2003 Cayenne Experience - Dallas
08-24-2003, 05:12 PM
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2003 Cayenne Experience - Dallas
Well, all I can say is "WOW!" I did two days of the Cayenne Experience here in Dallas. The event was held on the northern side of Texas Stadium in Irving. There were three pavilions - one for showing the cars in a showroom setting (a Lapis Blue Turbo and a Crystal Silver S), one for the Performance Experience and one for the Off-Road Experience. There were 6 cars on the Performance course (3 Turbos and 3 S models)
and 4 cars on the Off-Road course (3 S models and 1 Turbo - all with the air suspension package).
On my Saturday trip, I took turns on the Performace course in the S and the Turbo. There is a very definite difference (no surprise) between the two. Driving the Turbo was somehwat like driving my 930 - there is definitely a lag between stomping on the gas and having the turbos kick in. That said, the Turbo is definitely a brute!
It was actually fun to drive the course they had set up. You start with a straightaway that measures about 1000 feet long where the monitor in the passenger seat encourages you to "nail it". There are some flags toward the end of the straight that signal time to slow down (hard) and you make a quick right/left combination turn to get onto the course proper. Pick up some speed and head into a right-hand sweeper, step on the eGas for a short straight, brake hard, and make a tight right hand reversal and accelerate for all you're worth through a left-right slalom at speed. Slow it up for a left-hand 90 degree turn and set up for a decreasing radius left turn. Get on it again and quickly set up for another right hand 60 degree turn. Out of the turn as fast as you can and head straight for another hard right. Brake hard because this is a sharp right hander. Accelerate out of the turn and sweep left, straighten up for your last turn, another sharp left/right combination and you're at the finish line. All in about 60-75 seconds.
My first try on the Performance course was in an S (might as well not embarrass myself!). Got in and pushed it hard. It was fun to see what the S can do. Holds very well with little body roll even in hard turns. You could definitely throw this vehicle into turns and not be worried about the wheels coming out from under you. The slalom was great because you only had to flick your wrists to get through the turns without having to slow down at all. I did the second round in the Turbo and found that you could very quickly get behind the car if you were not careful. I think the lag actually helped some especially on the twisty portion of the course. I DID, however, manage to get that big TURBO grin on my face in the straightaway! Almost as fun as charging the hill in my 930.
Today, I took my wife with me so she could try it. An honest to goodness Granny-driver in her E320, I thought it would be fun to let her see what the Cayenne is really like. She took the first spin in an S with me in the back seat. I think she was scared to death down the straight! She took her time through the course, and then pulled in and we switched places. Having had two turns on the course on Saturday, I did my level best to run as fast as possible. All I heard in the back was "OH MY GOD! OH, OH, SLOW DOWN! WE'RE GOING TO ROLL-OVER!" It was really fun. We got to the end, and all she could say was how badly her chest hurt because she was scared to death! Then we drove the Turbo....... She took the first turn at the wheel, and obediently did as the instructor told her at the start. She nailed it and the Turbo did its normally aspirated thing off the line. Then the turbos kicked in. After about 2 seconds, and a brief scream, she backed way off because she had never driven anything like this before. She motored through the rest of the course at a very leisurely pace. Back to the starting grid and we change places. And it goes downhill from there! Trying to prove myself (can you say ego?), I took off in the Turbo and promptly got behind the car. I waited too long to brake going into the first turn and managed to kill four orange cones! Needless to say, I took it easy after that because now the better half was almost beside herself in the back seat!
On to the Off-Road course! The off-road course is very interesting. You start by climbing a 45-50 degree hill that is about 15 feet tall.
Up and down. BUT, while you are on your way up, the instructor has you stop while the vehicle is completely on the incline. No foot on the brake at all, and the Cayenne stays exactly put! Very impressive.
On the way down, keep your foot off the brake and feel Cayenne walk its way safely down the incline. Over some loose gravel and up into a water pit that is about 22" deep. Through the water and then onto a steeply banked turn to test lateral holding and stability. Around the turn and into some pretty wild berms that cause the Cayenne to go through on three wheels (to demonstrate the auto-leveling capability of the air suspension as well as the PSM computers).
It's interesting to feel how PSM and the brakes work together to keep power applied to the wheels that have traction. The pictures give you a real feel for how this all looks. Riding in the vehicle in this pavilion is defintely worth it. You really get a feel for exactly what the Cayenne is capable of. And the nice thing about it is that you're doing so in someone else's vehicle!
All in all, a great couple of hours over a two day period. If you hear of the Cayenne Experience coming to a place near you, you definitely want to partake.
Toby
(And Karl, it was great to meet you!)
and 4 cars on the Off-Road course (3 S models and 1 Turbo - all with the air suspension package).
On my Saturday trip, I took turns on the Performace course in the S and the Turbo. There is a very definite difference (no surprise) between the two. Driving the Turbo was somehwat like driving my 930 - there is definitely a lag between stomping on the gas and having the turbos kick in. That said, the Turbo is definitely a brute!
