Since in this review, we talk exclusively about the Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe, there is only one trim to consider. For the entire Cayenne Coupe lineup there are seven trim options, namely the base Cayenne Coupe, Cayenne Coupe E hybrid, Cayenne Coupe S, Cayenne Coupe GTS, Cayenne Coupe Turbo, Cayenne Coupe Turbo S E-Hybrid and the Cayenne Turbo GT. Out of these the last four are heavily performance-oriented and get many upgrades for enhanced acceleration and handling. The Porsche Cayenne Coupe GTS can be called the entry-level trim of the performance category.

Which trim should you buy?

Talking solely about the Cayenne Coupe GTS trim here, there isn’t a choice. However, the Cayenne GTS for me personally is the best trim in the entire lineup as it holds the perfect balance between not only exceptionally comfortable ride quality and groundbreaking speed but also the most competitive pricing. The GTS Cayenne Coupe is perfect for top-level corporate executives who have the ideal work-life balance. They need a machine that gets them to the office comfortably on the weekdays, while Saturdays and Sundays are all about heading to the racetrack to burn some rubber.

2022 Porsche Cayenne Coupe GTS expected release date

The 2022 Porsche Cayenne Coupe GTS has already been released and Porsche has already rolled it out on the streets. We expect another fresh refresh in early 2023 which could see some cosmetic changes.

Without any new performance tweaks, the 2022 Cayenne Coupe GTS gets the same 4.0L Twin Turbo Premium Unleaded V-8 engine. This Gasoline Direct Injection motor produces 453 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. That is a 120 hp power surge from the regular Cayenne Coupe and regular Cayenne Suv and that is a wholesome number. This huge amount of power and torque reaches all four wheels through an 8 speed automatic Tiptronic S transmission that Porsche’s parent company, Volkswagen has mastered in close coordination with Audi.

The exceptional transmission on the Cayenne Coupe GTS promises some very high revs and the Torque is also well distributed between a wide RPM band. All of this trickery along with the twin-turbocharged engine means that there is a burst of power which makes the driving experience lively. To contain the loss of focus that may experience because of all the excitement you will feel behind the wheel, Porsche has gone ahead and fitted the best suspension setup in the Cayenne Coupe GTS. It is a 4-Corner Auto-Leveling Suspension with an independent ride height adjustability function for each wheel.

The comparison figures above will vary greatly because when it comes to performance SUV coupes, BMW and Audi only have one trim each, both of which are fantastically tuned and are blisteringly quick. The GTS Cayenne coupe might not look like a worthy competitor but it sits at $3,000 less than the BMW X6 M and Audi RS-Q8. There is the $133,500 Cayenne Turbo Coupe which is the actual competition to these two. The only real competitor to the Cayenne Coupe GTS is the Mercedes GLE 53 AMG Coupe, but even the Merc is a second slower than the Porsche in a 0-60 sprint. However, the Mercedes comes at a very attractive price tag of just around $78,000. For that price, you get the unparalleled fun experience of an AMG.

Porsches are considered to be more fuel-efficient than other German automobiles and the Cayenne GTS Coupe does justice to this statement. The GTS Coupe has a huge 23.7-gallon tank that gives out a modest 15 mpg on city roads. On highways, this figure goes up to 19 mpg which indicates a combined fuel economy of 17 mpg. It’s not as good as one had expected but the bigger fuel tank saves the day by providing a combined range of 403 miles.

As stated, the Porsche really is more fuel-efficient but even the Cayenne GTS Coupe could not save face in front of the Mercedes Coupe. It is anticipated that since the Mercedes GLE 53 AMG Coupe is low on power, it has to be fuel efficient but these mileage numbers are very very impressive. The Fuel economy numbers of the Mercedes are so good that the Porsche can’t compete with even a gallon more of fuel holding capacity.

