Beefy Cayennes romp in the snow
Uber-powerful SUV s still have that sporty DNA
“Every Porsche is a sports car.” Though I haven’t personally seen proof, I believe this assertion has been tattooed somewhere on every Porsche executive — possibly every employee — since Day 1. It thus follows that every model that has rolled out of a Porsche factory since the family first set up operation has been blessed with some degree of this DNA. That includes the Cayenne sport-ute, the company’s most popular-selling model — and how!
Five months after the main body of third-generation Cayennes was introduced, Porsche has rolled out its two sportiest versions — the athletic GTS and the sledgehammer Turbo S. And because they, too, are “sports cars,” it is mandated their lap times at the Nurburgring’s North Loop circuit be proclaimed. For the Turbo S, that would be seven minutes, 59 seconds (touted as a new record for SUVs), with the GTS following closely behind at eight minutes and 13 seconds. For twoton-plus vehicles with less-than-optimum aerodynamics, those times are a gauntlet thrown in the face of other high-end European competition.
Yet, here in Skelleftea, an industrial city in northern Sweden and less than 200 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, Nurburgring lap times amount to diddly-squat! It’s cold, it’s snowy, most of the secondary roads are polished to a slick icy sheen, and optimum traction isn’t about powering through a double-ess corner, but about staying on your side of the road and out of the ditches.
The launch of the Turbo S and GTS was held under the guise of what Porsche called the Winter Performance Drive. At a decommissioned air force base, now training centre, in the middle of the hinterland, the two sport-utes were put through their paces. Slalom, drifting circles, acceleration track and tight handling courses were set up, providing ample opportunity to test the limits of the Porsche Traction Management (PTM) active all-wheel-drive system and other safety nannies on hardpack snow and ice, and to get a feel for the winter tire-shod Cayennes as they transitioned between understeer and oversteer. While both models demonstrated prodigious grip, I still managed to spin out a couple times when pushing the limits (mostly mine, admittedly, not the SUVs’). Motorsport legend Walter Röhrl, twotime World Rally champion and Porsche “ambassador,” cautioned everyone, stating, “Entry into the corners must be at the slowest [speed.] Slow in, fast out is the best way.” Maybe I got that reversed!
Fast out is something the newest Cayennes have no trouble with. Engine-wise, the 2016 GTS is particularly noteworthy for what is under its hood. Instead of the most powerful normally aspirated V8 in the model range, that engine has been replaced by a 3.6-litre bi-turbo V6. There’s no decrease in power output, though. In fact, horsepower sees a 20-horsepower uptick to 440, with torque also increased by 63 pound-feet to 443. Fuel consumption, meanwhile, drops by 0.9 litres per 100 km on the European driving cycle.
As for the Turbo S, its re-engineered 4.8L bi-turbo V8 now develops 570 h.p. (up from 550, and 50 more than the Turbo model) and 590 lb.-ft. of torque, the integral turbochargers, now housed directly in the exhaust manifolds, providing the engine with quicker response to the throttle. Porsche claims a zero-to-100-km/h time of 4.1 seconds — 0.4 seconds faster than the previous model.
Like the 2015 Cayenne models, the GTS and Turbo S benefit from the same subtle redesign, including the reshaped front fenders and hood. New air blades, those fins on both sides of the Cayenne’s front bumper, guide cooling air to the intercoolers. The rear end also sees some tweaking of the brake lights and licence-plate recess, tailgate handle and tail lights. And a power tailgate is standard. A nose section borrowed from the Cayenne Turbo, plus the standard Sport Design package, including more contoured side sills and wheel arch extensions, enhances the GTS’s sporty appearance.
Specific to the GTS is a standard air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) damp- ing system, which allows it to sit 20 mm lower than other models. Other standard features include Turbo brakes with 390 mm front discs and 358 mm rears with red calipers. The Turbo S comes standard with Porsche Composite Ceramic Brakes with 420 mm front brake discs and, for the first time, 10-piston calipers. The rear brakes have 370 mm discs and four-piston calipers.
Though initially perturbed by the fact that locale, climate and season all conspired to prevent suitable high-speed testing of these sporting sport-utes, I eventually rationalized that the conditions presented were more typical of those found in our country for at least several months of the year — including herds of deer (reindeer in this case) wandering in the middle of the road. While briefer than ideal, a morning session in the Turbo S and longer seat time in the GTS during the afternoon elicited only a single negative comment regarding ride and handling. Because of the amount of snow blown up from the road, the GTS’s back spoked rims got packed up, causing a wheel imbalance at higher speeds. My driving partner and I had to stop and dig out as much of the snow as we could to reduce the juddering.
Though longer seat time will be required to gain a better appreciation of both models, they both have formidable performance bona fides, and a typical Porsche blend of function and luxury inside.
Compared with the previous versions, the GTS and Turbo S display the same increased efficiency, sharper design, better fuel economy and more precise driving dynamics that I found in the Cayenne’s other models. And though the smaller, less expensive Macan continues to generate huge consumer interest, it is capacity constrained at the factory, meaning the Cayenne still outsells it handily.
The addition of the GTS and Turbo S to the Cayenne lineup means that those wanting a sports car but needing the comfort and versatility of a sport-ute have even less of a compromise to make.
The GTS arrives in Canada later this month. Pricing starts at $108,200.
The Turbo S will arrive later in the spring with a suggested retail price starting at $178,100.
Here, 200 km from the Arctic Circle, lap times amount to diddly-squat