mpm '95 C4

It's ugly, butt ugly (at least they got the soccer mom right - she's so sporting...)

The doors are straight off the E wagon (as is the roof line and the 3/4 view forward). The A pilars are from the M class, the C pilar going into the gate is very X5ish. The 3/4 view rear is horid, (kind'a has that bad one-off stretch limo look, like the designers wanted to say, "look it even has real P-car flares back there").

And my favorite is that "fish-out-of-water" gasping for air catfish front end - which kinda sums up this thing...a dead stinking catfish lying at the side of the polluted SUV stream.

Only poseurs (and Porsche apologist) will buy it (but, that won't tarnish the brand now will it?), it's ugly, betcha it'll be too expensive, it's too late to the over sold SUV market, and it's ugly - already said but bares repeating...

Oh, and I loved the Boxster at first sight (glad the 911 has finally grown into it's own front end), fine with water cooling - just wasn't keen on the 996 body work when it showed up (but the new C4S is getting there), and even like 928s, and 944s.

My $0.02 (I think I'll go out and give the allroad a little pat on the rump)...

roschpe

I wouldn't be caught dead in a minivan, or station wagon - this thing looks to be a hybrid of both.

I'll stick to my Denali XL, thank you.

bloke

I am more open minded but it really doesnt look good. But then again pictures dont do justice. So, I will hold off my judgement till I see one in person. But, I would at least like the thing to be priced accordingly and not a huge markup vs the X5.

Well it is here so I guess just love it and embrace it.

M. Schneider

"It's ugly, butt ugly (at least they got the soccer mom right - she's so sporting)..."

The above sums it up for this Porsche customer.
There's an old saying that goes ... "Ya can't shine a sneaker" SUV's are what the are and there isn't a shape in world that alters the high center of gravity of these trucks.

My 993 Carrera S is looking better -n- better by the minute! OH ! It's a PORSCHE sports car I forgot.

George from MD

Maybe it'll look better in person. But I doubt it.

I was hoping the new 7 series (which I also think missed the mark) would look better in person. I was wrong.

Turby

George, I couldnt agree with you more. New 7 series MISS, I think this will be a miss too, but I will wait until I see one up close. Anyone else dissapointed in the new Lambo too? Kinda reminds me of a tuna fish.

RobertG

I think its ugly too. I also think that the marketing strategy is all wrong. They say that they are aming this at 42 to 47yr old males with porsches......but, all of the photos ive seen have girls driving it and that putz shwab says that its great for the alpha female / wife. Well, this is what I would have done to make the truck/station wagon more respectable. First, Ditch the name Cayenne. No one wants to be seen driving a fruit, or is that a vegetable? How many people that are buying this thing will opt for the name delete option?
I would name the truck/station wwagon, either, "DAKAR" or "BAJA" after the two more grueling offroad races around. Then, I would focus on its high speed offroad ability in its marketing strategy. I can see the commercial now. A guy is racing at some track in the desert in a 996 TT and for some reason he decides to just drive off the track and head for the hills. As soon as his wheels leave the road the 996 TT morphs into the Cayenne,,,yuk,,,,DAKAR Twin Turbo
I dont know but to me the Porsche DAKAR sounds a hell of alot better than the Porsche Cayenne.
WHo knows. If they named it the DAKAR or BAJA. They might have done a better design job. Personally, I dont know of one design engineer that likes to design any vehicle named after produce. Hey, Maybe Porsche should name their next car/truck/station wagon the Porsche Pickle. Because if this ugly brick on wheels doesnt sell. Porsche will be in a Pickle!

LastV8

I don't think there's an SUV out there that truly looks good. The most you can hope for really is that it looks tough purposeful.

Christer

Hopefully, it will not be known as the Porsche Lemon TT in a couple of years

Flying Finn

Anir

Wow, the opinions seem unanimous. I couldn't agree more:

- Timing's bad (late)

- Styling lacks character and cohesiveness. Maybe, Bangle is moonlighting at Porsche? (BTW, I've only seen a single new 7-series on the road around here, and it's been a major disappointment according to my friends at the local BMW dealership.)

- Name absolutely stinks - it would be truly embarassing to drive something called a "Cayenne". Is that name supposed to say that this vehicle and it's driver are "hot", or "burning up the road"? At least, BMW, Ferrari, and MB still understand the simple elegance and attraction of alphanumeric names.

- Marketing strategy is frankly bizarre, as Robert nicely pointed out - I haven't seen lines this feminine since the Lexus RX 300. If the soccer mom in the publicity photos is Porsche's idea of an alpha female...