At the price point at which the Cayenne GTS Coupe sits, the interior is not as elaborate as similar priced Porsches. Rather this one has a very simple and understated appearance on the inside. The Cayenne Coupe GTS begs to differ from the other trims and it does that by providing a sporty appeal mixed with the immaculate feel of Luxury. For starters, a lot of upholstery is done in Suede such as the Headliners, Door trims, and a fraction of the seats around the backrests. Being a performance model, it opts to go for a dark grey theme and the Suede just helps to amplify that dark theme with its unique ash shade. Even the steering and the popular handles on the center console are done in Suede.

All the major interior equipment is connected in a straight line throughout the dash in a horizontal line starting from one door handle and ending at the other door handle, with the vertical AC vents at the dashboard corners bringing in some contrast. There is intricate blood-red stitching on the top of the dash, the seats, and everywhere else where you can find the suede work done. This Red stitch almost reminds one of AMG spec vehicles and that can be an indication of how sporty the interiors of the Cayenne Coupe GTS look. The interiors of the Cayenne Coupe GTS are very exclusive to its trim. The GTS sport seats up front are 8-way power-adjustable and get GTS logo embossing. The seatbelts too are red in color.

The interiors of all Coupe SUVs are more or less the same dimensions and provide poor headroom in the rear since the roofline sweeps down laterally. However, the Audi RS Q8 doesn’t follow that design aesthetic and has a more straight roof that slides down once the rear seats are left behind. This means that the second-row passengers get to have as much room as the driver. The BMW X6M comes with the largest boot space while the Porsche Cayenne GTS’ boot can be called tiny in its comparison. Some of the key interior features of the Porsche Cayenne Coupe GTS are:

• GTS 8-Way Power Sport Seats with integrated headrests
• Sport Bucket Front Seats with Leatherette Back Material
• 40-20-40 Folding Split-Bench Front Facing Manual Reclining Fold Forward Seatback Rear Seat
• Power Tilt/Telescoping Steering Column
• Gauges: Speedometer, Odometer, Oil Pressure, Engine Coolant Temp, Tachometer, Turbo/Supercharger Boost, Oil Temperature, Trip Odometer, and Trip Computer
• Remote Releases for Power Cargo Access and Power Fuel
• Dual Zone Front Automatic Air Conditioning
• Leather/Metal-Look Gear Shifter Material
• Piano Black/Aluminum Instrument Panel Insert
• Piano Black/Aluminum Door Panel Insert,
• Driver And Passenger Visor Vanity Mirrors with Driver And Passenger Illumination
• Air Filtration
• 3 12V DC Power Outlets
• Sliding Front Center Armrest and Rear Center Armrest

How intuitive is the infotainment system on the 2022 Porsche Cayenne Coupe GTS

The infotainment system on the Porsche Cayenne Coupe GTS is a nice huge 12.3-inch touchscreen. There are two small LCDs on either side of the Gear lever which houses the Drive mode selector and Climate control setup, something that gets another separate screen for in most Porsches. This climate control setup is hard to get a hold of and this much gismo is not really required. You get a lot of connectivity features in the form of a Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple Car Play, Android Auto. You also get built-in navigation which is easy to calibrate, thanks to the big screen. The Cayenne coupe's standard 10-speaker stereo can be replaced by either a 14-speaker Bose setup or a 21-speaker Burmester 3D High-End system which is a Maybach territory audio system. Some of the key features of the Infotainment system are:

• Porsche Communication Management
• Concealed Diversity Antenna
• 3 LCD Monitors In The Front
• Real-Time Traffic Display
• Speed Compensated Volume Control
• Voice Activation
• Radio Data System and 40 Gb Internal Memory

The Cayenne SUV has been around for a long time and it differed from most SUVs right from the beginning and had a very dynamic look as opposed to the other boxy SUVs. The Cayenne Coupe gives those curves some more refinement and it seems like the Coupe design comes to Porsche effortlessly owing to all the pedigree over these years. The Cayenne Coupe GTS sits lower than the base three trims but also gets ride height adjustability. The Cayenne Coupe in general has more ground clearance than the standard Cayenne but is definitely smaller in length and height. 

