If you’re looking to buy a new Porsche off the lot (or more likely special order) and the only thing you’re interested in is how quickly it goes in a straight line, this is the video for you. Straight line performance is a strange metric for measuring Porsches, especially against each other, but it’s a fun thing to watch, so here we are. If you look at the Porsche lineup, there are a couple of clear winners in the speed department, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Looking at the spec book, you’ll see that the Taycan Turbo S will run a 0-60 sprint in 2.6 seconds and a 911 Turbo S will do it in a properly crazy 2.1 seconds. That makes sense given that both of those cars have all-wheel drive and the Taycan outweighs the 911 by a good bit of heft, thanks to its battery stack. And at the other end of the spectrum, the Macan GTS will do that same 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, so it’ll clearly be dead last. Now that you’ve got a few preconceived notions, let’s watch the video, shall we?
Okay, yeah, that went about as expected. Aside from a couple of cars having launch control issues, the 0-60s and the quarter miles hold true. The real surprise to me came in the braking test at the end. To see the lightest car, the 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, stopping in almost the same distance as the Macan GTS was crazy. I would have expected better braking from the most driver-focused car on the strip. And the hefty Panamera and Cayenne GT braking shorter than the 911, even more surprising. There’s a lot to think about from these results. Obviously the 911 is still Porsche’s speed king, but when it comes to all-around straight line go and whoa, the big bruisers are still pretty far up there.
What do you think? Did this video change your mind at all about what kind of Porsche you wanted to buy? For most people in the real world a Macan GTS is still going to be quick enough to put their head back into the headrest, and that’s all that really matters, right? We’re not taking drag strip runs on our way to work or the grocery store, are we? That would be irresponsible.