SUVs are the plan B—plan C?—in my garage filling schemes; I gravitate first towards cars from manufacturer skunkworks like BMW’s M and Mercedes’ AMG. And if the cars are too small, I start scheming about station wagons and Thule cargo pods. But SUVs have something even the larger wagons can’t provide: width. If comfortable rear seating for two adults and a toddler in a child seat is non-negotiable, then I’m forced to look at SUVs. When an M3 can’t haul all the luggage and an E63 won’t fit the in-laws, I start frantically searching for the sportiest full-size SUV on the planet. Which is precisely why I am about to test drive a Porsche Cayenne GTS.
The Porsche Cayenne has gone through several iterations, but I’d argue that the 2010 to 2014 model is the sexiest of the lot. Gen-2 Cayennes look tighter and smoother than their objective dimensions suggest, and they avoid the awkward sheet metal of the Gen-1 car. The GTS trim level does one better by borrowing the aggressive clothing of its Turbo big brother; walk around the car, and it has street presence.
As I admire the GTS from the parking lot, Shawn, my salesman, fires up the SUV. The GTS has a naturally aspirated 4.8l V8 which is shared with the Cayenne S. Emotionally, this V8 makes the pre-2015 GTS’s the pick of the litter. (In 2015, Porsche rolled out the Cayenne’s mid-cycle refresh, and the V8 was replaced with a turbocharged V6. The new motor simply doesn’t have a song to stir the blood.) As I discover when Shawn revs the engine in neutral, the snarl from the V8 GTS is one of the best in the industry. Icons like Chevy’s LT1 or BMW’s S65 can’t match its menace.
I swing open the rear doors to see if my non-negotiable criteria will be satisfied by the Cayenne. The rear bench appears ample enough to fit the aforementioned fit baby and in-laws, three abreast. Rear passengers would also enjoy some of the best headroom I’ve encountered in any vehicle short of a Ford Transit van. Opening the power rear hatch, I find good, but not exceptional, cargo capacity. The trunk is wide and deep, but a high floor limits its overall volume. Online specs suggest it swallows 23.7 ft³ of luggage.
Done with parking lot antics, I slip into the driver’s seat and ease onto the road. At the first opportunity, I stand on the go-pedal and find a bite to back the bark. The Cayenne GTS’s low-end grunt makes it leap from stoplight to stoplight; it’s as fleet-footed as the 997.2 Porsche 911 Carrera I drove thirty minutes ago. (That’s a good trick considering the Cayenne hauls at least 1,000 lbs more down the road.) Really though, it is the sound rather than the pace that makes me love this diva. I’d consider the GTS for its roar alone.
(I do wonder if it’s too vocal for my wife, who complains that our M3 gets loud when she goes fast. The Cayenne GTS does have a quiet mode to its sports exhaust, but its effect is minor.)
While the neighborhood is being molested by the GTS’s exhaust note, I’m sitting pretty (and comfortably) in the dark plush cabin, hugged by thickly-bolstered seats with Alcantara surfaces. Everything I can see and touch is top rate; Porsche matches its fine designs with fine materials. The steering wheel has the “correct” paddle shifters, too: Pull left for downshifts, right for upshifts. This isn’t always a given in a Porsche, as they’ve dogmatically forced thumb-buttons on owners for too long. The Cayenne doesn’t get Porsche’s acclaimed PDK transmission, but the 8-speed automatic is nothing to be ashamed of. It delivers prompt gear changes and is never caught snoozing.
This Cayenne GTS packs Porsche’s adjustable air suspension. Not that it mattered in my city test loop, but the Cayenne can raise its ride height so that it can clear larger obstacles. While I toggled between the comfort and sport modes, the differences in suspension stiffness were not great enough for me to notice on the good quality pavement: Neither mode was too firm or jittery. I enjoyed the ride and the handling, but the cost of servicing a complex air suspension tinges my used Cayenne shopping with fear.
All of the above is fine and dandy, but what I am enjoying the most as I circle the block is the Cayenne’s steering. I would have thought the GTS’s portly 4,600 lbs would have obliterated any nuances found under-tire, but the Cayenne’s steering actually delivers more road feel than my BMW M3. The Cayenne GTS in no way sullies Porsche’s reputation for incredible steering that constantly communicates with the driver; even though my hands are four feet off the ground, all the road’s undulations are felt. Bravo!
