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New Porsche Cayenne GTS
10:53 (GMT+2), Wed, 18 July 2012

Above: Special side skirts and distinctly wider wheel arches in body colour, shape the side view.

MOTORING NEWS - It is not for nothing that the Porsche Cayenne is one of the world's and South Africa's best selling premium SUVs. You have the Porsche badge proudly on display and a decent range of derivatives to choose from in order to satisfy any enthusiast's needs and wants.

You can currently get turbodiesel, turbopetrol, hybrid and a garden variety of naturally aspirated models, but we were off to Austria to drive the dynamic new addition to the range that will get here in September - the dynamic GTS.

The Cayenne GTS comes with a deliberately grumpy sounding 4.8 litre V8 engine that pumps out 309kW of power and 515Nm of torque and is said to return a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 261km/h via its slick shifting eight speed Tiptronic gearbox while using 10.7 litres per 100km. But straight line speed is only a tiny piece of this SUV's appeal - it is a GTS and this means it can corner and handle with the best of them.

The GTS is positioned between the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo in terms of pricing and will land at a base price of R1 012 000. It is much more than a gap model with a very distinctive character. You have extra power, less body weight and a firmer lower chassis setup to deliver what the engine and exhaust note first promises with the turn of the key.

To drive this point home, not only were we exposed to some of the best twisties on the planet in the South of Austria, we were also taken to a test facility to throw this family SUV around like a sports car. To do this we were given the task of chasing the Porsche Advanced Driving Instructors around a very tight circuit while they ran in the latest Porsche Boxsters.

The easiest way and the biggest compliment I can pay the Cayenne GTS, is to say that not once did it feel like I was driving a two-tonne SUV that has comfortable space for five adults, all their luggage and then some. Inside the GTS offers you most of what you want and all you need along with a few sporty GTS touches. As per usual, should you want more, then you can delve into Porsche's long list of extras and kit the Cayenne out to your heart's desire.

The other cool thing about the Cayenne GTS is that its sporty nature is not hidden from the world; it is clearly underlined by its exterior styling cues. This model gets larger cooling air intakes from the Cayenne Turbo and a distinctive front apron with additional air intakes. Also out of the Cayenne Turbo styling book is 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. It is an enhancement of the Bi-Xenon lighting system with integrated dynamic and static cornering lights and speed-dependent driving light along with the inner bezels of the headlights that are finished in black.

Special side skirts and distinctly wider wheel arches in body colour shape the side view and are enhanced by the window frames in black high-gloss paint. The rear sees a larger roof spoiler with twin-wing profile that is not just there for show but for increased downforce and improved handling. The look is wrapped up by a high-gloss black trim strip on the tailgate, tinted LED tail lights and the two black twin tailpipes.

Visually, aurally and dynamically the new Porsche Cayenne GTS delivers on all that it promises and is a premium SUV that is just as at home doing the daily work and school run as it would be on a mountain pass on a Sunday morning.
A very complete and distinctive package from the team at Leipzig!