SOME LIKE IT EVEN HOTTER (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Porsche adds even more bite to its top Cayenne Coupe in Turbo E-Hybrid form. Jonathan Crouch drives the GT Package model.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 20

The ultimate Porsche SUV is this one, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe with GT Package. There's nothing quite like it.

Backgroundword count: 123

Today, unless you're fortunate enough to be considering a Ferrari Purosangue or a Bentley Bentayga Speed, your ultimate uber-high performance large luxury SUV is going to be a Plug-in Hybrid. And it needs to be a very exclusive Plug-in Hybrid to compete in a world of BMW XMs and Lamborghini Urus Performantes. Which is why Porsche decided to make an ultimate version of its Cayenne Coupe - the Turbo E-Hybrid with GT Package model we're going to try here. As the name suggests, this car is based on the already frantically fast Turbo E-Hybrid Cayenne Coupe. But a range of dynamic engineering changes set it apart. You can find out more about this kind of car by downloading the Car & Driving app.

Driving Experienceword count: 309

Getting yourself this Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe with the brand's GT Package doesn't get you any more power - but then you don't really need any more. Already, this top Cayenne is an absolute monster, putting out an enormous 739PS, with 950Nm of torque; 0-62mph flashes by in just 3.7s en route to 183mph. Porsche reckons it'll reach 100mph in 8s, then 124mph in 12s. It really is devastatingly quick. The GT Package gets you Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes and a carbonfibre roof to save weight and lower the centre of gravity. Plus GT-specific pivot bearings increase the camber on the front axle by -0.58 degrees and in combination with wider front wheels enable an even more dynamic steering response in corners, higher overall steering precision and notably enhanced cornering grip. Like the standard Turbo E-Hybrid, this top variant gets a rorty standard sports exhaust, though to avoid annoying local villagers, there's an 'electric' drive mode setting which allows you to cruise through residential areas in near-silence, which is rather cool. Most GT Package customers will boost the asking price up still further by adding two drive features that are also optional on other Cayenne Coupes - rear-axle steering (which turns the rear wheels the opposite way to the fronts through fast bends for extra stability); and PDCC - Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control - (with its clever 48V adaptive anti-roll bar set-up). Both things have been fitted here and the sheer speed they allow you to carry through a set of fast bends is almost uncanny. No other large SUV can match this, though some enthusiasts might feel that PDCC and rear-wheel steering detract a little from the purity of the driving experience. If this were a 911, we'd maybe see their point, but on a 2.7-tonne SUV with over 700PS, we'll take all the driving aids we can get.

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