Hi everyone. I thought I’d share my initial impressions of my new 2011 Cayenne. Some context so you can relate (or not) to my comparisons and thought: unlike many who I’ve had the pleasure of reading over the last few months, I don’t have any prior experience with Porsche; my last few vehicles were a 01 BMW 330ci manual, 04 4Runner Sport, 07 BMW 530i, and most recently, a 08 Lexus GS350. I didn’t shop for any other SUV prior to making the purchase, but have driven an X5 and RR Sport in past, the 11 CS & C, and my wife’s RX350AWD. While there are rave reviews on the CS and CTT, there isn’t much feedback on the 6. I’m hopeful this is insightful and helpful to any prospective buyers of the V6.

Background…
I’ve always been an admirer of the Porsche brand from afar, but never thought I’d be an owner. I’ve traditionally been a BMW fan and was even more so after the 3, but my last year with the 5 left a scar that may keep me away from BMWs indefinitely. Going to the GS was circumstance, as the lease on the 5 was due, but no other car within reason was of interest. Additionally, there was a manufacturer to dealer incentive too good to pass up, so I “settled” on the GS I’ve been driving for the past 2 years, always feeling unsatisfied with a wandering eye. Once I caught a glimpse of the 2011 Cayenne in person and was able to test drive, I was sold. I tested the CS first, as the 6s weren’t on the lots yet. The beauty of the interior, updated exterior styling, handling, and feel of the drive, had me mesmerized. A month or so went by of hemming and hawing about the CS (it was a bit out of my desired price range) when a 6 hit the local dealership and I immediately went for a spin. Given a month or so had passed, I didn’t have a good comparison vs. the CS, but the test drive brought back those fond feelings. Sold. No more than 30 mins of drive time in either the 6 or CS, no highway driving. A little impulsive, yes, possibly… but I was “saving” at least $15k by not opting for the CS. J

The Order…
Spending the kind of money that these things cost, I wanted to get exactly what I wanted- no settling this time. Given that most of the incoming 6s were sold or selling at MSRP, I figured I’d custom order. After finding a dealer willing to work with me a little on price, I finalized the below order with the help of many of you on this forum- thank you. Ordered late Sept, locked in late Oct, build date scheduled for Dec 4, build completion on 11/29, boarded on vessel ~Dec 10, arrived at the dealer on 1/19 (in LA), delivered to me in Vegas on 1/22. I wavered on ext. color between White, Gray, and Silver, but am very happy with my final choice.

Cayenne Tiptronic
Classic Silver Metallic
Standard Interior in Black
TPMS
8spdTipS InclAutoStartStopFunc
Extended Range Fuel Tank
ExteriorPackageHigh-glossBlack
ElectricSlide/TiltSunroofGlass
Porsche Entry & Drive
19" Cayenne Turbo Wheel
Heated Front Seats
Servotronic
ParkAssist Front and Rear
Heated3-spokeMultifuncLeathrSW
14-way Power Seats-Memory Pkg
Non-smoker Package
Premium Package
Bi-Xenon Headlights with PDLS
Auto Dimming Interior Rearview
Automatically Dimming Exterior
PCM with Navigation Module

Initial Impressions… after 2+ days and a little more than 80 miles of driving.
Posting some random thoughts here, so please bear with me. Initially, I was overwhelmed with all the buttons. The PCM was nice, but it seems to stay where you last were- I’m used to my GS where it defaults back to the map. Multi-steering wheel controls seem somewhat complicated for simple tasks such as changing the radio stations- up/down or +/- seems more functional than the rolling wheel/click. However, love that both the PCM and MF wheel are customizable, as well as many of comfort features. The 14-way seats are very comfortable and snug (I’m 5’11, 180lbs), but I can see bolster wear due getting in/out. The base stereo is more than adequate for my ears, the iPod integration works well. Non-smoker package provides virtually useless ashtray replacements and the center console area is rather small. All in all, while there are a few short-comings, I’m pleased with the interior design, although it’s taking a bit of getting used to.

