The Taycan Turbo GT: A Whole New Level

Since the Taycan Turbo GT Weissach Package arrived in my garage, my entire perspective on cars has been fundamentally transformed. I’ve driven various Taycan models before, but the Turbo GT is literally in a league of its own. To put it in 911 terms, the difference is like that between a Carrera and a GT3. Maybe even greater.

What makes this car so special?

It’s the extraordinary balance it strikes between high-performance driving dynamics and exceptional ride comfort—two qualities that usually contradict each other. I once praised the Panamera Turbo for its “high-level balance of sportiness and comfort,” but the Turbo GT blows that out of the water. It completely outperforms a standard 911 in driving dynamics while simultaneously surpassing the Panamera and Cayenne in comfort. I don’t know of any other car that achieves such an extreme combination in one package.

Friends Agree: A Shift in Values

I’ve had many friends experience the Taycan Turbo GT firsthand, and their reactions are strikingly similar.

Almost everyone says, “The ride quality is incredible,” “It changes your perspective.” A 911 owner friend who recently drove it immediately decided, “This is my next car.”

What stuck with me was what he said on X (formerly Twitter): “Compared to the Carrera, the acceleration, chassis performance, and ride comfort are all overwhelmingly superior in the Turbo GT. It’s unbelievably comfortable for daily driving. Is there any car that can beat the Turbo GT overall? Even the next Turbo S might not.” I couldn’t agree more. No matter how you look at it, the 911 just can’t compete anymore. The only way for the 911 to win is through electrification—that’s how big the gap is.

The Moment My Feelings for the 911 Changed

After experiencing the Turbo GT, my long-held belief that the 911 was the ultimate sports car has started to fade.

Of course, I still appreciate the unique charm of the 911. Its greatest feature has always been that it’s a super high-performance sports car that’s also practical for everyday use. The Porsche philosophy of “Race on Sunday, drive on Monday” is embodied perfectly by the 911.

However, the Taycan Turbo GT realizes this philosophy on an even higher level. Whether it’s weekend track days or weekday commutes, it outperforms the 911. As a result, my desire for the current 911 has diminished. Now, the only 911s I truly want are the classic air-cooled models. My choices have narrowed to classic Porsches or the Taycan Turbo GT—there’s no middle ground anymore.

Unmatched Driving Dynamics Thanks to a Low Center of Gravity

The Taycan’s center of gravity is said to be even lower than the GT3’s, and you can really feel this at the final chicane of Suzuka Circuit. Compared to driving a Boxster or 911, the Turbo GT slices through corners with noticeably sharper precision and greater stability. This physical advantage is a wall that no gasoline engine can overcome.

Seeing this reality firsthand convinces me that if Porsche wants to push the 911 and 718 to even higher performance levels, electrification is the only path forward. No matter how much the engine is refined or the chassis polished, the fundamental physics of a low center of gravity can’t be beaten. In fact, I hope Porsche quickly embraces EVs to create ultimate “Super 911” and “Super 718” models.

A New Standard for Choosing Cars and Hopes for the Future

Cars that fall between classic Porsches and the Taycan Turbo GT now feel somewhat underwhelming. Sure, they’ve improved year by year, but the Turbo GT has reached such a high level that I find myself thinking, “If that’s the case, I’d rather go older,” or “I don’t need to be that fast.” My preferences have polarized to lightweight, modest-power cars like the Mazda MX-5, classic Porsches, or the Turbo GT. Those are the only options that truly excite me.

This isn’t criticism of the 911. On the contrary, as a Porsche enthusiast, I’ve been completely captivated by the Turbo GT’s devilish charm. Before driving it, I never imagined my values could shift so dramatically. For a while, nothing else may move me quite the same way. That’s how profoundly the Taycan Turbo GT has reshaped my view of cars.