- The CEO talks incessantly about accounting type issues, and pays weak lip service to core enthusiast ideals and Porsche's outstanding racing heritage. I can't even bring myself to open Christophorous anymore (the content is almost enough to make me ashamed to be a 34-year old professional).

- I can't help but think that the recent failure to introduce the car as expected (in the flesh) is indicative of a major trip back to the drawing boards. Porsche is obviously defensive and concerned about this venture, despite their feigned confidence. They should be worried. The value of a brand takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to create, but can be lost relatively quickly.

Personally, I love some non-911 models like the 928, but there hasn't been a Porsche that set my heart racing since the 993. I'd rather have a 356 than any of the new models. And, we recently bought an E46 M3, so it's not like I don't like new designs, if done well.

Porsche, are you listening?

ked

Anir, your points are thought-out, and reprise the position of the many naysayers posting about the C.

I submit that very few of the critics can honestly number themselves as "a serious prospect" for the C or for a C-type vehicle. The pattern of purist angst has morphed, now the problems w/ the C, as you enumerated, are about the...
- introduction schedule
- styling (where's that PininFarina SUV for comparision?)
- name
- Porsche's market strategy
- the (dumb, sob) boss
- the "inside game" at PAG

given that these are points being raised ostensibly by those who claim to care more about the driver's experience than anything else, it perplexes me that NONE of these issues have to do with the C as a machine, and how it achieves its purpose - one of many flavors of high performance personal transportation.

It may turn out as a bomb or a jewel - I don't yet know (I'm no apologist, if it turns out to be junk, then so be it & I'll say so - when judgement is based upon personal experience), but the issues listed in many posts are the LEAST relevant to this Porsche driver.

Given what you own & drive, I find it hard to believe these criteria were uppermost to you when you made those selections.
rgds...
ked

Flying Finn

Absolutely worst thing by far is that it is not a sports car! <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" />

Porsche should only be building sports cars, period.

Anir

[quote]Originally posted by Kevin E Davis:
<strong>It may turn out as a bomb or a jewel - I don't yet know (I'm no apologist, if it turns out to be junk, then so be it & I'll say so - when judgement is based upon personal experience), but the issues listed in many posts are the LEAST relevant to this Porsche driver.

Given what you own & drive, I find it hard to believe these criteria were uppermost to you when you made those selections.
rgds...
ked</strong><hr></blockquote>

Kevin,

Thanks for your articulate post. Actually, I may not represent the true Porsche or sports car enthusiast, because issues like interior / exterior styling and aesthetics mean as much to me as the performance of the vehicle. I spent a year searching for a 993TT with a full leather / carbon fiber interior, and would not purchase a Z06 (or probably a Viper, FTM) simply because of the shoddy interior quality.

I hope that doesn't convey the message that performance is not important to me. Of course, it is or we wouldn't use an E46 M3 as our family hauler. And I routinely take my 993TT to the track. However, there are so many excellent performance choices out there, that it's simply not enough (for me, at least) to have a machine that goes fast in a straight line. Especially at these prices.

Ideally, a car should also have soul and beautiful, emotional lines, like a Ferrari. Or neat technology, like the SMG-II transmission and 8,000 redline of the 6-cylinder engine in the E46 M3. Or a special interior, like a Bentley, etc, etc.

If I ever buy an SUV, it will be to haul a track car, and I'll stick to some traditional American offering like a Silverado, F-150, or Dodge (trucks that still look like a truck). However, I do like the BMW X5 from among the new age SUVs - it's got attractive styling, IMO, and performance.

Am I alone? Isn't it really the looks of a car that sets much of the initial attraction? Can performance totally make up for an ugly design for the other p-car enthusiasts out there? From the pictures, the Cayenne would have to possess a heck of a lot of performance to make up for its name and appearance.

George from MD

Anir, I think you're my clone. Not only do I completely agree with your posts I too was convinced I had to buy an american (F150/Tahoe etc.) tow vehicle and agreed to consider an X5 only because I liked the looks, have a virtually error free 528 and, of course, the wife insisted on the damn thing.

Well it tows like a dream, it's been relatively trouble free, it's a hoot to drive when I'm not towing and I couldn't imagine Porsche ever providing the level of support and service that BMW does- in my area (DC) it's not even close. It's bound to be worse in rural areas.

Would I ever consider a Cayenne? No- it's butt ugly, the dealer support isn't there, from my understanding it will be overpriced and by the time it finally arrives I will have owned an x5 for almost two years. So all I can say is why should I? Because it's half a second faster to 60? To keep Porsche independent? Because I own their sports car?

Mr. Schwab you not only haven't convinced me, you're not even close- and your arrogance about the situation is simply aggravating.

Signed,
Statistically Perfect Target Buyer

PS: I think the Dakar name is a brilliant idea.