Transitioning from Taycan to Etron GT

[f1eng]

Another! This parallels my conclusion when I test drove both on these sort of roads.


The photos are taken where I often leave my car when I take my dog for a walk and these are the roads around here.

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[epirali]

I think these are all good comparisons. Only issue I have with them generally is they all start with assumption that the "sportiest" car with the "sporty" seating position is the "better" answer. If that is the starting point then yes Taycan is better, but you kind of starting saying you want that. If you start as a GT car then there is a bias.

Also I honesty do not understand comments about the interior quality/material of the Taycan being "better." It is very good, but it is not better than the Audi material quality. I wouldn't say either is "higher quality."

Lastly I have no idea what they are referring to about wind noise, I hear no wind noise in the RS Etron GT even at 80 mph or higher. If you put the Etron into dynamic mode the body definitely tightens up and there is less side to side movement.

I am in the camp that at the end of the day finds the driving experience of the Audi for a car that size more satisfying in strange ways than the TTS. I may be in the minority.

 

[gnop1950]

I think these are all good comparisons. Only issue I have with them generally is they all start with assumption that the "sportiest" car with the "sporty" seating position is the "better" answer. If that is the starting point then yes Taycan is better, but you kind of starting saying you want that. If you start as a GT car then there is a bias.

Also I honesty do not understand comments about the interior quality/material of the Taycan being "better." It is very good, but it is not better than the Audi material quality. I wouldn't say either is "higher quality."

Lastly I have no idea what they are referring to about wind noise, I hear no wind noise in the RS Etron GT even at 80 mph or higher. If you put the Etron into dynamic mode the body definitely tightens up and there is less side to side movement.

I am in the camp that at the end of the day finds the driving experience of the Audi for a car that size more satisfying in strange ways than the TTS. I may be in the minority.

Really, all that matters, in the end, is if you are happy with your choice. I'm going with the Taycan, but that is because I've always wanted a Porsche and haven't really been attracted to Audis. The only thing that would change my mind would be "major" deficiencies in things I care about. Minor noise, handling, etc. would not, even if the reviewers gave the edge to the Audi rather than the Taycan.

 

[f1eng]

I think these are all good comparisons. Only issue I have with them generally is they all start with assumption that the "sportiest" car with the "sporty" seating position is the "better" answer. If that is the starting point then yes Taycan is better, but you kind of starting saying you want that. If you start as a GT car then there is a bias.

Also I honesty do not understand comments about the interior quality/material of the Taycan being "better." It is very good, but it is not better than the Audi material quality. I wouldn't say either is "higher quality."

Lastly I have no idea what they are referring to about wind noise, I hear no wind noise in the RS Etron GT even at 80 mph or higher. If you put the Etron into dynamic mode the body definitely tightens up and there is less side to side movement.

I am in the camp that at the end of the day finds the driving experience of the Audi for a car that size more satisfying in strange ways than the TTS. I may be in the minority.

I think it is very dependant on the sort of roads one drives on.

I almost never go on a motorway (freeway) so the benefits of the Taycan CT on the roads around here was ideal for me. I did prefer the ergonomics of the E-Tron GT interior and have a slight preference for its styling.

If I lived in the USA or Australia, to mention two countries I have driven in with the roads suiting the Audi I would maybe have chosen it.

 

[Fish Fingers]

This one is the other way. Because of how it feels more GT it "feels" like it shouldn't be able to come close to the Taycan TS. But its faking it. Every time I push it it just handles it. This is not about the speed, that feels the same in Dynamic mode (the comfort mode beautifully curves the throttle so you have speed but can just cruise along). Its the suspension and the handling. It makes sense, its the same basic set up, weight low, big tires, same positioning etc.

Having had a few sport Audi's over the years - I think this is quite common.

Incredibly efficient and capable at speed, but maybe not quite as involving / rewarding as some others.

I am using a Golf R v S3 as my main personal comparison - which sounds similar to what you are saying about Taycan v Etron GT.

 

[epirali]

Having had a few sport Audi's over the years - I think this is quite common.

Incredibly efficient and capable at speed, but maybe not quite as involving / rewarding as some others.

