Porsche Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 : BETTER BUY DESIGN

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Porsche does more than just cars as the Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 sets out to remind us. Steve Walker takes a look.

It may surprise you to learn that Porsche doesn't only make cars. The manufacturer does a nice little sideline in high end consumer goods under the Porsche Design brand. If the fancy took you and your bank balance was of a suitable scale, you could live out your entire life surrounded by desirable trinkets bearing the Porsche brand and reflecting its values. To set you on route to this utopia of modern living, Porsche is offering a special Porsche Design Edition of the Cayenne GTS luxury SUV that comes complete with a titanium chronograph watch and a four-piece luggage set, both created by you know who.

This Cayenne GTS is Porsche's third Porsche Design Edition model, following on from the Cayman S Porsche Design Edition 1 and the Boxster S Porsche Design Edition 2. All of the cars came with their own specially crafted accessories which serve as an introduction to the Porsche Design product line. A little investigation into the brand proves to be quite an eye-opener. In an ideal Porsche designed world, it would apparently be possible to walk in Porsche shoes, drink from a Porsche coffee machine, listen to a Porsche radio and put up shelves with a Porsche drill. It still sounds somewhat mundane compared to driving a Porsche car. The Turbo is the king of Porsche Cayenne range but the GTS comes in a close second. It uses a 4.8-litre V8 which generates 405bhp. The Cayenne GTS can thus accelerate from 0-62mph in just 6.5 seconds and achieve a 156mph top speed. Mindful that luxury 4x4 buyers don't normally tend to want manual gearboxes, however sporty they feel they are, Porsche is also offering the option of a Tiptronic S six-speed automatic transmission on this car. The Cayenne GTS is fitted with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) permanent all-wheel drive and the adaptive PASM chassis as standard. Air suspension is available as an option, as is the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) active anti-roll system which enhances the handling and ride comfort further still.

"The Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 is a bold statement and will be right up the street of some buyers"

So what is it that sets the Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 apart from a standard GTS? In a nutshell, it's the design. The car comes in a dark Lava Grey metallic paint finish with stripes running up the bonnet, over the roof and down the flanks. The Cayenne is an imposing vehicle at the best of times, but this one is the very antithesis of low profile motoring. The alloy wheels are 21 inches in diameter and are finished in the same grey hue as the bodywork. The finishing touches are provided with bi-xenon headlamps, privacy glass and a roof spoiler. Inside, it's black leather upholstery, sports seats bearing the Porsche logo and carbon fibre trim inserts. The latest Cayenne has plenty of space inside, although if you really want a 4x4 capable of carrying a big family, you'd probably be better off looking at the kind of seven-seater option that a BMW X5 offers. Build quality is of course faultless and pricey though this car is, you still feel like you could be in something more expensive. Some of this is due to the fact that the quality of much of the switchgear has been improved in recent times. Only 1000 Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 models are destined to be sold worldwide which means that buyers get an extra helping of exclusivity. Each model is individually numbered on a plate in the glove box to indicate the stage at which it rolled off the production line. Standard equipment is predictably generous with very little left to the imagination but the highlight might well be the 410W Bose surround sound stereo system that provides the sound track when you're not listening to the Cayenne's sports exhaust. The Porsche Vehicle Tracking system is fitted as standard to every model, as is a top end security system rated to Thatcham Category 5. All buyers also get the opportunity to put their new Porsche to the test at the Porsche Driving Experience Centre based at Silverstone race circuit. There, they'll get expert tuition from Porsche instructors on how to get the best from their vehicle. While this Porsche may seem comparatively good value to put on your drive, you're going to need to throw some serious money at it when it comes to running costs. Just filling that 100-litre fuel tank is a sobering business, especially as it's fairly easy to deplete it in just 220 miles of throttle heavy driving. Drive with a little more care and Porsche claims that you should be able to average 20mpg, with urban use dropping that figure to around 13mpg and around 25mpg attainable on more open roads. Porsche Cayennes don't come cheap and the fact that you get a very nice watch plus a tasteful luggage set thrown in with the GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 models is unlikely to swing buyers with £65,000 to spend on a V8 SUV. The real value is contained within the car's capabilities and possibly, in the extra exclusivity and road presence that comes with this package. Porsche has taken one of the world's most politically incorrect cars and put huge stripes on it: you have to admire the brand's front for that move alone. The Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 is a bold statement and will be right up the street of some buyers because of that. Putting the political connotations to one side, the Cayenne is an outstanding vehicle and you'd imagine that the company that builds it can probably pull off effective watches, suitcases and coffee machines too.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Porsche Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3
PRICE: £64,753 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 360g/km [est]
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 6.5s / Max Speed 156mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 20mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, window and side airbags, PTM, PASM, PDCC, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4786/1928/1699mm