rockitman

Brakes are Not the same. Cayenne 6 piston Brembo's front, 4 piston back and the suspension system completely different from the off road Passat

NASAracer

VW is the bottom-feeding car in the dealer visits for repairs as a percentage of total dealer visits (according to J.D. Powers and above ONLY Land Rover), they rate well below industry average in CSI and having personally sued AoA during a lemon suit involving their POS S4 and dealing with the VW/AoA "service" and dealer network, the idea of getting a VW right now is the absolute last thing I'd ever do.

I've had problems with my Porsches, PCNA bought-back (voluntarily) my 996 due to repeated RMS leaks (though they replaced an engine in 2 days at one point) but the treatment and service I received from both the dealership and Porsche was in such STARK contrast to the disgraceful, disrespectful and downright illegal treatment what VW/AoA gave me (to the tune of $30,000 in civil damages than you very much a**holes) as to make the "difference" in price absolutely inconsequential in my decision.

I can afford the Cayenne, Porsche and my dealer have phenomenal service and treat me with the utmost respect and it's the better vehicle.

I agree the VW looks better though...but this is just a tow vehicle for my race car.

mudman2

I have a similar observation, at my local dealer I saw the way that VW patrons were treated, compared with the way I was treated 6 FEET away along the same counter by the dedicated Porsche Service person. It was definitely STARK. I was a little embarrased.

Torags

Good posts.

I brought my Grand Cherokee to a Jeep/VW dealer for service last month. I had to wait 40 min for a shuttle that was promised in 20, the crowd waiting grew to over 12 (it was like public transit). I pulled my car out & left.

That & reading complaints on www.vortex.com pushed me into a S. That's quite a push, because I am one cheap SOB.

rijk365gtb4

The diesel is only good if you are towing often and heavy. The TT is a completely different animal. I drove an S and a Turbo and the differences between those two were already enough the pay the extra money. Imagine the difference with the VW.

John..

Personally, I don't know of any dealership I would want working on my car, nor is it a criteria for me purchasing a certain brand of vehicle.

Torags

For me dealer support is important. Especially on a newly engineered vehicle.
My truck is a work truck & I don't need a dealer tell me to take a shuttle or point me to the enterprize rental counter, to wait (days-weeks?) for a part.
I want a loaner.

When purchasing new vehicles; the dealer is the gatekeeper for warrenty repairs. That's the reason most people purchase new cars - second tier mechanics as whole, are unreliable.

adrial

So if something breaks and its covered under warantee, you wont let them fix it? When you buy a new car you have a permanent tie to the dealer until the warranty runs out...then who cares about dealer support (like you said).

adsc4s

I'd get the VW. Come to think of it, I'd get a Ford. Oh yeah, I do have a Ford (Navigator). Both the Touareg and Cayenne are awesome vehicles but are they really the best SUV? Performance wise, no doubt. However, how many of you will be taking it down to Home Depot and load up 200 - 12"x12" pieces of ceramic tile, pick up the kiddie's soccer team, swing by the grocery store and pick up the dog from the groomer? And then zip to the gas station in 5.2 seconds to fill up the tank from a days drive in the neighborhood?

Porsche has no doubt blurred the lines of a sports car and SUV in terms of performance, but is that what we really want? I like my sports car. I like my SUV. I like them to be separate vehicles. Obviously, all of this is my opinion.

Torags

The pieces I have a problem with are the pre primed 16' pieces of trim lumber, for that I need a strong exterior mirror (passenger side).
Then I have a 6000lb load of boat & trailer that I tow to Tahoe (7,000'alt)
When not towing I want to visit my hole in the water and get there quickly on curvy roads, high alt - 250 miles.
When I go to the symphony or a great SF restaurant I want to be able to park in small spaces.

Hmm......... 3 out of 4 (not sure about the mirror) - Cayenne wins.

Safeway trips with a Navigator doesn't make sense.

BTW: Underutilized ccs or cubic inches for the trip to Safeway is not a current phenomenon. Brides have been using big block engines since the 60's. Personally I don't get it.

adsc4s

Yeah, but you won't get lost!

Torags

True and you can always find your car (an option I severely need) :-).

ERAU-944

see, here's where people blur the line between truck and SUV.

SUV's are for hauling kids/lighter cargo, but more than you can take in a car, not hauling butt-loads of long planks of lumber, thats why places like Home Depot have delivery trucks, because not everyone has a truck. i dont think it'd be a problem for the cayenne to take little jonny to soccer practice and little debbie (lol) to ballet, after getting fido from the groomers and picking up the groceries.

"is the cayenne really the best SUV?" if you haven't driven one obviously you dont know, or are a very uneducated driver: YES, it most certainly is. it meets every criteria for an SUV overwhelmingly, while sporting the abilities of most cars! i'll pose this question to you: which would you rather avoid an accident happening right in front of you in, your big unresponsive and performance-challeneged navigatorn made by people who only care about the bottom line, the 'almighty' dollar, or a porsche cayenne, made by people dedicated to designing the BEST possible vehicle for the application (weather on or off-road)? to me the choice would be easy.

Trucks are for towing and hauling heavy loads, and even larger for heavier duty trucks. just so happens some SUV's are made on truck frames, so they are capable of towing things, as is the cayenne (hey, porsche support vehicle, eh).so if you're towing hauling THAT much crap in your SUV, you need to sell and buy a longbed truck. just because you can fit that crap in your SUV (albeit sticking out the passenger window and RESTING ON THE MIRROR) doesnt mean your SUV is meant to haul it.

SPORT - on a vehicle that bears this should have at least decent handling, and not be a pig
UTILITY - should be able to carry MODERATE loads, they make trucks for HD applications
VEHICLE - i think this part is pretty obvious.

my $1.02
-Michael-

M758

This is where I will disagree.

Hauling kids or light cargo is best done by a station wagon or mini van.

The Sport is for off-road fun, Utility is for the ability to carry reasonable amonts of gear and/or people (as compared to Jeep CJ's), Vehicle is obvious.

The sport in sport utility is not the same meaning of sport as in sports car.

The first vehicle to carrry the SUV Tag were all truck based 4x4's that provided more utility that an Jeep CJ, but a still a good level of off-road performance fun. This where the sport came from.

Examples
Jeep Cherokee, Ford Bronco II, Chevy Blazer, Nissan Pathefinder, Toyota 4runner. There were other SUV's before these, but thers are ones that created the phrase since nobody knew what to call them.

Torags

"Trucks are for towing and hauling heavy loads, and even larger for heavier duty trucks. just so happens some SUV's are made on truck frames, so they are capable of towing things, as is the cayenne (hey, porsche support vehicle, eh).so if you're towing hauling THAT much crap in your SUV, you need to sell and buy a longbed truck. just because you can fit that crap in your SUV (albeit sticking out the passenger window and RESTING ON THE MIRROR) doesnt mean your SUV is meant to haul it."

With all due respect, I don't really care about your opinion. My Grand Cherokee does that work and the Cayenne will.

These trucks (yes the Cayenne I consider a truck) are built for a spectrum of use (or utility), and I'm within that market.

Frankly, I'm just about the perfect Cayenne profile customer (except for the mirror use).

The crap you refer to, goes into multi million dollar homes in Norcal. I don't think it's a sacrilege to haul lumber in a SUV I paid for. The vehicle serves me, I don't serve the vehicle.

Additionally, Porsche is there for the almighty buck - they're just doing their way.