New Porsche Cayenne GTS gets 500hp V8
The best facelifted Cayenne yet? All signs point to 'yes'
Even for a champion of eking out wafer-thin (yet somehow clearly differentiated) space for each of its various trim levels, the previous Cayenne GTS was something of a triumph for Porsche’s marketing department. Before that it had been a V6-powered derivative and was therefore only lightly regarded. But then some bright spark pointed out that, thanks to the accumulative effect of hybridisation occurring elsewhere in the Porsche range, there was really no need to persist with the smaller capacity engine. So it dropped the 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 in. This, unsurprisingly, was a good thing.
The resulting GTS was the Cayenne we recommended to people who voiced an interest in buying one. Not for anyone wishing to show off (because Turbo GT) or chiefly interested in doing the school run (because whatever) rather anyone who asked us which Cayenne was the best compromise of value and speed and driving charm (such as it was). And without having driven it yet or stood in close proximity to one, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that the new one will retain its preferred position in the model pecking order.
This is a braver call than it sounds. Because while the new GTS gets a 500hp V8 - 40hp more than its predecessor - you’ll likely recall that Porsche has already seen fit (and this gives you some idea of what its customers think about the choice between a decent V6 and a top-notch V8) to pull off the same trick further down the lineup, meaning the current Cayenne S already gets a 474hp V8. And when Matt B drove it in the UK last month, he suggested it was probably all the Porsche SUV you’d ever need.
But the GTS has always been about the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want’ - and on paper the new one seems custom-built to conjure up wallet-opening amounts of the latter. For a start, the V8 is the beefier twin-turbo version (the S makes do with a single blower) and you get 487lb ft of torque versus 443lb ft, meaning the GTS’s 0-62mph time drops to 4.4 seconds. And before anyone rolls their eyes at the difference this signifies, Matt also noted that ‘occasionally there’s the feeling a bit more top-end wallop wouldn’t go amiss’ in the S; how much would you like to bet that this deficit has been fixed in the more senior model?
For sure the ‘modicum of slack’ he noted in the air suspension will have been expunged because the GTS-specific chassis, which comes as standard with PASM and PTV+, is lowered by 10mm onto revised two-valve dampers, and shares its front axle settings with the Turbo GT. So you’ll be that bit more hunkered down with 0.58 degrees more negative camber to call upon. Porsche has even gone to the trouble of fitting an independent water cooling circuit to the all-wheel drive system’s transfer box with the aim of stabilising ‘the continuous load capacity, for example when tackling track driving or navigating mountain routes’ - good to know, eh?
And if more power and a sharper chassis don't get the GTS over the line, the enhanced look probably will. For a start, you get the meaner front end with bigger air intakes and tinted LED headlights, but there’s also the standard Sport Design package that turns almost all the Cayenne’s ‘body attachments’ - i.e. side skirts, front inlays, window trims and wheel arch extensions - gloss black, plus a fetching set of 21-inch RS Spyder-design wheels in anthracite grey to set them off. Inside you get a generous smattering of Race-Tex, not least on the heated GT sports steering wheel. Which is also standard.
Obviously this is all in addition to the changes rendered by the wider Cayenne update, which means there's a much plusher cabin equipped with the latest infotainment system, bolstered in the GTS’s case by a Bose surround sound system, ambient lighting and (if you go for the Coupe variant) a fixed panoramic roof and adaptive rear spoiler. There’s even a choice of three different lightweight sports packages, which apparently include the option of things like a carbon rear diffuser and reduced insulation, with the promise of subtracting up to 25kg from the (undisclosed) kerbweight.
Probably that would be the dynamic equivalent of removing some guardrails from HMS Queen Elizabeth - but it doesn’t detract from the idea that you’re getting a nicely beefed-up V8 option for your money, while avoiding all the hybrid paraphernalia that afflicts the more powerful alternatives above. Admittedly it comes at a more senior price: in the UK, you’ll pay £106,100 for the conventional SUV and £107,700 for the coupe, which is a significant step up from the £84,400 starting price of a Cayenne S. But also a £24,100 saving versus the range-topping Turbo E-Hybrid. We'll find out soon enough if its sweet spot reputation endures.
This must be on another level. Please everyone buy these and then look after them so I can get one in 5 years!
Now just to ditch the ludicrous EV Cayman & Boxster...throw the big growly 4.0L flat six in the new car's and be done with all this EV nonsense.
Anyway, back to the article, decent looking SUV, looking forward to reading the road test.
Now just to ditch the ludicrous EV Cayman & Boxster...throw the big growly 4.0L flat six in the new car's and be done with all this EV nonsense.
As big SUVs go, quite like that, that colour scheme is great.
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