I agree. I have owned multiple Audis in the past, anything from an A6 and a Q5 (sedan and small SUV) to RS5 and an R8. My only long term Porsche driving experience has been the Taycan TS and the 718 Spyder. I have driven the Panamera, Taycan RWD and the 911 on a local track. I would definitely say the TTS/718 are much more involving and feel more connected than say the RS ETron and the Audi TTRS (which as capable as it was left me unexcited, I remember driving it, thinking how capable it was, gave the keys back and walked away bored). But the flip side is I am not sure I want a big sedan that is like the 718 or 911 "feel" to drive daily. I'll take the 718 until the EV version of the Boxter gets released in a couple of years.

In my experience in all the other Audis the "feel" and the limit were close. The RS ETron feels more smooth and in some ways non-sport than even an A6, yet so far pushing it hard its much closer to the R8 until its weight kicks in. So the gap between the feel and performance is so much more pronounced in the suspension and the cornering capability.

I can see how reviewers who do a half day or a day to review would walk away with "less capable" assumption. And the ones who take it to the track and push it end up being surprised.

 

[logic]

I can see how reviewers who do a half day or a day to review would walk away with "less capable" assumption. And the ones who take it to the track and push it end up being surprised.

I didn't bother comparing both cars myself, I thought these cars are roughly the same (albeit with a different flavor, with its positives and negatives). But what you've just said reminded me of this test. (Auto Motor Und Sport test).

Don't worry, they addressed the fact that the Audi had 21" wheels (wider tyres) than the Porsche. But my take on these comparisons is that the differences won't be huge anyways. I most likely also prefer a quicker steering ratio, but not a stiffer ride (for slow speeds on rougher surfaces).

 

[epirali]

So a quick update I thought may be of interest here.

I picked up my RS Etron GT in november in the mid-atlantic and had ordered the Audi winter tire and wheel set in November. I was informed that it would arrive in the spring (hah!) so I cancelled and went with plan B. I replaced the LRR Goodyear Asymteric summer performance tires with the all season high performance Continental's that I had on my Taycan Turbo S.

Well the shocking part is how much quieter and better the car feels. I have no experience with LRR "performance" tires. The whole idea seems counter intuitive, how can you have stiff "low friction" tires go with sticky compliant high performance? Well I can tell you that all season regular performance tires are WAY better.

The car feels much more planted, the steering feels better, the car handles better and the road noise is much lower. I am glad this happened because I plan to stick with these tires and not even bother changing wheels. I am happy to give up 15-20% range for the way better charactristics. The gap between the Taycan TTS and the RS Etron is even smaller now.

Moral of the story: if you need maximum range stick to LRR. Otherwise when choosing tires for the GT just take the hit and go with high quality tires that match your driving style and needs.

 

[arijaycomet]

@epirali --- I just replied to you in the Audi forums but more for the benefit there of the other GT owners who want the RX tires. But I wanted to reply here too because I felt it was more fitting for this ---

Back in Dec 2020 I picked up a Taycan 4S. Loved that car as I felt it really was the "Sweet spot" for the Taycan lineup. As you said, the Taycan Turbo(S) is a fast car, but way more car than most people need. As an aside, I'd argue the best Tesla Model S right now is the LR/AWD and not the PLAID because again most people would benefit with more range than more speed/power. I truly believe anything below ~3.5s 0-60 is not something you can use often enough to justify -- but maybe I'm just a boring old geezer (I'm only 45 FWIW).

After a few months of T4S ownership, I sold the car for what I paid paid for it -- so I basically drove it 4 months for free. That was great, and for a while I was happy with an Alfa Romeo 4C and other "toys" thru spring '21. But I missed the Taycan, and came across a sweet deal on a Taycan Turbo ($165k MSRP) that I scored for about 15% OFF MSRP (used). I bought that summer '21 and drove it for about 2 months until another chance to sell it for break even came up. So I sold it, because having had that opportunity showed me that indeed the TT was more car than I wanted, and the T4S was still IMO the sweet spot. But the T4S at $126k MSRP still felt a bit overpriced to me.

