Superhero SUV

Does a bevy of black adornments on a Porsche Cayenne's, that's just taken a crash course in speed, justify a heftier price tag and the 'GTS' nameplate?

From a company that built some of the world's most revered sports cars for half a century, came a sporting SUV in 2002 that, quite inconspicuously, became the company's bread and butter. Our review of the revamped second generation Porsche Cayenne showed us that it was a competent all-rounder. But, for the small niche that wants the performance gains of the Turbo model without the "turbo" price tag, Porsche ordained the GTS.
To help with buyer discretion, we borrowed one and flashed its Carmine red paintjob around town. Here's what we had to grapple with.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The world, especially the Middle East, is quite familiar with the Cayenne and we think a key reason it rolls off the showroom floors is its apt size - big enough to impose a luxury status without being a handicap between the lanes, and small enough to get your luggage across without having to make a second trip. It's 4,855mm between the front and rear bumper, 1,954mm apart in width - without the side view mirrors - and 1,688mm tall; enough to make climbing aboard easy.
We also appreciate that, with the Cayenne, Porsche has moved away from conventional brick-like SUV looks to a more elevated car-look. Let's just say that you wouldn't be judged if you got one just for the way it looks. The Cayenne, especially in GTS form, is probably the sharpest looking SUV and we mean that quite literally. With a slanted nose and "sand papered"-off edges, the GTS has a commendable drag coefficient of 0.36. And it makes a difference to fuel economy if you are mostly doing highways.
Up front, the eyes of the car are represented via a pulled back headlamp cluster that holds 4-element daytime running lights borrowed from the 911 - a welcome change from the strip lighting. As standard come xenon lamps, but you can also get efficient full LED lamps with a more far-reaching glow. Rumour has it that the bright light at the end of a tunnel is a Cayenne GTS.
The GTS gets a more evolved look with its Gothic theme. Instead of a black overload, you have headlamps with blacked out insets and blacked out rear lamps to go along with the black pillars and quad black exhaust tips. And to keep it equally sporty, it has more aggressive rocker panels and emphasised mouldings around the wheel arches.
As for improving aerodynamics, the ride height has been lowered by 20mm over the regular model and the twin-plane rear spoiler has been abandoned for a sculpted, single plane one. This keeps the body hunkered down while it rolls on massive black-painted 21" multi-spoke wheels that lend a contact patch the size of a continent.
Those familiar with the Porsche of the modern aeon and the bumpkins alike will find the Panamera-inspired, escalator-style rising centre-console aesthetically appealing, but our beef is with the over-populated button layout.
The fantastic-looking, racy 3-spoke steering has been plucked right out of the 918 Spyder hybrid supercar. We felt special just knowing that... Also, the gauge cluster that, in typical Porsche fashion, centres around the tachometer, looks particularly cool, especially when you have a map on there. But for this day and age, we found the infotainment screen a tad too small. Your phablet is probably bigger and you may find reading some text on the display a tad hard.
In the driver's seat, the highly bolstered effect can be snug fitting for some and restricting for others, but there is space for your limbs. You also have proper grab handles on the lower console to keep you from being thrown off your seat, irrespective of whether you're going off road or doing laps around the Yas Marina Circuit.
The rear cabin has individual outboard seats without compromising on middle seat comfort; the transmission tunnel remains though. There is generously-sized storage in the door bins and glove box, so your knick-knacks are sorted.
Personalisation is a bit of a gimmick - you can get coloured seatbelts, GTS embroidery, headrests embossed with the Porsche crest and so on. It's basically Porsche's way of telling the rich buyer that you are different from others, and Porsche takes this very seriously. 
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
Naturally aspirated V8s are on their way out like the dinosaurs and it was obvious this GTS was going to be equipped with exhaust driven turbines to muster up some muscle. The new motor loses two cylinders to the predecessor's 4.8L V8, but it gains two turbos bolted on a 24-valve, direct injection 3.6L V6.
The net effect is about the same horsepower as the outgoing model, but much more torque, with the added advantage of lightness. This motor doesn't rev as freely as the prodigious V8, but they managed to dial out a major portion of turbo lag.
The transmission, surprisingly, is not a PDK, but an 8-speed Tiptronic - a bit of a misstep by Porsche, in our opinion, at least in this car. Generally, shifts are smooth, quick and clean, but the transmission stays in gear for a little too long, even after you've eased off the throttle. We guess we don't mind it in the GTS, but we sure wouldn't miss it in the common man's Cayenne models.
After we probed the spec' sheet, we found that the 6-pot has been calibrated to produce 434bhp at 6,000rpm, and a mighty 600Nm of torque is available from as low as 1,600rpm. Those are overwhelming numbers for a family van.
The claimed time from 0-100km/h is in the low-5 second mark and quarter-mile runs are clocked in the mid-13 seconds. Floor the throttle and the GTS will easily leave its competition in the dust. Thankfully, to keep the speed in check, this mountaineering machine borrows its braking prowess from the Turbo model. By that, I mean you have 6-piston callipers on 390mm discs up front and 4-piston ones on 358mm discs at the rear. Brake hard from a 100km/h and you won't travel much more than 115ft before coming to a stop.
The GTS, despite being the edgier one in the house of Cayennes, transitions well over bumps - with its aluminium double wishbone suspension in the front and multilink rear setup - but it's not smooth enough to keep your coffee from sloshing around. Where the GTS shines is handling - it can switch lanes and cover sweeping tight corners without making you want to throw up or topple over. There is precision in directing the car's nose in the direction intended and the rest of the body follows without fuss. Unlike in the days of racing champ Juan Manual Fangio, in the GTS, there are plenty of electronics with complex algorithms, like Porsche Torque Vector-&ing, to help you steer like an F1 driver.
The ride height adjustment gives it good wading depth and wheel articulation, but if you want to go beyond the beach or trails, you need to replace the low profile tyres with something that has more rubber on it.
Turbo engines are ingenious pieces of machinery that, ironically, help save fuel as well. Coupled with stop/start functionality and a coasting function that drops revs to idle every time you take your foot off the throttle, you could achieve the Porsche-claimed 10L/100km fuel economy - if you drive like a grandparent. And we certainly can't argue with the commendable 230g/km CO2 emission rate either. The GTS is proof that sporty SUVs are no longer a cancer to the ozone. For all you know, it's gluten-free too. 
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Even with sharpened skills and a potent motor, the GTS remains as practical as ever, with 670L of boot space and a mansion-like 1,780L space for your luggage, with the seats folded down. Your dog named Rover will be happy back there, but the Range Rover Sport trumps it in this respect.
Yes, it's summer and the mercury has risen to scorching levels, but the GTS kept its cool. However, I'd prefer if the air vents had a conventional horizontal orientation - it just gives a better spread of air. The GTS comes with PASM that incorporates ABD, EBD and other traction-related programs to keep you safe. You also get a rear camera and a graphical representation to go along with the proximity sensors, but no bird's eye view. There's a Burmester-sourced audio option available, if the Bose upgrade isn't loud enough for you. 
VERDICT
We were surprised how, when the Cayenne was first launched, every Pankaj, Phil and Parvez had one, thanks to its relatively cheap base price. This time, however, Porsche have rightly taken the S-class and Range Rover route of upping its class by adding a substantial number to the price tag. Price aside, the 2015 Porsche Cayenne GTS drives a little like a 911 or Cayman, but it is fancy, family-friendly and fast - and provides plenty of reason for some line-shooting at a local gathering. 

• On The Road