I am Thinking about trading I my 2011 PTT for a PGTS. For those of you who have the PGTS does it give you the missing elements ( exhaust note, downshift blurp, and overall driver engagement) that the PTT lacks? I love the torque but I think the car could have been better. I traded in my 911 4s and CTT thinking I would have the best of both ( dd, winter car and sports car in one ). Any thoughts?

 

I went through the same thinking process as you...trading in my 2011 PTT for a new Panamera GTS but ultimately I guess I couldn't do it...the PDK mapping is a lot better in the GTS, but determined i liked the overall feel of the Turbo enough to keep it. I have a 911 GTS as well for those fun moments, so I have the best of both worlds in my opinion. We also have a 2011 CTT and that is the wife's vehicle. Great cars, all 3, and perfect combo for our lifestyle. Either way, drive the GTS if you haven't yet and you will know right away.

 

While the gts is an excellent first choice, you have to remember the PTT is a higher price cayegory car and there is a reason. I drove the Cayenne GTS right after the Cayenne turbo and while I loved the sounds and suspension setup, it was lacking power and torque in my opinnion, and the comfort setup was too hard for day to day use. This is not to put the gts down, but once you get used to the power and pull of the PTT, you will miss it in the gts, the better sound wont make up for this. If you dont like the PTT, start looking at other marques, or buy a 911 for the thrills.

 

If you're looking for the best overall performance car in the Panamera line, and want more driver involvement, then definitely go for the PGTS. Honestly, the only thing the Turbo or PTT has that the GTS doesn't is the turbo. That is actually a minus for me, because I prefer the instant response, higher revs, and better sound of the normally aspirated engine.

The GTS on the other hand, has the following things that you can't get in the Turbo:
- High revving, instant response, better sounding engine
- Better PDK mapping for throttle blips on downshifts, no throttle cut-out on upshifts, and quicker response times
- THE BEST engine and exhaust note of any sedan made today - no question. I can't overemphasize how much of a difference there is vs the other Panny's.
- More responsive suspension
- Lighter weight
- Blacked-out body panel treatment
- Blacked out exhaust tips
- Alcantara seats - GTS interior. Again, IMO, the best interior of any Panamera.

The fact it's not the most 'expensive' Panamera doesn't have anything to do with how good it is, or how much you'll like it. The BMW 7-series V12 was more expensive than the M5. Not better, just more luxury and less involvement. If you're looking for more driver involvement, better sound, and IMO the best looking Panamera - the GTS is your car.

 

If you want brute force and LOTS of hp at your hands then he PTT is a no brainier. If you want a PTT without 'turbo lag' and loss of power then the GTS.

I would only consider the GTS, if I didn't want to expend the extra $6000 for an aftermarket exhaust on top of paying for he car. Then again for $6K I would be gaining another 10-20 HP on top of what I was getting with the car.

Snappier PDK? Nothing that down the road tuners won't do better than Porsche, oh wait, combine your new exhaust with your new tune and you are close to 650HP. No brainer to me.

 

There is a huge loss of power. The GTS is as least 3 - 4 seconds slower from 0 to 124 than the Turbo. That also translates into the lower ranges as well. That power is there for a reason.
Whilst the GTS does look good and handles well, the Turbo is not that bad. The times are very close on the track.
If you don't want a naturally aspirated engine keep the PTT. It's just at the top of the range.
While I agree with many parts of the comments above, few things that the Panamera GTS has you can get in the Turbo as well, such as real leather, coming from a cow, though many prefer a luxury vehicle with fake suede.
I'd get a Panamera Turbo S Facelift. 550HP would render a GTS useless. Also, the PDK upgrade might be coming to the normal Panamera as well.

 

Tru dat.

 

Seems like you have the worlds best luxury sports sedan, but you are looking for the worlds best sports sedan. I don't think you can ask any sports sedan to replace the 911 you had. The Panamera can't replace the utiility of the Cayenne.

But to go from a Turbo to a GTS doesn't seem to me like it solves the problem. It simply takes you from a really fast, quiet, luxury sports sedan and puts you in a slower, louder, slightly lighter similar sport sedan. Both great cars and each offering something different, but neither offering the handling and fun of your 911 and the utility of your Cayanne.

Seems like you might want to go a different direction than the Panamera all together?

Good luck finding the sweet spot.

 

That's simply the best summary of a debate I've ever read. Well put. And true.

 

speaking of the facelift turbo s, does anybody have any info on when it'd be shown to public/available for order?

 

Bluehinder, I considered making a post very similar to yours. I agree!

 

Thanks for all the great input. I just drove the PGTS. I was very impressed. The exhaust note is intoxicating. The handling was very similar but something about it seemed better. Almost as the car was lighter? The only thing missing was the neck snapping torque. I am even more so thinking about trading the PTT for the PGTS. I will find out what the dealer will give me for my car on Monday. Thanks again for the input.

 

I cant fully agree with this. The Ptt and Ptts, while being more expensive than the Pgts, also are more powerful, faster and quicker around a track, not to mention more comfortable in comfort mode, so actually it is the better allrounder and thus the price difference is justified. The Ptt can be painted to look like a pgts, so that cant be a reason to go from ptt to pgts. The 7 series is bigger, slower and less sporty, so I think they are not comparable as the price difference is mainly due to more lux and size. I still think the op should test drive a ptts after the pgts and then think about installing the powerkit w/ or without an aftermarket exhaust.

And the difference is 2 turbos and the weight difference really is not signifficant IMO (full vs half tank, me vs my wife driving)

 

+1 on that. A Panamera Turbo is faster and that you can feel. As for better handling, I kind of doubt it, as the PTT with every option in the handling department is as good as it gets, except if Porsche tweaked the suspension of the PGTS (a drop is just a drop).
The Panamera Turbo with the factory (optional) body kit looks the same.
I suggest someone tests the Panamera Turbo S. More powerful than the Turbo. The GTS as a naturally aspirated "tweaked" Panamera is interesting and whichever car one may chose between the two it's never a bad choice. It's a great position to be in at any time.

 

Sorry - guess we disagree on what's the best car - imagine that.

Probably the best analogy is between the 997 GT3 and the 997 Turbo S. The Turbo S has a faster 'ring time, is much faster in a straight line, more expensive, more comfortable, but just not as much fun to drive if you are really into connecting with the car. So, I think the GT3 is the better car. If you prefer the Panamera PTT or PTTS over the GTS, then you probably would prefer to have the 997 Turbo S over the GT3. No 'better' or 'worse' car here - just different drivers and different priorities.