Have to admit I've changed my tune on the Cayenne. When they first started working on it I was really pissed they did it instead of a racing program (remember the T-shirts reading "we aren't at LeMans, we're building a truck!"), but now I need to replace a 4X4 pickup with a good 4X4 SUV I can pull a trailer with and the Cayenne seems like a good compromise. And the looks are growing on me- much better driving dynamics than the big Japanese SUV's. And most of us need sedans too don't we??? I loved my 540i sport 6 speed and this car would replace that just fine...

 

Foul Up???

Hardly!!!
Be thankful that truck brought Porsche back to profitability!!! It will ensure viable development dollars for the future of their sports cars...
By the way, it's the best performing, best handling truck on the planet. Perhaps in Britain, trucks are'nt needed, but here in America, they do come in handy...

 

I no longer believe that Wiedeking has any plans to go back to top-level LeMans-type racing. Now that the company has learned it must pay attention to costs, it is the MOST profitable car company on the planet -- it could easily weather this temporary downturn w/o the Cayenne. The current/recent economic situation is/was severe, and only recently have 996/986 sales been hit significantly; they'd easily make it through w/o the Cayenne. Wiedeking is well on his way to rendering Porsche just another car company -- a crying shame, IMO.

 

Hell Fire....

Watt are you sure this is not you posting under an alias? Only needed a referance to Mac D's and it would all kick off again...

Hate to see what was posted if this was anything other than a car forum...



LOL

P.

 

Mr. RS,

How dare you, you pommy b-st*rd!!! Les is entirely his own Bozo. he doesn't even know who Henrik Ibsen is, nor could he find England on a map.

You, I know, have driven your RS though every Mcd's drive in in Euro$ land, the only MBE to have done so.

On the subject at hand, the cayenne is a great truck, but it's too small for my family, we use a Yukon XL. As i said, my wife could definitely use a Porsche 4 door to replace her 05 Quattroporte. She needs a performance sedan, as her hefty S600 eats tyres running up and down the mountain every day.

We -- as dedicated users -- don't know what Porsche means if they never race again, and how quickly that dilutes and destroys the brand. Certainly the cheap Cayenne is as stupid as cheap BMW's, MB's and Jag.s have been -- it dilutes a premium brand across too broad a set of price points. Even if you only buy your Porsche for its performance and not its exclusivity, you really don't want your secretary driving one, do you???

Bemused and Indignantly Still without an RS at Malibu

 

Interesting range of opinions, but it does seem certain from the PCCB thread that Porsche are backing away from performance driving, since they will not even warranty a car that is driven in a spirited manner anymore.

Until I bought my GT3 I hadn't paid any attention to the Pcar world, so didn't know that sales of the 996 were off over 30% in the last couple of years. The Pepper has spiced up the bottom line just in the nick of time, and may well give the needed $$ for future development. I know nothing of the folks at the factory, and their business background, but it seems as if they want a slice of the bigger pie.

Maybe they see how F1 is dominated by the middle market car makers, BMW, MB and Fiat (Ferrari) and winning at Le Mans now requires the full financial weight of VAG. Racing is even more a big spenders sport than it ever was, and maybe Porsche are just trying to work the bottom line back up to that level.

That said the atrocious line that Porsche NA put in our warranties that reads Abuse, accident, acts of God, competition, racing or track use or other events beyond the control of Porsche Cars NA. maybe shows the path ahead is of a differnt nature. Shopping carts and costly commuters are all they want to sell us these days.

 

It has the same roof line of my wife's Taurus.

There Goes The Neighborhood.

 

Rockit -

I hate SUV's. Period. The Cayenne may be the best of the lot, it handles and stops way better than others of its kind. My regular car is an A6 2.7 TT with 6 spd and the sport pack. With a Neuspeed chip it makes 300 HP and goes very nicely through any nasty weather we get here - which has been a lot lately! Four snow tires and I sneer at the driving conditions - except for the guys who get stuck in front of me - usually driving vehicles with "no season" tires. When things get really bad the majority of cars in the ditch are (guess what..) SUVs. I bet my observation will be confirmed by others who chose (I must be dumb as Colorchange has implied over on the 996TT forum) to live in the snowy part of the country.

One thing we should consider is that Porsche is forcing dealers to open Porsche only stores. With VW and Audi having or soon to have) competitive vehicles I can see why. Around here, sports car sales are dead from October to March - the poor dealer needs something to sell in the "off season". The Cayenne serves the purpose and good sedan would give me a reason to switch from Audi. My underlying concern is that unless Porsche goes back into racing at the top level, the patina of the brand will fade away and they'll be no better than Mercedes and BMW.

As to the guys who call for Porsche to build a true sports car, I think they did. It's called the GT3.
Best,

 

Watt, I can to find England on a map. But why would I want to?????? I used to be the BIGGEST cayenne basher in the world until the dealer let me drive one for the afternoon. After driving one I felt like it was more a proper Porsche then the 996. It is solid with a ride that allows you to feel the road. The handling is great for ANY vehicle let alone an SUV. Shutting the doors on my cayenne feels like my 993 and 964 SOLID. In one afternoon this holiday season I picked my two kids up at their friends then went to the vet to pick up my two 100 pound slobbering dogs, then went to the grocery store then blew off a Vette on the way home try that in any other SUV.... Oh and by the way, while on vacation in Vail Colorado drove it through the mountains in a blizzard. You want to talk about technological achievements? Go test drive a cayenne. And if you want performance at your Porsche dealer test drive a GT 2 or GT 3. Try to find a better high performance car ANYWHERE!!!!! Not only has Porsche maintained it's profitability and independence but it built one heck of a vehicle. And don't forget the Carrera GT. I really don't understand this position that Porsche is somehow becoming a luxory car company. For crying out loud what BMW or Mercedes compares with a GT 2 or CGT. The CGT is an actual race car for the street. And for 100 grand how do you find an all around better car than the GT 3?


Watt, my GT 2 sold email for the price!

 

"As to the guys who call for Porsche to build a true sports car, I think they did. It's called the GT3"

and Uncle Bob, the 9th wonder of the world: GT2

 

Did I ever mentioned on this board that my Cayenne brakes better than my GT2. Sad but it really feels that way.

AW

 

Bob Rouleau, I believe my cayenne turbo you hate will out accelerate, out brake, and yes out handle your wimpy Audi. I hearby challenge you to a duel, a driving duel. You in your wimpy Audi, me in my manly Cayenne. Rain or snow or desert or off road or track. I'll bet you have a bumper sticker on your Audi that says."My other car is a GT2" My cayenne hates it when people call it an SUV! I must defend it's honor!