Porsche unveils the fastest SUV......In The World

Porsche have rather unexpectedly pulled the covers off their first SUV to wear the hallowed GT badge, a new variant of the Cayenne dubbed the 'Turbo GT'. Not only is it the fastest Porsche SUV ever, it steals the Lamborghini Urus' crown as the fastest internal combustion powered production SUV in the world.

(Photo: Porsche)

(Photo: Porsche)

Available in coupé guise only, the Turbo GT benefits from increased power, sharper handling and more downforce. Porsche have reworked the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 found in the regular Cayenne Turbo (and other Volkswagen Automotive Group models) to produce a strong 471kW and 850Nm. This has been acheived through strengthened engine internals, changes to turbochargers, injectors and intercooler among other tweaks to extract an extra 67kW/80Nm. It's worth noting that this still falls 29kW short of the Turbo S E-Hybrid, however being lighter and more agile means the GT is still faster by a reasonable margin.

(Photo: Porsche)

(Photo: Porsche)

The claimed 0 to 100km/h is just 3.3 seconds along with a top speed of 300km/h. That beats the Turbo by 0.6 seconds and 14km/h respectivley. Among a large variety of suspension alterations the Turbo GT sits up to 17mm lower than a standard Turbo Coupe and has 15 percent stiffer air suspension with retuned damper characteristics. This includes fettled PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Managment) active roll stabilisation and torque vectoring settings, with Power Steering Plus and rear-wheel steering capabilities.

(Photo: Porsche)

(Photo: Porsche)

Other standard factory equiptment includes 22-inch 'GT Design' wheels finished in Gold, or Neodyme silk-gloss as named by Porsche. Wearing a set of specially developed Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres with 285/35 front and 315/30 rear fitment, the Turbo GT also sees a 0.45 increase in negative camber up front to enable a larger tyre contact area resulting in more grip. Carbon-ceramic brakes are also a standard inclusion, demonstrating that Porsche are positioning this model in a league above the rest of their SUV lineup.

Unqiue to the Turbo GT is its titanium sports exhaust system which alone saves around 18 kilograms of weight. Its central tailpipe design is the same as that used on the sports exhaust system offered as part of the pricey 'Lightweight Sport Package' offered on the current Cayenne GTS, the only Porsche to previously feature this style of exhaust. A centre silencer is not used by the system, further enhancing weight savings and increasing sound output.

Styling enhancments include a unqiue front bumper with larger intakes and a lower lip spoiler to enhance airflow, carbon-fibre roof, side plates and rear-spoiler, black wheel-arch extensions and accents, and a carbon rear diffuser. Also specific to the GT is its adaptivley extendable rear-spoiler's lip, which is 25mm larger than that of the Turbo. At the car's top speed this increases downforce by up to 40 kilograms.

(Photo: Porsche)

(Photo: Porsche)

Inside, there are model-specific sports seats in perforated Alcantara that feature contrast accents and the 'Turbo GT' designation embossed on the headrests. In the rear there are two individual sports seats, and much like the front they come with contrast accents in Neodyme or Arctic Grey, which is a new colour developed specifically for the Turbo GT by Porsche. A yellow 12 o'clock steering wheel marking further solidifies the model's status as a product of Porsche's GT department.

So what's the result of these performance enhancements to the Cayenne Coupe? A new record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, with a 7 minute 38.9 seocnd lap time which is the fastest ever set by an SUV. The title was previously held by the Audi RSQ8. After taking a prototype for a lap around Germany's Hockenheimring, Porsche brand ambassador and rally legend Walter Röhrl said the car was such a competent handling machine that it feels like "you are sitting in a compact sports car rather than in a large SUV.”

(Photo: Porsche)

(Photo: Porsche)

In Australia the 2022 Cayenne Turbo GT will begin customer deliveries in the fourth quarter of this year and be priced from $336,100 before on-road costs.