but the Macan came along and is a better practical vehicle for my needs vs. the Taycan sedan.

get all the options that appeal to you and don't look back…that's my advice as a long time porsche sucker.

 

[mystermykee]

.....Now looking at this from a handling/suspension and driving point of view:

One that is equipped with sport chrono, PDCC sport, rear active steer and PTV+ on 21s--those will give you the best handling.

 

[RSouthern]

Best is a difficult term to be accurate with. What's best for you is probably not best for me. Ok, beyond that, I went with a GTS and I love it. I test drove a Turbo and Turbo S and felt the GTS was more than fast enough, and that was after having driven a Turbo before driving the GTS. I also tried the 4S and RWD but the power felt lower than I was looking for in a daily driver. No regrets on my purchase. I am showing 270 miles on the range (guess-o-meter) and get just under 250 miles of real world, spirited driving on the roads here in California in the summer (I just drove from San Jose to Half Moon Bay, ~115 miles round trip and still showed 130 miles of range remaining - driving at highway+ speeds most of the way and having fun in the twisty parts . I'm sure that if I drove with more "range friendly" driving habits I would have another 10-20 miles of range, but I don't need it for what I do. I came from a BMW K1300S (fast motorcycle) and traded in a 2015 Nissan GTR (mistake?) but I used to daily drove a Mercedes S550 before I got the Taycan, so I'm all over the map in terms of driving styles. I drive to the car's strengths . Did I mention I love the GTS? It just looks better! BTW, in terms of range, I realized that my Jeep Wrangler has just slightly more range (290-300 miles) than the GTS Taycan (it gets ~16MPG - US gallons) and I have never complained about the range on that car, so the Taycan is great and can last a week or more with daily commutes and other random short drives. But I can charge it every night so range is never a concern.

For options, my car is pretty much fully optioned. The only major things I didnt get were the electrochromatic tinting roof glass and paint to color (PTC).

Things I required:

• HUD - I won't buy a car without one these days. Helps keep your eyes on the road.
• Premium package (surround view, Burmester 3D audio, Thermal glass, power mirrors and a few other less important things) - this is a package that may not exist in the UK, so I listed the things that I consider important. The Burmester radio is an improvement over the base radio, but it's nowhere near as good as the Burmester 3D in the W222/W223 (S class) Mercedes - just sayin'.
• Glass roof (I didn't opt for the additional electrochromatic glass - I felt it was not needed since the thermal glass is very effective and it stay cool enough inside with the AC set to 72F on a hot (100F+) day here in California - my head never gets hot)
• 5 passanger seating (middle seat belt in the back seat) and 4 zone climate control.
• Rear axle steering - makes the car feel a lot smaller and helps with maneuvering in tight parking situations. I wish I got this on the BMW X7! The Taycan is a large car and really needs this option.

Some things that I wouldn't option if/when I order a new car include:

• sub-second clock (hands are too hard to read at night - no lume or lighting- but looks great during the day)
• night vision - I've never seen this come on automatically, I wonder it's it disabled, but I can turn it on manually. It's too small using the center gauge area.
• Porsche intelligent range manager - waste of time as I've never had it pre-heat the battery for faster charging rates and I charge at home 99% of the time these days anyway with a Tesla L2 universal charger (see next item)
• Porsche Mobile charger (both the regular and plus version)- save your money and get a reliable charger that doesn't need to be down-rated to avoid overheating the plug (in the US - may not be an issue in the UK). Lots of choices for less than half the cost of Porsche.
• Remote parking assistance - I have never been able to get this to work, but it was part of a bundle in the US that came with lane change assistance (LCA) and I wanted LCA.

Things I use every day now but didn't think it was all that great at first:

• Innodrive/driver's assistance options. I like being able to relax during a commute - 20 miles each way in heavy San Jose California traffic and this option really helps. The lane keep is good enough (my wife's X7 is better though) but it does the job.
• PDCC (Porsche dynamic chassis control) - this it the now older style (compared to 2025) dynamic handling. helps keep the car from rolling when taking corners fast
• PSCB - these are the carbide coated brake rotors. They stay shiny silver and don't rust and will last longer than regular steel rotors but not as long as the ceramic rotors. Brake force is good and they don't squeal. And perhaps most importantly, no brake dust!
• Leather sun visors - they just feel nicer than the plastic ones - this really should be standard at this price point! You can say that about a lot of the Porsche options though.

The other options are going to be about your preferences for looks, like exterior color (colour), wheel style, seat materials, stitching color, carbon fiber bits inside and outside etc. This makes your car look good to your eyes. I love how my car looks with the matte black RS wheels against the chalk (light gray) paint with black door handles and model designation and exterior carbon fiber - I think it looks classy and sporty and it makes me smile every time I walk up to it. Love my Taycan GTS!

