[wtwo3]

Was invited out to the Porsche driving experience on 9/18 at the autobahn country club in Joliet, IL. Figured I'd give my thoughts - I've had my eye on getting into a 911 at some point (however distant that may be).

I got to drive lead-follow on the track the 718 GTS 4.0, 992.1 Carrera T, Macan GTS, and the Cayenne S. There was also autocross in the Taycan, but I did that last year and it was incredibly boring so we decided to skip it this year.

First up I drove the Macan GTS. I drove the Macan T last year and wasn't impressed by it at all. The GTS is a totally different beast. It felt so good on track - I was super impressed on how it rotated through the corners, for an SUV. The interior was also much improved over the previous one - much better quality materials. If it wasn't so tiny I'd strongly consider a Macan GTS as a family SUV.

Next I drove the Cayenne S. I have to say, the new Cayenne is a major improvement over the previous generation. Much smoother, better quality interior, and it felt a bit faster as well. It's still not really fit for track duty - the weight was just too much for the chassis to handle and I found myself really fighting it in the corners. But the level of refinement and overall comfort/smoothness of it was a pleasant surprise for me.

I then drove the 992.1 Carrera T. I was expecting it to feel a bit slow, but I was pleasantly surprised, it felt "quick enough". The level of grip were very impressive, and it felt incredible on the track. Telepathic steering, great turn-in, and just an overall joy to drive.

Lastly I drove the 718 GTS. Now this was a big surprise. Almost immediately going into the first corner you could really feel the difference moving the engine to the middle of the car as opposed to having it in the rear like in the 911 did for the sharp turn-in and rotation. Dare I say, it actually felt better on the track than the 911 did That being said, I'd still pick the 911 over it. It just has a certain place in my heart that I don't think the 718, no matter how good, would be able to fill.

Last year I walked away from the event thinking the 911 was the only Porsche worth buying and everything else was just a decent car with a Porsche badge slapped on to it. This year, with some of the updated models, I felt like Porsche's entire lineup was compelling.