Though the division was still in its relative infancy at the time, customers had plenty of choice for a luxury sports SUV back in the mid 2010s. Range Rover’s luxury Autobiography line, for instance, was already into its second decade. Maserati would have a relatively fruitful, if short, run with the Levante, and, by 2015, after a rough start with its (ahem) ‘boldly’ styled EXP 9F concept, Bentley was hitting the ground running with the Bentayga SUV. Across in Germany, BMW and Mercedes topped 150 mph with their 555-horsepower X5 M and 503 hp ML63 AMG, respectively. And in North America, Cadillac’s third-gen Escalade, while playing fast-and-loose with the term ‘sporty,’ packed a mammoth 6.0-liter V8, and could still hit an electronically limited 113 mph.And then there was Porsche. Having introduced the highly controversial Cayenne for 2002, the German sports car brand was riding an unprecedented wave of newly-acquired financial security when it launched the newer, faster, and just all-round better version of its flagship sports SUV for 2013. Two years later, another updated edition, one with three revered letters, joined the fray for just shy of $100,000 USD. And you won’t believe how much you can buy one for today... The Porsche That Revived The GTS Badge PorscheNo longer afraid of angering purists in the crowd – seven years after the first Porsche Cayenne caused a massive stir, the silks were pulled from the brand’s first Panamera ‘limousine’ – Porsche unveiled its face-lifted, second-generation Cayenne GTS at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Seven years earlier, this 2.5-ton SUV was the first Porsche to revive the hallowed ‘Gran Turismo Sport’ badge since the 904 Carrera GTS of 1963.With those three revered letters, however, came not the 4.8-liter naturally-aspirated V8 used by its predecessor, but a smaller, 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 plucked from the newly-launched Cayenne S. Despite missing two cylinders, the GTS' 440-horsepower rating was 20 hp up on its predecessor, and torque was given an elbow from 380-pound feet to 445 lb ft. Granted, this paled in comparison to the range-topping Cayenne Turbo S’ 562 hp and 590 lb ft of torque, but the GTS could nevertheless hit 60 mph from standstill in 4.9 seconds. Quicker even than an Audi TT Quattro.PorscheA ‘GTS’ needs more than just raw power and speed to earn its moniker, of course. The sportily-tuned steel spring suspension dropped the Cayenne’s ride height by nearly an inch (the optional air suspension rode slightly higher), while the GTS also borrowed the massive brakes, and racy red brake calipers, previously exclusive to the Turbo. The repeatedly face-lifted ‘stretched 911’ looks were also softened, and now included a new nose with larger air inlets, contoured side sills, and flared-out wheel arches. The whole package rode on 20-inch RS Spyder wheels exclusive to the GTS, while a sports exhaust tried to capture that distinctive sound. In a neat touch, even the B and C pillars were black in-line with legacy Gran Turismo Sports. Yes, it was an SUV, but Porsche had worked hard to make sure it was also a GTS. Prices Then, Compared To Now PorscheWith full kit and performance-focused caboodle, MSRPs for the Cayenne GTS started from $95,500 in 2015, slotting the dynamic newboy neatly above the $74,100 Cayenne S. Lump in optional packages like Sport Chrono– which threw in a dash-mounted clock and knocked a tenth-of-a-second off the zero-to-60 mph sprint – and nearly $9,000 for carbon ceramic brakes, and, brand-new, the GTS was perilously close to the $113,600 asking price for Porsche’s bombastic, 562 hp Cayenne Turbo S. All of which makes it borderline staggering that, today, second-hand examples can be bought for less than $30,000 USD. Or as little as $17,000, if you don’t mind high mileage. Put another way, slightly weathered examples of this BMW X5 M rival are now available for less than the price of a brand-new Nissan Versa. The Pros Of Buying A Second Hand Cayenne GTS… It Handles As A Porsche Should PorscheEven with the best will in the world, and enough marketing spin to restart a broken tumble dryer, a 2.5-ton, six-feet-tall SUV could never hang with its two-door GTS ‘forebears’ through the corners. Even so, stiffer chassis and suspension helped rein in the Cayenne’s inevitable body roll superbly. Accurate, well-weighted steering, plus monstrous amounts of grip, meant the GTS could almost – almost – be called ‘nimble.’ And higher levels of torque, available from much lower down the rev range, resulted in the GTS being more responsive, mid-corner, than the model it replaced. Put another way, in 2015, the revised Cayenne GTS completed a lap of the 12.9-mile Nürburgring in 8 minutes 13 seconds. While that doesn’t sound very impressive, bear in mind that’s still seven seconds faster than a 2010 model year Chevrolet Camaro SS. It Was Surprisingly Usable On The Road PorscheIronically, among the biggest criticisms was quality and comfort. Something Porsche immediately put to bed. Switchgear across the dashboard and center console, for example, while still cluttered, was at least easier to navigate, as was the driver’s updated five-gauge instrument cluster. The 918 Spyder-inspired steering wheel was a sleek new addition, as were the sports seats that now offered more lumbar support. Granted, the GTS’ ride was firmer than its contemporaries thanks to the stiffer underpinnings. But, with Porsche’s adaptive active suspension management (PASM) equipped as standard, it was a stark improvement over the model it replaced. Throw in plentiful headroom up front, plus GTS-exclusive Alcantara upholstery, and here was a cabin that was both dynamic, and, finally, refined. The Number, And Variety, Of Second-Hand Examples Available PorscheInterestingly, among the near-50 second-hand examples we found for sale and recently sold, several have been optioned with Porsche’s Premium plus package. In 2015, this threw in 14-18-way ventilated power seats, a panoramic roof, and upgraded LED lighting, among other extras, for $3,600-plus. Moreover, many of these second-hand options have the Sport Chrono Package pre-fitted – a $1,000 to $1,500 option in 2015 – and some customers even splashed out for the carbon-ceramic brake package. And we haven’t even mentioned the range of interior trim and metallic paint options available. Despite all this, only one of the near-50 second-hand models we found vaulted the $60,000 mark (a comparatively low-mileage $68,200 model was the sole outlier). Considering some of these models, brand-new, would have cost upwards of $110,000, that’s a boatload of Porsche for not an obscene amount of money. …And The Cons It’s Not The Most Practical Of Luxury SUVs PorscheEven we can't argue that the Cayenne GTS is a savvy choice for a family hauler. True, fold the real seats down, and there’s up to 62.9 cubic-feet of cargo space. But that’s still less – ironically – than the Audi Q7 on which the Cayenne was based. And, while not exactly cramped, rear passengers had noticeably less head and legroom in the Porsche than they might have done in similarly sized, only-slightly-lesser-powered, premium SUVs that cost $20,000-plus less.Off-road ability, while commendable, was not exactly a Cayenne forte either (would you want to scratch that $1,000 optional metallic paint?). A low-range transfer box, after all, hasn’t been offered on the Cayenne since 2010, with an electromechanical diff instead sending power as needed to each wheel, and torque vectoring individually braking the rear wheels to maximize traction. Clever stuff. But throw in limited ground clearance, and the GTS will rarely venture away from its asphalt proving ground. No Manual Gearbox PorscheThe potential deal-breaker for many is that the Cayenne GTS, the most dynamic example of the breed, does not come with a manual gearbox. Offered only for the second-gen’s entry-level model – and even then, only until 2014 – all second-hand models come as standard with an eight-speed PDK automatic. Far from calamitous, given how smooth the paddle shift PDK is, but lacking the snappiness expected of a GTS model. There’s more bad news too, since mid-range acceleration for the second-gen GTS was actually better in the (urgh) turbocharged and torquier Diesel S. Astronomical Running Costs PorscheTo the surprise of no-one, fuel economy for a ‘Gran Turismo Sport’ is moderate, at best. Even Porsche’s best estimate at the time was 24 mpg. And, with a twin-turbo V6 at their disposal, most previous owners will have comfortably crept that back into the teens. Then there’s the ruinous service and maintenance costs to consider. As we previously reported, the price of running a 10-plus year-old luxury SUV averages out at nearly $12,500. The Cayenne’s tendency to munch its tires and wear its standard brake pads certainly doesn’t help either.Enormously tempting as it is then, it turns out buying a 10-year Porsche Cayenne GTS for less than half its original price may not be the financial jackpot you may think it is.Source: Porsche
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