Background
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 Experience
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.
Design and Build
If you've set your heart on the ultimate Cayenne, then you're going to want it to look a little different. This Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe with GT Package model stands out with a specific front section with black accents, plus there are black wheel arch extensions, carbon sideplates on the roof spoiler and a titanium exhaust system with centrally positioned tailpipes. Plus the roof and rear diffuser are also made of lightweight carbon fibre.
From behind the wheel, in this GT Pack model, it's just as in the standard Turbo E-Hybrid, which means you get aluminium inlays in the dashboard and the door panel trims to highlight the heightened focus on performance and a roof lining trimmed in Race-Tex. More alcantara-style Race-Tex features on the heated GT sports steering wheel with its built-in mode switch; and you're perfectly placed on 18-way adjustable leather sports seats.
In the rear, as usual in a Cayenne Coupe, the normal bench makes way for a couple of individual seats, separated by a storage tray and a couple of cup holders. If you need the occasional option to take three, a '2+1' layout can be specified at extra cost. Out back, there's 600-litres of capacity - and folding the rear chairs liberates 1,510-litres.
Market and Model
So how much is the Ultimate Cayenne going to cost you? Well, this Turbo E-Hybrid GT Package model is available only with the Coupe body shape - and demands quite a premium over the standard Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe, which at the time of our test in Summer 2025 was retailing at £146,000. As we filmed, you'd need over £166,100 to have this GT Package added.
The extra you're paying is primarily for the engineering enhancements we briefed you on in our 'Driving' section - mainly the PCCB braking system. But like all Turbo E-Hybrid models, this one also comes well equipped, with HD Matrix headlights, Adaptive air suspension, a sports exhaust, the Sport Chrono package and the brand's Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus and Power Steering Plus systems. Plus Turbonite leather upholstery, 18-way-adjustable sports seats, a surround view camera system, soft-close doors and a Race-Tex-trimmed GT Sports heated steering wheel.
On to safety. A little disappointingly, only the basics get offered here as standard. There's Porsche calls 'Warn and Brake Assist' autonomous braking, plus 'Lane Keeping Assist' and Traffic Sign Recognition. Pay extra for 'Lane Change Assist' and you also get 'Rear Cross Traffic Alert' (which alerts you to oncoming traffic when you're reversing) and Exit Warning (which alerts passengers about to open doors if there are oncoming vehicles). If you pay extra for Adaptive Cruise control, Porsche will also include three extra camera features; 'Evasion Asist', which helps with panic steering manoeuvres; 'Turn assist', which monitors traffic when turning right and will automatically brake the car if there's a danger of collision; and an 'Emergency Stop function', which automatically brings the car to a controlled stop if you're taken ill at the wheel.
Cost of Ownership
This top Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe model uses the same battery as the V6 PHEV models and delivers much the same EV range (around 45 miles), but its efficiency figures fall to bests of 110g/km of CO2 and 59.4mpg - or 57.4mpg and 112g/km in this 'GT Package' form.
With all the latest Cayenne Coupe Hybrids, the addition of a new 11kW on-board charger (in place of the 7kW unit used before) means that though the battery's larger, it's still quick to recharge (and obviously much faster than the enormous battery needed in an EV would be); here, the battery can be fully replenished in around 3.5 hours from a typical 7.4kW garage wallbox - or two and a half hours if you've got a three-phase supply and an 11kW wallbox. You'll need four hours when connected to a conventional household electrical outlet. As before, the Cayenne Hybrid Coupe also offers an E-Charge mode, now improved, that'll charge up the battery (up to 80%) by the engine as you drive, but it's still a very inefficient way of doing it.
What else? Well, across the Cayenne Coupe range, servicing won't be especially affordable - Porsche workshop visits never are - so you'll want to know that maintenance intervals across the range are every 20,000 miles or two years, depending which comes soonest. A more significant dealer visit will be needed at four years or 40,000 miles. Tyres and brake pads tend to be particularly expensive. Surprisingly, the company hasn't copied other brands in offering a range of pre-paid servicing packages at point of purchase, but dealers do operate a fixed price servicing regime, so you'll always know exactly what work will be carried out and what it will cost.