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Brought home a Porsche Cayenne GTS in Dubai: Initial impressions

Destiny got me to an unplanned visit to a dealer, randomly, casually walking in and leaving the showroom with a booking receipt in hand.

BHPian Amey_Kulkarni recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

With a heavy heart, I had to let go of the Golf GTI MK8, move on and replace her with a bigger family car. The heart lured for a Porsche

Every kid’s dream, Every man’s dream is to own at least one Porsche in a lifetime and I’m glad it has come my way sooner than I had dreamt of.

The pure reason to move on from the Golf was the rear seats. The rear space is cramped for room especially if you own the variant with chunky front leather seats. Since this is the seller’s market, I thought of giving it a shot of checking the resale prices for the Golf and I was pleasantly surprised to see positive response. The decision to sell was instant and the car departed within a week. The bigger question was what should it be replaced by!

The day Golf GTI departed :

As a motor head, I was clear I wouldn’t be buying a boring car and if you stay in the gulf, take the opportunity to own cars which are far fetched. Soulless Electric cars are banned in my house and my family stands by it as well. ICEs FTW!

The dealer I sold the Golf had a clean Audi RS3 sedan variant on sale. I took the TD and shortlisted it but then came the twist. I decided to not get carried away with how she felt to drive and left the night to decide. RS3 wasn’t something that I sold the Golf GTI for. I had to think above and beyond.

Next few days, the thought did change and I wanted to see more of the market’s offering before I could take the plunge. I test drove a Macan S, BMW X3 30i, X5M and a few Cayennes. Initially, I wasn’t persistent enough to think that I ONLY wanted a Porsche but of course was on top of my head. I knew for the fact that I wouldn’t want a Porsche just for the name sake. She needs to be special and spec’ed nicely. I couldn’t find any on online which could be worthwhile. During the Eid holidays, the search began, I was on the roads hopping from one dealer to another however everything in vain.

One fine evening post dinner, my family and I set off to see a dealer and walked in to casually see the inventory of one of the largest dealer in Dubai but had avoided until then since they’re kind of overpriced. After all, a few more bucks are better for peace of mind.

The Sales Manager was warm welcoming and humble. After sharing the prerequisites to him, he understood what I was looking for and did not waste time running around the bush. He said “look at this car and tell me your opinion. The car is under Porsche warranty and has been taken care by Porsche all the while AND ITS AN EXCLUSIVE.” I got hooked on. I test drove the car. It was spec’ed to the brim. I could not get over it.

Until now, it's one of a kind and I've not seen another Exclusive and neither have my dear friends here who breathe by the name Porsche. It indeed felt special.

I want this, my inner child screamed. The wife gave me a nod as well. Negotiated, paid the advance and there it was. Destiny got me to an unplanned visit to a dealer, randomly, casually walking in and leaving the showroom with a booking receipt in hand.

First glimpse of the beauty :

Next step was to get the car inspected. I invited a dear friend Sanjay, who’s a proud owner of the 997 to inspect the car from his perspective. His green light was a sigh of relief.

Coincidentally, the following Thursday was “Guru Pushya” day which was auspicious. But it was only 2-3 working days apart from Eid holidays. The timelines were tight since banks were slow and just back from a long holiday. The delivery happened on Friday which was also a positive day and here are the pictures during the same :

GTS gets a new bumper with integrated DRLs and indicators + fog lamps at the bottom compared to the S variant

Notice the black font and smoked tail lights which are GTS Specific

Wondering what’s an Exclusive?

Here’s a video by Porsche explaining their “Exclusive Manufaktur” as they call it.

In brief, a Porsche is exclusive if you spec the car from their studio with the highest level of customisation and options.

Specifications and Features list :

  • This Exclusive is powered by a 3.6L, V6 Twin Turbo, AWD
  • 440bhp
  • 600 Nm
  • Tiptronic 8 Speed Automatic
  • 0-60mph in less than 4.8 seconds with the Sports Chrono Package

Appended is the list of paid options that the car is loaded with -

1. Upgraded Porsche LED headlights with DRLs (PDLS)

2. Air suspension with self-levelling, ride height control, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM)

3. Sports Chrono Pack which includes Sport and Sport Plus modes along with Sports Exhaust

4. Porsche Communication Management (PCM) including Radio

5. Upgraded 21” Alloys from 911 Turbo design with extended wheel arches

Continue reading BHPian Amey_Kulkarni's review on his Porsche Cayenne GTS for more insights and information.

 
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