2024 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT Preparing To Defend Its Nurburgring Crown

Aug. 27, 2022 11:59 AM ET byGerhard Horn Nurburgring /3 Comments

Does Porsche want to improve its existing Nurburgring lap record, or is it waiting for Aston Martin and Lamborghini to challenge it?

We're big fans of thePorsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT. Associate Editor Ian Wright recently called it theperfect car for any occasion. Chatting in the office, he further stated that it was a hill he was willing to die on. We haven't heard from Ian in a few days, so we should probably start searching the hills near his house.

Even though the Cayenne Turbo GT is only a year old, it's already receiving a substantial facelift as part of an update that will be made to the entire Cayenne range. We previously received a series ofspy shots of a disguised Cayennerunning laps of the Nurburgring, and now we have video footage of the SUV in action.

The GT is easy to spot thanks to its model-specific roof spoiler and those aggressive dual oval exhausts. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 produces 631 horsepower and 626 lb-ft of torque. It's more powerful than most sporty SUVs (including its Audi RS Q8 cousin, but not the more upmarket Urus) but still easily beaten by the Aston Martin DBX 707 and Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, which is returning for the 2023 model year.

Thanks to the recent unveiling of the Lamborghini Urus Performante, we know this engine can produce up to 657 hp. The next big step for this engine will likely be some sort of hybridization, adding at least another 100 hp to the mix.

Will this hybrid engine debut on the Cayenne Turbo GT? It's highly unlikely. The Cayenne, Urus, and Q8 all share this platform, and there's a clear hierarchy if you look at the specifications. There's no way the Volkswagen mothership would allow a Porsche to be more powerful than a Lambo.

Still, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GTcurrently holds the record for the fastest SUVaround the Nurburgring. It set a time of 7:38.925 seconds on the 12.9-mile layout of the Green Hell. It doesn't have anything to prove, so why is it out there? Well, Lamborghini might be vying for the crown too, and Aston Martin told us its own attempt was coming in due course.

As far as we know, most of the Cayenne facelift updates are limited to the interior, and you don't need the Nurburgring to test a new digital instrument cluster.

People often think the Nurburgring is only used to develop sporty cars and set new records. More often than not, manufacturers use it to test and refine a car's suspension setup and electronic nannies. It's how they ensure a car understeers instead of snap oversteers on the limit.

Having said that, Porsche recently set a new EV Nurburgring lap record with the Taycan. Porscheupdated the Taycan's 4D Chassis Control systemto improve its previous lap record, which is standard fitment on the Cayenne Turbo GT.

Since the updated system drastically impacted the Taycan's time, Porsche will likely add the revised version in the updated Cayenne. That could explain why Porsche is hooning the GT around the Nurburgring. It may be going for an improved record or optimizing the 4D Chassis Control system for its best-selling vehicle.