I've driven 7 different Porsches in the past year — and ranked them in order of how much I liked them

Matthew DeBordJul 25, 2020, 18:44 IST

The 718 Spyder is staggeringly good — and comes out on top in my rather tough battle of the Porsches.Matthew DeBord/Insider

I've driven seven Porsche models since last year: the Panamera GTS Sport Turismo, the Cayenne Turbo, Coupé, and GTS; the 911 4S and Turbo S; and the Spyder.
The range of vehicles I've driven covers a lot of ground, including a wagon, SUVs, and of course, sports cars.
Porsche is making tremendous cars these days, and its lineup is among the best in the business
But I can still come up with a ranking! And the top Porsche is the remarkable 718 Spyder.

Porsche is simply crushing it these days. Its lineup of vehicles is basically second to none, ranging from classic sports cars, such as the 911 and Cayman/Boxster/Spyder, to SUVs like the legendary Cayenne and popular Macan, to executive four-door versions of the Panamera.

I've been on a Porsche run since late last year, starting by driving the Cayenne Turbo and culminating with the 718 Spyder.

Each of these machines has been stupendously impressive. Porsche engineers continue to improve already great vehicles — a difficult job they make look easy.

Obviously, we have a roster drawn from different segments here — sedan, SUV, 2+2 sports cars, and a two-seat convertible — and it's not like many shoppers are choosing between a car for hauling the family and one to explore the coast. So, take my ranking with a grain of salt. But I did it anyway, and here's how these seven Porsches stacked up:

IN 7th PLACE: The 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupé. My tester, a well-optioned version of this fastback SUV that's a new thing for Porsche, stickered at $86,090.

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The Cayenne Coupé under consideration here has a sloping roofline, much of which is glass, curving through an integrated spoiler and descending rakishly through a hatchback and terminating with a small, deck lid spoiler.

Matthew DeBord/Insider

The Cayenne Coupé under consideration here has a sloping roofline, much of which is glass, curving through an integrated spoiler and descending rakishly through a hatchback and terminating with a small, deck lid spoiler.

The idea is to take a luxury SUV and add some flash, style, and sportiness. The front end, of course, defaults to the traditional bug-eyed design lingo that has defined Porsches since the 1950s.

Matthew DeBord/Insider

The idea is to take a luxury SUV and add some flash, style, and sportiness. The front end, of course, defaults to the traditional bug-eyed design lingo that has defined Porsches since the 1950s.

The Cayenne Coupé has a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, making 335 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. The power heads to the all-wheel-drive system via an eight-speed automatic with a manual-shifting option. The top speed is 151 mph, and the 0-60 mph dash takes just under six seconds.

Matthew DeBord/Insider

The Cayenne Coupé has a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, making 335 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. The power heads to the all-wheel-drive system via an eight-speed automatic with a manual-shifting option. The top speed is 151 mph, and the 0-60 mph dash takes just under six seconds.

Porsches aren't Mercedes. If you expect bling, you won't find it in here. Hope you enjoy the "Slate Gray" leather and subdued appointments.

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The trunk offers 22 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 54 with the rear seats dropped.

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The whole point of the Cayenne Coupé is to deliver a sportier Cayenne. And while it's plenty of fun, I craved a beefier engine option than the turbo six.

Matthew DeBord/Insider

IN 6TH PLACE: The 2019 Porsche Cayenne Turbo. My tester started at $125,000, but a batch of performance options added just over $10,000 to the already formidable sticker price.

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IN 6TH PLACE: The 2019 Porsche Cayenne Turbo. My tester started at $125,000, but a batch of performance options added just over $10,000 to the already formidable sticker price.

Porsche has added character lines and a higher overall level of surface flash to the Cayenne, now in its third-generation.

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When the Cayenne first arrived in 2002, a big question was whether the traditional bug-eye Porsche design cues would translate to an SUV. They didn't, really, and they haven't — but now it doesn't matter because we've gotten used to it.

