Huracan Gets Challenged by a 700-HP GT-R and Cayenne Turbo GT, Doesn't Seem Fazed

Can you believe that almost 20 years have gone by since the first Cayenne hit the market? Back then, the entry-level model was powered by a 3.2-liter VR6 engine that was capable of 247 horsepower. The first Cayenne Turbo took it up a notch, making 444 horsepower out of a twin-turbo V8. But Porsche wasn't going to stop there. Over the past years, SUVs have become increasingly faster, despite their obvious weight disadvantage.

But can a brand new Cayenne Turbo GT keep up with a Lamborghini Huracan Performante? Its twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 engine puts out 631 horsepower and 626 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox, but you should keep in mind that this car weighs 4,894 lbs (2,220 kg). And even though things have been improved in the aerodynamic department, this is still a behemoth next to the Lamborghini.

Speaking of which, that's powered by a naturally aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 engine. We're talking 631 horsepower but just 443 lb-ft (601 Nm) of torque. Even though this is the heavier, the Spyder version of the Performante, this car is still much lighter than the Porsche. Weighing in at 3,306 lbs (1,500 kg), it also has the benefit of AWD and a 7-speed automatic gearbox. So, on paper, at least, the Porsche might be slightly faster at the start of the race.

But it's not likely it can maintain that advantage throughout the entire run. Mat Watson is driving the Cayenne Turbo GT, and he gets slightly overexcited during the starting procedure. Jumping the start means that he gets the lead, but it doesn't take long for the Huracan to move up into first place. With a fair start for both cars on the re-run, the Porsche feels much slower. The situation would have been different if they would've brought out a 911 Turbo S instead.

In an attempt to wash away the shame of losing twice in a row, Mat brings out a secret weapon: a 700-hp Nissan GT-R. It has more power and more torque than the Huracan Performante, but we all know that it's also slightly heavier. Mat is off to a poor start on the first run, and the Lamborghini seems to be unstoppable yet again. The re-run provides a much more balanced race, but the Italian supercar still comes out on top.

It needed 10.8 seconds to complete the standing quarter-mile (402 meters), while the GT-R was 0.1 seconds behind. By comparison, the Porsche Cayenne GT crossed the finish line in 11.2 seconds. Not bad at all for a big SUV! Mat seems determined to win at least one run, but he fails doing so for the first rolling race. He just manages the win on the second attempt, with the Nissan's gearbox set to manual mode. But all that glory goes away during the braking test, which doesn't quite end as expected.