Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT (2023) Review

My task is a simple one: drive a freshly-purchased Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT back from Glasgow to the Alexanders Prestige base in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. Nice. But a key question should be raised – will a route of just over three hours encompassing leafy residential streets, chock-a-block dual-carriageways, and monotonous motorways be enough to enable me to get under the skin of Porsche’s latest ‘super-SUV’? Let’s find out.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that little can be gleaned from such a mundane journey, yet, conversely, such a straightforward trip is what – if we’re honest – most people use their cars for, and it has given me a peculiarly clear perspective of what the utterly-jaw dropping Turbo GT truly offers.

For starters, this is Porsche we’re talking about; and if you know anything about the eponymous Stuttgart-based German sports car maker, you won’t be surprised that its go at a performance off-roader is no half-baked effort.

Britain’s closest competitor – the now ageing-yet-raucous Range Rover Sport SVR with its five-litre supercharged V8, is still a lardy American muscle-car-wannabee in comparison to the Porsche’s razor-sharp engineering.

Bequeathed with a newly-tuned-up four-litre twin-turbocharged V8 powertrain courtesy of uprated, refined, and re-formulated crankshaft, turbochargers, direct fuel injection system, intercooler, and adaptive damping system, the Turbo GT produces 631bhp and achieves the 0-60mph sprint in a blistering 3.1 seconds. It was only a few years ago that those were supercar numbers; now the whole family can come along for the ride.

From the off the Turbo GT feels like something special. Even at slow speeds, meandering past parked cars and navigating oncoming traffic, the engine feels eager, the brakes powerful and confidence-inspiring, but perhaps most of all, the handing is off the scale.

This is helped via a clever rear-axle steering system which turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts in town, but turns them in the same direction at high speed for greater stability. The result is effortless progress.

Once underway, I start to fiddle around with some of settings and begin to have a little play with the ‘Ferrari-style’ manettino on the steering wheel. Allowing you to switch between different driving modes, the facility is so easy to deploy it becomes natural that, as you approach a more exciting section of road you quickly turn the dial across to ‘Sport’ or ‘Sport Plus’, unleashing the engine’s full potential and deploying a ‘race-car’ like sequence of downshifts, letting you hear the lightweight titanium exhaust’s deep, guttural growl. It’s addictive, though a few seconds is all you need to feel the motorsport DNA imbued into this otherwise totally useable SUV.  

I am also extremely fortunate that my voyage has been blessed with an incredible Burmester Hi-Fi system, delivering beautiful high-fidelity sound - my Apple Music playlist never sounded so good! Truth be told, the original owner of this example must have ticked nearly every option there is.

Some of the headline ones include rear seat entertainment (though you’d best be careful not to drive too much like Max Verstappen if the kids are watching TV in the back!), head-up-display, air ioniser, tinted LED headlights with PDLS+, and park assist with surround view.

But by far and away the single best option of this car is its Paint to Sample Viola Metallic paintwork. Complementing the Black Race-Tex (similar to Alcantara or suede) and Neodyme leather interior alongside a striking set of 22’’ GT-Design alloy wheels in satin Neodyme (an eye-catching matte gold hue), the iridescent purple paintwork glistens in the sunlight, adding a touch of charm to an SUV that could be accused of taking itself too seriously.

However – and I pose to you another question here – would you want to own one? Hmmm. Let me think about that for one moment. Yes. Occasionally, modern Porsche’s can come across as a tad unimaginative and lacking in excitement compared to their Italian brothers and sisters, tending to err on the engineering side rather than laugh-out-loud driving thrills.

But there is no denying that Porsche has unequivocally nailed the Turbo GT – it is involving, visceral, and beguiling without becoming wearing, over-the-top, or unnecessarily showy. A bit like the much-loved Audi RS6; it delivers earth-shattering performance, adaptability, and practicality (plentiful boot space, spacious rear seating, and handy rear entertainment) whilst feeling utterly special. And did I mention that it’s purple.

Currently for sale at Alexanders Prestige, Boroughbridge, learn more about the stunning 2023 One Owner, 2,100-mile vehicle

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