The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT at a glance
The first Cayenne revolutionized the SUV
If there is a car manufacturer who knows a thing or two about superlatives, it is certainly Porsche. The Stuttgart-based company is well known for its expertise in driving dynamics and also helped the not-so-sporty “Sport Utility Vehicle” in the early 2000s to achieve unprecedented performance. The first Porsche Cayenne based on the Touareg appeared in 2002, and in 2006 the first Cayenne Turbo S with 521 hp, which is still presentable today, came on the market.
19 years later, the Porsche Cayenne is, after the Macan, the most popular product of the southern Germans worldwide and is coming up in a new top version at the change of the model year. With 471 kW / 640 PS (combined fuel consumption: 11.9-11.6 l / 100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 271-264 g / km²), the Cayenne Turbo GT has the most powerful Porsche V8 to date without electrification and wants more than ever connect the type of an off-road vehicle with that of a sports car. But the Turbo GT is the first Cayenne to be allowed to run at 300 km / h and sprints from zero to 100 km / h in an incredible 3.3 seconds.
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Cayenne Turbo GT with high-tech chassis
As if the 7: 38.9 minutes achieved by works driver Lars Kern on the Nürburgring Nordschleife weren’t enough performance proof, the debutant should also show on the Swedish Gotlandring that those paper values really result in serious lap times. The common car journalist in the far north was allowed to torture a couple of Pirelli P Zero Corsa (semislicks!) And prance along the dynamic limits of driving with the new Cayenne Turbo GT.
The currently hottest Porsche SUV brings more than 2.3 tons ready to drive on the road and the engineers have managed with a deep grip on the bag of tricks that this Trumm car can be draped almost unheard of nimbly through tight chicanes. Technically – as standard – everything that could be found between Weissach, Zuffenhausen and Leipzig in terms of high-tech is driven: a rear-biased four-wheel drive with lock, torque vectoring, one compared to the regular Cayenne Turbo (fuel consumption combined: 11.6 l / 100 km; CO2 -Emissions combined: 264 g / km²), 17 millimeters lower air suspension, adaptively controlled dampers with active roll compensation, rear-axle steering and firmly gripping ceramic brakes.
Elemental V8 biturbo
The latter have a diameter of 440 millimeters at the front and 410 millimeters at the rear and are sorely needed to curb the weighty elemental force of 640 hp and 850 Newton meters. Even though the double-charged 4.0-liter V8 on the long straight comes frighteningly close to a 911 Turbo S (combined fuel consumption: 11.1 l / 100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 254 g / km²), the sports car stays that way when cornering Superior to SUV, of course. In the border area that can be experienced late, the load then pushes the expected 22-inch front wheels and only those who really want to do it will animate the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT to power slide.
Since such an over-Cayenne should cost at least 196,078 euros, you will certainly not always drive it on the last groove. Moved a bit in a way that conserves material and loss of value, you then have time to enjoy the very precise steering, the harmonious 8-speed automatic transmission and of course the sound of the exhaust. Yes, there is still one and Porsche has not only saved 18 kilograms of weight (compared to the Cayenne Turbo) with the elaborately designed titanium exhaust system, but has also created a suitable acoustic background. Speaking of weight reduction: thanks to the standard carbon roof, the vehicle’s center of gravity is lower, which is also beneficial to the driving dynamics.
At the push of a button with a lot of residual comfort, new PCM 6.0
If you have had enough of the track day at the end of the day, you can switch back to normal driving mode at the push of a button and you will find that the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT can also serve as an opulent touring car. Despite the lavish sports tires, the ride comfort is considerable, and thanks to double glazing, unpleasant outside noises are far away from the passengers. Furthermore, the fuel consumption on normal Swedish roads drops at a maximum of 80 km / h in the direction of 11 liters per 100 kilometers, which still does not allow the Cayenne Turbo GT to win a sustainability competition. And if you want to emphasize the usefulness of such a car at the regulars’ table or its pulling power, it should be said in advance that, thanks to the centrally placed exhaust system, no trailer hitch is available.
In the meantime, almost everything remains the same in the high-quality interior. In addition to GT-specific sports seats and the “Neodyme” contrasting color that defines the model, the revised Porsche Communication Management, PCM for short, is what catches the eye. It has been updated to version 6.0 and will also be used in all other Cayenne models later this year. Overall, the operation is now a lot more intuitive, the voice control has also been revised. This now recognizes succinct spoken announcements, but still understands neither fun nor the command to deactivate the head-up display, for example.
First conclusion
The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Coupé is certainly not suitable for stimulating a social and environmental policy discourse. But it is precisely the enormous unreasonableness inherent in that automobile concept that ultimately makes it attractive. No one needs 640 hp in an SUV, but they were packaged in an overall package that stands out in terms of both longitudinal and transverse dynamics. In the end, every Cayenne fan has to decide for himself whether the differences to the regular Turbo Coupé, which are barely noticeable in everyday life, justify a price difference of just under 45,600 euros. (Text and image: Thomas Vogelhuber | Additional images: manufacturer)