Joseph O'Reilly

Basic specs of my test car were:
Air suspension with PASM, but no PTV+
19in Cayenne III wheels with Dunlop 265/55 winter tires
Umber full leather with 14 way comfort seats, panorama roof. Bose, multifunction steering wheel, tinted rear windows
Grey with standard alu trim, no roof-rails, quad exhaust pipes

Test route started with rural roads, forest mountain roads, snowy and bumpy trails, limited access paths. Next the autobahn for high-speed impressions. Finally picked up my 3yr old boy (he loved his part of the test drive) and then my wife for some city driving where I sought out some unrepaired streets to further test the suspension.

First impression of the interior was the panoramic roof. Highly recommended for anybody planning to have passengers, or dark color leather. Makes the interior much airier and brighter versus when the shade is closed. And it’s huge. Just love the interior overall. Compared to the exterior changes, it’s the interior that makes the big leap forward from the previous gen.

The engine is not as quiet and unnoticeable as reported in several reported tests. It sounds good, more old muscle car v8 than diesel, and was even too loud for my taste at full acceleration. Add a fair amount of wind noise above 70mph, so glad I got noise insulated glass if it will reduce the inside volume vs the test car. No squeaks or rattles.

Played with every conceivable ride height and suspension setting over the test, and I really couldn’t tell the difference most of the time between comfort and sport, which is a compliment regarding handling, but I was expecting to feel more difference across the settings driving in town. Still, the air/pasm set up probably contributed to the tight, controlled handling on back roads and around corners. There are no steel-sprung testers, ever, for comparison, so can’t say for sure. The car did not have PTV+, yet it cornered and steered brilliantly. Steering was surprisingly heavy at low speeds so I have to check whether it had the Servotronic plus. Either way, this would indicate you should get the Servotronic plus.

Tested the brakes and AWD on snow, ice, and uneven snowy trails. Even without engaging the offroad settings, there was little slippage and I had no trouble controlling the direction. Credit the tires too? I can believe that this beat the competition (new RR?) in a winter driving test. However, after performing so well in snow, on bad trails, in corners and in the twisties, I struggle to see the need for PTV+. Too late to delete it from my order, so I will eventually find out what it can do.

Brakes were a bit hard but worked well.

The power? It’s there, but the delivery is so smooth, it left me both underwhelmed and impressed at the same time. Underwhelmed because I didn’t feel the kidney-shoving acceleration I expected from 627 lb-ft of torque, but impressed because whenever I would look at the digital speed readout, I was going way faster than I thought. Going from 80-120 miles (not kilometers) per hour, is a close to instantaneous affair, and except for a bit of engine noise, a relaxed and controlled experience too. What really surprised me is what happens when flooring the pedal from 30mph or so. There is a slight delay (turbo lag as the transmission kicks several gears lower?) and then the chassis tips up as the weight shifts back and the engine emits an angry (annoyed?) roar- the closest to an automotive equivalent of kicking your horse with stirrups that I ever experienced. If I were in a steel-sprung version, this vertical launching effect would make me think it was due to the lack of “self leveling” air suspension, but the tester had A/S, and did the same thing in low with PASM on sport, in high with PASM on comfort, and all settings in between. Fun, but surprising.

In conclusion, thought the grey looked dull, the umber was nice at first but grew old during the test drive (wife had same impression), seats were uncomfortable at first but once I put the thigh bolster back in (I am only 5’10”) they were fine (so could have stayed with the standard 8 way seats in retrospect, but maybe the 18 ways I ordered are better?). Saw another S Diesel in the showroom- black metallic/black full leather, 18way seats, 20in Spyder wheels, quad exhaust…looked amazing (let’s say “3 times better” than the grey/umber tester) so am still relatively happy with dark blue on order but nervous about the beige. The Bose was excellent but takes up space under the trunk liner. Did not miss the LCAs on my test drive, did not think the multifunction wheel was so important versus the “stalk”.

For those who care, I got 8.7l/100km (around 27 US mpg?) during my 120km test drive through all kinds of conditions…much better than expected. The start/stop didn’t bother me, and maybe it helped economy a bit. It did seem to get real thirsty during bouts of hard acceleration, of course.

steve_Cayenne

Great review Joseph, 8.7l/100km is insane if you were pushing it during a test drive!!!

I agree with many of your comments from my experience, even though I have a V6.