A review wouldn’t be a review with some comments on the drive. Simply put, it’s amazing. For a vehicle this size and weight, without any of the suspension upgrades and with just a V6 engine, I’m truly amazed with the handling, feel, and responsiveness. Taking corners and turns at similar speeds as I did with my GS, I feel much more in control in this obviously larger and heavier vehicle. The V6 engine, while not fast, provides ample acceleration, and hasn’t felt even the slightest bit sluggish during both city and highway driving (can’t say the same for our RX). I often find myself checking my speed, esp. as I’m passing everyone else on the road. The standard brakes seem to work efficiently without much effort, stopping the vehicle with relative ease. While this is a large and heavy vehicle, it somehow feels nimble and agile. The exhaust note is also nice to the ears- I’m definitely not used to anything like it.

So far, I couldn’t be happier… in just a short 2+ days, I can certainly see why Porsche owners are so loyal and passionate about the brand and their cars. Thanks again for all your input, you all have been a big help throughout the whole process.

 

Nice write up and thanks for posting. Too bad you can't drive it in sub zero temps and lots of snow and ice like we're having in the Northeast. Any regrets getting the 6 vs. the V-8 model? It looks real sharp and like you I love the interior, they did a nice job. Good luck and enjoy.

 

Looks great in classic silver with high gloss black option!

How do you like the entry and drive?

Thanks for the review.

 

You are a great man to put up with a Lexus for two years and absolutely deserve the pepper just for that. Kudos for ordering one and not settling for one on the lot which could have been a compromise to you.

I get goosebumps slw, those dates exactly mirror mine. Our Cayennes were twins for sure. Hopefully they had their best workdays. Probably same shift too. Mine also was Dec 4 then changed to 11/29 and loaded the same day. Wow...

Suspension upgrades, V8, turbo etc does not matter ...what matters is how amazed you truly feel ... whcih you are...that's what matters.

I take pride in congratulating you. Your pepper's twin is safely resting in my garage. OOps, she's crying ... got to go

 

Welcome to Porsche! Beautiful car and hope it continues to meet all your expectations. I'm enjoying reading the enthusiastic reports from the new owners like you and w00tPORSCHE. It gives hope to us remaining waiters that our day will come too.

 

sexy truck!

i swear so many options you never know what is what.. i swear that all the grilles were black on all models but your R&L grilles are body colored..(online says $1120 to paint the bars exterior color... so if the sides are stock, they charge $1120 for the 2 middle slats!).. i love the black trim, so glad i chose that..

as far as trim, im also frustrated the "black trim" doesn't affect the trunk trim piece... i will surely have the trunk and front grilles wrapped on mine matte black.

car looks great,

 

Really like the Classic Silver/Black combo.

It's a shame that the options aren't parallel for all Cayenne models. Premium package on the 6 skimps out on a lot of options (mainly PASM) compared to the 8 and so forth and so on once you opt for a Turbo over an 8. Interestingly, the Hybrid charges you a Premium over the S and a diesel is nowhere in siight. Frustrating options and pricing by Porsche! However, I suppose if one feels justified in paying the premium, then the point is mute.

The sweet spot on the 6, seems to be in ordering the conv pkg and taking on other options ala carte.

Outside of the option/pricing, the 2011 Cayenne is one heck of a ride!

In my test drive of the 6 w/o PASM w/19 inch wheels I felt all was adequate. Test drove an 8 w/o PASM and 18 inch wheels and swore that anything that I decided to order would at least have PASM. Cornering is a mixed bagdepending on your particular setup; however, PASM w/18's is bees knees and an absolut joy to use on the occassional off ramp!

Love the Cayenne in the 6 or 8; haven't test driven the hybrid and refused to subject myself to the agony of driving the turbo. Needless to say, I love your build; sweet and to the point!

Enjoy in good health!

P.S. I had to buy a model Cayenne, just so I don't get lonely during the time away from my Cayenne...yes, it's that bad.

