alexb76

Ok, so after many years of living with only a 911, I now have the need to add a larger car, and Cayenne fits the bill.

I have the following questions:

- New vs. CPO? Is there any reason to get these new?
- Cayenne S or not? HP is not that important to me, but it looks like "S" might not be a bad value with better engine, almost the same MPG, PDK included and few more standards features (although I can't exactly know which those are, is PASM included)?
- Must have options?

To me, one buys Cayenne ONLY to get the better performance/handling vs. Touareg, Audi... so it's kind of sucks that performance options are so freaking expensive! Options like PDK, PDCC, PASM, Air Suspension and Torque vectoring... do those even matter?

Thanks

Slow Guy

Cayenne can't have PDK (towing limitations), you'll have to go with a Macan for PDK.
Do you need the interior size of the Cayenne (or towing capability)? If not, take a serious look at the Macan.

alexb76

Oh ok, the Auto transmission then. Well, I think Macan would be great as an in-between, but I think to compliment a 911, Cayenne is a better option as I mostly need it when I have to move stuff around or on long trips. Not sure how much smaller Macan is, albeit to me it looks WAY BETTER!

tgavem

Roof rails, can't be installed after market.

DWPC

Turbos.

Irisheyes

PDCC. Without it would be a deal breaker for me. Once you go turbo, you can never go back. So if you have your heart set on an S, DON'T test drive the turbo!

philg3

If you go with new -- Diesel is good value price / performance wise, and Premium Plus Package gets you nice features, and for sound go with Bose -- not great but better than base sound. Towing package could come in handy. It's all personal preference, but I've found the base suspension just fine -- I'd skip the PDCC, PASM, just from a cost prioritization standpoint coupled with resale value considerations -- I say that knowing that I risk the handling contingent may come out in force defending those options.

PCA1983

For me, I have to have one of the V8 models. >400 Hp is very sweet in the Cayenne. Diesel has some disadvantages including cost of fuel, if you live in the USA. I also want the heated and ventilated seats, even tho I live in Central FL. They are needed if you travel and for good resale. Same for the tow pkg. It is cheap but we'll help when you sell because these are super SUVs for towing and a lot of used Cayenne buyers look for the tow pkg. There are a lot of Porsche buyers who travel for their purchases to find the right car, so you have to think about that when considering the heated and cooled seats. The Bose pkg is very nice also, and a lot of folks want that extra pizzazz for their music.
Also, I would consider hunting for a nicely optioned used 2011+ GTS or Turbo. They typically offer a while lot of extra goodies and bang for the buck, compared to buying a new Diesel or S, and are just as up to date, design-wise. JMHO...

69gaugeman

If HP doesn't matter the Touareg is WAY better value. I just sold my Treg because I bought a Turbo. The only one I would by over the VW. Also air suspension is a must have for me. Being able to auto level when towing makes a BIG difference in driveability.

tmack2012

Hi there, good position to be in. I have a moderately loaded 2013 CD, my recommendations will mirror my particular configuration, but I think looking at it from a resale standpoint, as others have pointed out, as well as personal use I think is a good way to look at it. Sorry for the long reply, this is turning into a review of all the options in my config.

Along those lines, roof rails (as they can't be added after the fact) although people would argue it upsets the clean look of the vehicle. I don't think it makes much difference in the look, you can take them out visually depending on the vehicle/rail color you choose and people use these vehicles for practical purposes. Tow hitch is apparently more expensive to add after the fact. I have one, hardly tow at all, but use it for hitch-mounted bike rack.

Agree with previous ventilated seat option; I wouldn't buy another car without it and the previous point made about buyers coming from out of your geographical area is a good one. We have premium plus, which bundles a lot of common options I guess at a slight discount.

I have PASM on steel springs (20" RS Spyder in summer, 18" Cayenne S III in winter). Kind of a weird combination, by the looks of the forum. Long story, but we have had bad experiences with reliability with our '09 MB GL Bluetec air springs, so didn't want this potential complication. Sounds like reliability for other brands' air springs, incl. Porsche is apparently less of an issue. I currently have a stripper base Cayenne gasoline V6, only option is panoramic roof and the ride on base steel suspension is fine. I really only got PASM to open the door to possible 21" wheel upgrade down the road (my sales guy recommended PASM I think for >20" rims).

