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Stable Mates

Portugal has always been a country for explorers. So we’re off to the

south of the country in a Cayenne GTS for a voyage of discovery.

The latest version of this sporty SUV shows itself to be a passionate

all-round talent—and a master of challenges on any surface.

By

Michael Thiem

Photos by

Martin Grega and David Breun

Driving

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Rendezvous at a stable. It’s just before noon, and the sunis casting very few shadows. For the Cayenne GTS and thewhite Arabian stallion Galeão, this is it. On the idyllic es-tate of Herdade dos Grous in the Portuguese province ofBaixo Alentejo, two unusual power packs are facing off.The Cayenne GTS backs into position at the stable en-trance. It’s the first station on the test drive in Portugal.And this all-round talent is ready for the challenges thatawait it today. At its venues in the Algarve, the CayenneGTS is to assume several major roles—photo model, ath-lete, and hill-climbing champion.

The fifteen-year-old stallion Galeão is showered andbrushed by riding instructor Iris Miranda, then patientlyallows her to rub an oil-based ointment into his hooves.But it’s the Cayenne GTS that’s drawing looks. Ridingteacher Diogo Silva raves about testing the seating, direc-tor Marita Barth can certainly imagine welcoming thispiece of horsepower into her stables, and all the hotelguests are pulling out their cameras. Galeão saunters overand stands next to the sporty SUV—serene, elegant, andeager for discoveries. He, too, seems impressed by theCayenne GTS. He bends down, sniffs curiously and startsgetting acquainted. His tail darts almost unnoticed aroundthe car’s hood, again and again. The stable mates clearlyget along.

“This car fits Galeão,” says the horse-crazy lord of themanor, Manuel Cabral. After all, the stallion is somethinglike a four-legged Porsche. And when Cabral, who boughtthe horse in Algeria years ago, recounts the wonders of his

prize stallion, he sounds like a driver recalling fun in theCayenne. Noble look, unique stamina and extreme speed.Outstanding qualities for long-distance sports champions.

On the well-tended lawn in front of the 98-hectare (243-acre) lake on the property, the Cayenne GTS is the star, top-ping Galeão’s powerful performance. Miranda first choosesa trot, and later switches to a gallop. In front of the pic-turesque backdrop of the 600-hectare (1,500-acre) estate,the Nordic Gold Metallic Porsche presents a perfect con-trast to the azure blue of the sky. The scenery is like a paint-ing: green meadows, poppy fields, almond trees, olivegroves and vineyards as far as the eye can see. Even in mid-November, the thermometer reads 28 °C (82 °F). But thishigh-powered pas de deux makes only the horse sweat; theCayenne GTS is quietly enjoying the ride. Then Galeão isled back to the stable, and it’s time to let Porsche’s horse-power loose.

Home match: The little Portuguese village of Porches

sounds like “Porsche.” Obviously, the Cayenne GTS is

welcome here

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We’re headed south on Highway IP2. The Cayenne GTS isvisually a very powerful model in this series, and it’s show-ing its sporty qualities to the fullest right now. The 4.8-literV8 produces a powerful thrust, 405 hp at 6,500 rpm to be exact. The wheelhouses, widened by 14 millimeters(0.55 in.) on each side, give the vehicle a touch of the“turbo” look. Moreover, the GTS is 24 millimeters (1.0 in.)lower than the Cayenne S; it needs only 6.1 seconds for thesprint from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph). Top track speed is 253 km/h, or 251 km/h with Tiptronic S transmission(157/156 mph). The sleepy little villages we’re passingthrough don’t notice any of this—it’s siesta time.

The impetuous charge ends almost 50 kilometers (30 miles)down the road with a new challenge. The Cayenne GTSchanges its pace and effortlessly becomes a mountainclimber. This is São Marcos da Serra, at the foot of theMonchique Mountains. We’re on an excursion into a ro-mantic and beautiful mountainous landscape, culminatingat the 902-meter (2,960 ft.) high Pico da Fóia. We drive pastinnumerable orange and lemon plantations, and downdeep, narrow valley roads lined with eucalyptus and corkoak. To open the windows is to enjoy a free aromatherapysession featuring heather, rosemary, and lavender.

Porsche engineers have provided their own precise techni-cal mix. The combination of a five-percent greater outputand a fifteen-percent shorter axle ratio endow the GTSwith outstanding performance and agility on the mountainroads. The driving dynamics can be enhanced even furthervia the optional Porsche Active Suspension Management(PASM) and with the vertical roll stabilization provided byPorsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC). The verticalroll control limits lateral tilt in curves, providing flat cor-nering response in almost all driving situations. The GTSrides over the highest point of the Algarve on its standard21-inch wheels as if on rails.

