Update: A closer look suggests this is actually a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and not a GTS as we previouly thought. Both models have nearly identical looks, but the Turbo GT uses a slightly different roof spoiler identified by larger fins on the edges. To help showcase this, we've added 14 additional photos to a new gallery featured below.
Porsche has been actively testing the updated Cayenne family since February last year and about a year and a half later, camouflaged Cayenne prototypes are still being pushed to their limits. We have a new batch of spy photos showing a Cayenne Coupe prototype lapping the Nurburgring; initially our sources told us it was a GTS model but it appears to be a Turbo GT.
We don’t have a video of this test run on the German track but even from the photos, the Cayenne Turbo GT facelift looks quite fast and composed. The rear wing is deployed, which means the trial vehicle is probably traveling at a high speed during the photo session. There’s a driver and a co-driver onboard, both wearing safety helmets, hinting they are trying to extract all the performance from the machine down to the last drop.
Gallery: Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Facelift Spy Photos
Porsche keeps using black tape on black prototypes as a strategic move to keep the design hidden from the spy photographers. Under a closer inspection, however, you’ll see the overall shape of the rear lights – the highlight of the visual revisions – won't be changing much, with narrow corner lenses connected horizontally with a strip spanning from coast to coast. This layout is very similar or even quite possibly identical to the lights we’ve seen on other refreshed Cayenne prototypes.
Gallery: Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT facelift spy photos
Changes are expected inside the cabin as well, where the dashboard is expected to be refreshed with a design inspired by the current 911. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the chance to take a closer look at the interior of the refreshed Cayenne, though our spies were able to catch a glimpse of the cabin recently.
Under the hood, the Cayenne Turbo GT is a fearsome high-performance SUV with 631 horsepower (471 kilowatts) and 626 pound-feet (849 Newton-meters) of torque from its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine. There are rumors about a potential power increase with the facelift and we won’t be surprised if the output figures go up by a few percent. Nothing can be confirmed at this point, though.
