Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT as first sold from 2021 to 2023, the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol coupe with 631 bhp, 850 Nm, all-wheel drive and four seats. Porsche sold it only in the coupe body. It is not a guide to the ordinary Cayenne Coupe Turbo (the same shape with 542 bhp and a slower, softer set-up), to the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid or Turbo S E-Hybrid, or to the later Cayenne Turbo GT that Porsche updated to 659 PS and 305 km/h for markets outside Europe. Where those cars differ we say so below, because an advert that says only "Cayenne Turbo GT" can describe more than one specification.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Porsche's own Swiss newsroom release of 30 June 2021, PistonHeads' July 2022 comparison of the Cayenne Turbo GT with the Audi RS Q8, and the government recall checker. We also read Porsche's Mexican newsroom release (4 March 2022), Porsche's press kit for the later car, Auto Express's launch report (29 June 2021), PistonHeads' April 2023 comparison with the Aston Martin DBX707, Evo's 2021-2023 review and a Motor.es report of 19 April 2023, and we flag every point that rests on them. Prices are history, not valuations.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol, 3,996 cc, with new pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft according to PistonHeads. There is no hybrid assistance. Porsche's Mexican release and PistonHeads both give the capacity as 3,996 cc.
• Power: 631 bhp. Porsche's Swiss release prints 640 PS and 471 kW. We convert 640 PS at 0.9863 to 631.2 bhp and 471 kW at 1.341 to 631.6 bhp, and Porsche's Mexican release and Auto Express both print 631 (as HP and bhp). PistonHeads prints 640hp, which is the metric figure and not bhp. We use 631 bhp, the mechanical horsepower convention.
• Torque: 850 Nm, from Porsche's Swiss release. PistonHeads prints 627 lb ft between 2,300 and 4,500 rpm, and 627 x 1.3558 is about 850 Nm. Peak power arrives at 6,000 rpm.
• 0-100 km/h: 3.3 seconds. Porsche's Mexican release gives it as 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, and Auto Express and PistonHeads give 3.3 seconds for 0-62 mph, which is a fraction longer than a true 0-60 time but the same claim. The Swiss release calls it the standard sprint, 0.6 s quicker than the Cayenne Turbo Coupe.
• Top speed: 300 km/h, which is about 186 mph and matches PistonHeads. Evo prints 189 mph, which does not agree with 300 km/h, and we treat it as an error or a reference to the later car.
• Drive: all-wheel drive through an eight-speed Tiptronic S torque-converter automatic. PistonHeads calls it "an eight-speed slusher", not a PDK.
• Weight: 2,220 kg (DIN) in PistonHeads' spec boxes. Evo says about 2,200 kg. Porsche's own releases we read give no kerb weight.
• Seats: four, with two rear sport seats, and the car is sold only as a coupe.

What the Turbo GT adds to the Cayenne Coupe Turbo

Porsche's Swiss release says the Turbo GT has 90 PS and 80 Nm more than the Cayenne Turbo Coupe, takes 0.6 s off the sprint and adds 14 km/h of top speed. Auto Express says 50 Nm, which disagrees with Porsche's own 770 to 850 Nm step, so we follow Porsche.

The rest is chassis work. Auto Express reports a body up to 17 mm lower, springs and dampers up to 15 per cent stiffer, nearly half a degree more front negative camber, a recalibrated eight-speed gearbox and more aggressive torque vectoring. Porsche says the car has standard Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes and 22 inch Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres developed for it, one inch wider than the Cayenne Turbo's, with a rear spoiler 25 mm larger and a titanium sports exhaust with central tailpipes and no centre silencer. The Mexican release adds eight-way sport front seats and a sport rear seat system with two seats only.

The Nordschleife record

Porsche's Swiss release says the Turbo GT lapped the 20.832 km Nordschleife in 7:38.9 minutes, an official SUV record at the time, driven by test driver Lars Kern. PistonHeads, in July 2022, says the Audi RS Q8's 7:42.25 was beaten by just over three seconds, and its April 2023 piece says no rival time beating it had emerged. It is a manufacturer figure from a factory car on a closed lap. We have not checked whether another SUV has beaten it since, and it tells you nothing about a used car.

