Porsche Cayenne GTS gets sharper looks and more power

Standing for Grand Turismo Sport, the GTS adds an extra dose of dynamism and long-range capability to the company’s flagship offroader, which is “both a high-performance sports car and an all-terrain SUV”.

Being the most road-biassed Cayenne on sale, the GTS gets suspension that’s lowered 10mm over standard, as well as air suspension, Porsche Active Suspension Management and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus. The Porsche Traction Management and the optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control are calibrated explicitly for on-road performance.

The car’s two-valve damper technology should give it a “highly dynamic spring rate” but is also comfortable. The car also benefits from Cayenne Turbo GT’s front axle pivot bearings that increase negative camber by 0.58 degrees and should make it feel more enthusiastic on turn-in.

Power and torque for the twin-turbocharged V8 have increased, up 40PS (30kW) and 40Nm (30lb ft), respectively. Headline figures of 500PS (368kW) and 660Nm (487lb ft) usher the big bruiser from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds and onto a 171mph top speed.

Helping get the most from the power gains is a revised eight-speed automatic gearbox with shorter shift times and a four-wheel drive transfer box with an independent cooling circuit, another piece of kit nicked from the Turbo GT. 

To distinguish your GTS from lower-end models, black GTS badging and black trim is very much the theme. Dark-tinted headlights and a body kit trimmed in high-gloss black, which includes a unique front bumper with air-gulping intakes. Bronze quad exhausts break the mould, and the look is completed with 21-inch alloy wheels finished in anthracite grey.

Much of the interior is clad in Porsche’s equivalent of Alcantara – called Race-Tex. You get a GT steering wheel, heavily bolstered front seats and a choice of two interior finishes: Carmine Red and Slate Grey Neo. Standard equipment includes a Bose stereo and ambient interior lighting, plus Coupe models get a full-length glass roof. 

Go for the Coupe, and you get other (optional) goodies to choose from, including a sports exhaust with centrally mounted twin pipes, a carbon fibre roof and rear diffuser, plus a pack that removes sound deadening – ticking all the boxes reduces the car’s total weight (unconfirmed) by 25kg.

The GTS and the GTS Coupe are available for order priced at £106,100 and £107,700, respectively.