It was actually fun to drive the course they had set up. You start with a straightaway that measures about 1000 feet long where the monitor in the passenger seat encourages you to "nail it". There are some flags toward the end of the straight that signal time to slow down (hard) and you make a quick right/left combination turn to get onto the course proper. Pick up some speed and head into a right-hand sweeper, step on the eGas for a short straight, brake hard, and make a tight right hand reversal and accelerate for all you're worth through a left-right slalom at speed. Slow it up for a left-hand 90 degree turn and set up for a decreasing radius left turn. Get on it again and quickly set up for another right hand 60 degree turn. Out of the turn as fast as you can and head straight for another hard right. Brake hard because this is a sharp right hander. Accelerate out of the turn and sweep left, straighten up for your last turn, another sharp left/right combination and you're at the finish line. All in about 60-75 seconds.
My first try on the Performance course was in an S (might as well not embarrass myself!). Got in and pushed it hard. It was fun to see what the S can do. Holds very well with little body roll even in hard turns. You could definitely throw this vehicle into turns and not be worried about the wheels coming out from under you. The slalom was great because you only had to flick your wrists to get through the turns without having to slow down at all. I did the second round in the Turbo and found that you could very quickly get behind the car if you were not careful. I think the lag actually helped some especially on the twisty portion of the course. I DID, however, manage to get that big TURBO grin on my face in the straightaway! Almost as fun as charging the hill in my 930.
Today, I took my wife with me so she could try it. An honest to goodness Granny-driver in her E320, I thought it would be fun to let her see what the Cayenne is really like. She took the first spin in an S with me in the back seat. I think she was scared to death down the straight! She took her time through the course, and then pulled in and we switched places. Having had two turns on the course on Saturday, I did my level best to run as fast as possible. All I heard in the back was "OH MY GOD! OH, OH, SLOW DOWN! WE'RE GOING TO ROLL-OVER!" It was really fun. We got to the end, and all she could say was how badly her chest hurt because she was scared to death! Then we drove the Turbo....... She took the first turn at the wheel, and obediently did as the instructor told her at the start. She nailed it and the Turbo did its normally aspirated thing off the line. Then the turbos kicked in. After about 2 seconds, and a brief scream, she backed way off because she had never driven anything like this before. She motored through the rest of the course at a very leisurely pace. Back to the starting grid and we change places. And it goes downhill from there! Trying to prove myself (can you say ego?), I took off in the Turbo and promptly got behind the car. I waited too long to brake going into the first turn and managed to kill four orange cones! Needless to say, I took it easy after that because now the better half was almost beside herself in the back seat!
On to the Off-Road course! The off-road course is very interesting. You start by climbing a 45-50 degree hill that is about 15 feet tall.
Up and down. BUT, while you are on your way up, the instructor has you stop while the vehicle is completely on the incline. No foot on the brake at all, and the Cayenne stays exactly put! Very impressive.
On the way down, keep your foot off the brake and feel Cayenne walk its way safely down the incline. Over some loose gravel and up into a water pit that is about 22" deep. Through the water and then onto a steeply banked turn to test lateral holding and stability. Around the turn and into some pretty wild berms that cause the Cayenne to go through on three wheels (to demonstrate the auto-leveling capability of the air suspension as well as the PSM computers).
It's interesting to feel how PSM and the brakes work together to keep power applied to the wheels that have traction. The pictures give you a real feel for how this all looks. Riding in the vehicle in this pavilion is defintely worth it. You really get a feel for exactly what the Cayenne is capable of. And the nice thing about it is that you're doing so in someone else's vehicle!
All in all, a great couple of hours over a two day period. If you hear of the Cayenne Experience coming to a place near you, you definitely want to partake.
Toby
(And Karl, it was great to meet you!)
08-24-2003, 11:47 PM
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Toby,
I enjoyed meeting you and your wife as well.
As Toby said, it really was a neat experience. I particularly liked the off-road course, as a lot of that course I woud have taken without hesitation in a Jeep Wrangler, but was not sure if the Cayenne could make it through. Well, the Cayenne came through with flying colors. I did notice that one of the test vehicles had something dangling from the undercarriage from all the off-roading. Also, that 2 extra inches that the air suspension affords you really makes a difference when it comes to the amount of damage the underside of the vehicle might suffer from some of the extreme stuff.
If the Cayenne Experience comes to a location near you, you should really try to get out there and give it a run. It was great.
I enjoyed meeting you and your wife as well.
As Toby said, it really was a neat experience. I particularly liked the off-road course, as a lot of that course I woud have taken without hesitation in a Jeep Wrangler, but was not sure if the Cayenne could make it through. Well, the Cayenne came through with flying colors. I did notice that one of the test vehicles had something dangling from the undercarriage from all the off-roading. Also, that 2 extra inches that the air suspension affords you really makes a difference when it comes to the amount of damage the underside of the vehicle might suffer from some of the extreme stuff.
If the Cayenne Experience comes to a location near you, you should really try to get out there and give it a run. It was great.
08-25-2003, 01:41 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2003
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I was there too on Saturday, and had a great time!! I had such a great time that on Sunday I went out to an off-road ranch about 90 miles northwest of Dallas to try my hand with my own pepper, and boy was it amazing!!! These things can really handle a lot, and they're a ton of fun off road. I even have steel springs, and was really amazed at what it could do. Obviously, air suspension would help a lot. We spent a lot of the time out of the car to make sure it could make it over whatever it was we were trying to do, but it did it just fine. Maybe we should organize a drive to go out there one weekend and just tear the place up!
Geoff.
Geoff.