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It certainly seems like the first-generation Cayenne GTS is here to stay as a desirable vehicle. That is rather evident seeing the prices compared to the standard Cayenne and Cayenne S of the same years and things really start getting crazy when talking about a nice GTS with a 6-speed gearbox. The automatics certainly always trade less, but still not what what would I would call “cheap.” Still, if you could buy an SUV around $20,000 and not lose anything in depreciation, would you?
The 2016 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS might go down as one of those “special” cars. Well, I guess it already is, but it is more of an end of an era. The 2016 model year was the last of the 991.1 cars before switching to the twin-turbocharge 3.0-liter with the facelift. That means this is the last of the naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter which admittedly has been around for a long time, but for good reason. You pair that with the almost-a-GT car GTS, and you have something special. Go even further and option with with the 7-speed manual and paint-to-sample in Mexico Blue? I’d say this one is “special”.
After last week’s Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS loaded up with a seemingly endless amount of options, I wanted to look at another GTS in the Porsche lineup, the Cayman. Porsche introducted the Cayman GTS in 2014 with much fanfare, as this was once again a setup with the S model but not as hardcore as the yet to be released GT4. It boasted respectable numbers from the 3.6L flat-six, and would accelerate to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds with the manual transmission, 4.7 seconds with PDK, and 4.5 seconds with PDK and Sport Plus mode. Base price was around $75,000, but of course you could never find one for that price given how many options were stuffed into these. This 2015 up for sale in New York is a great example of it.
I have to hand it to Porsche, they really nailed it when it came to their GTS trim line on the 911. It slotted in perfectly between the S and GT cars for those buyers who wanted more, but didn’t want to pay GT prices or live with the harshness they can dish out. When they launched the 991.2 C4 GTS, it sure seemed like it was knocking on the door of the GT3. The new twin-turbo 3.0L with the PDK gearbox could whip it to 60 mph is just 3.3 seconds. That is just .1 second slower than the 991.1 GT3. Seems like a heck of a value at a $135,000 base price back when these were new. Even better, you could get it with the 7-speed manual gearbox. What isn’t to like?
Love them, indifferent, or hate them, the Cayenne was really good for Porsche. They resulted in a significant cash boost for the company that allowed them to really invest in development of the 911 and basically everything else since these SUVs were launched in the early 2000s. So the next time you see a 997 GT3 RS 4.0 driving along, think to yourself, “Thanks Cayenne.” Okay, so maybe that isn’t the first thing that will pop into your head, but you get where I am coming from.
Today, I wanted to look at a Cayenne that isn’t the lease special V6 but also not the insanity that was the Cayenne Turbo and Turbo S. The GTS trim on any model always was, and still is, that sweet spot for those who want something a few notches up from the base model but aren’t spending $200,000 on a Turbo or GT car. The Cayenne GTS was a really nice spec Cayenne that had some different body work, 21″ wheels, and a 400 horsepower 4.8 liter V8. Even better, it was offered in a 6-speed manual that was completely off the table for any person who was married. This 2009 up for sale in Texas has the standard automatic that is significant other friendly, but at the end of the day can still do 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. The best part? They are getting cheap.