RESP

Thanks for the comprehensive review Joseph!
How long till you get the Cayenne you ordered?

philg3

I ordered the same color combo -- dark blue metallic / beige; CD should be built this week. Haven't seen a Cayenne with this color combo, there was a 911 at the dealer with it, and it looked great. Last weekend, I finally had the opportunity to test drive a CD -- very happy with it. This one had white exterior / beige interior. Looked OK, but glad I ordered the dark blue metallic; not the white. The beige has a nice shade to it, and was not too bright -- reflections in sunlight not a problem, and the dark blue should tone it down even more. At this point, I'm 99% convinced it's a good choice for me; hope it works for you too.

rijowysock

v8 Diesel? what engine is used? i heard they are to be offering v6 and v8 TD...but had not seen the specs yet for the V8.

very interesting changes to come, especially with the new "S" TT6.

so we'll have:

base gas 6 and 6TD
S TT6 and 8TD and gTS
and then TT8, and TTs8

sounds like the cayenne is becoming the "carrera" with 15 variants.

steve_Cayenne

For those Americans/Canadians who have not heard of this wonderful V8 diesel, need to look to the European Porsche sites for specs ... or some good magazine reviews mostly in German.

http://www.porsche.com/uk/models/cay...enne-s-diesel/

Now to petition Porsche to bring this beast across the ocean!

Joseph O'Reilly

Two months. Orders placed today get August delivery. Demand is very high here for the Diesel S. I'm excited. Thing drives like it's on rails and has real good pick-up.

As for the fuel consumption on the test, I drove it hard only about 30-40km out of the 120, the rest I was either in town or coasting/going slowly telling stories to my son or splitting my attention with the PCM/PASM/multifunction wheel etc. I am guessing 20-22mpg would be more likely over a longer period.

Forgot to mention the tester had PCM but no back-up camera. The camera was missed as the view out the rear is quite limited and the parking sensors only warned of obstacles a couple times when they were extremely close- almost too late. But other times they worked with lots of advanced warning. So the camera would serve at a minimum as a "back up system" for the parking sensors.

BTW, saw two more grey Cayennes and they looked a lot better than the tester. The silver and grey are helped by the darkened tail lights and the 21" 5 spoke or 20"RS spyder wheels, IMO.

My son says he "loves it" and got a kick out of the acceleration...but when we got back to the dealer, there was a 928 S4 parked by the entrance and he says "Papa, now THAT's a beautiful Porsche". Love it.

Joseph O'Reilly

Thanks, that is good to read, especially about the reflections. The sales brochures here have a warning about the beige dashboard causing reflections in the windshield, so I expect to notice some reflection. Good luck with the build and with getting a prompt delivery. And be sure to post pictures! I saw a blue/beige Cayenne parked in a garage here a few months ago and it looked very elegant. I think that the blue is a nice one- rich but with no purple hue.

Joseph O'Reilly

Saw a Panamera in dark blue with beige in person. Looked very elegant in that color combo, but the beige dash definitely makes a bright reflection on the windshield- of course that is the Pana which should have a flatter windshield and thus more of a reflection issue.

philg3

Mine was completed this week and I'm taking it - Dark Blue / Beige and all. When I test drove the White / Beige last week, I didn't notice a reflection, but then I wasn't really looking for one, and was wearing sunglasses which may have mitigated any reflection. I haven't seen any reflection warnings in any US literature / brochures, nor any complaints / comments on this board. Surely, some of you must have a beige interior. How's it working for you?

Normally, I like a black interior, because nothing shows. I had a similar Blue/Beige color scheme on a BMW 528e in the early 80's and liked it; that's why I'm going in that direction this time. Maybe there was a reflection on the 528e, but I didn't notice then, probably won't notice now. My wife had an eClass Mercedes with beige interior a few years back, and reflection wasn't an issue on that one either.

Cayennes have been available with beige interiors from day one, and I don't recall reflections a big issue.

speed21

Great review Joseph. I'm surprised you were left a little underwhelmed with the acceleration though. How would you say it compares with the V6 TDI's acceleration from the get go? Much of a difference? I personally found the V6 TDI had quite a bit of shove after the slight initial lag.

I was told last week my dealer will have a V8DS available for test drive in about 2 weeks time so can't wait to get behind the wheel and put one through its paces. Don't worry about not being able to ditch the PTV+. I'm told it really is a very worthwhile option that you will feel even though the car handles very well without it. It's a box i ticked as well so hopefully it will deliver for the $ spent.

