Cayenne
 

Was playing tag with a Cayenne the other day (OK-- I was in the BMW diesel, not the P-car).
How are these things to drive? How do they compare to a "real" Porsche?

Cayenne Turbo is VERY fast and doesn't handle like a SUV.0-60 in under 5 sec., laps the Nurburgring faster than a BMW M3, and can handle off-roading as well as a Wrangler.

Cayenne S is significantly less fast.

Cayenne (V6) is the slowest production Porsche since the 1.8 liter 914.

are you telling me I can take one from a stoplight?
because that would be the most awesome thing ever.

(that is are you speaking litererally or figuratively)

I believe the 0-60 is in the high-8 second range. It would be significantly slower than a 944, EVEN from a dead stop.

The smallest motor you can get in a Volvo XC90, which is a 2.5 liter 5 cylinder turbocharged motor of 208-hp and 208 footpounds of torque, is every bit the equal of the V6 Cayenne, and more. The Volvo is a LOT lighter on its feet, and IMHO it's the vehicle Porsche should have built. It's not as stiffly sprung, and it's not the sporting vehicle the Porsche is, but hey, I bought one. The V8 Cayenne NEEDS a V8 because it's hauling the equivalent of ELEVEN 80-pound bags of cement MORE than the weight of a XC90 Volvo. Yes, about 900 pounds more, and it's a far cry from the Porsche philosophy to build a light lithe vehicle with a small but high performing motor. It gives all new meaning to the term "tire wear" when driven in a sporting manner to, from all the crying I hear from my Cayenne driving friends.

I looked at one, three times, and ended up with the small motor XC90 and never looked back. The Porsche Philosophy many of us remember from the past is "FORGET THE UNNECESSARY" and some think they should have forgotten, well you know, the Cayenne.

EVERY TIME the Cayenne subject comes up, everyone always touts the twin turbo performance specs, but in reality, those are few and far between. They're more like the Yetti, often discussed, seldom seen. The more rank and file Cayenne S, is not exactly a light handling vehicle with superb road manners, IMHO, because any time you hurl 5300 pounds around for a while you're going to see your tires Gone with a capital "G" real fast. Am I anti- Porsche, heck no, I own three of them and I think Porsche is doing a great job with the new Cayman, and I think it's overdue, and I wish they'd put more focus on their sporting automobiles and let the SUV crowd go their own merry way.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Dogsharks/MVC-010F.jpg">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Dogsharks/MVC-011F.jpg">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Dogsharks/MVC-008F.jpg">

The 2.5 liter XC90 by the way, will run the quarter mile in 17-seconds, it's not a rocket ship, but it is faster than the TR-6 which took about a full second longer over that distance. I'll never understnd why, in a world with decreasing fuel sources, Porsche decided to depart from the formula that made them famous in the first place, and build a vehicle weighing in at a portly 5300 pounds. At that weight, some people would think you NEED a V8 just to haul around the ballast.

May I have a ladder please? (To get down off this soap box?)

Regards, P

I think the 944 guys all need to know they are able to blow a Ferrari Mondial into the weeds, check out this thread I posted a while back in deference to the XC90, but notice the performance listing

http://www.v70xc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4542

regards, P

Well a stock 944 isn't a slow car, its 0-60 accelleration numbers are just slow. Anybody knowledgeable about cars will tell you that 0-60 doesn't tell a full story.

If the Cayenne Turbo was the only SUV Porsche ever built, I don't think any of us would take issue with it.

You really think so? Heck, even the 16v cars are a dog, IMHO. But speed is one thing - second-to-none handling of these cars is another.

Conclusion so far: the V6 Cayenne is not for Porsche-style driving.
This may be why the question came up in the first place: keeping up with the Cayenne in a 115hp BMW diesel with 215K miles on the clock. Had it been an S or Turbo, I would not have seen it long enough to make a positive ID.

Driven a cayenne turbo. definately does not handle like a SUV.

FYI, Porsche put a GT-1 on a trailer, hooked the trailer up to a Cayenne turbo, and then ran a a course, to include a slalom.

AFJ

Well this discussion has been had many, many times on this board, but I guess it all depends on your definitions of "fast" and "slow".

The 944 in stock form does not accellerate hard from a dead stop. We all know this. But, unlike many other cars, the 944's rate of accelleration does not let up once you get in the high-MPH range.

Besides that, its road manners are impeccable at 100+... so you can drive fast very easily in these cars. That and excellent handling and braking make the 944 fast on most roads and on the track.

The less said about the cough, cough, Cayenne, the better. A "sport" utility vehicle, ahhh, 5300 pounds..................uhhh huh, what ever happened to "less is more", "forget the unnecessary"?

In any case, I drove this to work today and I love it. It's my slowest Porsche, but I still value it way beyond it's monetary value. It's a GREAT car. I always feel good driving it too. It is functional perfection in almost every way, except of course, the oil filter, heh heh. I guess there are compromises in every situation, but I guess I can stand this one every 6000 miles or so on synthetic.

regards, P

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/31e651b5.jpg

Love the blue, always wanted to see one painted like that. Deep blue's are fairly rare on 944's. Definately agree with you on it being a great car, quick handling car with carry space.