Around the BEND
A track-focused Cayenne sounds a bit mad, but the Turbo GT holds a Nurburgring record nonetheless
Right at the end of Porsche’s promo video for its record-breaking Nurburgring run in the Cayenne Turbo GT (scan to QR code to see it), driver Lars Kern proclaims:
“At the end of the day, it’s a sports car; it’s just a bit taller.”
What kind of face you just made when you read that will say a lot about what you think of this high-performance SUV concept.
Luxury SUVs designed to go around racetracks sound like a silly idea, but they’re very much a thing. BMW M loves them; Audi Sport and Mercedes-AMG have their share as well. Aston Martin DBX 707. The list goes on.
But the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is arguably the most committed and accomplished of them all. Don’t confuse it with the Cayenne GTS; less is more when it comes to this badge and the use of “GT” aligns the Cayenne more closely with track-focused sports cars like the 911 GT3.
It comes as a coupe only. Engine upgrades include crankshaft, fuel injection, turbo, intercooler and induction, liberating an extra 67kW over the “standard” 4.0-litre biturbo V8 in the Cayenne Turbo, for grand power/torque totals of 471kW and 850Nm.
The eight-speed automatic (no, not a PDK) shifts faster and more aggressively; the titanium sports exhaust is unique to the GT.
The three-chamber air suspension is 15 per cent stiffer and the GT rides 17mm lower than the Cayenne Turbo; it looks so low, it’s hard to think of it as an SUV any more. The Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system has been recalibrated for the GT.
The power steering, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDDC) and rear-axle steering have all been modified. The Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) allows higher bias to the rear and the car rides on Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres (22in wheels are standard) specially developed for the GT. Carbon ceramic brakes are also factory-fit.
Gold wheels aside, the GT looks remarkably understated. But that roof spoiler with the side fins is another GT-specific touch, working in tandem with the active boot spoiler.
And those are the facts. Those and the Cayenne Turbo GT’s 7:38.925min record in the Nurburgring’s “SUV, Off-Road Vehicle, Van, Pick Up” category. Yes, there is such a thing.
Silly as it sounds, that track record is important because it highlights that while speed is crucial to the GT’s cred, it’s not really about the straight-line stuff.
With 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds it’s still the quickest Cayenne you can buy (faster even than the 500kW Turbo S E-Hybrid), but that’s not really the essence of the Turbo GT.
It’s what happens when you turn the wheel. This might be a 2.2-tonne SUV, but the steering and chassis are simply sublime in the corners. Porsche has worked its magic here: the feel and fluency through the wheel is astonishing for an SUV and is perhaps the ultimate pleasure point for those of us unmoved by drag-race YouTube videos. The chassis, too, achieves the seemingly impossible by combining enormous grip with a slightly playful demeanour; the rear squats and squirms like a pretend 911 and it’s clear a lot of the torque is going rearwards when you’re pressing on.
Porsche also has the knack for combining the last word in dynamic ability with day-today driveability. So it proves with the Cayenne Turbo GT. Dial down the drive modes and it’s perfectly usable as an urban SUV. Even in Sport Plus the sports exhaust isn’t that obnoxious (well . . . ), and it’s actually quite refined in Normal mode.
Despite the track cred, the Turbo GT eschews Porsche’s dual-clutch PDK for a conventional eight-speed automatic. That’s what Cayennes have, for smoother shifting, better durability and to assist with towing (probably not with the GT though).
So while an automatic does shift more slowly than a PDK at full noise (the GT’s box does
still feel pretty brutal in Sport Plus though), the payoff is smoother running in everyday driving. Another boon when you’re taking your Nurburgring record-breaker to the shops.
The cabin is absolutely draped in GT3wannabe Alcantara, which seems a bit cheesy but is beautifully tactile all the same. No halfcage option for the Turbo GT (hilarious, right?), but it is actually a remarkably practical and comfortable four-seater: the Cayenne is one of the better executions of the coupe-style SUV concept, with generous rear leg and headroom, and decent visibility.
So, a tall sports car? Reality check: there’s no such thing. But the Cayenne Turbo GT does take steering, handling and dynamic finesse to the next level for SUVs (and goes really fast doing it). It’s an incredible achievement.