RS E-Tron GT compared to Taycan Turbo GT

[Mr.Smith]

Finally got to drive the Taycan Turbo GT. Dealer was kind enough to pull the car out, threw me the keys and walked away.

I launched it 2x. Got to 130mph in a blink of an eye. It's definitely fast.
Steering wheel felt as light as my RS E-Tron GT. I was surprised is felt so numb. I've driven ever other variant of the J1 snd they felt like they had more feedback, especially the RWD.

The RaceTex on the steering wheel is less soft, lower pile than the Audi Dynamica.

The handling is sublime. No body roll in Sport + compared to the E-Tron GT that is software tuned to have too much, unnecessary body roll.

The car is snappy. Seems that throttle response is more sensitive than the 2025 Turbo S which felt heavy.
In first gear you really feel it, just like my upgraded RS E-Tron GT with the Driving adaptation filter removed.
In attack mode, it felt faster, but it doesn't give the power instantly. Instead it's a very linear distribution of power. This makes it not "feel" as fast. I'm sure this can be turned.
In 2nd gear at 70mph, I puched it with attack mode engaged and I didn't really feel brain slam to that back of my skull. In 1st year it's more pronounced.

You're in triple digits all the time without knowing it. I blasted past a couple of cars at 120mph with zero effort.

Noticed the brakes did feel mushy after hard braking a few times. Journalist has also mentioned this, but it could be the car only had 30 miles on it.
I have the carbon ceramic brakes on my RS E-Tron GT and they are very grabby. I love them!


Came back and there was a burning smell which is always the sign of a proper driving session.

We did a little race workout launch control, he was in Sport, I was in Dynamic. We were neck and neck until I backed off.
If he was in Launch control it would be better 40 cars ahead of me.

Car sold 2 days after.

There are 14 Turbo GTs and Weissachs in the US and in transit to dealers. These are pretty rare right now.
Weissach is where the deals will be because no one wants them in comparison to the Turbo GT that is selling.
They are doing small discounts.

 

[peakev]

Active Ride is standard on the GT, so that was no doubt highly impacting your driving experience. I have active ride on my TTS, which is a total game changer. Cornering is amazing and it absorbs most road bumps, including speed humps. It's a joy in every aspect of driving, including around town. Very few non-TTS or GT Taycans have active ride since there were some sort of production issues in the fall (that have since been resolved).

I've driven all 2025 Taycan trims except the GT and can say don't get a Taycan without Active Ride! I had PDCC on my 2023 GTS and this is far more impactful. In fact, PDCC did little to nothing in absorbing road bumps; the only impact seemed to be on high-speed cornering.

 

[Mr.Smith]

Active Ride is standard on the GT, so that was no doubt highly impacting your driving experience. I have active ride on my TTS, which is a total game changer. Cornering is amazing and it absorbs most road bumps, including speed humps. It's a joy in every aspect of driving, including around town.

Totally agree. How much of the active ride is present when in Sport+?

 

[peakev]

Even without Active Ride, all the 25s drive much better in Sport Plus mode. I used to have to switch out of it when driving around town in my 2023 GTS but now I don't even notice that much. The cornering is unbelievable but you still tilt some so it's not "fake" feeling like some reviews have claimed. I'm blown away by the technology and would never get a Taycan without it! I've only had the car for a couple weeks so will have to do more spirited driving in the countryside. However, you can feel the cornering stabilization in any mode.

 

[Mr.Smith]

Even without Active Ride, all the 25s drive much better in Sport Plus mode. I used to have to switch out of it when driving around town in my 2023 GTS but now I don't even notice that much. The cornering is unbelievable but you still tilt some so it's not "fake" feeling like some reviews have claimed. I'm blown away by the technology and would never get a Taycan without it! I've only had the car for a couple weeks so will have to do more spirited driving in the countryside. However, you can feel the cornering stabilization in any mode.

I drove the 2025 Turbo S in Normal mode more in twisty roads and couldn't believe it.
I think the 2 chamber suspension is more refined than the first gen 3 chamber suspension anyway. Adding PAR is another level.

 

[peakev]

That is correct: the suspension is better on all 2025 trims but PAR is far beyond PDCC so the end result is great for all aspects of driving.

 

[Caraholic]

So power wise how does it feel compared to your tuned car?

 

[Mr.Smith]

So power wise how does it feel compared to your tuned car?

Considerably faster. You really feel it at higher speeds because it just keeps going

 

[iamai]

Is it worth the more-than-twice the price one would have to pay over pre J1.2 Turbo S?

And what car were you racing against when you said it would be 40 cars ahead of you in launch control?

 

[Mr.Smith]

Is it worth the more-than-twice the price one would have to pay over pre J1.2 Turbo S?

And what car were you racing against when you said it would be 40 cars ahead of you in launch control?

It depends on how you look at it. Would you pay 2x the Turbo S for an 1.3 seconds in the 1/4 mile, 1.5 second better 60-130mph and PAR? I would

My car was at 45% SOC, the Turbo GT was at 85% SOC. Every tenth of a second is about a car length in a 1/4 mile.
Turbo GT can do very low 9s in the 1/4 mile

 

[KenR]

Totally agree. How much of the active ride is present when in Sport+?

My understanding is that Active Ride is only operational in Normal mode. I have not used any other mode in 3 months - I just looove the feel and dynamics of Active Ride

 

[f1eng]

Drag racing is a uniquely US thing.
A CT4S with active ride would be perfect round here and save me a shed load of pointless expense

 

[chun]

My understanding is that Active Ride is only operational in Normal mode. I have not used any other mode in 3 months - I just looove the feel and dynamics of Active Ride

That may be true, but when I drove a turbo s with active ride, in sport plus mode, it was a night & day difference versus my 2020 Turbo in sport plus mode. This makes me belive that active ride is never "off", just tunned differently in sport plus so it feels sportier, but the amount of confidence it inspires in cruves / corners at high speeds is something completely different when compared to a turbo s j1

 

[Mr.Smith]

That may be true, but when I drove a turbo s with active ride, in sport plus mode, it was a night & day difference versus my 2020 Turbo in sport plus mode. This makes me belive that active ride is never "off", just tunned differently in sport plus so it feels sportier, but the amount of confidence it inspires in cruves / corners at high speeds is something completely different when compared to a turbo s j1

I believe in Sport + it's pitch/dive removed, Tilt reduced so it feels more natural. It would make sense to keep some of the active suspension to improve handling and weight transfer

 

[KenR]

I believe in Sport + it's pitch/dive removed, Tilt reduced so it feels more natural. It would make sense to keep some of the active suspension to improve handling and weight transfer

That sounds about right. The manual is a little ambiguous…

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