The efficiency gaps throughout the Cayenne lineup have by no means been smaller. Spend a while piloting a well-optioned S, and the very last thing you’ll really feel is that it’s missing in pace or dealing with. And whereas the range-topping $205,795 Turbo GT will fortunately sort out a twisty again street like a sports activities automotive, it units itself aside not simply with its pace however by participating its driver with an exhilarating expertise.
The place does the 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe I’m driving this week slot in? Properly, provided that it employs the identical twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 as each the S and the Turbo GT, it gained’t shock you to study that its straight-line efficiency is astonishing. But, just like the range-topper, the GTS distinguishes itself by pairing that efficiency with an interesting driving expertise. It creates a way of event that you simply gained’t discover in decrease trim ranges with out additionally sporting a price ticket that begins with a two.
From a visible standpoint, one of the important benefits the Porsche Cayenne GTS has over the Turbo GT is that it’s out there in each a normal SUV kind and, like my tester, as a Coupe. Like earlier iterations of this driver-focused trim, the GTS sports activities a novel entrance bumper adorned with bigger air intakes. You’ll discover black badges all through its exterior, a normal set of 21-inch RS Spyder Design wheels, gloss black trim, and a Sport Exhaust System painted in a darkish bronze end.
If trying on the photographs above offers you the impression that my tester seems to be a bit Turbo GT-lite, you’re not alone. Its elective exhaust with twin central exits helps it play the half, as do its $9,070 carbon-ceramic brakes and its yellow calipers. Its upgraded 22-in GT Design wheels are the identical as you’ll discover on the Turbo GT. On the similar time, its $10,770 Premium Package deal Plus and Light-weight Sport Package deal add exterior extras akin to a carbon fiber roof.
But regardless of this SUV’s many elective extras, it concurrently makes a powerful case for why ordering one in such a muted shade mixture, akin to this tester’s $2,840 Arctic Gray, isn’t a terrific thought. What you find yourself with is a big household hauler that’s making an attempt to return throughout as each sporty and toned-down. Should you’re already shopping for a Cayenne with a snarling V8 and an lively rear spoiler, why not go all in and let it shine with a brighter shade?
Inside, the GTS’ updates are extra refined. Its cabin options extra surfaces completed in Race Tex, such because the GT Sport steering wheel, door playing cards, armrests, and roof liner. Whereas its customary eight-way adjustable Sport seats function the fabric, this tester opts for a extra basic houndstooth sample for its elective heated 18-way adjustable seats.
Peek beneath the GTS’ hood, and also you’ll discover the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that’s turn into ubiquitous not simply throughout the Porsche model however throughout sister firms like Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley. This iteration produces 493 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque, representing a 40 hp and 30 lb-ft enhance over its successor. Nonetheless, that’s lower than you get from a BMW X5 M Competitors or an Audi RS Q8, two rivals that price about the identical as this well-optioned GTS Coupe, with a $159,615 as-tested value ($131,495 base).
But, as I alluded to earlier, the Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe isn’t missing in terms of straight-line efficiency. By pairing its responsive V8 with a quick-shifting eight-speed computerized transmission, an all-wheel drive system, and traction management software program borrowed from the Turbo GT, it’s speedy. Like virtually all efficiency SUVs unveiled within the final decade, it kicks off with a powerful wave of low-end torque that permits it to hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds.
Nonetheless, for those who decide the GTS solely by its acceleration, you’ll miss the purpose. Recall the Cayenne S Coupe I discussed within the intro? It additionally employs a virtually equivalent model of the GTS’ V8, and it’s comparatively swift.
To grasp what makes the GTS particular, you’ll should level its nostril in direction of a twisting again street as a result of, just like the many 911s, Boxsters, and Caymans that undertake that three-letter-moniker, this Cayenne is outlined by its dealing with.
For this, the Porsche Cayenne GTS employs a trim-specific air suspension setup paired with the marque’s lively suspension administration and torque vectoring programs as customary. You’ll be able to additional bolster this SUV’s capabilities with the $3,580 Porsche Dynamic Chassis Management system like this tester and the Light-weight Sport Package deal, which drops the Coupe’s close to 5,000-lb curb weight by as much as 55 kilos.
By combining its adaptive air suspension system with a two-valve damper setup that permits the GTS to regulate rebound and compression independently, it’s in a position to agency its experience additional within the prime Sport+ setting whereas additionally being softer in Regular for a luxurious commuting expertise. Up entrance, it borrows front-axle parts from the Turbo GT to extend unfavourable camber.
From the second you flip onto a winding street, the results of those focused enhancements are obvious. The Porsche Cayenne GTS is steady at larger speeds whereas retaining a reasonably impartial stability within the bends. Whereas its barely decrease experience peak definitely helps, its adaptive suspension does many of the heavy lifting. This full-size SUV manages its weight remarkably nicely, and because of its giant carbon-ceramic brakes, it has ample stopping energy to maintain it beneath management on the finish of a straightaway.
Nonetheless, what issues extra is simply how communicative the GTS is regardless of its weight and stature. Regardless of using an electrical energy steering system, it transmits street suggestions nicely whereas concurrently choosing up weight as you load up its entrance tires in a bend. Though its steering is fast, it’s not overly so such as you’ll discover in most trendy M merchandise, discovering a pleasant stability between feeling responsive and pure.
The result’s an SUV that you simply purchase not due to its efficiency statistics or how nicely it accelerates however due to how nicely it creates a way of event by way of its dealing with. Whereas the Porsche Cayenne GTS doesn’t look vastly totally different from different trim ranges in inventory kind, its choices checklist means that you can get fairly near the Turbo GT’s aesthetic with out having to shell out the $205,795 it prices.
As a substitute, the $131,495 GTS Coupe ($159,615 as-tested) finds a candy spot each throughout the Cayenne vary and an business flooded with quick household haulers by prioritizing driver engagement and augmenting it with pace.
