SUV or 'gran turismo'?

With the new Cayenne GTS, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany, is reiterating the successful Cayenne series’ prominence in the sporty SUV segment. The model, which celebrates its world debut at the IAA in Frankfurt, features an enhanced 4.8-liter V8, has been lowered by 24 millimeters and has a specially developed chassis: it is the first Cayenne to feature the electronically controlled damping system, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), with steel springs.

The 4.8-liter engine with direct gasoline fuel injection (DFI) in the Cayenne GTS yields 405bhp (298 kW) at 6,500 revolutions per minute – 20bhp more than in the Cayenne S. Maximum torque remains unchanged at 500Nm at 3,500 revolutions per minute.

This, the sportiest of Porsche SUVs, comes as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox and a shorter axle drive ratio than the Cayenne S (4.1:1 as opposed to 3.55:1). The Cayenne GTS can thus accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 6.1 seconds, precisely 0.5 seconds quicker than the Cayenne S.