What's this all about?
Well, it's the car we all love to hate to love - the Porsche Cayenne. Whether you consider it too big and fat to be a proper Porsche, or simply the best-to-drive SUV in existence (both views are equally valid) Porsche has once again decided to extend the Cayenne range by adding a GTS model to the freshly facelifted 4x4 range.
What's a GTS then?
GTS is a hallowed name in Porsche circles (and is therefore once again likely to raise some traditionalist ire when it's glued to the back of a Cayenne...). The first GTS was the 904 racer of 1963, but the name did fall out of use for some time, before being revived by the Cayenne in 2007.
So, once again, the GTS is now if not the fastest Cayenne you can buy, probably the sharpest to drive and probably the closest thing to a Cayenne GT3. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine actually has more power and torque than the old V8-engined Cayenne GTS. It produces a healthy 440hp and 600Nm. Porsche also says that it's a little less thirstier than before.
It'll sprint to 62mph from rest in just 5.1 seconds if you tick the options box for the Sport Chrono pack and the top speed is just nudging the 160mph mark.
All GTS models get adaptive Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard so the Cayenne should be pretty agile without actually knocking your fillings out on every bump. It's 24mm lower than a standard Cayenne, or just the 20mm if you go for the optional air suspension.
To rein in all the performance, the GTS also gets the massive 390mm front brakes from the Cayenne Turbo (with 358mm stoppers at the back). Outside, it gets the same gaping nose section as the Turbo, with beefier sills and extended wheel arches. There's a black version with black lettering too that should look mean and stealthy.
Inside, you get eight-way adjust GTS sports electric seats (with GTS stitched into the headrest, natch) and the whole cabin looks as if it was covered in glue and driven through an Alcantara factory.
I'm guessing it's expensive?
You guess right. At £72,523 it's not going to be for starter drivers. If you want something cheaper, there is now a new basic Cayenne model that uses an non-turbo 3.6-litre V6 engine which can still get you to 62mph in a brisk 7.7 seconds and includes such standard equipment as an eight-speed automatic gearbox with stop-start and coasting functions, bi-Xenon main headlights with four-point LED daytime driving lights, a multi-function sports steering wheel with gearchange paddles and an automatic boot lid. All for 'just' £49,576.
A bargain! I'll take six!
Not so fast. Both models will be shown off at the LA Auto Show this month and will go on sale in February of next year.
Neil Briscoe - 5 Nov 2014