The Cayenne Coupe GTS gets standard 21-inch wheels which are exclusive to its trim and Porsche likes to call them the RS Spyder wheels. These wheels are tastefully done in a satin black finish and are complemented by brakes with red calipers. Now that is some good contrast! On the back, the Porsche gets the signature connected tail lamp design and two exhausts a bit distantly located to each other, adorn the central part of the rear fender which is done in black with silver accents. There is also the aerodynamic rear spoiler up top.

The Porsche boasts of some good ground clearance but it is no comparison to the BMW X6M. However, if you want to strike a perfect balance between performance and comfort, then the lower ground clearance of the Porsche makes more sense as you get adaptive suspension for tackling large bumpers anyways. All cars sit in very close dimension ranges and all of them are compact enough for some easy agile handling. Some of the key exterior features are:

• Clearcoat Paint
• Fixed Glass Panoramic 1st And 2nd Row Sunroof with Power Sunshade
• Body-Colored Door Handles
• Body-Colored Power Heated Side Mirrors with Power Folding and Turn Signal Indicator
• Deep Tinted Glass
• Fixed Rear Window with Fixed Interval Wiper and Defroster
• Power Spoiler
• Black Grille
• Power Liftgate Rear Cargo Access
• Rear Fog Lamps
• LED Brakelights
• Cornering Lights

It is kind of a disappointment that for this price point, you still have to spend extra bucks for some driver assistance and safety features. A rear axle steering will cost you $1,620 whereas a surround view camera system comes at a whopping $1,200. Even lane change assist is not available as standard and costs $950. There is the Porsche traction management system with ABD which is good for exceptional grip. Some of the key safety features are:

• Automatic brake differential (ABD) and anti-slip regulation (ASR)
• Porsche Side Impact Protection System (POSIP)
• Full-size airbags (front and knee) for driver and front passenger
• Front and rear side airbags
• Curtain airbags along entire roof frame and side windows from the A-pillar to the C-pillar left and right
• Mounting points on rear seats for LATCH child seat mounting system
• Engine immobilizer with remote central locking and alarm system with radar-based interior surveillance
• Warn and Brake Assist
• ParkAssist (front and rear) with reversing camera
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Cruise Control

2022 Cayenne GTS Coupe vs. 2022 Mercedes GLE AMG 53 Coupe

These two are equal contenders although the Mercedes performs a bit poorly than the Porsche. However the Mercedes-Benz GLE 53 AMG Coupe compensates for it with a very attractive price point of just around $78,000, which is $35,000 less than the Cayenne GTS Coupe. For that price, you get nice ambient lighting and a string of standard safety and driver assistance features which have to be paid extra for in the Porsche. If you are on a tight budget and performance isn’t really a concern, close your eyes and choose the Mercedes.

2022 Cayenne GTS Coupe vs. the 2022 Audi RS Q8 

Audi has employed great efforts into this model and it definitely is a phenomenal performer. Since the RS Q8 is an actual competitor to the higher trimmed Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe, it is slated to be better than the GTS Coupe in all aspects, which it is. Yet, it sits at just a $3,000 premium from the GTS Coup whereas the actual competitive higher Porsche trims range around $130,000. The Audi RS Q8 has a more rectangular styling. If you prefer that and the extra 140 horsepower, then the RS Q8 is perfect.

2022 Cayenne GTS Coupe vs. the BMW X6M

Once again, the BMW X6 M competes with the higher trim, yet sits at a very small premium than the Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe. BMW X6 M like any other BMW is loaded to the T and has amazing ground clearance and off road capability too. The only downside is that the X6’s styling is whack and time and again has been criticised by automotive journalists. This has led to the enthusiasts starting to hate it. If you crave the extra horsepower and a super fun to drive car, then the BMW is a nice choice.

The 2022 Porsche Cayenne Coupe GTS is a good car but seems like Porsche hasn’t paid much attention to it. It definitely is disappointing to see it get rid of so many features at such a high price point. For starters, the ambient lighting is nowhere to be found and the outside mirrors don’t get an auto dimming function. There is no 360 degree camera, nor is there a lane change assist. The only selling point is the unique Porsche styling and the mesmerizing interiors. As such, it really comes down to a personal choice of whether you like the way it looks or not.