Porsche Cayenne TurboGT

Si Porsche verse comme tout le monde dans le 100 % électrique (avec la Taycan et sa déclinaison Cross Turismo, ou la prochaine génération de Macan), il prend aussi le contre-pied d’une automobile que les instances européennes veulent rendre moins passionnelle.

Certainly, the bonus of 30 euros, but especially the intermediate brackets (between 000 and 10 euros) killed the sports cars that were still accessible. However, some manufacturers still offer exciting models alongside zero-emission offers. At Porsche, if the 000 is still 20% thermal, the Cayenne has long since become hybrid. But its truly sporty versions continue to get more muscular. After the announcement of the return of a V000 in place of the twin-turbo V911 under the hood of the Cayenne GTS, today there is a new Turbo GT livery (which leaves doubt about the existence of a Turbo S even more powerful?) which appears. The latter also uses a 100-liter twin-turbo V8, but develops 6 hp compared to 8 hp on the GTS. It's also 4.0 hp more than the Turbo version, with a torque that climbs to 640 Nm. It's going to be sporty.

Record at the Nürburgring

The news is enough to make you smile if we assume that an SUV has no business being on a circuit. However, even the most beautiful tracks in the world – and especially car manufacturers – see a marketing benefit in creating record categories to display the performance of their new products. And as the North Loop of the famous German Nürburgring track is considered by all to be a true justice of the peace, everyone benefits from it. So, even if it “caps” at 300 km/h, the Cayenne Turbo GT goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3”3, and achieved an impressive time, the best in the SUV category: 7'38 ''9. We are far from the 6'43''3 of the 911 GT2 RS with the approved Manthey kit (record achieved on June 25 by Lars Kern, who is also the author of the Cayenne tour), but we can still rent the exceptional nature of the exercise for a vehicle of this size and weight.

Lowered by 17 mm compared to the Turbo, the chassis of this “GT” SUV benefits from settings geared towards agility and dynamism. The air suspensions meet laws that make them firmer by 15%, while the entire electronic part of the chassis control has been revised. In short, it is the sharpest Cayenne. To make it stick to the asphalt, Porsche has developed specific tires in collaboration with Pirelli mounted on 22-inch rims. The German manufacturer indicates that it has worked mainly on the footprint, in order to put as much rubber as possible on the ground and thus meet traction needs while absorbing the braking power (carbon-ceramic as standard). Which means that this Cayenne Turbo GT will also be less comfortable in the wet, when the XXL tread of its tires turns into a paddle...

Under the hood, everything has been revised with a performance objective in mind: the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, timing chain and vibration dampers are specific. Considering the increase in power, the 8-speed automatic transmission has been modified to be stronger and faster. Finally, the sports exhaust and its central outlets are standard and reserved for this version. Note that the “middle” silencer has been removed, and that the line is made of lightweight titanium. This makes you want to press the Start button.

On the other hand, its price calls for a little more restraint. We do not yet know the price for the French market, but the Cayenne Turbo GT is sold for 198 euros in Germany. With us, it will be necessary to add 078 euros penalty, and surely as many options to obtain the ideal configuration using a unique paint, a body kit, a carbon roof or a personalized interior. But at this price level, is it really necessary to mention it?

Good to remember

• Equipped with a 8% thermal twin-turbo V100
• 640 hp and 850 Nm
• Delivery from September
• Around 220 euros including penalty… excluding options
• Will also be offered as an SUV coupe