Porsche Cayenne GTS, Panamera GTS on a race track: Fast family fun

GTS, or Grand Turismo Sport. For decades, GTS models have marked the sweet spot in the Porsche range, balancing the usability of the standard model with the sharp dynamics and performance of its track-honed ones. But unlike previous generations, when the GTS variants were launched closer to the end of a model’s lifecycle, the Panamera and Cayenne have received the GTS treatment fairly early this time around.

While both these GTSs have V8s and four doors, they are very dissimilar too – one is a sedan, and the other is an SUV. How does that affect their performance? What better place than the CoASTT High-Performance Centre in Coimbatore to have some fun trying to understand that?

Active suspension management does a great job of hiding the Cayenne’s mass around corners.

Both cars get certain GTS-specific cosmetic updates over their standard counterparts, but we’ll get to those later. The headlining act in both Porsches is the engine – a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 pushing out 500hp and 650Nm, with no form of electrification. Complementing that is an 8-speed torque converter automatic, and while it isn’t as responsive as Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic, it is still a quick and smooth-shifting ‘box.

Starting off with the Cayenne, this SUV feels at home on a track like few others do. Around bends, this thing changes directions like a sports sedan and something that doesn’t weigh over 2.2 tonnes! Equipped with Porsche’s Active Suspension Management system, the Cayenne GTS corners hard and flat, and the grip is good from the Nexen tyres. However, for track times, you’d do better with a swap. The steering, too, despite being electrically assisted, is sharp and feelsome, and the superbly tuned ESC provides a great balance between traction out of corners and some tail-out fun.

Thanks to the lower weight and better dynamics, the Panamera outperforms the Cayenne on track.

The Cayenne GTS you see in these pictures was also optioned with plenty of paid extras, as you can do with any Porsche. The ‘Montego Blue Metallic’ paint costs over Rs 7 lakh, while the GTS interior, which brings in Race-Tex materials, red stitching and red seat belts, costs over Rs 4 lakh. It’s also got the Sport Chrono pack with the Porsche Design lap timer, which, in a cabin of all screens, is the only analogue piece of tech.

Against the Panamera, the Cayenne also excels in the real world. It’s an SUV, so you benefit from higher ground clearance, which is important in our market; it’s got more passenger room, more practicality, and it’s even marginally more affordable. There’s also an off-road mode, so it can handle some light trails even in this sporty GTS guise. Despite this, though, the Panamera makes a compelling case, too.

GTS interior gets red stitching and seatbelts.

Porsche has long been a master of chassis tuning, and the Panamera GTS is yet another testament to its expertise. While the Cayenne handles very much like a sedan, the Panamera defies physics, delivering a sports car experience despite its 2,140kg weight. Its razor-sharp turn-in, confidence-inspiring steering, and immense grip from the all-wheel-drive system make you forget you’re hustling something this big.

Powering the Panamera GTS is the same 500hp, 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the Cayenne GTS, but being 145kg lighter, it’s notably quicker. It sprints from 0-100kph in just 3.86 seconds – six-tenths faster than the Cayenne – thanks to launch control, a feature absent in the SUV. And even though it was a foregone conclusion, we did pit them against each other in a couple of drag races, for all in the interest of, well, fun! This generation’s V8 gets a single-scroll twin-turbo setup, making turbo lag noticeable, and when the boost kicks in, it does so with a sledgehammer-like punch. So, it’s not linear in its power delivery, but it injects an exciting rawness – refreshing in an era of increasingly sanitised performance cars. Similarly, the V8 soundtrack of both cars is intoxicating. But with sound insulation done well, you can’t hear a lot of it inside, but they do sound absolutely mega on the outside.

Cayenne also gets an off-road drive mode.

Visually, this is the sharpest Panamera yet, and the ‘Medeira Gold Metallic’ paint enhances the car’s presence. Inside, the low-slung cabin blends sportiness with luxury, offering well-bolstered yet comfortable seats in both rows and top-tier materials throughout. Practicality isn’t an afterthought, with a reasonably large boot, though the spare tyre eats into cargo space. Ground clearance is limited to 125mm, but a nose-lift function helps tackle some speed breakers.

So, while the Cayenne GTS and Panamera GTS share their philosophy, they do feel quite different from one another. Siblings, not twins. And expensive ones, too; both cost a significant amount more than their ‘regular’ V6 versions. But extra cylinders don’t come cheap. From the next-gen onwards, both these models will be electrified in some way, so if you’ve always lusted after a big Porsche V8, now’s the time.

Analogue laptimer part of Sport Chrono pack.

 

Narain Karthikeyan's hot laps

Since we had the two at our Track Day, we got India’s first F1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan, to tell us how they compare over a hot lap around CoASTT.

Speaking of the Cayenne GTS, Narain said, “It’s quite a big car and comfortable too, but when you switch off all the gizmos and driver aids, it allows you to have a lot of fun. It feels great and drives great around the track.”

But, of course, it was the Panamera that he fancied more. “It’s quite incredible. For a car this big to handle that well on a track. For sure, the steering, the feel, the way this car rotates, and the agility – everything has a complete Porsche feeling to it. They’ve managed to keep that feeling alive in this sedan, which is great”, he added.

Lift function helps it clear speed breakers.

“Compared to the Cayenne GTS, I prefer the Panamera GTS around the track. Because it’s lower to the ground, it makes a big difference around corners”, he said.

As for the lap times themselves, the Cayenne managed a 1:56.84, while the Panamera did a 1:51.93 lap around the CoASTTtrack.

With inputs from Saumil Shah