23109vc

I just picked up a 2021 GTS this weekend. I test drove it and loved it. The car is a great performer and the handling is unreal. An SUV should NOT handle this well!

One of my other DD in the garage is a 2018 BMW M550. That car is not incredibly sporty from a handling perspective, but it is very fast…. I think it is rated at about 12.2 in the 1/4 mile and while the advertised hp is 456… Dinan has Dino tested it and it is actually making at least that much to the ground. Crank hp is probably close to 500 or a bit more.

After driving my M550 and GTS back to back…I must say that I think the Cayenne GTS is at least as fast, if not FASTER than my M550. I am thoroughly impressed with how capable this SUV is. When it is in sport + mode it is an absolute beast. I can only imagine how amazing it would be with a tune.

I did not buy this car to drag race.. it will be a DD for my wife and I, but I do enjoy a car that performs well, and I am just amazed at how well this vehicle drives.

“Fast” is relative. For those of you who have 992 turbos in your garage, I’m sure you think the GTS is just “average”….but for a family hauler SUV..it really scoots.

Before I bought this car I test drove both a BMW X5 M50 and an X5M comp. I think the GTS is at least as quick as the M50 and very close if not equal to the X5M. In the handling department it’s not even close - the GRS is way more capable and fun to drive than any of hte BMWs. The M50 feels like a boat and floats all over if you drive it spirited. The X5M is more flat in the corners, but still feels like it weights a TON. The Cayenne, by comparison, feels like a sports car.

This car is a blast!

Turrrbo

I had the same exact feeling when i first got my Turbo. I was stunned by how fast this car is and how well it handles! Despite coming from sports cars background. I never thought an SUV can handle this well, ever!

I also got PDCC, rear wheels steering and PTV+ … these three systems are truly game changers!

Unfortunately I started to look down at all other SUV’s in the market, something I never felt before when getting a new car in other segments! I think i will never be convinced to buy any other SUV in the future unless it was a Cayenne! I am not exaggerating

pitt911

agree
my 23 GTS feels much faster than it should for a big SUV with 465 HP engine and I am used to fast cars as most cars I have owned the past few years were 500 plus HP
it is not scary fast , but fast enough

pbon

GTS is not much faster than the S. It is around 110-111 mph in the quarter. I test drove both and my first comment after doing 60-110 in both was that the GTS had little on the S. These were 2021 models. BMW M550 should be closer to 120 mph. I have an M5 — that is what I call a fast car. Huge difference between 110 and 120 mph in the quarter. The GTS, however, has a more powerful sound — it sounds better than the M550i or the M5 for that matter. But don’t confuse noise with sound.

23109vc

I did not test Raven S only the GTS I wanted the V8 so I can’t speak to what the real world performance differences are but I did watch several online reviews and that was the observation of those people. The GTS was faster but not a ton.

I know that BMW often under reports horsepower I believe Porsche does as well. I have no idea what actual power this car is making. It just seems quite a bit faster than I would expect for something this heavy with “only “453 hp.

I did not go to a drag strip for any kind of official test I’m just going off the seat of my pants, but I would say that this Cayenne GTS is close enough to my M550 in power that going back-and-forth between the cars I really don’t notice any performance difference. I certainly am not feeling like this thing is underpowered.

And you are right the exhaust sound add something to it it’s one of the best sounding exhaust systems. I’ve ever heard the overall experience of driving this car makes my M550 feel like a Camry. The Cayenne is such a fun car I Family SUV shouldn’t be this much fun ha ha ha.

chassis

This is interesting. According to Porsche, the S with Sport Chrono is 4.6 0-60 and the GTS without Sport Chrono is 4.5 0-60, essentially the same. Even if a GTS had Sport Chrono, Porsche indicates 4.2s 0-60. 0.4s difference can easily be overcome by driver skill. So the two trim levels are quite similar in 0-60.

The V8 torque advantage seems to almost not overcome its weight disadvantage, but carries a significant price penalty. The GTS interior is likely its principle distinguishing feature.

ENCT

We got a turbo a few months ago, liked it so much we have another coming the end of April. I actually like the pscb brakes, it's a shame they are not offered on the GTS.

23109vc

However fast it is, it certainly seems quicker than the claimed 4.5 to 60. Maybe it's that exhaust hypnotizing me...

Ron.s

Car & Driver tested at 3.9 as I recall. That’s with Sport Chrono and the Fun Button.

23109vc

that sounds more consistent with what I feel with the butt dyno... but I bet the exhaust adds another .2 in my head!

pbon

C&D tested the S at 4.2 to 60 and 109 in the quarter with sport chrono. Very very close to C&D results for the GTS. Turbo or Turbo S is what I would want of it was for me rather than my wife. She was content with the Base but I had to make sure there was some entertainment for when I drive. I put a JB4 on the S so it should be somewhere between a GTS and Turbo now. I tried to get her interested in the GTS but she said it sounded like a truck.

23109vc

the exhaust on the GTS was a huge selling point… in normal mode it just sounds like a nice V8… in Sport+ mode it sounds downright mean and nasty! Love it!!

signes

Agree on the speed feel. Had an E63 wagon and it isn't brutal like that but it really goes in an effortless and eager way. I took mine for a few laps on the Nurburgring and was really impressed. Eager is the word that keeps coming to mind, along with extraordinary handling for something this big. I have PDCC and rear steer as well and they work really well in that environment with no penalty for road use.

skippy454

Have a 22 CGTS Coupe and a Draggy. Stock 4.4s 0 - 60 and 1/4m 12.8s, with COBB on lowest map OEM+ (supposed to be stock Turbo Tune lowest tune) 3.5s 0 - 60 and 1/4m (have not had a place to get full run but is definitely down in 11's did a flat 12s coasting. I got these numbers and put it back to stock tune (takes 15mins and is super easy and straightforward), I daily drive with the stock tune but like having the option to of a Turbo S on tap when wanted. I bought this car with the full intention of putting a tune on it, the engine is built to take the extra HP, the transmission is the only question for me. The GTS is supposed to have a lighter-in-weight transmission so doing excessive dead stop pulls IMO is asking for issues, but when it is rolling up in speeds laying into should be not an issue.

I love the STOCK tune and will only put the COBB on when I want to play on the highway late at night it is sooooooooo much fun and fast. I was actually thinking of getting a Turbo now glad I did not as I have the best of both worlds. One last thing if you like the way it sounds stock the tune makes it sound wicked. Here is a dyno pull from COBB. I cannot get the link to post go to COBB FB page and fairly recent post with GTS on dyno with tune.

kayjh

I'd say the distinguishing difference between the S and GTS is ride and handling. The GTS has significantly better handling and less suspension "float" (with air suspension) than the S. I didn't like the 2.9TT in the S at idle - I found it too buzzy (more so in cold weather). But there is a penalty for the GTS when it comes to fuel economy. The S does much better in that department.

I think both are great choices.