Vehicles 136

• Porsche’s new Cayenne Turbo GT is powered by a massaged engine that the German automaker says is the most powerful V-8 it has ever produced.
• The twin-turbocharged V-8 produces 631 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque, and it’ll launch the Turbo GT to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, Porsche claims.
• It’s only available as a Coupe model, and orders are open now starting at $182,150.

Porsche is stuffing a built twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter into the Cayenne Coupe, and it’s the most powerful V-8 the German automaker has ever produced. It makes 631 horsepower in this new Turbo GT model, and Porsche says its factory driver Lars Kern set a new SUV lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in it lapping the 12.9-mile course in 7:38.9. The new Cayenne will arrive in the U.S, only in Coupe form, next year starting at $182,150.

The massaged V-8 engine produces 631 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque, 90 hp and 59 pound-feet more than the standard Turbo Coupe. Total output might be less than the Turbo S e-Hybrid’s 670 horses, but that powertrain uses an electric motor and a 14.3-kWh battery pack. This is solely the work of the internal-combustion engine. Porsche upgraded the V-8’s crankshaft, connecting rods, and pistons; enlarged the turbos’ compressor wheels; and increased the fuel injection flow rate and the intake and cooling systems’ airflow to make the additional power. The eight-speed automatic transmission also shifts quicker compared to other models, and the all-wheel-drive system’s transfer case is water cooled. Porsche claims that the Turbo GT will launch to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, hit the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds, and reach 186 mph. In our test, a 541-hp Cayenne Turbo reached 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

Turbo GT models sit 0.3 inch lower than the now-mild Turbo, and Porsche’s adaptive dampers and Sport suspension, variable-ratio steering system, and rear-axle steering are all specifically tuned for the new model. Porsche’s active anti-roll bars are also retuned to further reduce body roll. The front wheels are 1.0 inch wider than the standard Turbo Coupe, and their negative camber is increased by half a degree. The 22-inch wheels are wrapped with sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires that were specifically developed for the Turbo GT. Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, with 17.3-inch front and 16.1-inch rear rotors.

Pictured here is a new color called Arctic Grey. The Turbo GT has wider air intakes up front with a revised front fascia and a carbon-fiber rear diffuser. The GT has a carbon-fiber roof and an upper rear wing with carbon-fiber side plates and an adaptive rear spoiler with a Gurney flap that’s twice the size of the standard Cayenne Turbo Coupe’s. Porsche’s titanium sport exhaust system with the center muffler removed is standard on the Turbo GT, and it exhales through center-mounted dual exhaust tips.

This new high-performance Cayenne is the first one to feature Porsche’s new infotainment system, which now has Android Auto capability along with Apple CarPlay. In the Turbo GT, Porsche’s eight-way sport front seats and two sport rear seats have Turbo GT–specific Alcantara inserts and Turbo GT script on the headrests. There’s either bronze or Arctic Grey stitching and a yellow marker line atop the steering wheel.

The 2022 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT is available to order now starting at $182,150, making it significantly more expensive than other German super SUVs such as the 617-hp BMW X6 M and 603-hp Mercedes-AMG GLE 63S, but it’s more powerful. And it’s only 10 horsepower behind the $222,004 Lamborghini Urus. The new Porsche will arrive in the U.S. early next year.

For a month, teams have been practicing setups, driving strategy, and building (or in some cases rebuilding) their chances of conquering the 156-turn, 12.42-mile Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado. This is easily the craziest motorsports event left in America—more dangerous than the World Rally Championship and with the spirit of a 24-hour endurance race. Teams, spectators, and media were awake Saturday night getting ready for today’s climb to the clouds. Here’s how to watch it, starting at 9:30 a.m. ET.

The easiest way to watch is through Mobil 1’s livestream, above and on the Mobil 1 Facebook page. Another free option is local Colorado Springs radio KRDO, which is hosting a live broadcast at KRDO.com, or by tuning in to radio channel 1240 AM.

If you aren’t already following the official Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Twitter, you absolutely should, as they’ll be live-tweeting race results and likely much of the epic carnage from today’s big race.

Reading this on Monday or anytime after the race? Don’t fret. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb YouTube channel will have post-race coverage, including interviews with drivers and teams for their take on what either went right, or terribly wrong.

We were so excited for this year’s hill climb that we drove over 1300 miles from Michigan to experience it ourselves, and will have post-race coverage with a photo gallery of our own following today’s event.

• The EPA has announced that the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer is rated at 15 mpg combined, less than the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.
• It’s powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 and comes standard with four-wheel drive.
• The Grand Wagoneer will be on sale this summer starting at $88,995.

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is returning this summer as a massive three-row SUV, and the EPA is estimating that it is good for 15 mpg combined. There’s also a cheaper and less luxurious Wagoneer, but its fuel economy estimates have not yet been announced. The Grand Wagoneer’s EPA estimated fuel economy makes the big Jeep less efficient than other American luxury SUVs such as the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.

