doug928

First time posting on this board - (normally at 928) was wondering if I could get some input on the new Cayenne. I need a new SUV lease for work and was comparing the Cayenne S, BMW X5 4.4is and MB ML500. I wanted some opinions (pros and cons). I have in the past had the earlier MB and wasn't too impressed by it but I did like the MB assistance (like on-star). Any comments would be apprieciated.

skl

Depends what you want to do with it- just drive it? (please don't ask about towing ) Drive them all and get the one you prefer. I haven't liked any of the bimmers lately (thanks to Bangle and I-drive) and have had several and loved them. the X5 is nice but I couldn't tow with it and the Cayenne was more heavy duty IMHO. I haven't been too impressed with MB for quite a while- the SUV looks like a minivan to me. I think the newer Cayennes have the bugs worked out and are a great vehicle for what they're intended for... The X5 is getting a little long in the tooth but still a good looking vehicle as Bange hasn't ruined it ... yet.

Budget M3

Had a 2001 X5...drove great, lots of luxury, but body hardware and electronics did not hold up well (peeling interior paint, door seals falling off, crazed climate control read -40F in a Tucson summer, and more...) I've been very happy so far with my pepper, except with the tiptronic in automatic mode upshifts far too early for my tastes--thankfully one can still shift it "manually" with the steering wheel mounted buttons... IMHO, the Cayenne handles better both on-road and off, and seems to be more soliidly built...

rome

I also had an X-5 (4.4i). I like the CS much better. Drives more like a sports car, whereas the X-5 feels more like a sedan. I can't wait toget into the thing at the end of the day, which is incredible for an SUV. I never really felt that way about the X-5. I also like the styling and cabin comforts better on the CS. Another consideration is that X-5's are all over the place now and it is due for a major facelift.


BudgetM3-- I know what you are saying about the automatic mode upshifts, but if you turn off the PSM (i.e. "Please Save Me"), you will find the upshifts are much more delayed and the car has A LOT more torque through each of the gears.

huskydog

Doug, I'm a former 928'er as well as a few others. Drove all of the three SUV's you are looking at several times setteld on a CS which should be here in the next few weeks. MB just did not do it for me and my wife is short and there was no seat adjustment she could make to see over the hood. BMW 4.8 was a great alternative, but it only comes with 20" wheels so you must buy another set of wheel/tire for winter which adds 1500-2000. I liked it alot and you would not be disapointed. But the Cayenne is a 928 in a different body, quick, comfortable, and runs/handles like any other Porsche. I'd envy your situation, a Cayenne and a great 928, the best two Porsche's you can own in my opinion.

Nicole

You are giving Bangle too much credit here! First of all, designers don't make product decisions - they make suggestions. There are other managers in Marketing, or the Board, who approves a look and feel, only after focus groups showed enough of a positive response.

Also, Bangle is no longer doing the day-to-day design - he is more in a higher coordinating position, not the one actually drawing up the looks of the cars.

If you look closely, BMW has gone overboard at the beginning of the new design, and is now toning down and finding its new identity. This was bitterly necessary after 30 years of doing just variations of the same. The old look was dated, and would not win over new buyers from other brands. I think they did the right thing to make a change, but should have done it more gradually, rather than shocking people as they did.

Lastly, the X5 is the most dated vehicle in this discussion. I would not buy a vehicle that is due to be replaced by an all new successor in a year or two - vehicles last much longer, and they just take a big dive in value when an all new model replaces them.

But I agree, that one should drive them all before deciding. I've driven cars that others said were great, and I was disappointed - and vice versa.



Had I listened to the German auto magazine editors, I should never have bought a 928 - can't see where it begins and ends, is not comfortable, is not as much a Porsche as a 911, and guzzles gas like crazy, so they wrote. Well, I can park that thing in pretty small slots, I find it very comfortable, consider it an excellent car AND Porsche at the same time, and my gas mileage is significantly better than what they had published. Besides, I love it more than any car I've ever owned.

prm1177

I just sold my 2001 X5 and bought an '06 Cayenne. A close friend owns the Benz. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each:

X-5 +'s Ergonomics, Fuel Economy, Car-like Ride Quality; -'s Fit/Finish, handling
ML +'s Cargo capacity, interior room'-'s Fit/Finish, economy, Mini-van Styling, Truck-like ride
Cayenne +'s Interior, Handling, Fit/Finish; -'s Cargo capacity (between X-5 & ML), Fuel Economy, Occasional Odd ergonomics, and (for some) the tight ride quality.

That said, I enjoy my 30 mile commute every single day in my Cayenne.

