As the topsy-turvy world of cars continues to throw up one surprise after another, so it’s nice to be greeted with a little - alright, 2.2-tonne - slice of predictability. By the numbers, the Cayenne GTS is exactly the car that might be expected. To look at it presents no surprises. To drive it is just the experience Porsche’s sweet-spot V8 SUV has offered up in this format over the years. It’s just the kind of fast, capable, desirable Cayenne that the badge has become associated with. The fans will like it - even the detractors might find something to appreciate…
A brief refresh, because it can be easy to get lost in Cayenne Coupes, E-Hybrids, Turbo E-Hybrids and GT Packages. The GTS is available as both coupe and SUV, using the familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 without hybrid assistance. Its 500hp isn’t much up on the standard 474hp, though not only is it telling that the big five hundred was once Turbo S territory - in an old Cayenne that was definitely still big and heavy - there’s a more meaningful torque uptick that maybe didn’t grab the headlines as much as the sexy power number. Now rated at 487lb ft thanks in no small part to the addition of another turbo, that’s a useful 44 points more - or 10 per cent - up on the S. So while the acceleration figures haven’t really changed and there’s not really any point going beyond the 6,000rpm power peak, there’s the promise of more meaningful shove in gear when not embarrassing hot hatches from traffic lights.
So it proves on the road, complete with some additional gurgle, gargle and roar from the sports exhaust. Those occasions, infrequent though they were, that could expose the standard V8 S as perhaps not quite assertive enough, never materialise here. That maximum twist is beyond something unquestionably pokey like an M3 Touring (which isn’t a whole lot lighter) so there’s certainly the confidence with the GTS - that didn’t always exist in the S - of high gear, low rev, minimum effort performance. Plus a great rumble under load. And a flawless auto. You get the gist.
The sacrifice, if that’s not too strong a word, for getting the GTS is almost as immediately apparent as the sound and the speed. The ride on 22-inch wheels isn’t quite as soothing as on the 20s and giant rubber rings, basically - even Porsche hasn’t figured out a magic solution to that yet. However, no doubt with a helping hand from optional ceramic brakes, this is a long way from punishing in any situation - primary or secondary ride, low or high speed. Normal will do everything that’s likely required of a Cayenne; Sport Plus needs some speed to do its best work, but given a clear B road it’s capable of making a Cayenne do incredible things. Dive, pitch and roll are all remarkably well contained, with the car still feeling reasonably authentic and not merely held together by clever hardware.
The very expensive contribution to reduced unsprung shouldn’t be ignored - we can’t guarantee the GTS would be so accommodating on iron discs - though prior experience of this Cayenne and its new dual-valve suspension would suggest it will always retain a decent level of comfort. Probably it’ll look fine, drive just great and certainly save you some money sticking with the standard 21-inch RS Spyder rims, if it’s really a concern. Because it seems almost guaranteed that a demo GTS will be on the big wheels (but not necessarily the expensive brakes).
Wouldn’t you know, moreover, a Cayenne GTS with a couple of choice options drives very smartly indeed. Normally it’s easy (guilty as charged, more than likely) to grasp a Race-Tex wheel, hear V8 woofle behind and convince yourself GTS steering is crisper than a standard Porsche. Certainly it happens here, but borrowing front axle hardware from the Turbo GT means more negative camber; so its keenness to turn isn’t just the alcantara placebo. The words ‘delicate’ and ‘poise’ are seldom associated with cars of this genre, yet the Cayenne really can be placed with unerring accuracy and will respond deftly and subtly to your every command. And even if the inputs are very opposite of deft and subtle, it’s never ever flustered by the treatment. While keeping just enough feedback - thank you revised front axle and standard torque vectoring - to ensure the GTS isn’t boring.
More than ever, then, it feels like the driver-focused offering, noticeably ramping up involvement with precious little penalty. Those feeling cynical could easily (and probably rightly) previously have suggested the GTSes were nice option packs, really, especially as a little extra power on the nat-asp cars didn’t make them feel much faster. Now, with upgrades like an additional turbo and bespoke chassis hardware - not to mention developments like the t-hybrid in a 911 - the GTSes are really establishing themselves as genuine standalone models. Really, really good ones. One note from a brief test drive says ‘feels like a Macan V8’; honestly, if somebody had got in without seeing the big red beast, they could very easily be persuaded by the feel of a lower, sharper, fizzier feeling that this was a noticeably smaller Porsche. It’s precise, hugely competent and a pleasure to point at a challenging road on a sunny afternoon in a way that not very much is - SUV or otherwise. How does Porsche keep doing it?
That said, while it does shrink around you dynamically, the feeling of taking up the entirety of your allocated bit of road never really subsides. And it’s hard not to feel a tad conspicuous in a giant red Porsche that seemingly identifies as a hot hatch - seeing it come the other way at any pace might not be the nicest surprise. Nor is the GTS, despite the moodier aesthetic and styling add-ons, ever likely to be an SUV to swoon over outside the kitchen in the way you might an F-Pace SVR. It’s still just a tad too serious for that.
Nevertheless, much as it was before, the GTS is comfortably the pick of the updated Cayenne range. Probably by a larger margin, thanks to those meaningful powertrain and chassis updates. Here’s a V8 Cayenne that hauls harder through every gear, engages the driver more freely, sounds better and steers more eagerly than a regular S; little wonder the specification and experience basically picks itself, even if the prospect of paying another twenty-odd grand requires a pause for thought. (No doubt monthlies can massage that into a less scary figure.) Probably the most important takeaway is that while the ordinary 4.0-litre S remains the Cayenne most folk will actually need, the GTS is all the Porsche-built SUV you could ever really want. Expect that distinction to count for a lot.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS
Engine: 3,996cc, V8, twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 500@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 487@2,100-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.7 seconds (4.4 with Sport Chrono)
Top speed: 171mph
Weight: 2,190kg (DIN)
MPG: 21.2-22.4
CO2: 287-303g/km
Price: from £106,100
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