Porsche Cayenne GTS 2008 Review

If any car company can make a large SUV with sports overtones it has to be Porsche.

The Porsche Cayenne GTS - is more of a prestige performance wagon than an off-road crawler.

In its Cayenne range it offers a high-performance version. Well, a 4.8-litre V8 turbocharged Porsche engine would be a goer, wouldn't it? Try 368kW of power. But also then digest another big number; $215,200. The Cayenne range starts at a comparatively modest $94,700 for the model with the 3.6-litre petrol V6 engine producing 213kW - the lowest priced new Porsche you can buy.

Then comes the Cayenne S - its 4.8-litre normally aspirated V8 generates 283kW of power - at $134,500. The $81,000 jump from there to the V8 Turbo is a big one, so now Porsche has come in with a Cayenne that is for the sports driver, tweaking that V8 to give 298kW of power at 6500rpm and a nice round 500Nm of torque at 3500rpm. Called the Cayenne GTS, it carries a $153,000 price tag.

Porsche's intent in making it a sports machine, albeit weighing 2.3 tonnes, is reflected in the final-drive ratio being changed from a long-legged 3.55:1 to a more agile, stronger accelerating and more responsive 4.1:1.

It comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, this big'un lifting its skirts and sprinting from zero to 100km/h in just 6.1 seconds on the way to a top speed of 253km/h.

Changing back to fifth will allow the 80km/h-120km/h “overtaking” push in 6.6 seconds. A six-speed Tiptronic transmission is optional.

Cayenne GTS sits on 21in diameter wheels, clad with wide, low-profile 295/35 tyres. This is another reason this vehicle is unlikely to be seen in Brachina Gorge - these are more on-bitumen tyres. If you holed one, there'd be a long search and wait for a replacement. Inside, the seats have been given special treatment for the Cayenne GTS. The front seats are adjustable 12 ways with electric motors, the rear seats get bolstering to help passengers cope with the higher cornering forces, but the rear will still take three adults. The seats have alcantara finish to help grip the body, with bolsters finished in leather.

Brakes have impressive credential; 350mm discs, 34mm thick at the front with six-piston calipers. The rears are 330mm x 28mm and get by with four pistons.

The GTS gets flared front guards and sits lower than the standard Cayenne, and it is the first to combine steel springs with Porsche Active Suspension Management. Another feature is the sport button. When the driver presses this, the mapping is changed for the accelerator pedal, bringing more direct response from the engine. And the sports exhaust system chimes in with its lower counter pressure. Also summoned is the sports mode for the active suspension and consequent firmer dampers.

On the GTS, spring rates are firmer and tauter than on the Cayenne S. Air suspension is optional on the GTS, giving six levels of ride height, including load level when the wagon is stationary and up to 251mm ground clearance for off-road driving up to 30km/h.

The manual and the automatic transmissions have hill-holder functions to give clean getaways uphill. And here's another good reason to own the biggest of Porsche's sporties - it will tow 3080kg on steel suspension and 3500kg with air suspension.

Claimed fuel consumption is 15.1 litres/100km for the manual and 13.9 litres/100km for the Tiptronic. It carries a 100-litre petrol tank.