Road Test: 2009 Porsche Cayenne GTS

Story and photos John LeBlanc The leaves have been raked, the garden hose rolled up. And if you're a Porsche owner, your beloved sports car is likely tucked safely away indoors, protected from the cruel hardships of yet another winter. Ahh, winter ... But wait: What if you could enjoy all the things you bought your Porsche for – thrilling engine sounds, snickety-snick gear changes, curve-hugging road manners – but in a roomier, more appropriate winter utility vehicle? Until now, a visit to your local Porsche dealer for what you could call a winter utility vehicle (WUV) would have meant being shown the German automaker's Cayenne, its most controversial model. Since it went on sale in 2003, critics have seen the Cayenne as a cynical cash grab by a traditional sports car maker jumping on the SUV bandwagon. Accordingly, Porsche's spicy WUV has been called (among other things) "not a real Porsche"; "a Porsche for poseurs"; or, based on my unscientific observations, "The Official Vehicle of Bleach Blonde Trophy Wives Everywhere." Sharing a platform with Volkswagen's Touareg, the Cayenne weighs about 60 per cent more than a Porsche Boxster – the main argument against any farcical "drives like a sports car" commentary. Regardless, Porsche seems to be having the last laugh. The mid-size, five-passenger, all-wheel-drive Cayenne is now Porsche Canada's bestselling vehicle, accounting for more than 40 per cent of sales so far this year: 640 of 1,472 Porsches sold through October. And a Boxster can't accommodate you plus four friends or family members on a trip to Blue Mountain for a ski weekend when there's 10 centimetres of fresh snow on the roads. But this year, the Stuttgart-based gang finally seems to have a WUV that Porsche owners may not be embarrassed to drive: the Cayenne GTS, which has an $87,000 base price. Our tester priced out at $111,960 because of options like $1,030 for satellite radio, a communications package for $4,500 and adjustable air suspension for $4,790. And that didn't include a $3,400 winter wheel and tire package. Putting aside the outrageous $118,900 to $150,400 Turbo models, the new road-biased GTS is the most expensive and best performing Cayenne yet. Separating itself from other V8 Cayennes, the GTS comes for the first time with a no-cost six-speed manual transmission as an alternative to an automatic gearbox. (There is a $56,100 base model Cayenne with a manual transmission, but its wimpy 290 hp V6, used in the plebean Touareg, barely moves the large SUV out from under its own shadow – 0-to-100 km/h takes more than 8 seconds, or about 2 seconds slower than the GTS.) In addition to its rare-in-this-class manual transmission, other GTS exclusives include a sport-tuned and lowered adjustable suspension, steamroller tires, shorter final-drive ratio (4.10:1 versus 3.55:1 for better take-offs) and a larger intake manifold that pumps up the regular 4.8-litre eight's output 20 horsepower to 405. But are all these go-fast goodies enough to eradicate previous Cayenne criticisms? Does the first manual-transmission V8 Cayenne deliver the goods for enthusiasts looking for winter driving excitement while their precious sports cars are asleep until spring's thaw? Well, if you're a driving enthusiast, you'll want to make sure you select the large "Sport" button found aft of the tall gearshift lever when you climb in the GTS. In doing so, you'll not only set the three-mode shocks to the lowest ride height and firmest settings, you'll also unleash the dual exhaust pipe's vocal cords. They'll now emit a burbly blat – bordering on rude – that any sports car junkie will approve of. The GTS may be the swiftest of the non-turbo V8 Cayennes in the run from 0-to-100 km/h. But if you look outside the Porsche brand, other WUV wannabes (the $97,500 Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG, $78,100 BMW X6 xdrive50i, $58,900 Infiniti FX50 or even the $43,536 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8) get there in less time. (The bad boy Benz is nearly a second quicker at 5.0 flat.) At this point, I suspect Porsche fans are firing up emails, arguing, "C'mon! The Cayenne GTS is a Porsche. Like my hibernating 911, it might not pulverize you in a straight line. But when the road turns twisty, it will scamper away from those other wobbly-handling WUVS." Right? Well, er, no. Sorry, Porsche-philes. Yes, the adjustable air suspension delivers the rare combination of a supple ride set in "Comfort" and a flatter driving attitude in "Sport." And the GTS's tires grip enough to make you wonder how the automaker's suspension department makes such a tall and heavy vehicle corner so quickly. And then there's the fact that you can shift gears for yourself, an option no other WUV can offer. If only Porsche had rolled out the GTS model six years ago, when the Cayenne debuted ... But in the end, the Porsche can't escape its abundant weight. The 280-kg lighter FX50 is more nimble. The Grand Cherokee SRT8 is easier to point into corners. And the X6, with its new rear torque dispensing AWD system, outshines them all. Even the GTS's manual transmission is questionable. It shifts well enough – smoothly and accurately – but around town it gives the GTS a truckish personality. Maybe there's a good reason why rivals don't offer a stick. Despite the GTS badge, then, the most road-worthy Cayenne may not be the most road-worthy WUV. But if towing snow machines is one of your WUV needs, the Porsche can haul at 3,499 kg – more than twice that of the Infiniti. And if you want its sports car badge, sounds and clutch pedal exercises, the Cayenne GTS is clearly the Porsche WUV to drive. At least, that is, until your 911 GT2 gets sprung next