Range-topping sports SUV offers supercar performance and space for all the family On sale Now Price from £147,510
Max Adams Max.Adams@haymarket.com
A HEFTY SUV powered by a thirsty petrol V8 engine may not be at the top of everyone’s must-have list (especially with today’s sky-high fuel prices), but with the new Cayenne Coupé Turbo GT, Porsche makes a very convincing argument for acquiring one.
While some of you will be lucky enough to have the wherewithal to buy an exotic sports car, such machines typically don’t gel with family life very well. Of course, you could buy a sports car and family car to cover all bases, but what if you only have space for one car on the drive? This is where the Turbo GT comes in.
This flagship model of the Cayenne Coupé range rivals the Aston Martin DBX and Lamborghini Urus; the Turbo GT’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre petrol V8 sits in between those rivals in terms of power output. And while its 631bhp falls 10bhp shy of what the Urus can muster, it’s still enough to propel this sizeable five-seat SUV from 0-62mph in just 3.3sec. That’s quicker than a 911 GT3.
A stab of the accelerator gets you to the speed limit very quickly, with the eight-speed PDK automatic gearbox rifling through gears so smoothly and quickly that the changes are all but imperceptible. For added theatre, a titanium exhaust system delivers a bassy soundtrack as your speed builds.
The GT comes with four-wheel steering, adaptive air suspension and an active anti-roll system called Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. This stiffens up the anti-roll bars to keep the body level through corners, but then slackens them off to maintain a comfortable ride. As a result, this tall, 2.2-tonne SUV can attack twisty roads with something close to the agility of a hot hatch. Sticky Pirelli tyres provide phenomenal grip, while steering that’s ideally weighted and highly accurate helps you place the car exactly where you want it. In Normal driving mode, there’s a degree of vertical body movement over undulating roads, but you can tighten that up in an instant by switching to Sport without ruining the ride comfort. Sport+ is a little too firm for road use.
Inside, the Turbo GT gets a snazzy Sport Chrono analogue clock that sits on the dashboard, and suede-like trim for the seats, steering wheel and various other touch points, or you can specify a leather alternative if you prefer. Our test car came with carbonfibre trim pieces that looked t
