Beats the Cayenne hands down in nearly every category.

See:
<a href="http://www.smiley.net/fx45/" target="_blank">http://www.smiley.net/fx45/</a>

For more details.
<a href="http://www.smiley.net/fx45/" target="_blank">Check out Monique!</a>

 

It is a nice SUV but it sure can't beat the Cayenne in towing with a paltry 3500 pound limit. I was sad to find that out the other day I had been hoping it would be much higher.

 

I've wondered about that, then I realized that we've never towed anything with our last two vehicles so equipped so I didn't worry about it. I would think with 315HP and 330ftlbs of torque that it would tow more than 3500lbs, so maybe it has something to do with the two bracket (which is an add-on) as opposed to the actual power of the car. Then again for people who really need to tow something, get a diesel pick-up truck...

 

Ken, I am also intrigued by this car. I don't have any towing needs for the foreseeable future, take my mountain bike not my cars for serious off-roading, and want sure-footed (4wd) and relatively nimble family transportation. I want enough power and handling to be able to drive away from trouble and through any form of inclement weather. I'm going to see one in the next couple of weeks to see if the styling holds up in person. It certainly looks the part!

 

John,

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, we took the car to our Porsche club meeting today and everyone was crawling all over it and several members now want one, including someone with a deposit down on a Cayenne which they are getting back. Infiniti hit a home run with this vehicle!

I'll post some more pics later, took a few at our meeting today as well.

 

I can't see Porsche people switching to an Infinity instead of the Cayenne. I don"t see a lot of Boxster S people thinking about buying a Honda S2000 saving 30 grand for about the same performance.

 

You don't see Boxster S people switching to an S2000 because the Boxster S is a better car inside and out and has similar performance. The FX45 is a better car inside and out than the Cayenne and has better performance with the exception of the turbo Cayenne. Seems like a no brainer to me, but if people want to buy Cayenne just for the name, hey another $20K+ will get them that...

When other FX's start showing up at our Porsche club meetings I'll let you know...

 

Ken, the FX is ugly in my opinion. I stopped by the local dealership to check it out. Believe me, Cayenne is WAY better. I have seen and sat in both. Only driven a Cayenne, not the FX.

 

There are a lot of people that think the S2000 is just as good as a Boxster S but will go with the Boxster because it says "Porsche" and don't have a problem spending another 30 grand. It would also seem like a "no brainer" to save 30 grand and go with the Honda but Porsche people don't. There is NO WAY a FX45 is in the same league as a Cayenne just as I believe there is no way a S2000 is in the same league as a Boxster. I really don't see the logic of saying my Boxster S is worth another 25-30 grand over a S2000 but a Porsche Cayenne is not worth the 15-20 grand over the FX45.

 

I think the real competition for the P-fish will be the T-egg (value buyer segment), the Rover (luxury buyer segment) and the X5 ('mines a Bimmer' for the Brad & Muffy buyer segment ).

This FX45 is way too 'FX' for my tastes...

 

denhat,

How can you say that the FX is not in the same league as the Cayenne?

It's faster.
It pulls more G's on the skid pad
It brakes quicker
It has more passenger room
It weighs less
It gets better gas mileage

(granted the Turbo Cayenne changes this in some aspects but I am comparing FX45 vs. Cayenne S)

Looks both Exterior and Interior are subjective. Some people like the looks of a S2000 over a Boxster S just as some will like the Cayenne over the FX45 (I find that hard to believe but hey to each their own).

The Cayenne is another box on wheels, ala the X5 and many other SUV's. Porshce could have done so much beter with it, but didn't. I'm sorry, but I've been all over the Cayenne and I was disappointed with it and I too love all things Porsche.

When you get to options it isn't even close:

Nav System - FX wins hands down
DVD Entertainment system - again FX
Stereo - Again FX
Laser guided Cruise control - again FX
Rear backup camera - again FX
Intelligent key - again FX

Other things of interest:
Wind noise - Cayenne is louder
Exhaust Note - subjective, but I liked the FX better.

Now the Cayennes DOES have some things over the FX

Towing capacity 7700 vs. 3500
Wading Depth 19" vs. unknown
Air suspension loading/unloading vs. not

My point is what do most people use? Wading depth? Towing capacity or a good cruise control and awesome Nav system? A good stereo or air loading?

Like I said, looks are subjective, but performance coupled with useable options is what we were looking for and the Infiniti FX45 had the Cayenne beat hands down.

Warranty - 4yr 50K on FX45, and I couldn't find the warranty info on the Cayenne but I think it might be the same.

Sure posting something like the FX is better than the Cayenne on Rennlist is going to get you shot at as saying something sacreligious, but anyone who thinks the Cayenne beats the FX hands down isn't doing their research.

BTW, I can easily justify the $18K difference between a Boxster S and Honda S2000, but I'll save that for another thread. In the end it is about what is important to you, what your needs and wants are. The Cayenne simply didn't satisfy our needs and wants nearly as well as the FX45 did. YMMV.

Just don't bury your head in the sand and dismiss the FX45, it's a great car.

 

Ken,

The minor difference's that you list are insignificant compared to the one big difference between the two. The Cayenne can be a somewhat true off road vehicle. The FX cannot. One reviewer commented that the FX suspension, tires and wheels were not suited for "off road" and described the ride as a "cocktail shaker". Now this might not be important to you but to a lot of people it will be,not because they will use it off road but because they can.

Although the FX is the better vehicle for you it is not the better vehicle in many situations.

As far as the justification for the Boxster S over the S2000, heck I have been able to justify buying every Porsche model over the last 20 years. It's not based in logic or the Porsche model was the best value for the money, its based in the name Porsche.

 

That review of the FX saying Cocktail shaker is a crock, it has a better ride than our old RX300, I wouldn't put much stock in it. Have you driven the FX yet? I don't anticipate taking the FX off road, same for 99.9% of all SUV buyers. If you need real off-road capabilities, go buy a Jeep Rubicon...

 

The "cocktail shaker" as mentioned in my reply was under "off road" conditions and given the platform the FX45 is based on sounds accurate. I'm not sure where you got the 99.9% number for off road SUV's but I think its about the same percentage of people who drive Boxsters at 150 plus. The reason the Cayenne is in the 60 plus price range is the ability to offer performance,car like drive and off road capabilities all at a very high level. It's the same logic, different reasons a Boxster S cost over 50 grand and a Honda S2000 cost 30 grand.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva"> I think the real competition for the P-fish will be the T-egg (value buyer segment), the Rover (luxury buyer segment) and the X5 ('mines a Bimmer' for the Brad & Muffy buyer segment ).
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">can you elaborate on the brad & muffy buyer segment?