Differences Turbo S vs GTS

[RGBArgee]

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

personally I reckon the 4S is the sweet spot unless you have a Race Tex Alcantara fetish. I have drove several 4S and GTS and a couple of Turbo s . Performance for a big car is superb on all 3 and I really don’t get the Taycan Turbo S . Main options- Pan Roof, Bose, Sport Chrono, 21 inch wheels ( not seen any 22) and decent seats sport 16 way I think - standard leather is fine .

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[f1eng]

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?

I think the only thing standard is torque vectoring which is an option on lower spec models. rear wheel steer and PDCC are always options.

In my case I felt the 4S had enough power, I rarely have the opportunity to use full throttle more than a couple of seconds at a time on the back roads here, OTOH I have driven a loaner 4S without the chassis options and it is noticably inferior handling to my 4S which has torque vectoring, rear wheel steer (which I chose for handling not manoeuvring) and PDCC.

If you are interested in braking handling and steering those three would be must have. (they were for me) and of much greater value on country roads than a bit more power.

I have mainly racing experience but I prefer cast iron brakes (some people refer to them as steel, they are not) over plated or composite for consistency.

Edit to add:
I avoided the glass roof because you don't see it from the driving seat and the sculpted ally roof looks nicer to me. Subsequent stories of cracking and the huge expense of replacement make me even happier with my decision.

Outside the handling options the massage ventilated seats are brilliant on long journeys and very popular with passengers too.

 

[tophamn]

personally I reckon the 4S is the sweet spot unless you have a Race Tex Alcantara fetish. I have drove several 4S and GTS and a couple of Turbo s . Performance for a big car is superb on all 3 and I really don’t get the Taycan Turbo S . Main options- Pan Roof, Bose, Sport Chrono, 21 inch wheels ( not seen any 22) and decent seats sport 16 way I think - standard leather is fine .

Fortunately my GTS was speced with full leather ? , though not the steering wheel which I'm in the process of swapping.

14-way seats are good but the 18-way are better, though note they are wide which can make rear-seat occupants feel claustrophobic. You also can't get 18-way with massage function.

 

[tophamn]

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?

If you want acceleration and out-right power then it has to be a Turbo, with or without the S. For driver involvement reviews suggest the GTS is the better car - it's been specifically set up to be a driver's car and is generally the sweet-spot in any Porsche model line-up. That said I'm biased ?.

The GTS has torque vectoring as standard but I'd look for a car with the optional PDCC. Mine also has PCCB and rear steer but I'm not sure I'd have ticked these options from new. It's nice to know I've got the carbon ceramic brakes but unless you regularly brake heavily most of the time the car uses regenerative braking so there's little difference, other than maybe reduced unsprung weight but the effect would be marginal.

As noted elsewhere the GTS comes with lots of Race-Tex/alcantara - which isn't to everyone's taste, though the red highlights look good.

 

[tophamn]

I avoided the glass roof because you don't see it from the driving seat and the sculpted ally roof looks nicer to me.

Fully agree ?

 

[Watchesandburgers]

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.

@RSouthern is 100% right with his post above. I, too, found the GTS to be the "sweet spot" in the priceerformance calculation. If you want faster, sure, get the Turbo, but the opportunities to use that power (legally) are few and far between. The GTS includes most of the "required" options like the 93 kwh Perf Plus battery, performance trim bits like side skirts and rear diffuser, and Alcantara interior. Options packages seem to vary widely based on location. In the US, my must-have options included leather interior, RS Spyder wheels, rear-axle steering, glass roof, and the premium package (insulated glass, upgraded audio, etc.). Nice-to-haves include surface-coated breaks, Burmester audio ($$$, but worth it), electro-chromatic roof, and Innodrive, which I use more than I thought I would.

Deals on J1 '22-'24 model year cars should be great now that the J1.2 cars are rolling out. But those deals will disappear as the cars sell. So find a well-optioned car now, before they're all gone. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[RGBArgee]

Fortunately my GTS was speced with full leather ? , though not the steering wheel which I'm in the process of swapping.

14-way seats are good but the 18-way are better, though note they are wide which can make rear-seat occupants feel claustrophobic. You also can't get 18-way with massage function.

I’ve got 18 way sport seats and after a year with lower spec, I agree 18 way are great. Think you share my point about Race Tex, I really dislike it on seats and wheels which most GTS have. People will always be biased on what they bought. My CT4S has 21in, Bose, standard big battery, pan roof. Side assist 18 way sport seats black bits - might we selling soon - less than £12k miles- 4 new tyres

 

[tophamn]

I’ve got 18 way sport seats and after a year with lower spec, I agree 18 way are great. Think you share my point about Race Tex, I really dislike it on seats and wheels which most GTS have. People will always be biased on what they bought. My CT4S has 21in, Bose, standard big battery, pan roof. Side assist 18 way sport seats black bits - might we selling soon - less than £12k miles- 4 new tyres

Race-tex seats would have been a deal breaker for me but I thought I could live with the steering wheel - turns out on long drives I find I have to grip the wheel harder than a standard leather wheel to stop my hands sliding down which gets quite tiring.

 

[daveo4EV]

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 .

I'll stand corrected but demur - there is no appreciable different in normal driving - the 4S/GTS/Turbo/TurboS are all about equally quick for any legal street driving scenario and one would be hard pressed to tell the difference - but I can feel the difference between base and the 4 and the Turbo - but telling the different between GTS/Turbo/TurboS off a track or drag strip is much much harder - and even harder in congestion traffic.

 

[LXSC]

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?

 

[LXSC]

Performance wise I believe turbo-S is very good.
Especially 0 to 60. However a Tesla model S will outperform.

As for day-to-day drivability I feel the GTS is the best.
I would highly recommend to have the rear wheel steering.
Interestingly GTS, turbo and turbo as all have about the same EV range.

I have the 21 inch wheels and it drives very well. However many say is better to have 20 inch wheels,
22 inch could be very low profile and the drive could be a little bit harsh. Try not to get the continental tires instead opt for the Pirelli.

I think the new Porsche matrix lighting system would be excellent to have.

I don't think you should get the Burmitzer audio system.

 

[t8rco]

Thanks to everyone for the input, just put deposit down on a year old GTS!

 

[tophamn]

Thanks to everyone for the input, just put deposit down on a year old GTS!

Nice! - is that Gentian Blue? In the picture it looks darker.

What options does it have?

 

[SergeyIndy]

Nice! - is that Gentian Blue? In the picture it looks darker.

What options does it have?

I agree. We need full spec sheet.

 

[bn8959]

Thanks to everyone for the input, just put deposit down on a year old GTS!

Nice! Looks just like mine! GTS ST in gentian with 21” R/S Sypder wheels ??

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