Heading for the coast on the N124, we suddenly spot a lit-tle place called Silves on the horizon. With a reddish-brownearthen hue, the castle of the old Moorish residence of Xelblooms above the former capital of the Algarve. A steep hik-ing path runs upward to the left of the road. And we’re atthe wheel of a Cayenne GTS! How can we resist this temp-tation? Just turn off of the road and head up the hill—abandon all hesitation and inhale adventure. The track

All-rounder: The Cayenne GTS proves itself in Portugal to be

a passionate athlete and mountain climber

Heather, rosemary, and lavender: This excursion into the romantic andbeautiful Monchique Mountains is more than just a free aromatherapysession. The GTS rides over the Pico da Fóia, the highest point of theAlgarve, as if it were on rails.

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hill. “A Porsche? Here? On that path? No way!” they shaketheir heads in disbelief. We already know what the talk of thevillage will be this evening. For the three tradesmen, seeing is be-lieving—and they’re turned into believers as the Porsche beginsits adventurous descent. Enthusiastically, they wave goodbye tothe Cayenne GTS.

The discovery tour ends at dark, in the sleepy little coastal villagecalled Porches—an ideal finish line, and almost too much honorfor the Cayenne GTS. Here, everyone has been invoking ma-chines from Zuffenhausen since the thirteenth century—withoutknowing it. In the plural, anyway…

leading to the idyllic windmill is strewn with rocks, as well asdeep grooves left by downpours and agricultural equipment. TheGTS purrs with pleasure; up we go on the steep, unpaved incline.The Cayenne GTS rises to the challenge like a well-trained ath-lete. The full-time all-wheel drive system of Porsche TractionManagement (PTM) transmits the V8’s torque to all four wheels.Depending on the driving situation, the power distribution ratiois varied between the front and rear wheels by an electronicallyregulated multiple-disc clutch driven by an electric motor. ThePTM system reacts not only to reduced traction, its sensors alsomeasure speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle and accelera-tor pedal operation. The Cayenne GTS masters the challenge ofthe terrain.

The reward for its efforts is breathtaking. A lovingly restoredwindmill enjoys the place of honor. The view is almost bound-less here. We notice some small earthenware vessels at the tipsof the windmill’s blades, which sing in the wind. The view ex-tends down to the sea. The only ones exhausted by the climb arethree workers who took the footpath from the other side of the

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How about a fresh breeze? At the end of a breathtaking day,

an idyllic finale

Suspension engineers have an ideal in their mind’s eye, namelythat the chassis should move at a uniform level and at a con-stant speed, unaffected by the surface, like floating on theclouds. They call this the “skyhook” principle—but it exists onlyin theory. In practice—whether on or off the road—a car bodywith conventional suspension and steel springs is constantly inmotion. It pitches when accelerating or braking, and it sways tothe side in curves.

These movements yield conflicting goals: what do you prefer,sporty or comfortable? Or, to put it another way, hard or soft ad-justment? That’s the key question when adjusting the suspen-sion, and one option often excludes the other. Naturally, safety isthe top priority. And because there was to be no compromisingon comfort for the Cayenne GTS, Porsche engineers developedan exclusive new version of the Porsche Active Suspension Man-agement. Its tried-and-true adjustable dampers (which in the

Cayenne are also included with the air suspension system) havebeen adapted for the sporty SUV by expanding the system to in-clude certain functions of the 911.

This is a solution to suit all tastes. “PASM is the perfect matchfor the sports car character,” says suspension team leaderRobert Ferger-Andrews. “And it fits the Cayenne GTS particularlywell, because it guarantees both driving comfort and sporti-ness.” For very dynamic driving styles, for example, PASM inter-venes by providing strong acceleration and braking phases tocounteract sway and pitch tendencies.” And of course, the sys-tem is also a big help when you leave paved roads.

Four PASM sensors register changes in vehicle height, whilethree others check acceleration. A control unit compiles thesedata, along with the steering wheel angle, lateral acceleration,accelerator pedal position, and braking signal status. “With thisinformation, we seek to assess what drivers want and what theirdriving behavior is like,” explains Ferger-Andrews. The results arecompared to the engine’s output curves, and the four oil-filledshock absorbers are then regulated accordingly. The firmness ofa twin-tube damper can be very rapidly adjusted to the given re-quirements, both for jounce and rebound, via an additional thirdvalve activated by a coil-based magnetic field. Once the datahave been compiled, it takes only a few milliseconds for thedamping power to build up. Because the vehicle was lowered andthus has a shorter spring path, the end stops also had to bemodified with a shorter and more progressive setting.

Using a switch on the center console, drivers can select one ofthree damper adjustments: comfort, normal, or sporty. The soft-ware takes care of the rest.

Up and at ’em!

By

Klaus-Eckhard Jost

Premiere in the Cayenne GTS: For the first time, the steel spring

suspension is combined in this sporty SUV with the adaptive

damping system known as Porsche Active Suspension

Management (PASM). PASM regulates damping in response to

road conditions and driving styles.

Technology

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