andrew911

I was set on a used 2005-6 x5 with 30K-ish miles, 4.4 V8 and sport package for my wife's car, but then found the deal I could get on a new leftover 2006 CS Titanium and never looked back. I did really like the test drive in the x5 4.4 and would have purchased that if the deal didn't occur on the porsche. We are very happy with the Cayenne- (you can imagine my wife's excitement when I called raondomly from the porsche dealer one saturday and asked how she would like a new cayenne instead of the already very nice used 4.4i we were looking at- she couldn't believe it!) With the deal we got, the cost of the cayenne was not even $10K more than what we were going to spend on an '06 4.4 sport- plus it was new....plus it was a cayenne V8 with the awesome titanium package! Still can't believe we have 2 porsches now 6 months on....plus it was the first time I had purchased a new car- swore off ever doing that, but give me a good enough deal and I'll buy new

The only drawback on the X5 we were looking at was the space wasn't any more than my 5 series sedan. If you need a lot of space the X5 wouldn't work (although the new X5's are bigger, but uglier interior in my opinion).

pl

due on next may? and u start car-shopping now?
cong~~~ to the new baby.
i can't believe my daughter is almost 5 years now, i can remeber how she was born, it was like yesterday.

i too have a toyota mini-van, the only mini-van offers AWD.

when having small kids, exp. if you have more than one kids, sliding doors on the mini-van will be very appreciated.

mjw930

Just to throw even more cold water on the thread, I traded an '04 CTT on a Trailblazer SS a few months ago and I couldn't be happier (mostly because I now have 1/3 the car payment).

The CTT is by far the better vehicle, from a driving perspective. From some other perspectives it's a study in compromises. Stupid things like how the rear seats fold up. On the CTT you have to go through headrest gynmastics and they only fit in the holders if your driver and passenger are about 5' tall and have the seats all the way up. On the SS it's 2 lever flips, even with the seat all the way back. Rear access on he CTT is about 6" narrower and 12" lower than the SS and the SS is considered a midsize SUV. On the flip side, the suspension on the SS feels exactly like you would expect a truck framed, live axle to feel, sloppy. BUT, the thing easily tows my 4000 enclosed trailer, has rear auto leveling, 400 HP and $32K out the door with everything except Nav. (and it does wicked power slides )

When I want to go fast and have some fun I jump in the Boxster or on the V-Rod, the SS and CTT are really just SUV's, nothing more.

Franklin229

I looked at every SUV/truck out there and could have afforded most. I went Land Rover-LR3. It's bigger inside, feels a lot more solid and IMO will do the off-road thing way better than the pepper with out a single fear of getting a scratch here or there. It's a truck with a frame and unibody contruction. Very functional. Will haul 7 passengers comfortably and with the seats folded, I can throw my muddy mountain bike in the back.

andrew911

Sounds like you make the correct choice for your needs. We'll never off road, and desired performance that was more similar to a good sports sedan (plus the interior of the cayenne is very much to our liking), so the Cayenne S was the way for us. There are so many great alternatives on the market now vs. 20 or even 10 years ago....

pranqster

Nothing SUV wise quite keeps up with a turbo, steers like the turbo or stops like the turbo. Some have gone to the AMG Mercedes variants, some to the Range Rover Sport, but i am not sure you can get either around the $50,000.00 mark.

I drive my Cayenne in manual mode and I can see over most vehicles, and can get around them while they are sleeping in the fast lane.The steering is very good for an SUV, and the brakes have saved me more than once.

Our Dodge Cummins Diesel is not nearly as comfortable as the Cayenne TT and the brakes are not great either. But it does tow a full 24 foot trailer without much problem.

You do not say if you are going to keep your current tow vehicle (the Tacoma) but if you are, then the choice comes to what car could you purchase for the $50,000.00 that you can take the family around in.
That could lead to Lexus, Audi, Mercedes, or Cadillac sedans.

If the Tacoma goes away, then you must get another tow vehicle. I think a Cayenne TT in the
$50,000.00 range is a hell of a lot of fun for the money.

droptop

after 60k in the CS (The Lemonaide Special), i went with the FX45. after 26k in the FX, i will say the following.

it is faster than the CS, lighter, and throws around corners every bit as good if not better. the steering wheel is a bit smaller.

while it is not as well suited for off-roading (my CS had PASM), how many on this forum actually off-road? the occasional dirt road is about as much as i see, and the FX does fine, the AWD system is comparable to the cayenne.

the CS had more cargo room than the FX, especially with the seats up. what's your mission?

better gas mileage, better nav, better service, better built. the downside is, it doesn't have porsche on it (this may not be a downside).

Idocdes

Purchased a leftover06 **** last Feb. Did consider the Q7,X5 and Toureg.
Ruled out the Q7 because of previous issues with Audi(Had the Allroad for 3 years, although Audi believes they are BMW they are not)
Ruled out Toureg because the "DEAL" on the Porsche and a comparably equipped VW was not that different(and hell VW vs. orsche, maybe just the status thing)
Test drove the X5 vs Cayenne. I felt the ride of the Cayenne to be much better/refined, and there were no deals to be had on X5, One nice thing about the X5 is there 5 years service(built into the price). Originally intended to purchase the X5, didn't think the Porsche was going to be in the same price point.

If I was going to do it again, would still come down to Cayenne vs X5. Too many X5's floating around..

So I have the Cayenne and I have to tell you....I LOVE IT! Pleasure to drive, feels like a sports car. Everything i would expect from a Porsche. Even my wife, who has no warm feelings for my 911, loves it. I truly believe that when comparing it to others, this vehicle is special... Would love to own the CTT, just didn't want pre-owned and wasn't spending the $$$ for new. Also, the **** has more than enough power.

dp35

What about a Lexus RX400h (hybrid)?
A 2006 RX400h with every option can be had used for $35K. These are close to the Cayenne S in acceleration, but I'm sure not close in terms of handling and driving pleasure.

BinNY

I went from a CS to a Lexus 400h. I hate, hate, hated it, but that is just me. The gas mileage was a joke, it also takes premium, it felt cheap and was very loud at speed. Off the line, it was about as fast as the CS and it had a ton of torque due to the electric motors. However, it handled poorly. I had an RX350 as a loaner and much preferred it. I sold my 400h after a year and got a used CTT (awesome power). However, I never had a problem with the Lexus. My CTT has left me stranded twice due to dead batteries. If it keeps up, I'm moving on -- but not to a Lexus. Anybody tried the new Mercedes E550? 0-60 in 4.9 sec. It also comes with AWD. I had an E320 4matic wagon I loved. It is hard to leave a CTT. One of my favorite cars was a Volvo 240 wagon. All 114 hp.

Acropora

Not sure why more folks don't consider a Mercedes. I was set to get a Tahoe just to buy American but the GL450 blew it away in the handling dept. It's been pretty trouble free so far.

jsdkms

Range Rover Supercharged sport for me mates!

cbryce

How about THE GTS?

ltc

Enough already.
There simply is no alternative to the Cayenne. None.
It is in a class all by itself, as a matter of fact, it defined the class.
Any other SUV is simply a waste of time and money.

M491

Believe it or not, having one child does not mean you automatically have to buy a truck/SUV or station wagon.

Your 7 lb. baby will fit fine in any of the millions of cars available today. And will continue to fit for many years.