Porsche to add two new models to the Cayenne line-up

In the luxury sports utility vehicle market, Porsche has met with great success worldwide, especially in key markets such as the US and China. In fact, it is quite the case of the tables being turned with the success of the German luxury car brand’s four-door vehicles (SUVs and the Panamera) being widely considered the reason for the current profitability of what was originally an exclusive two-door sports car maker.

First with the Cayenne and then more recently with the Macan, Porsche has established itself as being the top luxury performance SUV manufacturer - a segment that didn’t seem to exist just a decade ago. Today, Porsche’s competitors in the luxury space are all playing catch up with brands like Bentley and Maserati planning their own SUVs.

For Porsche, the smaller Macan, while expanding reach, has also led to the inevitable fallout where buyers have potentially chosen it over the Cayenne. Possibly to address this issue and to make the Cayenne portfolio more complete, Porsche is launching two new model variants. The new Cayenne GTS and at the lower end of the range, the new entry-level 3.6-litre, V6 petrol engine Cayenne join the brand's stables

The Cayenne and Cayenne GTS will be celebrating their world premiere next week at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Both models can be ordered as of now.

There is a lot of significance to the new tag. Through its name alone, the new Cayenne GTS announces its outstanding sporting characteristics. With the letters GTS going back to the famous 904 Carrera GTS of 1963; in 2007, the Cayenne GTS became the first Porsche of the modern era to revive the acronym. Since then, the GTS title has signified the brand’s especially sporty models.

Porsche drivers like their cars to be sporty and the company says that the new variants won’t disappoint. A 3.6-litre V6 bi-turbo engine is the performance-oriented enhancement of the new power unit presented in the Cayenne S earlier. Only now, its fuel consumption is said to be lower and it delivers improved levels of performance. Compared to the previous model, which had a V8 naturally aspirated engine, power output of this V6 has increased by 20 hp to 440 hp and torque is up by 85 Nm to 600 Nm.

An official company release mentions that fuel consumption has, however, gone down by up to 0.9 litres per 100 km. The Cayenne GTS also accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.2 seconds, or 5.1 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package.

That’s 0.5 and 0.6 seconds respectively shaved off from the previous model’s best. Top speed of the new Cayenne GTS is 262 kmph. As standard it has a sports exhaust system, which provides the undeniable GTS sound, the release said.

In the Cayenne GTS, the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) damping system is said to have a sporty set-up; alongside standard air suspension the vehicle sits 20 millimetres lower for sportier performance. Additional standard features include the brakes from the Cayenne Turbo with 390-millimetre discs on the front axle (358 millimetres at the back), inclusive of brake callipers painted red in typical turbo fashion. Design attributes externally also showcase the sportiness of Porsche’s new Cayenne GTS. As standard, it has the turbo nose section with large air intakes and the Sport The new design package including; more contoured side sills, wheel arch extensions, roof spoiler and lower rear of the vehicle, all painted in the car body colour. All around the car, the colour black provides some striking contrasts. The striking GTS lettering is also a new external feature that can be found on the front doors.

The sporting characteristics are also apparent in the cars’ interior. Eight-way electrically adjustable GTS sports seats in leather/Alcantara upholstery, with GTS lettering on the headrests are fitted as standard. The interior GTS package is optionally available in carmine red or rhodium silver with rev counter face, decorative stitching, headrest lettering and safety belts in contrasting colour.

The new Cayenne base model features the 3.6-litre V6 naturally aspirated engine, which delivers 300 hp, taking the car from 0 to 100 kmph in 7.7 seconds. This results in a marginal improvement from the previous and the 230-kmph top speed matches the previous model. But, like all new Cayenne models, it benefits from the general efficiency measures, such as coasting, Auto Stop/Start function and thermal management, as a result of which fuel consumption drops by 0.7 litres per 100 km to 9.2 litres per 100 km. CO2 emissions of 215 gm per km is also 21 gm lower than before.

Compared to the previous model the new Cayenne also offers more comprehensive standard features, including a new eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission, bi-xenon main headlights with four-point LED daytime driving lights, the multi-function sports steering wheel with paddle switches and the automatic boot lid.

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