In retrospect, you could go for both (PASM + air) or neither. I guess the towing guys like the auto-levelling. I've never ridden on the air springs, particularly back to back to compare with steel. Some people on this forum swear by the air. Depends what your wants/needs are.

My loaner has base stereo. OMG awful. Theory on Bose I've read is that, because it's not great, go Burm or nothing. Not sure I agree with that now that I've had 2 weeks with the base stereo. It is truly bad, esp. on a vehicle of this calibre. The Bose is fine. Having a bit of Burmester - remorse but it is really expensive and doesn't appear to be commonly optioned. Resale-wise I'm not sure if many people would insist on this, it would be more a personal use thing. You'd have to have a good audio source, though - on this line - does anybody use FLAC audio files? Maybe I'm behind the curve, but should learn how to use FLAC to get the most out of the Bose.

We have Espresso natural leather - priciest single option on my build, as explicitly pointed out by my sales guy when we were running through my final config. Could've gotten Air springs (about $2400 CDN upgrade over just the PASM) or Burm. On my base Cayenne loaner, the leather (don't want to offend people) is... different. I don't understand the "full leather" upgrade (dash, door side panels covered in leather?), seems like an intermediate choice. Leather quality for natural leather I think is different. It does fairly transform the interior. Not necessarily sure I'd do it again, maybe would have tried full leather instead.

I like LCA. D pillars are all curvy, great for looks, but LCA is helpful. I've had it previously on VWAG product (A5). It works well, no major probs. with false positives/negatives.

Pano roof really opens up interior. Could be a bit of a liability down the road with squeaks etc, from what some people say.

Rims - personal pref.

Oh yeah - Entry and Drive. Our last 3 cars have had them. Not having it on loaners, well they should add pins to the loaner fobs, to insert into your eye as you fumble for the key (holy first world problem, batman). Think it was a $1200 option. Wouldn't get another car without it, so convenient.

Short answer - roof rails, ventilated seats, Bose or better, Entry and Drive, LCA, some kind of leather upgrade.

Oh yeah - V8 (or turbo V6 replacement like on Panamera, if it's coming to Cayenne), incl V8 diesel S if it comes to N.A. V6 diesel is a good compromise, but I'm finding it heavier on the front end compared to the base V6 gas which feels more nimble. The super fuel economy of CD is somewhat superfluous for me, and diesel's pretty pricey right now. Apart from low end grunt and effortless urban driving (which I hear for my CD would be more comparable to the GTS according to some) it doesn't rev, obviously, and runs out of steam on higher speed highway passes. May be a bluespark tuning box in my future (or GTS upgrade??) down the road. Surprised at how much I like the base V6 gasoline. Its 'roughness' has been interpreted by some as being sporty, I could go with that. It would be a fine engine, and fuel economy's been pretty good, fwiw.

Macan looks too small to be practical for a family. Probably good urban runabout for a young couple. Cayenne size is nice, smaller midsize (cf X5, ML/Grand cherokee etc). I think I read sightline for Macan is about 3" lower than for cayenne. Wouldn't like that where we are, tons of pick ups and SUV's, hard enough to see sometimes with my CD.

Have fun with it!

alexb76

Thanks guys... a question on GTS vs. V8, what's the technical differences making up the extra HP?

Turbo is overkill IMO, and even GTS, for sporty I have 911... but I also feel like V6 is underpowered, I wish they made the Macan V6T the base... Diesel is a great option too but I need to drive it a bit more to see how I like it.

Touareg is a great value, BUT, they have really cheapened up the car in the last gen. It just feels fake all around, compared to the last gen, and it also doesn't have any good suspension upgrades like Air, or PASM to make it handle a bit better.

gnat

Same as with a 911. Do you want to build it exactly the way you want it or compromise for someone else's build?

Many CPO 958s tend to be close enough to the cost of a new one (for the non GTS and TT models anyway) that it didn't make sense to me to go with a slightly used version over buying new (mid to late 2012).

If you can still get a CPO 957 you should be able to get a good deal there though.

