Porsche Cayenne GTS Reviewed – There is no substitute

The new Porsche Cayenne GTS isn’t an all new generation of the Porsche Cayenne GTS. It’s just an engine change. But the minor update in the engine is as significant as a generational change. Porsche GTS Turbo. In all the years of automotive history actually make that all the years of Porsche history, these three words were never together. A GTS be it a 911 or a Panamera or a Cayenne has always been pure, unrestrained, un-tampered. A big engine, a lot of cylinders, spontaneous engine response, a glorious sound track.



So from Porsche deciding to downsize the powerhouse of a 4.8-litre V8 in the Cayenne GTS to the new 3.6 V6 is a bit of a downer. Having it enhanced by a turbocharger is even more of a downer. But tell that to yourself when this baby elephant touches a 100km in 5.44 seconds. The old Cayenne with the big V8 needed 6.21 seconds. In performance car terms that now seems as slow as continental drift. Smaller, lighter, quicker engine apart, the new Cayenne GTS still retains that beguiling agility that lets it do physics-defying feats that purpose-built sportscars will be proud of.



To Porsche’s credit, they have retained quite a lot of naturally-aspirated goodness as is possible in a turbo-charged mill. While a lot of power and torque comes in early, this V6 will rev if you’d like it to and the eight-speed automatic gearbox will goad it further by keeping gears low and delaying upshifts. This brings us to the most perplexing aspect of Porsche. All petrol-powered high performance Porsches come with the seven-speed PDK automatic. All except the Cayenne. By this time you’d also think that all the things that make this Cayenne GTS rise above ordinary Cayennes; Sport Plus mode, sport exhaust, active suspension and stability management they all come standard.



There are already two versions of the Cayenne Turbos, and a future where even the standard Cayennes are going to be turbo-charged, it did make sense to leave the GTS alone. Sure, the newer one is quicker and better in every way. And it does have its share of drama and acoustics too. But in a range that’s going to all turbo, there should have been a choice for someone who doesn’t care for performance on paper and simply revels in a high-revving, responsive, non-turbo engine. With the GTS no longer being that, we will miss it. Unless of course, a Cayenne GT3 RS is on the cards.



Overall, it’s incredible as ever, but turbo-charged motor robs naturally-aspirated engine fans of choice. The price is also incredible ₹1.40 crore, after all its a Porsche and being expensive is part of the game.