User 52121

So I've loved the look and feel of the current-gen Cayenne since it was updated back in 2011? or so.

Took the wife's Boxster in for some service work a few weeks ago and was given a Cayenne S for a loaner (for 2 days) then a Cayenne base (for a week) while they continued working on the Boxster.

Really, really, liked them. Love the drive, the look, etc. Almost didn't want to give the loaner(s) back!

BUT - if I pulled the trigger, it would be a replacement for my daily driver/tow vehicle: a 2015 GMC Sierra (1500 - 1/2 ton gas). And I'd only consider the diesel.

I think the Cayenne would be a big downgrade as far as towing goes. Everything else would be the same, feature-wise (my Sierra is pretty well loaded up with all the toys), it's smooth and quiet and I really do love the truck. I drive 2000 miles/month into downtown Chicago however so one big plus is the improved fuel economy of the diesel + it being smaller overall making it easier to park. My usual parking garage has been difficult at times to find a spot my truck will fit into if I get to the office after 9:30am.

However, I do a handful of track events a year + a lot of autocross events and prefer to tow my Cayman there (aluminum open trailer) and the way the trailer just *disappears* behind the Sierra is just fantastic (in a car geek kind of way... with integrated brake controller, etc. it just tows really nicely, and I get a kick out of using my truck as a *truck*.) I'd hate to jump "down" (towing perspective) into the Cayenne to regret it the first tow.

The Sierra (as every truck I've ever owned) has had an auxiliary transmission cooler, trans temp gauge, and a "tow/haul" mode to help the trans along when towing a load (holds gears longer, less upshifting/downshifting, etc.)

As far as I know, the Cayenne has none of this... so it makes me a little paranoid to know I'm "flying blind" if I decide to take a long towing trip out to VIR or something and can't monitor things in the hills. I can't imagine the 8sp trans is cheap, and I'm paranoid of a warranty denial if the trans DOES let go and they can see it got hot (which, I'm sure with it trying to be smooth, sliding in and out of gears, it'll get HOT with a trailer + gear in the truck climbing up and down hills).

I figure, if the trans is the SAME unit from the base up through the Turbo S... then perhaps I have nothing to worry about. If it can handle autobahn abuse behind the TT V8 in the Turbo S, it should survive fine with the diesel and a trailer? *shrug*

I know a few people with the 3.0 diesel (Touareg and Q7) and they love them, say they tow "great" but they've also never owned a full-size truck to tow with, either....

booch

I have a 24 foot enclosed ATC trailer which I towed with my Cayenne diesel last year, and a 2015 Ram 3500 diesel that I towed with this year. The Ram definitely tows 'better' but the Cayenne is very capable. My setup is probably heavier than yours (3000lb trailer) and it definitely has more drag, but I had zero issues or complaints with the Cayenne. Over a 1500 mile trip from CT to Mosport, then to Tremblant, and back to CT last year, the Cayenne netted me 14.4mpg, hand calculated. On that same trip this year, I got 11mpg in the Ram.

The only real thing I had to watch with the Cayenne was tongue weight. I was towing my F80 M3 that year, which is 3550lbs or so, and it needed to be in the 'right' spot in the trailer, which was only a few inches deep. On the Ram, the car's location didn't really matter so long as it was in the rear part of the trailer. The Cayenne is much nicer to be in, of course, while towing.

Temps were never an issue, and we towed through late August when it was hot and humid.

FWIW I am going to trade in my Ram on, likely, another Cayenne, and go back to towing with the CD next year.

User 52121

Awesome thanks for the feedback. Yeah, tongue weight is something to keep in mind though I imagine with my trailer only weighing 1200lbs I likely won't be as close to the limit as you are.

Needsdecaf

A number of people tow
With the Cayenne Diesel with no issues. Of course a 3/4 ton diesel pickup will be better since you are using much less of its capacity, however the CD is quite capable from what I have been told. You should hear from more
Members soon.

skiahh

As far as towing goes, by the numbers, yes, you'll give up a lot. ~12K # to 7700 #. But realistically, with a 1/2 ton gasser, are you really going to be towing anywhere near that? And if so, how will it perform? If you're going to tow that much, get a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel truck. Towing a Cayman on a light trailer? The CD will do just fine... as well as, or possibly better than, your current tow vehicle.

I have both a CD and a Ram 2500 diesel. If I'm towing heavy, I'll choose the Ram every time. Light? Either will do. Mid-weight? I'll pick the truck, since it's the better tool for the job.

But, If I'm commuting 2000 miles/month, I definitely want the CD for the comfort (even though my Ram is very comfy - I've driven it all over the country) and economy.

If I could only have one... I'd probably stick with my truck. But I'm a truck guy and, well, the Cayenne isn't a truck, no matter how you slice it. But it would be a touch choice, especially if I were commuting that much every month.

The trick will be, I think, in getting one. You can wait until the settlement is finalized and grab a new one (sold as used, though) cheaply, probably, or find someone ready to let theirs go. There are a few people on here who are (very vocally) ready to get rid of theirs as soon as they can because of the VW diesel issues. Happy hunting!

User 52121

Thanks skiahh for the comments and comparison to your 2500 as well.