So it's a long answer and some of these options are not relevant to the UK market. My advice to you is look at the option list and draw from your own expereince. What is import and what's nice to have. Test drive the various options and play with the options to see if they work the way you expect. If I had done that with the night vision, instead of assume it worked like it did on my Mercedes, I would not have prioritized it, but test driving this option at night wasn't an option for me. Lesson learned.

Enjoy the process, it's an amazing car!

 

[whitex]

GTS vs. Turbo saves a lot of money and the only performance differences are under launch control and sports plus drive mode - around town off track or dragstrip it's hard to see/measure/feel any difference between a GTS and Turbo/TurboS

_IF_ I was to order a new Taycan it was going to be a GTS CT/ST to replace my 2020 Taycan Turbo, but I'm going the Macan EV Turbo route…I was going to put my money where my mouth was on this but the Macan came along and is a better practical vehicle for my needs vs. the Taycan sedan.

get all the options that appeal to you and don't look back…that's my advice as a long time porsche sucker.

It's the Turbo vs. Turbo S that has no advertised power difference outside of Launch Control. GTS is derated, most likely via software since it supposedly has identical hardware as the Turbo (but not quite Turbo S, which has a larger front motor inverter).

 

[t8rco]

Thank you for all your input, but its cornering and braking and handling really im interested in, which has better suspension?
Also does the Turbo S come standard with things that are optional extras on the GTS like PDCC and Rear axle steer?

 

[Longy_UK]

HI @t8rco,

I came from a C8 RS6 to a GTS Sport Tourismo.

I had a turbo for the weekend and yes it was alarming quick, but in reality so is the GTS. It also was no where near as special inside.

I just didn't see the value of getting the turbo as all it offered was speed that would be rarely called for also the GTS interior pack was a must for me. The leather in the turbo's just doesn't look great....

GTS is considered the 'sweet spot' for most... I'd say it is.

 

[whitex]

Thank you for all your input, but its cornering and braking and handling really im interested in, which has better suspension?

AFAIK you can get the same suspension and brakes optioned on any of the trims, though there may be some restrictions in different countries (e.g. no PCCB brakes on lower trims was a restriction in the US during COVID at one point, as was no electronically adjustable steering column).

Also does the Turbo S come standard with things that are optional extras on the GTS like PDCC and Rear axle steer?

Yes. What is standard per trim is region and to a lesser degree model year dependent, so I'd consult the website and look at the standard equipment for the different models.

 

[W1NGE]

Thank you for all your input, but its cornering and braking and handling really im interested in, which has better suspension?
Also does the Turbo S come standard with things that are optional extras on the GTS like PDCC and Rear axle steer?

PDCC wasn't an option on my GTS ST - but I may be wrong. Has PVT+ as standard (great) and I added RAS (great). PDCC isn't really needed and if going for MY25 then Active Ride is the way forward. The chassis is already awesome and if not tracking then PDCC is non-essential in my view.

I've attached some UK bargains at my dealer to give you an idea of what can be had on GEN 2 in terms of discounting (new cars, yes new stock cars). PDF has links for each image to see the full spec (of the configurator which also shows the list price). Discounts on non-Taycans too.

Other incentives on any GEN 2 include:

• Complimentary Porsche Silverstone Driving Experience*
• £500 Porsche Tequipment Credit*
• 6.9% APR Representative*
• 2 Years Complimentary Service Plan*

Up to MY24 Turbo S will most performance options as standard incl PCCB. Summary below of most models - GTS wasn't in manufacture at the time but the spec is lower than the Turbo albeit PTV+ and Electric Sports sound (unique to GTS) were standard.

 

[Longy_UK]

Makes me laugh how all finance examples for J1.2's have been scrubbed from the internet; and where there's a link it doesn't work.

I cant comprehend how a J1.2 is even an option (to be fair op said he wants a J1)? I mean they're literally 55k more used.... you even get the driving experience with used lol.

^Both demos, both Turbo S, both will depreciate like a brick..... £55k more for a couple of extra miles and questionable styling?

 

[tophamn]

GTS vs. Turbo saves a lot of money and the only performance differences are under launch control and sports plus drive mode...

I'm not sure that's correct - what I was told was regarding power the Turbo and Turbo-S are the same, except in launch control; the GTS is a step down in normal driving.

In my case I went the GTS route, partly due to finances but mostly to protect my licence .

 

[tophamn]

PDCC wasn't an option on my GTS ST..

My MY2023 GTS ST has PDCC ?.

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