Porsche Panamera 4S 970.1 vs Porsche Macan S 95B.1: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the Panamera 4S hits 100 km/h in 4.78 s versus 5.28 s for the Macan S. At this point, the Panamera 4S leads by 0.50 s and sits roughly 5 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the Panamera 4S is doing 142 km/h against 138 km/h for the Macan S. The gap is 0.35 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the Panamera 4S crosses the line in 12.98 s versus 13.52 s. The 0.54 s gap represents roughly 25 m of track - two to three car lengths.

Past 400 metres, the Panamera 4S continues to build its lead. At 600 metres, it runs at 198 km/h versus 190 km/h. At 1,000 metres, the Panamera 4S finishes in 23.57 s versus 24.59 s, with a 1.02 s lead.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the Panamera 4S is capped at 283 km/h, the Macan S at 251 (i.e. 155 mph - industry threshold) km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two combustion powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (4.23 kg/hp vs 5.49 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Automatic).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 8.00 seconds. The 0.50 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.