The Goodwood Test: Porsche Cayenne Turbo S – A 570bhp Magic Trick

Heritage

Is the Cayenne the car that now defines Porsche? Arguably more so than the 911, which the SUV outsells at a ratio of almost exactly two to one. Combined with Macan more than 150,000 of the 225,000 cars Porsche sold last year were SUV-crossovers. Which is pretty sobering if you still think of Porsche as a sportscar brand. Wake up – the times have changed and the way the Cayenne has transplanted brand values into an entirely new segment has been a lesson to the whole industry. From diesels to hybrids there are Cayennes from just over £50,000 upwards; inevitably we were drawn to the fastest and most expensive – the 570hp, £119,720 Cayenne Turbo S.

Design

As unapologetic as the performance. The shock value of 911 styling cues on a 4x4 body has subsided a little since the first generation Cayenne and this latest one has refined the original idea somewhat. Graceful would be putting it a little strongly but there's a cohesiveness to the lines that looks a lot more resolved. The Turbo S ups the aggression with bigger intakes, four bazooka-sized exhausts and enormous PCCB carbon ceramic brakes as standard – these alone are a £6,000 option on the standard Turbo. Inside it feels sporty and low-slung, a neat trick considering its height and stature. Leather, chrome and aluminium abound, the sense of opulence almost as overwhelming as the button count.

Performance

The standard Cayenne Turbo's 520bhp twin-turbo 4.8-litre V8 engine gets boosted to 570bhp in the S, torque increasing from 553lb ft to 590lb ft to slice nearly half a second off the 0-62mph time. To get a sense of this potency you'll be wanting to tick the £1,934 box for the optional sports exhaust system, the thunderous sound under acceleration is the kind of thing that'll have mothers shielding their children as you approach. Which is either brilliant or confirming all the worst stereotypes, depending on your viewpoint. From air suspension to active anti-roll, the amount of technology packed into the chassis is dazzling, the really impressive thing being seamless calibration that fools you into thinking you're simply in a very tall and spacious 911 Turbo.

Passion

Tricky one. For brand purists the Cayenne remains a controversial vehicle and embodiment of a culture of bling and excess far removed from Porsche's traditional sportscars. But its ability to underwrite the business and fund the development of the 911 GT3s and Cayman GT4s beloved of the fanboys can't be ignored. And in the performance and physics defying handling it remains as close to a sportscar in an SUV body as anyone has ever made. For that alone, and especially in this most extravagant specification, the Cayenne Turbo S is the definition of guilty pleasure. You may hate the idea. But you have to admire the execution.  

Price tag of our car: £124,542 (£119,720 OTR plus £4,822 in options)