Weissach package, carbon roof and the cars it is not

None of the sources we read lists a Weissach package for the Cayenne Turbo GT. Weissach packages exist on other Porsches, such as the Taycan Turbo GT, and Porsche sold a separate Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid with a GT package, which is a plug-in hybrid with a different engine output and is not covered here. We therefore state no Weissach or Sport Chrono variation for this model, and nor do we split the 3.3 seconds by option pack. If an advert claims a Weissach package, ask the seller and Porsche for the build specification.

The roof is less clear. Porsche's press kit for the later car says its lightweight roof is carbon. The Mexican release for the 2021 car mentions a roof with a carbon outline, which is ambiguous. We did not confirm the material of the 2021 roof from a manufacturer page, so check the build sheet and the car rather than rely on this guide.

The later 659 PS car

Porsche's press kit for the updated Turbo GT says output rose by 14 kW (19 PS) to 485 kW (659 PS), with 3.3 seconds to 100 km/h and 305 km/h. It also says that, because of current emission regulations, it is not offered in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and Singapore among other markets. Motor.es reports 660 CV and 3.2 seconds, so the sources differ by 1 PS and 0.1 s; we follow Porsche. Evo says the Cayenne facelift axed the Turbo GT from the UK line-up. This is why we end this guide at 2023: it is an inference from Evo's title and the April 2023 reports, because we found no Porsche date for the end of the 640 PS car.

Price and launch

Porsche announced the car on 30 June 2021. The Swiss release says orders opened immediately and that cars reached Swiss dealers at the end of September 2021, from 240,900 Swiss francs. Auto Express says UK prices started at 143,910 pounds with deliveries beginning in autumn. PistonHeads' tested car listed at 147,510 pounds in July 2022 and 150,500 pounds in April 2023, and 156,002 pounds as tested. These prices are history and say nothing about what a used car is worth. We found no production total from Porsche, so the catalogue keeps the count unset.

Running costs and what owners should expect

PistonHeads lists 20.0 mpg and 319 g/km of CO2, and its test driver estimated a full tank at about 195 pounds at 216.9p a litre in 2022. The car is heavy, about two and a quarter tonnes, and PistonHeads says it weighs as much as one and a half Cayman GT4s. In April 2023 PistonHeads found the ride "not that well tied down" in Sport Plus and said the wheel reverberated over sharp impacts. We found no servicing schedule, tyre price or ceramic brake replacement cost from a reliable source, and PistonHeads' tests do not discuss reliability. Anyone quoting a running cost is giving an estimate.

What to check before buying

• Confirm the specification: 640 PS and 631 bhp for the 2021 to 2023 car, or the 659 PS version imported from outside Europe. Ask for the Porsche build sheet and check the VIN against it.
• Check the tyres. The 22 inch Pirelli P Zero Corsa was developed for this model, so ask for the exact size, age and wear, and do not accept a substitute without understanding the effect on the chassis tuning.
• Inspect the ceramic brake discs and ask for wear evidence, because Porsche fits them as standard and we found no replacement price.
• Look at the titanium exhaust, mountings and any modification, since it is a standard fitting with no centre silencer.
• Check suspension, ride height, rear-axle steering and alignment records, because the car is lower and stiffer than other Cayennes.
• Ask for the full history from a Porsche dealer or specialist, and for any warning lights or stored faults.
• Find out whether the car is a UK or an imported one, and which market it was built for.
• Run the registration through the recall check below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government checker because we are not looking at a specific car. The page says that for a car with a registration you use the MOT service, and that without one you need the manufacturer, model and year. It says the checker shows unresolved safety recalls and the MOT history, and that the manufacturer will tell you about recalls for reasons other than safety. We found no recall notice for the Cayenne Turbo GT in any source, and absence from our sources is not a clean bill of health. A grey import may not appear on the UK checker, so also ask a Porsche centre whether any campaign applies.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page is a Commons photograph of a 2022 Cayenne Turbo GT in green with gold wheels, taken in a showroom. We cropped it and reduced it in size. The car appears to be the 2021 to 2023 coupe, but we did not verify its specification and it may have options we have not described, so we use it only to show the shape.

Verdict

The Cayenne Turbo GT in this guide is a four-seat, 631 bhp, 850 Nm, all-wheel drive coupe that Porsche claims reaches 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and 300 km/h, tuned harder than the ordinary Cayenne Coupe Turbo. It is heavy and thirsty, and its value rests on a clean history and the right tyres and brakes. If you are shopping for one, confirm which specification you are looking at, check the chassis and brake condition with a specialist, and treat every published figure as a claim with the caveats above. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.