As far as I recall, there are no standard option differences between the base/diesel/S variants. It's the GTS, TT, and TTS where you get extra stuff standard.

With the loss of 500lbs from the 955/957 days the VR6 is actually well suited to the Cayenne in my opinion. It won't win races, but it still performs well and has enough power. Save the money from the S and put it towards the options you want. The real sweet spot, in my opinion, is the diesel though and it finally coming over is the only reason I didn't get the base.

14 or 18 way seats.
Roof rails (on a 958) as they can't be done later (the older models can have them added later).
If you are ordering, get the trailer hitch. It's much cheaper on the build than to put it on after the fact.
Bi-Xenon w/PDLS headlights.

If you want the performance stuff:
PDCC (not available on a diesel)
PASM
Air
PTV (not available on a diesel)

Depends on what you are going to do. If you are going to just drive it around like a normal person, you'll never miss them. If you are going to track it from time to time and want to get the most out of it, then they will matter more. That's not to say they don't make a difference for everyday driving, but (to me) not enough of one to justify the cost against other things I wanted more.

I'm perfectly happy with my base steel suspension on the default 18" tires. Not too long after I bought it I threw it around a PCA AutoX class and had a blast. If I were going to do it regularly I'd want some low profile tires and bigger brakes, but otherwise it handles exceptionally well without the goodies.

And I have my wife's 996 for when I really want to get nuts which is the other reason the big engines and performance options didn't appeal to me.

tmack2012

+1 on 14 ways, forgot about that. The base 8 ways have no lumbar support and narrow too. I"m 6'2" 190 lbs, not that big and found the 8 ways narrow, I guess could say they hug you more. Passed on the 18 ways re. wear on bolsters down the road and the rear outboard thigh bolsters would have interfered with our booster seat at the time. 18 ways look great though.

Also forgot re. xenons. This is really more a safety upgrade, imo, must have category.

Don't have a tuning box in yet as I got ext warranty, also an option. Blew through the $3500 cost of our MB GL ext warranty in mere months. Not sure if it's a fair comparison, CD been nearly trouble free, though PCM gremlins. Heard of PCM replacements down the road for guys. Depends on how long you keep it and how handy you are (I am not) and if you have a good independent garage that can help you past warranty.

Just tried CDN Porsche config, base tip cf CD (tip standard) price delta $2500. Sales guy told me base to S $10k diff was all engine, not options, so agree with above.

philg3

Many have recommended options (14Way Seats, Ventilated Seats, Xenon headlights, LCA, etc.) -- the Premium Plus package contains all these and more -- and you do get a slight package discount versus going ala carte. The only option included in this package that I found to be of little to no value are the rear shades. If you have never had LCA, it's very nice, and protects the blind spots.

Air PASM is nice -- had it in my 2004CT. As some mentioned, it might be worthwhile if you tow; my use was to lower the vehicle when I washed it, or to raise it when I changed the oil. It does give you more control over the ride, particularly if you go with larger than 18" wheels. I have no regrets not ordering this $3K+ option on my 2013CD -- am using 18" wheels -- think they are the SIII wheels -- about a $400 option, but better looking than the standard fare IMO. Since 18" all seasons perform relatively well in the snow, I have no need to swap a winter set in and out each year. Lots of cost savings and less hassles going with all season 18's. BTW, just installed a new set of Continental DWS (W speed rated) on my wife's 2012 CV6 -- highly rated, reasonably priced, and nice ride.

gnat

Yes the packages can be a deal if you want all of the heavy items in it. If you don't, then you end up paying for stuff you didn't want which (to) diminishes the point of buy a Porsche new (e.g. you can pick individual options).

As for the sunshade, I have it and love it. I didn't mention it or the rear climate (3 zone?) as the OP leads me to believe that there won't be rear passengers very often (since he's lived with just a 911 for awhile I'm assuming there are no kids or dogs that will be traveling).

As far as the sunshades, I've found it to make a difference for both glare and heat the few times I've ridden in the back down in the FL sun. What I don't like about them is that when they are up you can't lower the window at all. I can understand not allowing it to open all the way for fear of damaging the screen, but being able to crack the window a couple of inches would be nice.