The GTS nomenclature in Porsche’s lexicon means, simply put, a blend of sporty looks, performance, and luxury. It is a treatment available across the product range, and, to use a clichéd adage, it remains the “sweet spot” in all of the brand’s model offerings. And there's more than a hint of truth in that statement; in fact, I've yet to drive a model from this Stuttgart-based brand that didn't meet expectations.

Welcome to the Cayenne GTS Coupe. As things change, the more they stay the same. Porsche has announced that it will be pouring billions of euros back into combustion engine development projects, and this has made us here at TopGear SA very, very happy chaps. You see, while we have embraced electric vehicles for the intent and purpose that they present, they sadly do not stir the soul quite like a well-tuned and burly-chested engine can.

Europe has now realised its wayward ways of subjecting car manufacturers to build electrified vehicles only by 2035. While the idea has merit in reducing carbon emissions, there was a huge elephant in the room that seemingly was not being tended to… “If we build such cars, would our customers buy them?"

Well, I feel that the chickens have come home to roost, as EV sales in most markets have cooled off. Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and now Porsche have also pivoted from their initial EV plans, citing low uptake in certain markets, including China. This has meant that combustion engines will once again play a pivotal role in future models, and, yes, in the instance of Porsche, the 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine remains at the centre of Cayenne models from the S right up to the fire-breathing GT Turbo model. Snuggly burbling in the middle of the range is the GTS that also employs the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine pushing out 368kW and 660Nm through the smooth ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. But let’s park that motor for now and touch on the aesthetics. Finished in Carmine Red, the Cayenne Coupe strikes a sporty pose without being overly done, thanks to the subtle tell-tale GTS signs like the roof spoiler, a Gurney-like gloss black boot lid lip, and quad sports exhausts in this instance.

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