 

way to go simon! great write up, and sweet photos too. glad to hear you're enjoying the new truck so much.

 

Thanks all for the kind words! Responses to the questions below.

None so far. One of my favorite lines... you don't know what you don't know. If I had spent more time with the V8, I'm sure I'd miss it. And if I had something comparable to the V8 in the past, the 6 certainly wouldn't be enough. I guess I have something to look forward to, as I doubt this will be my last dance with a Porsche.

I like it, although it's a bit different than what I've used in the past, but still well worth it IMO. I pasted a review I wrote on 6speed about it below.
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I have entry/drive on my 6 that I just got into yesterday. I've been a huge fan since having it on my BMW and Lexus. The implementation is a bit different- instead of a push button start for the ignition, there is a good sized plastic piece that protrudes out of the ignition hole that is about 1.5in long. A simple twist of the switch starts/stops the car. The switch is rather unsightly IMO, esp. given the beauty of the updated interior. One would think for $1k option, they could use something a little nicer. I haven't yet found that the plastic piece can be removed.

Additionally, it works differently than my BMW/Lexus. It opens the doors just the same, but in the BMW/Lexus, unlocking any of the passenger doors using the entry/drive would unlock all the doors, while the Porsche only unlocks the chosen door. Personally, I prefer the BMW/Lexus implementation because the reason why I got the entry/drive was to not bother with the key. It doesn't seem like this can be changed in the PCM without setting the door unlocking feature to always unlock all doors (which I don't necessarily want to do), but I'll need to dig into this more. Wonder if the programming can be changed by Porsche?
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- fyi, my dealer said the only way to program is through the PCM. I just set it to unlock all doors- does the trick.

Ha! The Lexus wasn't that bad, it did the trick until the Pepper arrived! And our Cayenne's are certainly related, let's do hope they had their best work week just before the holidays. Enjoying reading about yours as well!

The sides are stock, all the 6s come this way with the r&l grills color matched to the ext. Prefer it was all either black or color matched, but I suppose it doesn't bother me that much.

Nice! Hopefully reading about the rest of our experiences helps, I know it helped my wait!

 

I never understood what the high gloss trim was all about until now. Looks really good. Looks like our Cayenne's are very similarly equipped. I agree with the limited interior. Arm rest cubby gets tight with an iphone charger and ipod connected via usb in there. It also has an unnatural feel when the arm rest cover closes. You need to really put some pressure on it. Accidently crushed my sunglasses because of this. I wish the ashtray was at least shallow enough to use for parking money too. Overall I'm still very happy with my Cayenne. I try to downplay it as an overpriced Toureg but still get many compliments on my Porsche. Enjoy!

 

Agree with you on the center console cover- it doesn't close easily, I have to consciously ensure it snaps in, otherwise, it does not shut all the way. Minor annoyance I suppose...

 

Thanks for the review and the nice pics, love the silver.
I was wondering about E&D. Initially I had specced it but after talking to my salesman he gave me more details on how it worked. He said here in the UK he had sold only one C with it as ppl don't like the plastic key that 1. looks cheap and 2. is suboptimal when left parked in the street, looks like key is still in the ignition...
From his description, the plastic key can be removed and you can use your normal key instead, but that defeats the point. For me it was a no brainer as it works great on my Audi and BMW and I found it very useful but with the above set up I left off the list, for now...The brochure is misleading as it describes "To start or stop the engine, simply push the ignition button"
Picture below from dealer inventory of the key, note steering wheel on the wrong side

 

Thanks. And yes, that is exactly how it looks. Not the most pleasant sight given the beauty of the interior, but it still does the trick. Even though I'm not trilled with the way it looks, but I would order it again. Love the convenience.

 

Did you realize that the console arm rest has two positions? When it is latched down, it stays toward the rear, but when it is not latched you can slide it forward provided nothing is in the cupholders. Sorta cool...

 

I did not know, thanks. Interesting. That cup holder usually holds the cell phone, so not sure I'll get much use from that feature.