Thanks, I saw his review. The driving test itself was again with a turbo. That's what Kyle and Edmunds did better.
I agree on the dearth of reviews of the 4. However, the SavageGeese review talked a lot about the suspension, steering and overall feel, which had nothing to do with the power of the turbo. I would take the reviewer you mentioned with a grain of salt.Thanks for listing all the driving tests. Too bad that it mainly tested the Macan turbo and hardly the Macan 4. Only 'Out of Specs' and 'Edmunds' pay sufficient attention to the 4. Because I have a 4 on order, I would have liked more information about it.
It also doesn't help that a Dutch journalist remarks in the report he wrote of the driving test that the 4 "doesn't really give a Porsche feeling" and "it just lacks the sharpness and depth we had hoped for".
In the driving test itself here below he talks with a sour face about remote steering, not sparkling and not really what you expect from a Porsche. But in the end: for € 88K you can get a SUV with real Porsche genes…
A more extensive driving test of the 4 is more then welcome.
I agree with you, it's just one opinion. Still, I saw that there are differences between the 4 and the turbo. The weight distribution is 50-50 compared to 48-52 with the turbo. The heavier engine is also mounted on the chassis with the turbo and on the subframe with the 4. That gives a different feeling in the tail, I think. I also saw that the air suspension differs between the turbo and the 4. Maybe that is noticeable too. It won't be a world of difference, but there will be nuances.
Thank you for your detailed response to my thoughts. You are right, there will indeed be at least one variant between the 4 and the turbo. I think Kyle says in his video that he previously drove a camouflaged model where Macan S was on display.The turbo is significantly crazier than the 4, so I suspect the latter is the detuned form of a yet-to-follow model in between. (Although the price difference is pretty narrow.) That upcoming model (whether it's an S or GTS) will presumably use the same drivetrain/suspension etc. so I'm really skeptical that the 4 is that much worse than the turbo dynamics-wise.
I can't find weight ratings, but I really doubt that ~100lbs (at most) weight difference between the 2 rear motors could have a large impact on the handling of a ~4000lbs+ CUV. (The Taycan weighs 5k lbs.) That is, if indeed there is a difference in behavior, it's probably software-tuned in the name of 'differentiation'.
Regarding rear-axle steering; I didn't consider it for a second on my Taycan, thinking that it can't possibly drive worse than my ICE Macan (which I rather like in this regard). However, I failed to realize the Taycan is much longer than the Macan, and so in some conditions it shows - one needs to be patient with turning around sharp corners or tight spaces. I don't have a problem with U-turns, and the others are infrequent situations - I'd make the same choice again, albeit an informed one this time. However, note that the EV Macan is now almost a match for the Taycan in wheelbase, turning radius etc. So if you have or wished for RAS on your Taycan, you may want to spec it on your next.
Lastly, regarding buying cars sight unseen: if it makes you feel better, I had not even sat in a Taycan before I bought mine, and drove it home ~1500 miles. Worked out well enough (that, too, is something I'd do again).
(edit to attach file, pasting an image from clipboard doesn't work)