Brent 89-GT

Get the Cayenne. I have been very impressed with mine. I am at about 24k miles now and not a single problem. It does a lot of things well, Porsche well for that matter. I had to swear off BMW's after Bangle. I don't care what anybody says, they hired that guy and all of the cars became extremely ugly. Anyway, they lost me as a customer. Too bad for them as my wife really enjoyed the V12 7 series models. In fact, that is what we traded for the Cayenne. I have also had bad experiences with MB lately, two of them. One was an '01 S600, the other an '02 G500. Not going back there anytime soon either. Thank god the Cayenne is living up to what I expect from a premium machine. I was running out of options.

Budget M3

Good tip...Turning PSM off does, indeed, mitigate the problem from 2nd gear up through 6th. The problem with turning PSM off is that the truck then starts out in 1st gear and stays in 1st too long--which is fine for spirited driving, but not too fine for normal around town driving (also tends to trash fuel economy). When I want to play, I always shift it myself, but when I just want to poke around town, I wish someone would re-engineer the computer's shift program to simply stay above 2000 rpms...

doug928

Hey George - I agree 100%. I think I'm pretty set on the Cayenne S and I hope to go for a test ride tomorrow - I stopped by a Porsche Dealer today and they were closed. I'm looking for that handling and performance that I think only the Cayenne can give - I spend a lot of time in my car not only commuting by going from job to job so I want to enjoy the ride.

One other question - I read in this months Porsche Panorama the there have been some vibrations in the wheel which may be due to an imbalance in the axel. Any comments on this? Is it anything to worry about?

TIA>

ltc

There are NO issues with the Cayenne.
It is the Ultimate Driving Machine....no wait, that's a BMW.
It is the Ultimate Force in the Universe....no wait, that's the Death Star.
It's a Volkwagen with a Porsche crest......BINGO!

Buying a late 05/06, you should have no problems unless.....

You purchase 20" tires (vibration/balance problems)
You purchase the tow option (say hello to my little friend, the "!")
You actually want the rear hatch to open ONLY when you want it to.
You don't mind your windshield wipers sounding like an angry elephant having it's butt dragged across sandpaper

Uh oh, 11PM, bed check and lights out time.....good night.

Tom W

OK, I'm in a similar position to Doug. I have a '99 ML430 that I use to tow my 964 track car. Car trailer and "stuff" means about 5000 lbs to tow. I'm also considering the X5 (4.8), ML500 and CS. Since this "car" is my wife's daily driver, a pick-up or a "real" tow vehicle is out of the question. It's got to be a nice SUV that will tow. I've been using the ML430 for this for 2 years and have been happy.

What's wrong with CS towing?

MadFox

Dear Sir Tom of W: There is nothing wrong with the CS towing capability with regards to engine performance, utilitarian usage, or daily driver "fun" post race week-end. However, should you casually scan through the posts, you will see that PAG has an evil gremlin located within the trailer hitch interface to the SUV's main computer software that creates nearly psychotic reactions from cats (or "dudes" that use cats in their avatar). I towed a small little trailer with no dash warning lights or problems but I have heard (just a rumor from a guy who uses a pencil to type) that lighting issues exist?? Now, simply wait a few minutes to a few hours and you could hear from Sir Lewis, a Knight of the Cayenne Roundtable. He will emerge with wit, wisdom, and bitingly sarcastic insight into the pysche' of the PAG exec team and their cost conscious failure to fix minor little glitches on an otherwise incredible machine.... If you are faint of heart... a caution..... BE AFRAID.. be very afraid! If you are BRAVE soul, Sir Tom.. come on in the water is warm and the Kool-Aid is good!

ltc

Mechanically, the Cayenne is quite good at towing.

I tow a 20' enclosed V nose Cargopro aluminum trailer with the Cup car (or 996TT or 968 Cab en route to the detailers), ~2400# empty, 5000# to 6000# depending on what car is back there. Very stable at highway speeds. 9-11 mpg towing.
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=18142
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=18140

rennlist user 'skl' tows a 18' V nose ATC enclosed aluminum; we both have PASM on our Cayenne S.

Electrically, the only "issue" would be dependent on the lighting type/configuration on your trailer. Some configurations (too many incandescent bulbs or the use of LED lighting) leads to a "!" "Check Trailer Lights" message everytime you tow.

Installing an electric brake controller is very straightforward and has been discussed here many times.

The other issue is the lack of proper towing mirror extentions. About the only thing availabe are the 'universal' clip on type....vibration at highway speeds makes them marginal.

tkerrmd

Was in same position. Had ML430, drove them all. I choose the cayS. Although mine has had NO problems many others have had early model problems. I think most of them are now a non issue.
If towing not an issue, I would go with the cay V-6. That will be my next move in 12 months (I think) or I will buy out my cay.
I have been more that pleased with the car and out performs the other choices by miles!

good luck

tom