Yes with the news of the impending EPA resolution and the Cayennes, my hope is that I'll see a few more used trade-ins from people taking the check.

New ones are still a little steep ($$$-wise) for me but seeing occasional used ones that are CPO'd locally for low-mid 50s has my interest. I actually stopped by a local dealer that had a 2014 CPO on their website this past Saturday, 30k miles and listed at $49.9k, but after 30 minutes there, it was discovered they'd sold it a month ago and the site was just out of date.

I figure I'm fine to wait, no rush, and see what pops up in the coming months.

User 52121

And, to answer your other question skiahh - no, I wouldn't tow 12k with my 1500 either. If I was rolling that heavy I'd have another 2500 diesel like I did years ago.

But there is some comfort knowing that if I traded the open trailer for an enclosed (even a steel trailer to keep costs down), I *could* pull it with the 1500 pickup (as likely trailer is 4000lbs, car another 3000, plus 1k misc crap and I'm around 8k). I couldn't do it with the Cayenne.

User 52121

Local dealer called, they apparently just took a CD in on trade. Going through the CPO process now, will likely check it out Thursday morning. Waiting on a VIN so I can check all the options. Sales guy told my wife (he called her instead of me) it's "well equipped".

Now to start researching into the trailer brake issue. Found a couple threads with some good posts by ltc thanks to the search function, gonna have to re-read and figure out the exact solution so I know what I might be getting myself into. If I do buy this thing I'll need the trailer stuff sorted ASAP as my Cayman will likely be ready for pick up in the next 2 weeks with fresh powertrain. No way I'm driving it home in 15-degree weather.

gnat

Don't let them charge you for the CPO. All diesels already have the coverage.

skiahh

Chicken!

This. They'll inflate the price by a bunch for the "CPO", which is worth, depending on who you ask, $2-$3K. But since you already have the CPO warranty on there (6 years, 100K miles) from the scandal, all you're getting is an inspection and maybe some new parts, including tires. So, it might be worth $1K.

Negotiate hard!

User 52121

LOL well GT3 arms, stiff springs and coilovers, aggressive alignment, summer tires, and a 2.5 hour drive from the shop back to the house over Chicago potholes..... I see more chances for it to "end badly" than otherwise...


Good to know. Is that CPO information "official" now? And it's officially CPO, not some "CPO Lite" version that just covers the diesel components, right?

gnat

Yes, it was applied to all diesels about a year ago now. Technically they didn't give it the CPO name, but the links they sent and the time/milage are all from the CPO program. In effect all diesels have a 6yr/100k factory grade warranty.

stronbl

RE: Towing with CD versus pickup truck

I tow my 911 a lot to and from the track including extra wheels and all tools in a 20 ft Featherlite enclosed trailer (with the v-nose, it's more like 26 feet). I use my 2013 CD and typically load it up to 6600-7000 lbs (watch the tongue weight ... as has been discussed already). The CD has no problem whatsoever handling that load and the rig overall is very stable. Fuel economy is of course variable based on how fast you want to go and how much up and down. In NorCal I usually am on the interstate highways most of the journey so it's an easy cruise at 65mph. We can get some good cross winds along I-5 and so far never had an exciting adventure - of course I slow it down in severe cross winds. I do notice my oil temp will increase a bit more under the load of the trailer and on some long steep uphill grades, but again nothing exciting. There are oil and transmission coolers integrated into the CD system although they are not what I'd call heavy duty, but they work for the typical CD jobs. Tiptronic transmission is very good on the towing too. Rarely hunts and with the manual option you can force it to gear as you deem necessary, although in fairness I almost never need to use anything other than automatic.

I have used F-150 and F250 to tow in the past (gas not diesel). They are certainly better tow rigs and allow for a lot more variables. If I was (were) to go to a larger length enclosed trailer, say 28ft +, then I would most definitely go the pickup route, and really try to go diesel as well.

If you go with the CD as a tow vehicle, you will need to make sure you have a proportional brake controller installed as well. There are many pages on this topic. I have wired in a Tekonsha P3 (built the harness as per another thread) and I also have a Tek Prodigy RF. Both work great. I added the P3 since I tow other trailers besides the Featherlite (Featherlite has the RF mounted permanently on it).

All in all, the CD is a very adequate tow vehicle for light to moderate duty rigs. Stay within the manufacture guidelines and you will be fine.

User 52121

Well I suppose I shouldn't be surprised (and I'm reminded of why I hate dealing with car salesmen)... the sales guy waited until 10 minutes ago to get me the VIN, after first confirming I'll "be there first thing in the AM to check it out."

So I run the VIN... and half the stuff he told my wife the truck definitely had, it does not. No panoramic roof, no cooled seats, and (most importantly) no tow hitch.

So I told my wife to call him back and say, "Nevermind" and I guess he started in on the "sell" with "Well you can get an aftermarket tow hitch that's just as good" and "well it DOES have a sunroof!"

Looks like, according to the build sheet, his version of "well equipped" refers to the Sport Design steering wheel and keyless entry.

It IS Carmine Red, which sounds like a neat color for a Cayenne. But so far everything I've read/searched here, the factory-equipped hitch is the way to go... so I don't think I want to consider an aftermarket option.

skiahh

And what are they asking for it?