2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS Road Test Review

Cayenne GTS Photos

Not as quick as the Turbo, but what is? The Cayenne GTS is an impressive performer all on its own. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Quad tailpipes, blacked out trim and 21-inch rims give the GTS unique character. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Brilliant through the curves. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

The GTS' low seating position makes it more car-like than most other SUVs. (Photo: American Auto Press)

Not a minimalist approach, but everything you need is a button-push or screen-touch away. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Some like the blacked out trim, and some don't. My guess is that Porsche would paint it out if you asked nicely... or paid them enough. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

If you think for one second that Porsche’s new Cayenne GTS is going to measure up to the straight-ahead acceleration of its much lauded Cayenne Turbo, you’ve been misinformed. No SUV on God’s green earth can match its 500 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, or the 550 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque available with the new Turbo S, but the GTS, going about things in an entirely different way, might just take the title of sportiest ute ever devised.

Of course, consider that this proposal comes from someone never blessed with the chance to drive a Lamborghini LM002, one of the most bizarre oddities to ever grace the deserts of the Persian Gulf countries, or for that matter California. I still think the Cayenne GTS would out hustle the now classic Lambo, mind you, whether on or off the road, although you might want to swap those delicious ten-spoke 21-inch rims wrapped in 295/35 R21 Michelin Latitude Sport rubber for something with a little more sidewall when hitting the trail. That’s right, unlike some sport-tuned 4×4s, like Mercedes’ ML55 AMG or Jeep’s Grand Cherokee SRT8, the Cayenne, with its bull low gear-set and height-adjustable air suspension, is still one of the most capable off-roaders available. But I didn’t bother with anything so laborious during my week with the GTS. No, I found the curviest most deserted roads I could think of as early in the morning as my eyelids would allow, and got a feel for what this specially-tuned Cayenne could do.

Compared to the Cayenne S I last tested, the GTS feels quicker off the line, but I think this has more to do with its six-speed manual gearbox than the revised intake that pumps up horsepower to 405 and torque to a robust 369 lb-ft. The numbers are less subjective, of course, showing the new GTS achieving 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. That’s point seven seconds quicker than the regular Cayenne S, although point eight tardier than the Turbo and an entire second shy of the Turbo S. Then again, fit it with the optional six-speed Tiptronic automatic (apples to apples, right?) and it’ll only shave point three seconds off the regular S’ sprint to 60, and take an additional one point two seconds longer than the regular Turbo to pass that mark.

And like these siblings the GTS is no lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. Actually, at 4,949 pounds it would be easy to think it was borderline obese for a five-seat SUV, but everyone knows muscle weighs more than fat. Still, there’s always a penalty paid for luxuries like its leather and suede-like Alcantara doused interior, overdose of electronics and solid Teutonic feel. So why does it corner so ruddy well?

It really doesn’t make much sense how something so tall and heavy can outmaneuver most sport sedans. OK, it won’t run circles around a BMW 3-Series or even a 7, but it’ll keep up for the most part and leave them all behind when pavement turns to gravel. The GTS is so stable on unstable surfaces that it’ll have you giggling in oversteering delight, the tail just wagging enough to prove seriously fun without ever getting wayward or worse, threatening to chase itself in circles. That’s thanks to a commendable chassis setup and electronic goodies galore, the most important of which is Porsche’s PSM, which guides and directs the GTS back to the straight and narrow no matter how far away from the manger it’s wandered. The GTS sports standard ABS, ASR (Anti Slip Regulation), ABD (Automatic Brake Differential) and EDTC (Engine Drag Torque Control) too, that together with TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), optional PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) and PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management)—both well worth the money if you plan on driving this SUV with any assertion or just plain want to be as safe as possible—not to forget its standard double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension setups with stabilizer bars at both ends, make for totally secure and absolutely compelling road manners. And that’s important as once at highway speeds this thing gathers momentum quickly, topping out at 156 mph (Porsche doesn’t fix automatic speed limiters to 155 mph like other German brands) – the Turbo is good to 171 mph, incidentally, while the Turbo S has a top speed of 174 mph.

The GTS’ V8 is so stimulating, its menacing growl that kicks in at higher revs so invigorating, it’ll cause you to wring it out to redline just to hear the wail. Sure it’s not as quick as the Turbo, but the GTS really comes into form when already at speed, where its tractable drivetrain and sportier stance deliver a performance experience I’ve never quite felt from anything in this class before.

