...Until I see the infamous vehicle in the flesh. A full warts and all report to follow. I've already decided to pass on the vehicle anyway, but I'll try to be as fair as possible.

 

for me its T minus 4 hrs until i see the PepperPot in person

 

finally saw it in person. No way that interior will hold up to the rigors of family life. The X5 interior is definetly tougher and will last longer. Alot of little things will show wear very fast due to daily driving. Those center grab handles will be the bain of anyone with long legs. Also the weather stripping along the front B-piller will no doubt be worn away from people's jackets contantly rubbing against them. There are alot of wear points in the interior that I dont think Porsche put any thought into protecting. Much like the silver trunk pull levers in the pre 2000 996 and pre 2001 Boxster. Those levers took a beating from peoples feet. It took 3 to 5 yrs for Porsche to finally replace them. I dont think SUV people are going to want to constantly bring their truck to the dealership to have the sides of the driver's seat replaced or the door weather stripping replaced, or the leather on the center console and under the dash being repainted or replaced. The truck does appear solid. The doors make a nice thud when you shut them. The V8 sounds nice. But I expected more low end thunder from a V8. But it is a work of art! I would love to see this V8 in a Boxster. They could market it as a Mini Carrera GT. I saw more VW emblems on the pepper than I cared to see. The switches on the dash all remind me of VW (which isnt bad) but PAG should use their own stuff. Now im curious to see the Toureg up close. I think the Pepper will sell, But I dont think it will stand up to the rigors of daily driving and I really dont think that the SUV buyers are going to be willing to go without their SUV for a week at a time while parts are on order. THis happens withthe sports cars but a Boxster or 996 are different. Sports cars arent usually a persons sole transport. While an SUV usually is. I think the Peppers success will ultimatly lay in the hands of the dealer's service departments. If dealers play their old service games with SUV buyers as they do with their traditional customers. I think all hell will break loose for PCNA and PAG. Your going to start hearing things like, "Well My Lexus, RR or BMW SUV service department only needed my truck for 1 day to replace a fuel pump and they would take my SUV the same day I called and your telling that it would take a week before I can bring in the truck and another 5 days before the parts come and the techs get to it?,,,,,,Stuff like that wont be tolerated by the new Porsche SUV customer.
Its going to be interesting to see a study on how long it takes a Porsche dealer and a VW dealer to fix the same problem.
The Cayenne is a damn Nice SUV. Its still no superman of SUVs . Its certainly not a Porsche in terms of design. But in 3-5 yrs when the market is flooded with end of lease Peppers from disgruntled SUV leasees. I just might buy one.Its got bugs in it like the center console rotory switches that pop off in your hand. Very cheap material. Things like that. I hope that was a fluke. Also, if your tall and wide. You wont be too comfy. Also, the cargo area really is a joke.
Its a damn nice SUV, But its no where near perfect.

 

Robert, good points about day-to-day usage and eventful service issues - if this has reliability issues and long waits for parts...

How was the rear seat room with a 6 footer behind the wheel? Do tell more about the cargo area, can you fit 2 or 3 50/60 pound dogs, or 4 sets of clubs in the boot (not necessarily at the same time )?

 

im 6'9" so it was comical for me to even try. With me in the drivers seat the seat is pushed all the way back and the backrest was almost touching the front of the rear seat. If the person sitting up front is 5'4" then a 6' person should be able to sit with no problems. the back seat will be good sized for kids.

 

withthe spare tire inside. It will be too tight for two 60lb dogs. One would be hard enough withthe rears seats up.with the back seats folded down then there wont be much of a problem holding all the stuff. But, Now I know that the future success of the cayenne lays in the hands of the techs and parts supply. I can tell you that I have an SUV (91 ford explorer) and I would never kept it that long if my dealer contantly had parts problems or kept it longer than a day or two. Its my primary car. Frankly I dont think Porsche can match your average ford dealership in terms of speed of service. The sad thing is that now PAG is making SUVs. They are now in competition with every other SUV mfg'ers service department and I dont think PCNA dealerships are up to it. They are all run too lean. If I had to wait 5 days for a service appointment like I always do with my porsches for my Ford Explorer. I would have unloaded it years ago.

 

No I meant with rear seats down for passengers...and I take it with a 6 footer or larger at the wheel, there will be no leg room for a passenger behind the driver.

Hear 'ya on the service thing. This could be really big. I had a '91 Explorer - or as I begrudgingly called it the "Exploder", every wear item that could go - did. Some more then once. Ford fixed it back up quickly each time, but going back in every 6 months killed me.

Traded it for a Passat wagon in '97 and doubt I'll ever go back to an SUV again. Estates give me all the space I need and the road going manors I expect. With the allroad, if we need to go off on a little adventure (which we have done a couple of times now) we can.

Where did you see the P-fish?

 

i have one of the first 5 speed manual V6 4x4 1990 build Exploders with 178K miles.....the engine and tranny is rock solid I get about 17 to 18mpg. I must have got one of the good ones. Im afraid of selling it because Ive never had a daily driver with so few problems. My Boxster S with 16K miles has been in the shop more than my Exploder has in the last 6 yrs.....This is one reason why I dont think PAG service is upto the task of servicing this beast and satifying their new SUV buyers. I would have dumped my Boxster years ago if it was my sole form of transportation.

 

i saw it in L.A.

 

178K? Yep, I'd say if something was to go wrong it would have. Never had a problem with the engine or electrical, but the auto tranny went, the front transfer case (twice), oil/water/fuel pumps, radiator, and it ate front brakes, suspension pieces and exhaust systems constantly. Knew I should have bought the XLT, or Eddie Bauer, instead of the XL. <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

Thanks for the info and new thought (maintenance and parts) to chew on.

Happy New Year <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

 

just remember, all replacement parts are going to priced as porsche parts.

 

Speaking of which, what is the warrantee on this, and is it bumper-to-bumper? Reminds me of that old car wisdom of avoiding first year models...

Love my Audi warrantee, but the S4 just want past it this fall - rut, roh...