2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS and GTS Coupe revealed during would-be Detroit Auto Show week

This week would’ve been the week of the 2020 Detroit Auto Show. Alas, 2020 had other plans, and the biggest car reveal so far this week was the updated 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. Today the 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS and 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe join the list of could-have-beens. 

The GTS trims also join a sprawling Porsche Cayenne lineup that seems to have no end of expansion in sight. They’re meant to act as a bridge in price and performance between the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo, similar to the GTS trims in other Porsche models. This year also marks the return of a V8 in the GTS, as the previous generation Cayenne GTS used a V6. Porsche says it’s the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine found in the Panamera GTS models. As such, this engine produces 453 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. That gives it a 19 horsepower advantage over a Cayenne S, but leaves it two horsepower down from the base Cayenne E-Hybrid’s combined gas engine and electric motor output of 455 horses. 

Porsche does claim that the GTS is faster than both the E-Hybrid and S, though. The standard Cayenne GTS can hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, but add the Sport Chrono Package and that time drops to 4.2 seconds — Sport Chrono is standard on the GTS Coupe, and it achieves the same 4.2-second 0-60 mph time as the non-Coupe. Even a Cayenne S with the Sport Chrono Package (4.6 seconds to 60 mph) can’t beat the GTS, as the S is 0.1 second behind. The Turbo might ape the GTS on power (88 horsepower advantage), but the base Turbo’s 3.9-second 0-60 mph time isn’t drastically quicker than the Sport Chrono-equipped GTS. Top speed for both GTS models is 168 mph.

There’s more to the GTS than numbers. Porsche has developed a new, optional central-exit exhaust system for the GTS Coupe models. While both come with the quad-tipped Sport Exhaust as standard equipment, Cayenne GTS Coupe buyers can tack on something Porsche describes as “even louder than the Sport Exhaust.” The central sport exhaust features oval-shaped tips and is only available if you opt for the Lightweight Sport Package. We believe we may have already heard it before in a spy video, so take a listen in the video below.

Porsche is also giving the GTS models revised versions of the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) dampers, combined with the Air Suspension as standard equipment. It’s 1.18 inches lower than a Cayenne S.

You’ll be able to pick it out from other Cayennes rather easily. GTS logos are placed on the rear liftgate, doors, door sills, headrests and tachometer. They’ll also be sporting the 21-inch RS Spyder Design wheels in satin black, but of course, many others will be optional. Black accents all over the car give it a more menacing appearance — even the lighting fixtures have a black tint to them. Porsche covers the interior in Alcantara, using it for the headliner, seat centers, armrests and doors. The seats themselves are the higher-bolstered eight-way power sport seats.

Porsche says both the traditional Cayenne GTS and GTS Coupe will be rolling into dealers this fall. The standard GTS starts at $108,650, while the GTS Coupe will start at $111,850 — both prices include the $1,350 destination charge. That’s approximately $22,000 more than a Cayenne S and about $21,000 less than a Cayenne Turbo. Allow us to congratulate the GTS on rolling a perfect split.

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