As another aside here... I've had a couple of P-cars over the years, including a 997 GTS PDK, a 991.1 C4S, and a 991.2 C4S, and my 2x Taycan. I've driven a bunch of 981/718 cars, which I still think are perhaps the best of the best when it comes to Porsche (the 981 GT4 being such a sweet spot; my brother had one for a few years recently upgraded to a Lambo but I think he actually misses the Cayman GT4). But I digress... for a daily driver/sport sedan, the Taycan is a lot of car... but in many guises, maybe more than necessary.

Enter my Audi Etron GT. I was in same boat as you -- I had a deposit for an eTron GT but the Taycan came out first. I ended up canceling my Audi order when I got my 4S. But I kept in touch with Audi, who just a few weeks ago got word of an extra allocation for a "Base" eTron GT ($104k MSRP only 2x options were rubber mats + first aid kit). Snagged the car up about 10 days go now -- and have not looked back since.

Quick final thoughts:
Without a doubt the steering of the Porsche is more dynamic, the overall driving experience is more sporty, and the fun of the car is undeniably Porsche. However, for my use case (work commute, family hauler, etc) -- my car doesn't need that level of dynamicness to it. You said it right: the Audi's dynamic mode is barely the Porsche's Normal mode, but that is ok with me. I'd rather have a sports car, for sportiness, and leave my sedan to being "mild sportiness with comfort" -- and that is why the GT lives up to its name. It is refined, poised, and fun to drive. But where the Taycan Turbo always reminded me of my Audi S6 w/tune/exhaust -- a caged animal that wanted to do 100+MPH to be happy all the time -- the Audi feels a bit more relaxes, more peaceful. The car doesn't seem to be at odds with me, but instead more in-tune with my demeanor. The Porsche begged me to drive it faster than legal limits-- the Audi instead seems happy to just exist. And that "zen" like drive is what I love about it. It's not boring, this isn't a Lexus LOL -- but its not about being the first one to the destination. It's more about being happy during the journey.

 

[arijaycomet]

One thing to add-- I've had the chance on 2x occasions to drive a RWD Taycan and actually think that might be the sweet spot for ALL of these cars. Though I still personally prefer the MMI/Audi over the Taycan infotainment, and I hate the HVAC "screen" on the Porsche (prefer buttons in Audi) -- from a cost and driving dynamic benefit, the RWD Taycan is just as fun as the other trims, but with the rear bias that makes it super playful. I even found the non-air-ride quite nice, too. But here in Ohio that wont work. I had a handful of Tesla Model S early on (2014/15) that were RWD and with snow tires they did "okay" in the Ohio winter, but they always left a bit to be desired. If I lived somewhere that it did not snow, I'd prob consider the RWD Taycan the winter, because it can be had nicely equipped with some goodies for less than my base Audi, and you get the steering of the Porsche, etc. Though again there are still some "ergo" items that I think Audi does better; but that is my opinion, and YRMV.

 

[Fish Fingers]

One thing to add-- I've had the chance on 2x occasions to drive a RWD Taycan and actually think that might be the sweet spot for ALL of these cars. Though I still personally prefer the MMI/Audi over the Taycan infotainment, and I hate the HVAC "screen" on the Porsche (prefer buttons in Audi) -- from a cost and driving dynamic benefit, the RWD Taycan is just as fun as the other trims, but with the rear bias that makes it super playful. I even found the non-air-ride quite nice, too. But here in Ohio that wont work. I had a handful of Tesla Model S early on (2014/15) that were RWD and with snow tires they did "okay" in the Ohio winter, but they always left a bit to be desired. If I lived somewhere that it did not snow, I'd prob consider the RWD Taycan the winter, because it can be had nicely equipped with some goodies for less than my base Audi, and you get the steering of the Porsche, etc. Though again there are still some "ergo" items that I think Audi does better; but that is my opinion, and YRMV.

Funnily enough there was a road test on the ST GTS yesterday and he was also praising the RWD.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-revie...rsche-taycan-gts-sport-turismo-2022-uk-review

 

[epirali]

I drove the RWD Taycan on a Porsche event day, having driven my TTS to the event. I do have to say for the few quick laps we did I thought it felt much more "fun" at least to me. It wasn't as fast, but that's not the only criteria. Only reason I wouldn't pick it for a daily driver is I personally wanted an AWD EV for bad weather conditions.

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