Matt DeBord/BI

When the Cayenne first arrived in 2002, a big question was whether the traditional bug-eye Porsche design cues would translate to an SUV. They didn't, really, and they haven't — but now it doesn't matter because we've gotten used to it.

The 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 makes 541 horsepower with 568 pound-feet of torque. This Porsche can tow nearly 8,000 pounds, which is staggering. My 0-60 time was around 4 seconds (Porsche says it's a few tenths quicker).

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The 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 makes 541 horsepower with 568 pound-feet of torque. This Porsche can tow nearly 8,000 pounds, which is staggering. My 0-60 time was around 4 seconds (Porsche says it's a few tenths quicker).

The all-black leather interior is lovely, but also purposeful, in the way Porsche interiors often are. The Cayenne is a good-sized SUV, so rear legroom is pretty capacious.

Matt DeBord/BI

The all-black leather interior is lovely, but also purposeful, in the way Porsche interiors often are. The Cayenne is a good-sized SUV, so rear legroom is pretty capacious.

When the gaping rear maw opens, you have about 27 cubic feet of cargo space to work with and roughly double that when the second row of seats is folded down. That's really quite good.

Matt DeBord/BI

When the gaping rear maw opens, you have about 27 cubic feet of cargo space to work with and roughly double that when the second row of seats is folded down. That's really quite good.

In summary, the Cayenne is simply good, good, and more good. The top-level Turbo trim is especially delightful, capable of orchestrating a brutal symphony of horsepower from that magnificent twin-turbo V8.

Matt DeBord/BI

In summary, the Cayenne is simply good, good, and more good. The top-level Turbo trim is especially delightful, capable of orchestrating a brutal symphony of horsepower from that magnificent twin-turbo V8.

IN 5TH PLACE: The 2019 Porsche Panamera GTS Sport Turismo. I tested a 2019 edition, wagonified Panamera GTS that cost a well-optioned $144,000.

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Style-wise, I think the wagon-y Sport Turismo trim improves on the unloved Panamera design.

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The headlamps, with their four-point running-light feature, are a cool upgrade to the familiar Porsche bug-eyes fascia.

Matthew DeBord/BI

Under that lovely hunk of plastic, a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 453 horsepower with 457 pound feet of torque. The power is channeled to a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive setup via a quick-shifting, eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission. The 0-60 mph time is about four seconds flat.

Matthew DeBord/BI

Under that lovely hunk of plastic, a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 453 horsepower with 457 pound feet of torque. The power is channeled to a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive setup via a quick-shifting, eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission. The 0-60 mph time is about four seconds flat.

The interior of my Panamera GTS Sport Turismo was a combo of leather and Alcantara, all in black. Severe! Purposeful! A study in not overdoing it. The dark grained wood and brushed metal trim were epic in their restraint.

Matthew DeBord/BI

The interior of my Panamera GTS Sport Turismo was a combo of leather and Alcantara, all in black. Severe! Purposeful! A study in not overdoing it. The dark grained wood and brushed metal trim were epic in their restraint.

My time with the Sport Turismo took place in San Francisco, so I was able to check out its baggage-toting capability. At 18 cubic feet, it's adequate but not much more. My suitcase gobbled up about half the trunk.

Matthew DeBord/BI

My time with the Sport Turismo took place in San Francisco, so I was able to check out its baggage-toting capability. At 18 cubic feet, it's adequate but not much more. My suitcase gobbled up about half the trunk.

To sum it up, the Panamera's GTS ST's V8, snappy transmission, dynamic chassis feature, and torque-vectoring combined to fill me with confidence on freeways, byways, and some twisty asphalt. And I really liked the wagon treatment!

Matthew DeBord/BI

To sum it up, the Panamera's GTS ST's V8, snappy transmission, dynamic chassis feature, and torque-vectoring combined to fill me with confidence on freeways, byways, and some twisty asphalt. And I really liked the wagon treatment!