Firebird2

Hi guys,

Thought I would give you my first impressions on the Diesel Cayenne after taking it for a test drive yesterday.

Was standard build for Aussie, only option was 21" wheels. Note Aussie build come std with may options like PCM, Driver seat memory option, park Assist to name a few.

On the plus side....

Amazing power, I could not tell it was a diesel. I currently drive a V6 Navara (Frontier) that has about 220kw, this felt as quick as that. You have to keep an eye on the speed otherwise you really just do not know how fast you are going. Took it on the open road (100kph), simulated a pass by planting the foot, kicked down and before I could look we were doing 120kph. At 100kph the engine was sitting on 1600RPM

Ride. Ok. It did not have PASM which I will be ordering.

On the negative side.

Noisy, but not from the engine but the tyres. When you reved the engine you could hear it, but not when cruising. Will test drive one with the 255/55/18.

Also as mentioned the ride was ok, I expect it to improve with high profile tyres and PASM set to comfort. Hopefully PASM will provide the same handling as the test car when set to sports mode.

Visibility - As my wife is short, she found that the she could not see the hood, and I have to admit that visibility via the rear view mirror was limited. Headrests on the rear seats get in the way, plus the mirror is a interesting shape. I am sure they do this so that we buy Park Assist and Rear View Camera.

On the fun side, we got to see the glass house roof (Panoramic), looks nice but in Aussie it would be like sitting in a greenhouse during summer. We can hit 100-120F in summer, even with the sun shade you would fry. Mind you I am not a big fan of sunroofs, most modern cars are not designed to have things like windows etc open when driving. My two previous cars I had sunroofs and never used as they were simply too noisy. Only time I used them was when I was parked to help keep the car cooler.

Almost finalised the build, just down whether to go Black or Jet Black, Stainless Steel Front Apron or not, Seat Heating and comfort lighting package.

Metallic Paint
Bi-Xenon lighting system incl. Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS)
Reversing camera including Park Assist front and rear
Trailer coupling without removable ball joint
Porsche Active Suspension Management
Active Sports Seats with18 Way Seat Adjustment
Roof Rails
Automatic Dimming Mirror
Floor mats
Comfort Lighting Package
Stainless Steel Skid Plate - Front
Seat Heating
Non-smoker package
Deletion of Model Designation

Cheers

mt-sfo

thanks for your impressions. wish we had the option of getting the diesel here in the US.

I bet the 21" wheels had a negative effect on the ride. smaller wheels/bigger sidewall should equal a more forgiving ride.

Nemic

Thanks for the report.

What wheels did you order?

I ordered a Diesel the other day and I am not sure what wheels to choose. The 20-inch RS Spyder's look interesting, but I have not seen many choices "in the flesh".

I was very impressed with the performance of the Diesel.

amfp

Thanks for taking the time with your insights.

"Visibility - As my wife is short, she found that the she could not see the hood, and I have to admit that visibility via the rear view mirror was limited. Headrests on the rear seats get in the way, plus the mirror is a interesting shape. I am sure they do this so that we buy Park Assist and Rear View Camera."

Even with seat raised to max, the visibility in front and rear are questionable? Seems Cayenne missed the mark on that for shorter drivers. Cameras should be secondary choice, not first mandatory choice, unless we were driving a bus.

Firebird2

Here is the 18" Std Wheel that comes on the Cayenne V6 and TDI.


I heard a rumor that Porsche would be releasing the diesel in the USA.

JFScheck

We do - it just has a VW logo on it...