It seems Porsche is betting big on its cars, proof of what we experienced at Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur just a couple of weeks ago. At one end of the spectrum of six available cars, we have the luxurious Panamera. At the other end we have the brutally fast 911 Turbo, with the recently launched Cayenne S E-Hybrid, Cayman GTS, 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet and the Panamera S taking their positions somewhere in between the said two extreme models.
Potential customers will come walking towards these cars expecting words like luxury and finesse. Funnily, the same bunch of customers will also expect outstanding driving dynamics and performance. After 18 laps around the Formula One circuit in Malaysia, we can safely say they won't be disappointed with either consideration. They'll most likely approve of the aggressive yet tasteful styling of the cars, too.
Panamera & Panamera S
The 3.0-litre V6 Panamera comes across as the least interesting of the lot. But on the track, where you'll find sharp turns and winding long arcs, this car feels surprisingly more natural than the more powerful S variant. Where it really counts here is its weight, which is some 40kg lighter than the Panamera S.
Of course with 310bhp and 400Nm of torque, the base Panamera feels a lot slower than the more powerful variant, especially so when you accelerate out of a bend and onto the straights and you realise there is lack of punch that translates the sense of urgency to downright dramatic.
Evidently, the Panamera S has more to offer, but it isn't necessarily more giving than its base brother. You can feel every bit of the weight being hauled from corner to corner, with nannies like the ABS and ESC trying hard to save your life every time you push the car out of a bend too early. Incidentally, we reckon unforgiving will be too strong a word to use on the Panamera S because it takes a better driver, and perhaps a more patient one - admittedly - to control a car that's this long on the track.
Cayenne S E-Hybrid
First lap with this car after the two Panameras was slow and steady. But don't be fooled by the dimensions of this SUV because that proved to be unnecessary, especially since we pushed this SUV to its limits as we tried to break the law of physics. No doubt body roll is inevitable, given its height of 1,705mm. There's a lot to lug around with the Cayenne and the more you push it, the more you feel the forces of nature going against you but the S E-Hybrid manages to hold its own very well.
All is forgotten when the SUV is on song and spinning through the revs as the tacho needle sweeps from 2,500rpm right through to the redline. While lag is evident, handling remains to be dynamically sound, with the steering communicating every turn and every contact the four tyres have with the tarmac.
911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet
With 430bhp and 440Nm of torque available from the word go, this Porsche (above, banner) is every bit quick. The 4.2-second century sprint timing attests to that, and in real world track driving, you feel the G-forces come into play regardless on the straights or around bends, accompanied by the raucous exhaust note that will wake the entire HDB flat in the wee hours of the morning. And if there's one statistic that sums up the car, it's the deeply impressive claimed sprint timing.
But don't be fooled by the car's simplicity of brute force and capable handling. Behind the wheel, it takes more than just the average driver to control the car's every move. You can feel the weight rushing from the back to the front every time you stomp on the brakes before you make a turn and that requires a better skilled driver than this writer here to steady the steering and the body movement of the 911.
Cayman GTS
There isn't a slightest doubt that this is our favourite. Let's be clear here. The Cayman GTS isn't the fastest or the most powerful or even the loudest on the track for that matter. But it's clearly the most fun. With 340 horses and 380Nm of twisting force sent to the rear wheels via the seven-speed PDK gearbox, response from this car is diamond sharp. More relevantly, it's so light that you can brake much later before you attack the apex with aplomb, which allows you to fully explore your capabilities and courage in an enclosed area where you can throw the car around with reckless abandon.
It's also its lightweight nature that gives you the ample fun factor that's missing in the rest of the Porsche cars here. Nimble will be an apt word to describe the Cayman GTS but yet just that word alone will be severely inadequate to fully describe the sports car.
But the fact and bottom line remain - the car isn't nearly as fast as the 911 Turbo or even the Carrera GTS Cabriolet. However, to some extent - because of its limited speed and power from the 3.4-litre powerplant rather than in spite of them - the car is more rewarding to drive than its faster and more powerful siblings.
911 Turbo
If it's pure brute force you're looking for, then this car is right up your alley. The 911 Turbo commands 520 horses and a mountain moving 660Nm of torque from the word go, which makes it that much easier to hit the 100km/h mark in a spectacular 3.4 seconds.
As you'd come to expect, there's more than just performance figures. The first of which comes courtesy of the 3.8-litre powerplant that sits nicely behind the rear axle. You can literally hear the engine chewing itself to pieces as you mash the accelerator and head for the horizons. It's astonishing, to say the least, and quite simply one of the finest performance engines you can lay your hands on.
On the track, its heft from the four-wheel drive system is apparent, although it undoubtedly contributes to stability. This said system keeps the car on course, with ample lateral grip available to carry the speed through bends without the driver having to worry if he'll spin off the track due to the excessive horses and twisting force.
