Assuming both cars (same year) are equipped in similar fashion, what are the driving differences on the road; handling, ride, NVH, etc? I have an opportunity to buy a well equipped 4S but have no experience in anything but a Carrera S. I always assumed that the 4S would feel heavy with AWD and less responsive. Am I wrong?

 

It will feel a little bit different, but not necessarily heavy. I've spent lots of time driving both and I prefer the 4S. Most drivers can't tell the difference. The 4S will generally turn faster lap times on the track, all else being equal.

I think you'll find that the 4S will understeer a little bit more easily than the S at the limit, but it's not dramatically different. You can get on the gas and power out of corners faster in the 4S. Personally, I prefer the wide body of the 4S to the narrow body of the S. Remember, the AWD hardware for the AWD cars weighs less than 150 lbs.

 

I have had both and IMHO the 4S out handles the S. I like the all-wheel-drive so much I just ordered a '16 Audi S3 (Quatro) Prestige with the 19" Performance Package for my DD to replace the '14 Fusion Energi that is up for sale.

 

I also like the 4S better than the S in the handling department. Plus the rear of the 4S look much better.

 

This was what sold me...

 

Over the years I had converted every Porsche and Lamborghini AWD sports car I have owned to RWD. I am a bit old school and like my sports cars to be a bit edgy (I either defeat, remove or turn off traction controls), but I have a few cars and none of these were ever going to be DD's. The differences to me between AWD and RWD, are pretty big (when I bought a pair of 650 BMW's last year both were RWD) to me, but I suggest you drive both. It seems I am particularly sensitive to certain types of driver feedback and I am far more comfortable with the way RWD feels. For me it better communicates when the car will break loose and if it starts to it is easier (at least for me) to reel it back in. Of course my RWD cars sit for a few months every year, and my Panamera 4S, my Abarth, and my Jeep GC Summit get to be my DD's. not everyone has these options and not everyone feels the differences I do. My neighbor has a tt and he does not think the AWD and RWD is very different, so to each his own. Good luck and Happy New Year.

 

As a suggestion/reminder to the OP, the GTS gets the wider rear body/track of the 4S with the lighter, "more pure" rwd of the C2S, all while getting a hp&torque bump. Not sure if the GTS narrows the difference or widens it. I've never driven a 4S but have compared the C2S to the GTS. Sure, the GTS seems more stable and has a touch more grunt but I miss the quirky presence of the C2S's rear end you feel when taking a curve with urgency. For me it's a feel that keeps the driver alert and involved. There's less of that in the GTS, and I presume also in the C4S. Of course, the engine is still in the back for all three and I'm sure, if pushed hard enough, the rear end will make its presence known; but in the narrower C2S, that presence appears more often. I chose the GTS because I like the wider body look (997 GTS) and appreciate that this was Porsche's last iteration before the 991.

Just my thoughts.

 

4s more neutral. 2s edgy. The 4s is a car reigned in by electronics. The 2s is the more "sports car" for me if you get what I mean.

 

How can you deny that A$$? I couldnt.

 

This A$$ looks good too

 

I like mine with curves.

 

The 4S is 44mm ~ 1.73" wider than the S at the back... I would need to have both cars, side by side, to be able to tell the difference 1.73" makes, taking into consideration that difference over the whole width of the car, as a percentage/fraction of the whole. I would hardly call an S narrow while being amazed at how wide the 4S is. But that's just me... YMMV

 

Wide *** all the way

 

She looks Good from the back, even at a distance!

 

I prefer the purer experience of the C2S; I like AWD for my sedans but sports coupes should be RWD in my opinion. When I drove my 997S back-to-back with a 991 4S on the track, I admit the 4S was faster (more power and PDK didn't hurt either) but I didn't enjoy the feeling as much behind the wheel.