Stuttgart, Germany - Ever since the 904 Carrera GTS of 1963, the GTS designation on a Porsche has stood for outstanding road manners and performance - a real driver's car, if you will as opposed a racing car with lights.
And it certainly seems as if the new Cayenne GTS - due to debut on 19
November at the Los Angeles motor show - will live up to that, with a tweaked version of the 3.6-litre V6 biturbo seen in the Cayenne S for which Porsche quotes 325kW (15kW more than the V8 it replaces) and 600Nm (85Nm up on the old V8), thanks partly to a special free-flowing (read authoritative) sports exhaust system.
The Cayenne GTS will take off from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.2 seconds (5.1 with the optional Sport Chrono package), half a second quicker than the V8, and 260km/h flat out, while rated fuel consumption is down almost a litre per 100km.
ACTIVE SUSPENSION MANAGEMENT
The chassis has also been set up to handle the extra urge; active suspension management is a given and with the standard steel-spring suspension the vehicle sits 24 mm lower than the S, or 20mm lower with the optional air suspension.
Brakes are borrowed from the Cayenne Turbo: bright red callipers biting 390mm front and 358mm rear discs.
Also sourced from the Turbo parts bin are the nose section with large air intakes, and the Sports Design package, including more contoured side sills and wheel arch extensions - all body-coloured, like the roof spoiler and lower rear bumper section - contrasted by all-black lettering, 20" RS Spider rims, tailpipes, headlight channels, tail-light lenses and the special GTS logos on the front doors.
Interior trim is mostly in leather or alcantara mix (or a mix of the two as on the eight-way, power-adjustable sports seats), in either red or silver, with contrasting stitching, seatbelts, rev-counter face and GTS logo on the head restraints.
NEW BASE MODEL
Riding on the coat-tails of the GTS, also premiering in Los Angeles, and simply badged as the Cayenne, this has the familiar 3.6-litre V6 naturally aspirated engine, good for a claimed 221kW.
According to Porsche, standstill to the metric ton takes 7.7 seconds, or 7.6 with the optional Sports Chrono package, two tenths quicker than the previous model, and top speed is 230km/h, while rated fuel consumption drops 0.7 litres per 100km to 9.2 litres per 100km.
Entry-level, in this case, does not mean basic. Standard kit includes a new eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission with idle stop and coasting functions, bi-xenon headlights with four-point LED daytime driving lights and automatic tailgate and a multi-function sports steering wheel with paddle switches.
We're waiting on a reply from Porsche SA as to when the two new Cayenne derivatives will reach South Africa.