All Grand Wagoneers use a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V-8 engine that produces 471 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque, and four-wheel drive is standard. The V-8 has cylinder deactivation and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The EPA estimates that the Grand Wagoneer will get 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. The Wagoneer will likely be more efficient, as it’s powered by a 5.7-liter V-8 with a 48-volt belt-driven motor/generator system called eTorque. The Ram 1500 with eTorque is rated 2 mpg higher than the model without the hybrid system.

Cadillac Escalades with four-wheel drive and the standard 6.2-liter V-8 engine are rated at 16 mpg combined, 13 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway. The Lincoln Navigator, which uses a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, is rated at 17 mpg combined, 16 mpg city, and 20 mpg highway. German luxury SUVs such as the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS-class are EPA-rated at 21 mpg combined with their respective turbocharged six-cylinder engines.

• Volvo is recalling 85,550 U.S.-market vehicles from the 2019 and 2020 model years over an issue with the fuel pump that could lead to engine stalling
• The report filed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says the only 2019–2020 Volvo that is not included is the XC40.
• Volvo will notify owners starting August 1 and will swap out a fuse to a different one in dealerships at no charge.

Volvo will recall 2019 and 2020 vehicles from nearly all of its model lines—with the XC40 the only excluded model in the lineup—to replace a fuse that could lead to fuel pump issues and possibly to engine stalling. That means that the S60, S90, V60, V60 Cross Country, V90, V90 Cross Country, XC60, and XC90 are all subject to the recall, adding up to 85,550 vehicles in the U.S. market.

The report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that this issue has actually happened in 46 vehicles. The agency said that drivers might experience the problem just after waking up the vehicle, as when unlocking it, opening the door, or pushing on the brake pedal before starting to drive, saying the fuse might blow when the engine control module “demands shut off of the Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) due to electrical current peaks.” If the fuse blows, the low-pressure fuel pump will obviously no longer function, which could prevent the engine from starting. However, plug-in-hybrid models could either stop safely or keep moving as long as the battery has charge.

Volvo has received no reports of injuries or accidents related to the issue. Owners can check the NHTSA recalls website for more information and to see if their vehicle is included. They should begin getting notifications from Volvo on August 1.

The fix? It’s what we’ve long been told not to do: Replace a fuse with a higher-capacity one. But that’s the remedy in this case, exchanging the 15-amp fuse for a 20-amp part, something that Volvo started doing on the production line at the tail end of 2019.

• The wingless 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring will arrive in the U.S. early next year.
• It replaces the standard GT3’s swan-neck wing for an automatically adjustable rear spoiler.
• Orders are open now starting at $163,450, the same as the standard GT3.

Porsche’s 911 GT3 will again, for the second time, add a Touring package that deletes the rear wing to look more incognito while ripping toward its 9000-rpm redline. It’ll still be offered as a no-cost option on the new 992-generation model, and it will start arriving in the States early next year.

The standard GT3’s wing hangs from swan-neck pylons creating up to 150 percent more downforce than its predecessor. The Touring package equips an automatically deployed rear spoiler that can also be raised and lowered using a button in the infotainment screen. The rest of the car is unchanged. Porsche says the Touring’s curb weight is 3164 pounds, the same as the standard GT3. On our scales, it weighed 3222 pounds. Both GT3s use an unequal-length control-arm front suspension inspired by the 911 RSR race car—a first for the 911—and also new adaptive dampers.

And they’re powered by the same naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six that produces 502 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque with a 9000-rpm rev limiter. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is standard, carried over from the previous GT3, but a six-speed manual is available at no extra charge. However, on both GT3s, the do-it-yourself gearbox isn’t available in California because of sound restrictions. In our test, the automatic-equipped GT3 reached 60 mph in 2.7 seconds. Top speed is the same at 199 mph for manual-equipped cars and 197 mph with the automatic.

Other visual tweaks with the Touring package include silver trim outlining the windows, and the front end’s color matches the body (the standard GT3’s is blacked out). A “GT3 Touring” badge rests on the rear grille, and the sport exhaust tips are finished in silver but can be ordered in black. Their interior features more leather, including Touring-specific embossed surfaces, and fabric seat inserts.

The 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring is available to order now and will arrive in the U.S. early next year starting at $163,450, the same price as the standard GT3.

• The Subaru Forester will get some updates for 2022, as previewed by this global version.
• We can see new headlights, new wheels, and some other visual tweaks.
• More details on the U.S. version of the updated Forester should come later this year.

Subaru will soon be rolling out an updated version of the Forester for 2022, and we’re getting a preview thanks to these images of the global version that the company posted on its Japanese website. The biggest changes appear on the front end, where the Forester features restyled headlights, a different grille, and a reshaped bumper.

Subaru also says that it has added a few colors to the Forester range, although we don’t know if these will come to America, and updated the available upholstery choices. The EyeSight driver-assistance features may receive some updates as well.

We don’t anticipate any major changes to the Forester’s powertrain, a 2.5-liter flat-four with a CVT and all-wheel drive. Although we would like to see the turbocharged Forester XT model return with Subaru’s turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four, we’re not sure how likely that is given that Forester sales are strong with just the single engine choice.