Sport in mind, kudos to Porsche for putting that six-speed manual into the Cayenne. Its placement on the lower console is ideal for quick shifting, and while it’s a bit balky and the mechanicals tend to clunk around a bit when going from neutral to first or reverse, sounding more like a truck than any previous Porsche, once underway and rowing through the forward gears it’s a joy to operate. The clutch won’t be a problem for all but the lightest of lightweights, as it needs a little pressure but couldn’t be called heavy. Altogether, hand on the shifter, foot on the clutch, combined with the SUV’s low ride height, the GTS feels more like a traditional Porsche than any of the other Cayennes.

I only had trouble when parking it. And then not because it was unwieldy or that visibility was lacking, but rather, after coming to a stop and putting it in park, I kept yanking on the odd handbrake-like center console grips instead of putting the truck into neutral, taking my foot off of the clutch, depressing the foot actuated parking brake and pressing the clutch again, slotting the gear lever back into first and shutting down the ignition. Whew! That’s almost as many steps as it takes to tune a radio station with BMW’s iDrive, and more than I’m used to when parking. Normally, with a 911 for instance, you just stop, tug on the handbrake lever and shut it down. The clutch and shifter process is a non-issue, as the brain just goes through the motions in “auto mode”. The same goes for the regular Cayenne’s Tiptronic automatic, which is an even simpler process.

Applying the brakes while at speed, mind you, is an entirely different story thanks to six-piston fixed aluminum monoblock calipers up front and 4-piston fixed aluminum monoblock calipers that can clamp down with such force as to leave shoulder belt imprints on your chest. The calipers look sensational up close too. Painted bright red they might clash a bit with this particular GTS’ Nordic Gold Metallic (burnt orange) paintwork, but they certainly look capable.

And for an SUV, the entire truck looks about as racy as I’ve ever seen. Still, looking back while walking to the house, I’m not quite sold on some of the details Porsche has added to make the GTS look sportier than the regular S. For instance, the black door handles, with their thin strip of body color trim look a bit low rent to me. They’re made well, for sure, but anyone who has ever purchased a car at the low end of the spectrum will tell you that black door handles are as base as base gets. You pay extra for color-keyed door handles, mirror housings, mouldings, and the like, and the fact that two of these aren’t painted make the GTS look less appealing to my eyes. Then again, a consultant who works for me thinks they look fabulous, and he’s got a half million worth of German cars parked on the interlocking brick driveway of his five-million-dollar home, so who am I to say. What’s more, the GTS’ big rear spoiler looks fabulous, and even better, its four matte-silver finished tailpipes are downright intimidating.

It would be difficult for anyone to argue against the GTS’ interior, however, that’s so beautifully executed, with suede-like Alcantara just about everywhere, including the seat inserts that grip derriere and backside like Velcro, optimized with twelve-way adjustability up front, that it could almost be criticized for being over the top. There’s no way anyone could call it austere, a common complaint with German interiors, unless of course you happen to think a car without panels of high-gloss wood everywhere doesn’t spell out luxury.

This one is more sport-oriented, obviously, so a perfectly formed three-spoke steering wheel comes loaded with redundant buttons, while a secondary display is nestled between the speedometer and tach for useful info like the radio’s frequency, or really useful info like a flat tire warning or mileage until empty. The center stack is easy to reach and filled with the usual Cayenne fare, including the primary 6.5-inch color infotainment screen for viewing navigation features, audio settings, etc, workable via touch-screen functionality plus quick access buttons to either side, while an easy to use heating, ventilation and air conditioning system sits below.

For the types of activities SUV buyers often entertain, such as hauling the family from sporting event to sporting event on weekends or hauling the boat to the ocean or lake, it’s more than capable, boasting five comfortable seats and lots of rear legroom plus secondary climate control vents in back, as well as decent cargo space with an automatic powered liftgate complete with a pop-up rear window for smaller items, for the former, and a 7,716 lb tow rating for the latter.

Family friendly features in mind, the GTS comes with the same high level of passive safety features as all Cayennes, which means that a full assortment of front, side and curtain-type airbags are standard, as are three-point seat belts all-round, with pretensioners up front and on the rear outer seats, and force limiters for the front seats, while parents of younger children will appreciate easily accessible LATCH hooks for fastening child safety seats at both rear window positions. And as mundane as such information sounds when speaking of a 405-horsepower super-SUV, the reality is that people who buy vehicles like this are just the same as those who buy Saturn Outlooks and Toyota Highlanders, they just have more money to spend. To that end the GTS is an outright steal compared to the Turbo, starting at only $70,900.

Whether or not the GTS is the sportiest SUV on the planet or even sportier than Porsche’s own Turbo S, it nevertheless is an amazingly capable ride that can whisk you up to highway speeds and beyond faster than most in this class and, unlike the majority of its competitors, take you and the family into uncharted territory for a bit of completely private R&R. This is rarified territory on its own, and one of the key elements that puts the GTS and all Cayennes in a class of very few.