5 Best Porsche Vehicles for Winter Driving
Porsche builds some amazingly capable performance vehicles. And while capably handling snow might not be something that you think of in connection with sports cars, Porsche hasn’t neglected this often-overlooked aspect of sports car handling. After all, Porsche has an impressive history of rally racing, and winter driving is somewhat similar to warm-weather rally racing - with low traction conditions being central to both. And that low-traction handling expertise is something you’ll appreciate when you take your Porsche out in the snow.
Best Porsche Models For Winter Driving
Cayenne
With its generous ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive, it comes as no surprise that the Cayenne would be on this list. The Cayenne is such a famously capable vehicle that one running of the Transsyberia Rally saw 25 out of 34 teams fielding the Cayenne for the brutal cross-country race. When equipped with winter tires, the Cayenne isn’t just one of the best Porsche vehicles for handling snow, it’s one of the best vehicles, period.
Macan
A frequent winner of Car & Driver’s annual 10Best1 awards, the Macan sets the bar for compact SUV performance under any driving conditions. Like the bigger Cayenne, the Macan comes with standard AWD, and a hefty helping of rally-bred engineering. While a lot of people might think bigger is better for adverse weather conditions, the Macan proves that a compact SUV can be just as capable.
Panamera
While not every Panamera trim comes with AWD, most do, and when paired with snow tires the Panamera becomes a formidable snow-conquering machine. Available air suspension lets you raise the Panamera’s ground clearance when the snow gets especially deep. The Panamera’s excellent weight distribution and available Sport Turismo body make it an excellent alternative for those who are uninterested in SUVs, but still need to overcome winter weather conditions.
Taycan
The Taycan is a standout, not just among electric vehicles, but just vehicles in general. Like the Panamera, the Taycan is a sedan with available all-wheel drive, and Porsche applied the lessons learned that made the Panamera excellent in the snow to the Taycan. But it actually goes a bit further, since the low and even placement of the batteries gives the Taycan a perfectly balanced axle load distribution. This is as much an advantage in snow as it is in dry weather performance. And although you might have heard that cold weather has a negative impact on range with electric vehicles, the Taycan’s combination of battery preconditioning and available heat pump keeps this from being a serious issue. In fact, the Taycan is such an excellent performer in snow that Porsche uses them for Porsche Ice Experience events.
911
The 911 exists in a segment of vehicles that usually get stored away for the winter. And while this is pretty sensible in the case of most sports cars, it might surprise you just how capable the 911 is in the snow. The car has a long history of rally racing, including an outright win in the punishing Paris-Dakar rally. Today, Porsche even sells an offroad version of the car that’s named for this win, the 911 Dakar. Rally racing and its low-traction conditions have influenced 911 design for decades, and today, when equipped with snow tires, the 911 is quite capable of driving in the snow. So much so in fact, that Porsche offers drivers a Porsche Ice Experience in northern Finland where owners can learn just how capable the 911 can be in the snow and ice.
It’s All In The Tires
While some vehicles will certainly have an advantage over others in the snow, tires will also play a much bigger role than most people realize. Tires are the only part of your vehicle that actually comes into contact with the road, and the difference between the summer tires most performance vehicles come with and winter tires is enormous. There is also a driving mode on most newer Porsche vehicles for snow, and this in conjunction with winter tires will often make a bigger difference than all-wheel drive. This goes for stopping as well as going, and Porsche has said that winter tires will cut the Macan’s braking distance on snow at 31 mph from 66 yards to 332, compared to summer tires.