spring. The leaves have been raked, the garden hose rolled up. And if you're a Porsche owner, your beloved sports car is likely tucked safely away indoors, protected from the cruel hardships of yet another winter. Ahh, winter ... But wait: What if you could enjoy all the things you bought your Porsche for – thrilling engine sounds, snickety-snick gear changes, curve-hugging road manners – but in a roomier, more appropriate winter utility vehicle? Until now, a visit to your local Porsche dealer for what you could call a winter utility vehicle (WUV) would have meant being shown the German automaker's Cayenne, its most controversial model. Since it went on sale in 2003, critics have seen the Cayenne as a cynical cash grab by a traditional sports car maker jumping on the SUV bandwagon. Accordingly, Porsche's spicy WUV has been called (among other things) "not a real Porsche"; "a Porsche for poseurs"; or, based on my unscientific observations, "The Official Vehicle of Bleach Blonde Trophy Wives Everywhere." Sharing a platform with Volkswagen's Touareg, the Cayenne weighs about 60 per cent more than a Porsche Boxster – the main argument against any farcical "drives like a sports car" commentary. Regardless, Porsche seems to be having the last laugh. The mid-size, five-passenger, all-wheel-drive Cayenne is now Porsche Canada's bestselling vehicle, accounting for more than 40 per cent of sales so far this year: 640 of 1,472 Porsches sold through October. And a Boxster can't accommodate you plus four friends or family members on a trip to Blue Mountain for a ski weekend when there's 10 centimetres of fresh snow on the roads. But this year, the Stuttgart-based gang finally seems to have a WUV that Porsche owners may not be embarrassed to drive: the Cayenne GTS, which has an $87,000 base price. Our tester priced out at $111,960 because of options like $1,030 for satellite radio, a communications package for $4,500 and adjustable air suspension for $4,790. And that didn't include a $3,400 winter wheel and tire package. Putting aside the outrageous $118,900 to $150,400 Turbo models, the new road-biased GTS is the most expensive and best performing Cayenne yet. Separating itself from other V8 Cayennes, the GTS comes for the first time with a no-cost six-speed manual transmission as an alternative to an automatic gearbox. (There is a $56,100 base model Cayenne with a manual transmission, but its wimpy 290 hp V6, used in the plebean Touareg, barely moves the large SUV out from under its own shadow – 0-to-100 km/h takes more than 8 seconds, or about 2 seconds slower than the GTS.) In addition to its rare-in-this-class manual transmission, other GTS exclusives include a sport-tuned and lowered adjustable suspension, steamroller tires, shorter final-drive ratio (4.10:1 versus 3.55:1 for better take-offs) and a larger intake manifold that pumps up the regular 4.8-litre eight's output 20 horsepower to 405. But are all these go-fast goodies enough to eradicate previous Cayenne criticisms? Does the first manual-transmission V8 Cayenne deliver the goods for enthusiasts looking for winter driving excitement while their precious sports cars are asleep until spring's thaw? Well, if you're a driving enthusiast, you'll want to make sure you select the large "Sport" button found aft of the tall gearshift lever when you climb in the GTS. In doing so, you'll not only set the three-mode shocks to the lowest ride height and firmest settings, you'll also unleash the dual exhaust pipe's vocal cords. They'll now emit a burbly blat – bordering on rude – that any sports car junkie will approve of. The GTS may be the swiftest of the non-turbo V8 Cayennes in the run from 0-to-100 km/h. But if you look outside the Porsche brand, other WUV wannabes (the $97,500 Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG, $78,100 BMW X6 xdrive50i, $58,900 Infiniti FX50 or even the $43,536 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8) get there in less time. (The bad boy Benz is nearly a second quicker at 5.0 flat.) At this point, I suspect Porsche fans are firing up emails, arguing, "C'mon! The Cayenne GTS is a Porsche. Like my hibernating 911, it might not pulverize you in a straight line. But when the road turns twisty, it will scamper away from those other wobbly-handling WUVS." Right? Well, er, no. Sorry, Porsche-philes. Yes, the adjustable air suspension delivers the rare combination of a supple ride set in "Comfort" and a flatter driving attitude in "Sport." And the GTS's tires grip enough to make you wonder how the automaker's suspension department makes such a tall and heavy vehicle corner so quickly. And then there's the fact that you can shift gears for yourself, an option no other WUV can offer. If only Porsche had rolled out the GTS model six years ago, when the Cayenne debuted ... But in the end, the Porsche can't escape its abundant weight. The 280-kg lighter FX50 is more nimble. The Grand Cherokee SRT8 is easier to point into corners. And the X6, with its new rear torque dispensing AWD system, outshines them all. Even the GTS's manual transmission is questionable. It shifts well enough – smoothly and accurately – but around town it gives the GTS a truckish personality. Maybe there's a good reason why rivals don't offer a stick. Despite the GTS badge, then, the most road-worthy Cayenne may not be the most road-worthy WUV. But if towing snow machines is one of your WUV needs, the Porsche can haul at 3,499 kg – more than twice that of the Infiniti. And if you want its sports car badge, sounds and clutch pedal exercises, the Cayenne GTS is clearly the Porsche WUV to drive. At least, that is, until your 911 GT2 gets sprung next spring.

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