amaist

A friend of mine tried the X5 towing route. Makes you appreciate the Cayenne as a towing vehicle.
At least the Pepper is prewired for the trailer brake controller.

I do tow with the Cayenne S with PASM. 3400 lbs bimmer inside a 20' Pace aluminum trailer worth another 2700 lbs. No problems.
! does light up but the lights work. Still waiting for the car to burst in flames due to !

Sure, a big Ford or Chevy pickup is tons better for towing. Duh! But where am I going to keep that beast. It does not fit in my condo garage and definitely not inside the work garage. And I'll be driving a giant pickup truck. Now, where you gentlemen live it is more socially acceptable to drive such vehicles for commuting purposes. In Montreal not as much, especially if you are going downtown.
It just would be out of place here. The Cayenne does what no other vehicle can do for me.

Carrera GT

I've have a pic of our old work truck (Chevvy dually crew cab long bed) parked in "angle" parking in an avenue (trees down the middle) outside an oh-so-posh restaurant ... the tailgate almost reached the tree island in the middle of the road.

(We moved it ... the truck, not the trees ... although it was debated as to which was the easier route.)

Carrera GT

I think if you tow within the specs of the X5, it's fine, especially with the levelling air suspension (nothing like the Porsche "ASM" ...) but very good at keep the car civilized. And the limit of the X5 means a trailer brake is relatively unimportant. It's really for jet skis and small boats or motorcycles or maybe snowmobiles or utility trailers, not anything that usually even comes equipped with trailer brakes.

OldGuy

I aint towing anything with it but I know a guy who tows his GT3 in an enclosed trailer with the 4.8is
I WANTED an 06 cayenne but couldnt get past the looks and the X5 48.is out performs the Cayenne S
(06) The 08 over took the X5 but then they dont make a 4.8is for 07 either. The BMW is just more handsome. Its got 315s on the back for Gods sake!! My GT3 has 305s!!

Van1

OG, I think the X5 is a fine rig, especially the last generation like your 4.8is. I too wanted to pick up an '06 Cayenne S but ended up with '07 VW TDI after I ran into a deal I couldn't pass up. I now own a passenger car with more torque than a Dodge Viper. And I get better gas mileage than the V6 version of any mid size SUV. Plus it is a kissing cousin to the Cayenne. Although I do have to admit that I think deep down my wife really wanted the Cayenne S. I just didn't want to settle for less torque than our '03 ML 500.

OldGuy

Van I keep hearing ALOT of good things about that TDI I wish I had a chance to drive one. But the 4.8 was a deal I couldnt pass up either. It was the dealerships owners car for 16 K miles then they give it to me for 59K it booked at 68K and man its a nice looking rig. I gotta admit though I like the TDI better than the Cayenne looks wise. BUT the 08 is a nice improvement for Porshce. I really really wanted a Cayenne S titanium- those were sharp and the deals were killer!

amaist

I may be wrong about the X5 towing pre-wiring. My information is from a friend with an X5 4.4. The newer ones could have been fixed by now. He also damaged the frame with an open trailer and a 3100lbs car. I wonder if the newer ones are stronger. Still the same 6000 lbs rating.

OldGuy

Amaist first of all congrats on your new GT3 you WILL love the thing!!! I dont know about the diff between the 4.8is and the 4.4- I know the guy I know towing an enclosed also has the 4.8is. The 4.8is was a step up from the 4.4. 6000 pounds is not alot when talking enclosed and then a 3000lb car extra wheels fuel etc etc I dont think I would do it, since I have my kids Dodge Ram. but the 4.8is was/is pretty slick.

Carrera GT

I don't see how 6000lbs can work with a 3300lb car and a 2700lb trailer behind the X5.
I've towed a lot behind the Range Rover and it's heavy enough to work well at its limits, but the X5, well, I don't know. For sure, without trailer brakes, the hitch will transfer far too much load and damage any unitary frame vehicle. Even a ladder frame ("body on frame") can end up damaged, especially vehicles made before box section "hydroformed" chassis rails (because of rust and fatigue.)

I tried the Touareg V10 TDi because there was one for sale used here in CA (it was never for sale here, but a private car can come in after 7500 miles.) It blasts off the line like a much more powerful car, the torque overcomes all.

And I agree the appearance of the cabin and the body lines is generally more appealing than the Cayenne S, but I think the slightly more muscular look of the Turbo (just cosmetics at the bumper covers and hood, but effective) gives it an appealing stance.

I like what they've done with the '08 but it's just not enough after five years since the first model to convince me to ride the new car depreciation slide.

I'm looking at an '05 Turbo with Power Kit right now. I think that brings most of the oomph of the newer '08 power-triain without the cost. I was tempted by the massive ($25K) discounts on the Turbo S, but starting at $110K+ with no options, it's still an expensive car. And PCNA should be taken out back and shot for creating such a discounting nightmare for Turbo S buyers who paid full fare an all the other Turbo owners who have to look at the depreciation caused by that discounting.

Well, as well as towing, I'm curious to hear from people driving a Turbo with the Power Kit.

OldGuy

Adam I wish I had that pic of the guy with the 4.8is with the GT3 and enclosed tralier but
he would be the first one to go over load capacity. I knew a guy who had a Toyota Landcruiser
rated at 5000 with the 4.5 inline 6 and he hauled a 9000 lb skipjack back and forth from here to palm springs for 6 years and nary a problem. HOWEVER I love your CTT with powerkit idea I hear those are HOT!! and cheap. (relatively)

Full Boost

OG,

This is how we roll.....

The trailer is all steel - probaly weighs about 800 KG? Never an issue!

Carrera GT

That's Canberra!

Good grief. Small world.

National Library building, right?

(I was there as a civi in the Navy for a tour or two.)

Full Boost

Adam,

You are 100% right. It was at the PC Canberra concourse last year. The GT3/Cayenne Combo won peoples choice (It isnt my CS or RS but my mates one....)

Two weeks later he did the same at the PC NSW concourse - but this time My Cayenne and our RS beat his cars....

I know this is OT - but he has just sold the 996RS and is taking delievery of a 997GT3RS... in Green.

I dont see him for a week and this is what he has done to that Cayenne....

Carrera GT

Sounds like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAfZ1N56qjY

Carrera GT

Well. That's certainly, um, green.

And Porsches are wildly expensive in Australia, so that's a helluva choice for the Cayenne.