When the first Cayenne Turbo GT arrived, it ruffled plenty of feathers because the GT designation had until then been the preserve of Stuttgart’s most focused sportscars. Most of the doubters were won over soon enough. Now the facelifted version has arrived with more power, a revamped cabin and spec tweaks. We took it to the mountains to find out whether Porsche has managed to improve on a benchmark.
We like: Cayenne Turbo GT offers ferocious performance; astonishing body control and grip; glorious exhaust soundtrack.
We don’t like: We miss the previous car’s centre analogue rev counter; high starting price (with expensive options).
FAST FACTS
Model: Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT
Price: R4 660 000
Engine: 4.0-litre, V8, biturbo-petrol
Power/Torque: 485 kW/850 Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
0-100 kph: 3.3 seconds (claimed)
Top speed: 305 kph (claimed)
Fuel consumption: 11.9 L/100 km (claimed)
Luggage space: 576 litres (claimed)
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Where does the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT fit in?
When Porsche first attached the GT badge to a Cayenne, purists feared the worst. Those two letters carry enormous weight among Porsche fans, and a high-riding crossover SUV seemed about the least likely candidate to wear them.
Then the original Turbo GT went out and set an SUV lap record at the Nürburgring, and anyone who drove it quickly realised that Porsche’s engineers had done something remarkable. Subsequently, in 2024, Porsche unveiled a significantly updated, so-called E3.2 generation of Cayenne, and once more the Turbo GT sits at the top of the food chain. But how on Earth would the company improve on it?
Read more: Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT (2022) Review
The answer, in typical Porsche fashion, is by means of a series of careful, incremental changes. The Turbo GT still heads up the petrol-powered Cayenne range, and you can’t have it as anything other than a Coupé.
Interestingly, due to current emissions regulations, this model is no longer sold in Europe (among several other markets), which means South Africa is one of the few fortunate places where you can still buy one.
The Cayenne Turbo GT squares up against a small but formidable group of super-SUVs, most notably the Lamborghini Urus SE (with which it shares its V8 engine family and general underpinnings), and the BMW XM Label, both of which are now plug-in hybrids. There’s also the related (and much more affordable, by some R1.4m) Audi RS Q8 performance that, like the Porsche, eschews electrical assistance in favour of the more traditional turbocharging-only route.
How the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT fares in terms of…
Design & Packaging
At a glance, you’d be forgiven for not spotting the differences between the new Turbo GT and its predecessor, but look closely and there’s plenty that’s changed. The model-specific front-end now has enlarged cooling air intakes and is finished in matte black, as are the rear apron, wheel-arch surrounds and the “PORSCHE” and “Turbo GT” logos on the tailgate.
The 22-inch GT Design wheels come painted in Neodyme (that lovely satin gold hue) as standard (but not fitted to our test unit), while the HD Matrix LED headlights are now standard fitment, too. On the subject of the latter, they were particularly impressive in dealing autonomously with misty conditions during our test period.
Plenty of the Turbo GT’s visual cues earn their place for engineering reasons. The lightweight carbon-fibre roof helps keep mass (and therefore the centre of gravity) low, and Porsche has used the same material for the diffuser trim and the rear spoiler’s side plates. An adaptive spoiler and an enlarged spoiler lip are standard.
But while it certainly has an overtly sporting presence, this Porsche doesn’t shout about its abilities. Parked alongside the more aggressively hewn Urus SE and the (let’s be kind) “divisive” BMW XM, it looks almost restrained. Anyone who isn’t a Porsche anorak may well walk past it thinking it’s just a nicely specced Cayenne Coupé. I would say, however, its presence is more menacing than the Audi RS Q8’s.
There’s a certain appeal in that kind of understatement, of course, but if you’d prefer your super-SUV to make more of a statement, Porsche’s extensive options list will happily satisfy you. Via the company’s Exclusive Manufaktur line, buyers can select a paint-to-sample option, which gives them access to 93 historical colours at an eye-watering price of R244 840! Our test unit’s wheels were not finished in the standard Neodyme but in a more reserved grey. That said, if you really want to stand out, you can even have them painted in Pyro Red (a R13 850 option), among other colours.
Inside, the new facia architecture (way more digital, with some physical changes as well, including the position of the gearlever) is probably the most obvious update of all. It certainly brings the Cayenne bang up to date in terms of technology, with a fully digital, curved instrument display and a thoroughly modern layout. I have to admit, however, I do miss the centre analogue rev counter of the previous car, which was a lovely nod to Porsche tradition in an otherwise digital cabin.
The Turbo GT’s cockpit is otherwise suitably special. You get 8-way electrically adjustable sports seats with integrated headrests (with a memory package), perforated Race-Tex seat centres and a matching rear sports seat system as standard.
The standard GT interior package adds contrasting stitching in either Arctic Grey or Deep Sea Blue, while the Race-Tex-rimmed sports steering wheel features a sporty yellow centre marking, just like Porsche’s GT sportscars. Everything you touch feels beautifully screwed together. It is very pleasing to grab those handles that run along the side of the transmission tunnel and sense the solidity…
Tall rear passengers will notice the Coupé’s tapering roofline above their heads, but that aside, the Turbo GT is a genuinely practical everyday proposition for most buyers, and the boot offers a claimed 576 litres of luggage space.
