Incredibly, despite the economy, the shrinking rand, and the tightening of belts, Porsche South Africa is doing brilliantly. In fact, 2012 has been one of the company’s best years ever. No surprise, then, that Toby Venter, “the boy from Potch” who owns the franchise in this country, felt quite confident launching the new Cayenne GTS in November.
Story: Peta Lee
“The previous generation GTS was a top seller,” he explained. “The GTS is just unbelievable.”
That it is. Slotting between the Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo, it’s an SUV “with attitude and unique emotional sounds”, said Venter.
It’s been designed to bring the sound of the engine (when it’s in Sports mode) directly into the cabin, and the V8 howl was music to my ears on the Cape Town launch.
The GTS is the perfect sports utility vehicle for the urban jungle. It’s a great all-rounder for mom and a sports car for dad. Don’t let the shape fool you – klap it into Sports mode and let that naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V8 blow you away: a rollicking 515Nm of torque from 3500rpm and 309Kw of power will get the adrenalin flowing in a jiffy.
But it’s the change of the engine’s sound that thrilled me – there’s just nothing else like it. The new system comprises two acoustic channels terminating in the A-pillars. When you activate the Sports mode button, the channels are opened, directing the sound of the intake pulses into the car body cavities.
And apart from the sound, the torque enhancer pops into action in the S mode, for increased, optimal performance. You’ve got to experience it to believe it. Just incidentally, you’ll do the 0-100km/h sprint in a remarkable 5.7 seconds. And with a top speed of 261km/h, it’s that much harder to ease the old foot on the loud pedal.
Appearance-wise, the sporty character of the new GTS is very evident. Check out the front section with its large cooling air intakes, while borrowed from the Cayenne Turbo are the light graphics with characteristic night design recognisable by the front lights in the outer air intakes and by the four LED spots for the daytime running lights in the main headlights.
The Cayenne GTS features the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) as standard. Special side skirts and wider wheel arches shape the side view, and the rear end is quite distinctive, with that dominant roof spoiler and twin-wing profile. This increases the downforce on the rear axle even further. You’ll also love the tinted LED tail lights and the two black twin tailpipes.
Step inside and breathe in that fabulous leather smell. Power transmission is via the eight-speed Tiptronic S gearbox. While the drive ratios remain unchanged, the gear changes are shorter and sportier. You’ll want to know, too, that the SportsDesign steering wheel has shift paddles for manual gear changes.
With its exquisite styling, its five-star comfort, an exceptionally smooth ride and unbelievable handling (particularly evident on the series of mountain passes we traversed), there’s precious little else on the market to compare with the Cayenne GTS.
I’d want it for weekend warrior excursions, and for urban traffic it’s equally outstanding.
Price: R983 000, and it comes with a three-year/90 000km drive plan. Or there’s the option of a five-year/90 000km plan, in which case the purchase price would go up slightly.
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