The 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS Sport in Carmine Red. The 2025 GTS version is an update on the fifth generation introduced in 2023 and represents a high-water mark in its evolution.Doug Firby/The Globe and Mail
Imagine you could have a sports car posing as an SUV. Imagine it could tour along America’s highways in quiet comfort and then, with the push of a button and twist of a knob, growl ferociously as it attacks tight S-turns with poise and agility.
And then, imagine you need just one garage bay for every driving mood. That’s the 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS – the car for all emotional seasons.
“A lot of people are replacing their performance cars with this car,” said Frank Wiesmann, Porsche’s North America manager of product communications. “It has the broadest range of capabilities of any Porsche.”
In the 20-plus years since the German sports car maker rocked its fan base by producing its first premium four-door, five-passenger crossover, the Cayenne has come a long way. And the 2025 GTS version, an update on the fifth generation introduced in 2023, represents a high-water mark in its evolution.
Faster, more efficient, more powerful and more agile, the 2025 GTS edges out its predecessor on performance and keeps it squarely in the hunt against worthy competitors from Audi and BMW.
The 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS has a racing-sized heated steering wheel.Doug Firby/The Globe and Mail
Porsche chose the twisty roads of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest north of Atlanta to show off the vehicle’s multiple personalities. Cruising on a highway to the route in Normal driving mode was a quiet, calming, almost cushy experience with nearly imperceptible shifting of the eight-speed automatic transmission. But on the challenging hills and hairpin turns, Sport and Sport Plus modes dramatically heightened shifting points, and brought a pleasing growl out of the beefy four-litre V8 engine, a significant update of the previous model’s powerplant.
The engine – entirely hidden under a massive plastic cowl – is an important part of this year’s GTS story. Nerd out with me for a minute.
Ever notice how small-displacement turbos turn into gas guzzlers when they are pushed? Porsche engineers explain that those small engines need a richer fuel mixture to keep from overheating. Using a bigger V8 reduces the stress, eliminating much of the need for richer fuel. Hence, better fuel economy and lower emissions when pushed beyond non-load conditions, such as during hard acceleration. However, when cruising at normal highway speeds with little acceleration, the smaller turbo is likely more fuel efficient.
A single-scroll turbo charger and other tweaks result in 40 more horsepower (493) and 29 lb-ft more torque (486) than last year’s version of the engine.
The all-wheel-drive system is water cooled to keep it performing at optimum during extended hard drives.
The steering wheel and numerous panels are treated in an ultra-suede material Porsche calls Race-Tex. It’s all vegan, made from polyester and polyurethane.Doug Firby/The Globe and Mail
The GTS was available for testing in both SUV and SUV Coupe modes, and both proved to be more agile than any SUV has a right to be. That’s a result of chassis and suspension upgrades: a 10-millimetre lower ride height and adaptive air suspension, including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus). Cornering is assisted by a change to the front-axle pivot bearings that increases the negative camber of the wheels by 0.58 degrees. For the driver, the vehicle seems to sit perfectly flat even when speeding through tight hairpin turns.
While sports-car-like, the GTS still stands too tall and weighs too much to be anything other than a compromise vehicle – although it’s roughly 200 kilograms less than its hybrid version. Coupe buyers who want to trim weight to a minimum can opt for the Lightweight Sport Package, with a lightweight roof, a carbon-fibre rear diffuser and reduced sound insulation for a savings of 23 kilograms.
The difference on a vehicle that weighs about 2,200 kilograms, depending on features, hardly seems worth the $1,500 price. Perhaps the greater benefit is the increased cabin noise from that raspy V8, assuming you see that as a virtue.
Several visual cues outside distinguish the GTS from its lesser siblings. The rocker panels, window surrounds, wheel arch extensions and inlays in the front fascia are painted in high-gloss black. The front air intakes are bigger. The tips of the sport exhaust system have gone from black in the previous iteration to dark bronze.
And all GTS models are fitted with 21-inch RS Spyder Design wheels painted in anthracite grey. Test models came with Pirelli P Zero all-season tires – definitely not intended for off-road use. The folks at Porsche say few Cayenne owners ever venture off-road.
The four-litre V8 engine is entirely hidden under a massive plastic cowl.Doug Firby/The Globe and Mail
Inside, seat surfaces, the small racing-sized heated steering wheel and numerous panels are treated in an ultra-suede material Porsche calls Race-Tex. It’s all vegan, made from polyester and polyurethane. As with all Porsches, the firm, eight-way sport seats offer ample support. Buyers can individualize the look with optional packages in either Carmine Red or Slate Grey.
Ambient lighting is now standard, but there are still dozens of upgrades buyers can tap into to drive up the price.
Porsche says the GTS accelerates from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in 4.4 seconds, and can hit a top speed of 275 kilometres an hour (stats I will never try to duplicate). I can confirm, however, that the made-in-Germany GTS models are well-built and tight in the way Porsche models are so well-known for.
These cars cost a lot of money, with the lowest entry point well into six figures. You can have fun with SUVs that cost a lot less. But if you have the cash and want the experience and, let’s face it, bragging rights, that a premium automaker can deliver, the GTS just might be worth every penny.
Orders are open now and deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Porsche says the GTS accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometres an hour in 4.4 seconds.Doug Firby/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS
- Base price: $134,800 (SUV); $139,800 (SUV Coupe) plus a destination charge of $2,950, plus tax, including the luxury tax.
- Engine: Four-litre V8 with mono-turbo.
- Transmission / drive: Eight-speed automatic / all-wheel drive
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): Not yet rated by Transport Canada. Rating by Europe’s WLTP standard shows 13.3 city; 12.6 highway.
- Alternatives: BMW X5M, Audi RSQ8
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.