My test drive of the Cayenne GTS has me questioning my plans A, B and C. I’ve been looking everywhere for a vehicle that is as dynamic, tactile, and aurally stimulating as my M3 and will also meet the volumetric needs of family life. The larger high-performance sedans and wagons—M5, E63, CTS-V—have the dynamics and sound (and are workable in carrying capacity) but purportedly strip away a level of tactility in the name of luxury. The Cayenne GTS unexpectedly bests this cohort in feel, sound and space, but sacrifices some dynamic agility. Whatever car I buy will spend most of its life on city streets, rarely having its handling characteristics tested. In this scenario, the Cayenne GTS might be both the most practical and most fun choice!
The Inquiry Continues…
Porsche’s extensive options list can greatly alter the feeling of a car. I test drove other Cayenne trim levels to see what the must-haves are for a hardcore driving enthusiast like myself.
My first stop was Culver City Volvo to try a preowned 2013 Cayenne diesel. Everything in the black leather interior looked and felt smart, but I missed the tightly bolstered sports seats from the GTS. The base seats are wide and firm.
I was disappointed by the diesel engine. None of the sexiness of the V8 GTS is found in the V6 diesel. It doesn’t sing, it rumbles and grumbles when idling at stoplights, and it doesn’t feel fast at full throttle. It’s best a part throttle when you expect modest acceleration, but the turbos have spooled and are serving up more torque than anticipated.
I was also disappointed by the steering. It had some feel but did not challenge my M3 for road feedback. How much of this was due to the base suspension (as opposed to the air suspension), and how much of this was due to the 18” wheels and Continental Cross Contact tires? I do not know.
My second drive was at Beverly Hills Porsche. Here I sampled a 2014 Cayenne Platinum Edition with a V6 engine. The Cayenne Platinum Edition fits many trim and interior options, but the powertrain and suspension match any other base Cayenne. Versus the diesel, this Platinum edition had the same suspension but bigger 19” wheels with Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires and, of course, a V6 gasoline engine.
The gas V6 was more to my liking than the diesel, as it responded immediately to throttle inputs, was a smoother operator at idle and had a sound with a hint of sportiness to it. However, it too was unable to make the 4,600 lbs Cayenne feel fast. There is no sense of the Cayenne being an enthusiast-special with this engine.
The ride and steering were equivalent to the diesel’s. There was less steering feel than I’d hoped for, and the non-adjustable suspension is M-car firm without giving physics-defying handling. Simply put, the V6 Cayenne fails to elicit lust; it feels like the big, heavy SUV it is, rather than the GT car I want it to be.
The last drive was in a 2014 V8 Cayenne S. This trim level shares the same engine and air suspension as the GTS but loses 20 hp, the aggressive GTS seats, body cladding, and sports exhaust.
The V8 engine is definitely the engine I am looking for. It has the immediate torque, exhaust burble, and sensitive throttle that I love from sports cars with big V8s. And when motivated by 400 hp, the Cayenne finally begins to feel quick. I do, however, miss the sports exhaust from the GTS; the S’s stock exhaust is luxury-first, muted.
For ride and steering quality, the air suspension also appears to be the better choice. The Cayenne S still had a firm ride, but impacts were better smoothed. Comfort mode was noticeably more compliant—if perhaps a little underdamped—but even Normal and Sport settings were acceptable to this M3 driver.
Somehow with the air suspension, 20” wheels, and Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires, the steering feel comes back. The Cayenne S’s feedback doesn’t surpass the M3’s (like I recall the GTS doing), but it’s getting close.
The esses through Beverly Glen were my chance to see how well the Cayenne S handled a turn. The SUV can be hustled, but the truck never hid its width and girth on city streets. I was very aware of the parked cars buzzing by on the right and also cognizant of how the Cayenne filled the lane, leaving me little space for carving racing lines.
Having driven four models in the Cayenne line, I’d say the Cayenne GTS is my clear winner. Porsche packaged and tuned the GTS for the driving enthusiast who wishes his 911 was big enough to make trips to Costco and Home Depot. The GTS packs in the best steering and handling you can get from the Porsche parts bin and arguably has the best sound of any trim. The GTS is the one that sinks a hook in this driver.
Mike's Steering Column 