Priced from R4.66 million before options, the Turbo GT has become considerably more expensive since its introduction, but it still slots in below the Urus SE (R4 875 000) and above the XM Label (R3 675 000), both also priced before options. To Porsche’s credit, the standard specification is now more comprehensive than before.
In addition to the aforementioned HD Matrix LED headlights, the Turbo GT now comes standard with lane-keeping assist (including road sign recognition), pro-active occupant protection (including reversible seatbelt pre-tensioners up front), ambient lighting and a smartphone compartment with wireless charging (up to 15 W), all of which address some of the omissions noted in the previous model.
Still, Porsche’s configurator is a dangerous place to spend an evening, and a few enthusiastic ticks can push the final figure up by a considerable margin. Take the revised interior: the much-discussed Passenger Display is a R36 960 option, a Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound system costs R115 930 and Night Vision Assist will set you back another R57 770.
Performance & Efficiency
Under the bonnet sits Porsche’s familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in its strongest tune, now rated at 485 kW (a 14 kW gain over the outgoing car), while torque stays at 850 Nm. Drive is sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission. To ensure it can cope with sustained punishment, whether on the road or at a track day, the motor’s internals are reinforced, with revised pistons, con-rods, crankshaft and timing-chain drive.
Porsche claims a 0-100 kph time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 305 kph (up from 300 kph), but those claims turned out to be somewhat conservative. During Cars.co.za‘s own performance testing, the Cayenne Turbo GT accelerated from rest to 100 kph in a startling 3.27 seconds, which makes it one of the fastest vehicles we have ever tested, as well as the fastest SUV.
It then blitzed the quarter mile in 11.31 seconds, crossing the marker at 192.38 kph. Interestingly, its Ingolstadt-based cousin from Audi managed 3.56 seconds to 100 kph, and a quarter mile time of 11.43 seconds at 192.09 kph.
What makes this all the more impressive is that both of its key rivals use plug-in hybrid systems for their headline outputs. The Urus SE musters a combined 588 kW and 950 Nm and the XM Label 550 kW and 1 000 Nm, yet Lamborghini claims 3.4 seconds for the 0-100 kph sprint and BMW 3.8 seconds for the XM. Without a battery pack and electric motor to carry, the Porsche simply has less weight to haul, and that shows in both a straight line, and in the corners (as you’ll read shortly).
No other Cayenne gets the Turbo GT’s titanium sports exhaust, which exits through a pair of central pipes. A real treat is to open up the exhaust flaps and listen to the throttle blips on the downshifts as this monster storms into a corner. It’s an addictive soundtrack, one that makes you look for excuses to go back up the pass for another run.
Porsche’s claimed consumption of 11.9 L/100 km isn’t bad at all given the outputs on offer, but if you use the performance as often as we did, the real-world figure will be noticeably higher. We averaged around 15.0 L/100 km, but achieving even this figure will require restraint of the right foot.
Ride, Handling & Comfort
On the road, the Turbo GT remains a surprisingly comfortable companion. It’s firm, as you’d expect, but the air suspension takes the edge off most road imperfections, and the cabin stays quiet and refined when you’re simply cruising.
Which brings us to what this car is really all about. Porsche’s engineers have again given the chassis a thorough going-over. The front track has been widened and the front axle has more camber, while the standard adaptive two-chamber air suspension (with PASM two-valve damper technology and sports tuning) lowers the body by 15 mm. Ceramic composite brakes, Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus and rear-axle steering are all standard.
We took the Turbo GT onto the same great mountain roads around Cape Town as its predecessor, and those are about as good a proving ground as you’ll find anywhere. The result was, frankly, astonishing. The lasting impression is the Cayenne’s resistance to body roll during hard cornering, coupled with incredible grip from those massive tyres. It feels genuinely unflappable, no matter how hard you push it, yet also – somehow – light and manoeuvrable, which is not something you’d normally say about a vehicle of this size and weight (over 2.3 tonnes).
Like the car it replaces, the Turbo GT has an uncanny way of feeling smaller and smaller the harder you drive it through a series of bends. It pivots eagerly into corners, the steering is precise and full of confidence, and the massive ceramic brakes haul it down from big speeds with complete composure. Nothing about the way it drives betrays its size and, dynamically, no other SUV we’ve driven gets near it – barring the Ferrari Purosangue, of course, but that costs about three times more.
Price and After-Sales Support
Pricing for the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT starts at R4 660 000 before any options are added, and that figure includes a 2-year/unlimited km warranty and a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan. As detailed elsewhere in this review, the list of optional extras is extensive.
Verdict
In typical Porsche fashion, the updates it’s made to the Cayenne Turbo GT seem subtle on the surface, but more power, a sharper chassis and a more modern (if less traditional) cockpit have further honed what was already a terrific machine. If you need the space and versatility of a big SUV, but refuse to give up the kind of driving thrills Porsche’s GT badge implies, the updated Cayenne Turbo GT remains the one to have.
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