My V8DS order is due for delivery mid June so it's exciting times ahead! My build is: Metallic Black with black full leather, 18 ways with memory pack, Aluminium brushed interior trim package, S/Chrono pack, Comfort lighting, PCM with TV tuner, blue tooth, LCA, Reverse camera with front and rear parking sensors, Bose, Auto dimming mirrors, exterior high gloss black trim package with roof rails, panoramic sun roof, 21" turbo 11 wheels with wheel arch extensions, Bi - Xenon PDLS with black surrounds, tinted rear tail lights, Servotronic, PTV plus, and many other options which are standard equip for the Aus model S.....

You also mentioned the quad exhaust? Is it a proper sports exhaust or just the quad tips on the standard system? In the option list it only shows the squarish looking quad tips.....

Joseph O'Reilly

I think you have chosen an amazing build for your diesel S. The diesels only offer the option of quad tips on the standard system- no proper sports exhaust is available.
Am eager to read your impressions after test driving in two weeks. As I mentioned, the power is there, and the acceleration from high speeds to very high speeds is brilliant, but the V6 TDI felt just as responsive to my foot as the V8 TDI...maybe even more so at low speeds. From a standstill, the V8 feels far more powerful and fast, but when the (ZF?) automatic is in 7th gear going 60kmh (!) and you floor it, there is a noticeable delay as the box downshifts multiple gears and the engine takes a deep breath before delivering its impact. Also mentioned my surprise at how the chassis pitched up so significantly when going from a slow cruise to full throttle. The only other time I felt that was in a 1980 911SC- i thought the front wheels were going to leave the ground when flooring it.
Bottom line, the dynamics were fantastic, the engine is extremely powerful and smooth, but the throttle is a lot less jumpy than our X3 SD (286hp/435lb-ft) and thus at lower speeds you may not notice much difference vs the V6 TDI. If you want the back of your passengers' heads slamming the head rests on up shifts, not sure any Cayenne can do that anyway.

speed21

Thanks. It's sure costing me a packet though...gulp. The only thing that worries me a bit is the fact the car will see a face-lift 12 months out from the time i take delivery. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the current tail light design and i'm sure the gen 2 will get more attractive tail lights. Then the front end gets a redesigned grille, bumper and headlights with a double strip of daytime running led lights, possibly like what the GTS has. Then I'm sure any kinks in the new V8DS engine and suspension will get ironed out along with (maybe) a power bump and, the addition of more no cost options which usually happens as the model cycle enters the final phase. I'm told 2017 is when the next iteration is due for sale. So yes no matter what you do you always wind up swallowing a bigger pill than planned. I still believe the diesel cayenne's will hold more attraction and value in the second hand market than their petrol counterparts...so there's an up side.

You mention the wind noise was quite bothersome? I've never driven one of these cars on the motorway at constant high speed so am interested in this feedback. Is the wind noise coming from the mirrors? The sound insulated glass is quite an expensive here at 3K. Have you driven a car with the sound proof glass?

Joseph O'Reilly

Sorry, I haven't tested a car with the sound isolated windows. The wind noise wasn't bothersome, I just noticed both wind and motor noise which I wasn't necessarily expecting, given reports I had read about how quiet the cabin is and how hard it is to hear the exhaust note of the V8 diesel. My dealer, who has been steering me away from a lot of options he said weren't really necessary, has said this one is worth it as it delivers a noticeable reduction in cabin noise. Not surprisingly, he said buyers opting for the Burmester stereo also get this option so that they can notice the sound quality of the music. This makes sense to me, although I haven't tested either the isolated glass or the Burmester personally.

The noise and temperature isolated glass was a 1225 euro option. Just the rear window and back glass tinting would have cost 430 euro, so I went the extra 800 for the chance at a quieter cabin for music, carrying on conversations/phone calls, etc. Living in Oz (hot and sunny) and having opted for the Bose (which I thought was excellent on my test drive), it would seem to be a sensible option for you to add. If you are fussy about potential repair issues down the road, I understand the optional windows are powered by the same motor as the normal ones although the isolated ones are twice as heavy.

Do you get the rear window tinting as standard in Oz?

Separately, as you are going ALL black and getting the biggest wheels and extensions, the quad tip exhaust would fit nicely. The standard one looks a little Lexus/Mercedes, or?

blazing928

yes, every day I walk through my garage I think the same!!



thanks for the review