During an exclusive preview in California, HYPEBEAST was able to get its hands on an early Euro market Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, which was only just announced back in the beginning of July. To call it Porsche’s fastest SUV is an understatement, as the Turbo GT is another level of performance never before seen for the Cayenne platform.
For Porsches, the “GT” naming is not to be taken lightly. Previously, the abbreviation was given to its highest performing 911s, in the form of the GT3, GT2, and their respective RS variations. Afterwards, the GT name was also bestowed upon the Cayman model in the form of the GT4, and eventually also became a trim option for multiple cars as a GTS. While customers may argue this is diluting the name a bit, for drivers and owners, the GT name is simply expanding but has never sacrificed power and performance as its main selling point.
Such is the same for the Cayenne Turbo GT. During its private presentation, the Porsche representative broke down the tech specs and facts of the Cayenne Turbo GT, and went through all of what it’s capable of: 631 horsepower, 626 lb-ft of torque, top speed of 186 mph and a 0-60 in 3.1 seconds, which was marketed as actually 1/10 of a second faster than the moniker’s origin, the GT3.
Visually, key elements are also bespoke to the Turbo GT all in the name of performance, like its gigantic carbon ceramic brakes painted in black for our model, a more sculpted carbon fiber roof spoiler with wing extensions, a new CF trunk lid spoiler, matching mirrors, and even a reshaped front bumper with larger side air intakes and lip spoiler for a distinctly aggressive look.
Perhaps most dramatic of a difference from the Cayenne Turbo and the GT is the rear exhaust: the middle-to-rear “cold” end of the exhaust system is now made of titanium, which sheds an impressive 40 lbs. of weight off the car. Beyond its gorgeous blue tint, the titanium exhaust tips are also mounted centrally on the rear and within a functional carbon fiber rear diffuser. Thanks to this exhaust, you may not notice a Turbo GT from the side profile or in the rear view mirror, but you’ll definitely recognize it as it blasts passed you.
Internally, the Cayenne Turbo GT is perhaps the only example of a “GT” car you can truly live with every day. Four sport seats hug each occupant in their place in luxurious optional leather – Alcantara is standard – while a new Porsche Communication Management system fills the cabin with crisp Burmester audio. The driver is greeted with the usual array of gauge cluster readings, but new and standard for the Turbo GT is the 12 o’clock steering wheel stripe, indicative of a true sports car and the handling that comes with it. While ours was optioned to be more of a fine leather arrangement, the other press car with the standard Alcantara edition was just as striking as the two-toned red/black example loaned to us.
So who is the Cayenne Turbo GT aimed towards? It sure is a niche car to say the least – the prime audience is one who respects performance and power for an exhilarating drive, while not sacrificing usability in capacity, comfort, seating and style. Its rivals – the Lamborghini Urus, Audi RSQ8, BMW X5/X6 M and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagons – all offer their own take on this “Super SUV” sector of the market, so there’s surely no shortage of options. And since the Cayenne Turbo GT is on the higher end of the price scale of those cars, customers will need to take into account the pride, prestige, premium build and packages that come with the Porsche into mind before opening their wallets.
The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is available to order now, starts at a $180,800 USD MSRP and has a delivery date in early 2022. In case you missed it and still need convincing, watch as the Cayenne Turbo GT laps the famous Nurburgring in a blistering 7:38.
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