Kathuat

I have a current 911 on a 2 year lease. I have to return the 911 in a few months. I have used the 911 as a daily driver.

I am looking to buy a Cayenne to be used as a daily driver. Have a family with 2 kids and need something more practical. Have been looking at Cayenne , Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S. With the options I desire I have price Cayenne at $75K, Diesel at $80K and $89K. Have been going back and forth on the utility of spending extra $$ for diesel or S. Any advice or recommendations? Thanks.

gnat

Drive them, its the only way to really know.

The V6 to the diesel is a big step. With the .1 I like the diesel over the S due to the torque, but with the new S motor (which I haven't driven) I'm not so sure about that.

tomc_mets

Def drive them all as suggested. Based on my tests, I'd recommend Diesel or S over base, if $ are not an issue. Torque on the Diesel was nice....T

mjb2503

Coming from a 911, I'd expect you to miss the sportiness if you went for the base or the diesel. Though the latter has decent torque, it's main purpose in my eyes is better fuel economy. I went from a 996 911 to a 957 Cayenne V6 to a 958 CTT. The V6 was a great car, but I missed the power of the 911. The Turbo certainly fixed that. I'd go for the S if the cash difference is feasible. Best of luck!

gnat

People keep talking about the 911 vs the Cayenne, that that is just a silly argument. The Cayenne is by far the best of breed in the SUV market, but not even the TTS is really as capable or sporty as a low slung high powered sports car. They are different vehicles for different purposes. Both do their jobs with aplomb, but both are lacking if you try to make them fit the other's role.

We have a 996 and I don't find my diesel lacking in the least. It's plenty sporty and more than enough power to pull me up to extra-legal speeds before I've realized it. Both are fun in different ways. In the diesel I love the off the line torque that make it feel much faster than it really is. In the 996 I love the slow build of power from the NA motor until you get into the 5k range and the motor starts to scream behind your head.

tomc_mets

OP... Is Macan an option? A few of them are starting to show up at local PCA events, and owners uniformly raving about them....T

garrett376

I think it's a great comparison. But it's all subjective - as always with these questions, drive the models yourself and figure it out.

In my opinion, a 958 Turbo with PDCC and PTV is absolutely as sporty and more powerful than most normally aspirated 911's for the street! And far more capable considering a pothole is hardly felt and the entire family gets to come along. I feel like I could even turn faster lap times in my Cayenne Turbo tow vehicle than my 996 x51 engined J-stock PCA race car! If you're swapping a 911 for a Cayenne, you won't miss the 911 if you go turbo. You might if you go to other models... I did. I feel that the other Cayenne models (my experience is limited to 957 GTS, 958 v6, 958 diesel and 958 S models) do not compare to a sports car. Drive them and see for yourself.

pdxjim

I went from two CTT's to the diesel model after reading a road test on that model. I realized the diesel was faster than the first 911 I owned. I am happy with the performance. Also I visit the gas station half as often as it did with the turbos.

mjb2503

Exactly the point I was making. Going from a middle of the road, non-Porsche SUV to a Cayenne would be a huge step up, whichever of the 3 you selected. But making a move from a current model 911, like the OP is, of course you're going to draw comparison to the performance. You don't own a 911 if you care about storage space or room for the dog, it's about the driving experience, which is why the S would make the most sense of those 3 in my books.

Logic would definitely suggest taking the 3 for a test drive back to back through

Kathuat

I have driven the Porsche Cayenne base. The drive with the base Cayenne was fine as you can't drive a SUV as a 911. Haven't driven the diesel and S. I will try both before making the decision.

I like Macan. I am unsure of the space on the backseats. However, Macan is not an option. I am looking to buy a SUV greater than 6000 lbs GVWR to be able to depreciate for business under Section 179 rules.

I would like to make my decision in the next month or so. Looking to place a custom order.

What kind of discount should I expect on a customer? Also, any thoughts on reliability as my perspective is 6-8 years of ownership?

BE455

You really need to get behind the whee of a diesel. Great price point, and really fun to drive with all that torque. Tow abilities are excellent (be sure to order factory tow package though). As others have mentioned, the fuel economy is incredible. Range is well over 600 miles.... can't beat that. Is it as much fun is my 987.2? Of course not. But compared to any other SUV I've owned (last one was an X5), it's night and day.

Robotpedlr

Maybe consider the Cayenne S eHybrid also. The power of an S when you want it and the gas mileage of a diesel (or better) w/o the mess or frequent diesel (5k miles) oil changes. I get about 650 miles per tank (my tank is only 21 gas, not 26 like the diesel).

You mentioned tax benefits. The SEH qualifies for the 179 depreciation and also comes with a PLEH $5,333 tax credit+ any state credit.

If you use it for work and have a lot of charging options at customer sites (like I do) it is awesome. I love the near silent 16 miles at the beginning of each trip. On short runs to the store (14-16 miles) my gas motor never even starts.

The great thing about a cayenne is they have different versions for for different needs. All benefit from awesome exterior styling, a great interior and a comfortable ride mixed with the right amount of performance for an SUV.

As per your discount question, I got 6.2% discount when I ordered last fall + the $5333 tax credit.

Atlanta_Cayenne

I have a similar dilemma...

I currently have a base V6 (2011).

I had my V6 in for service and they gave me a diesel for a loaner. I was immediately impressed with the torque but the 0-60 times are the same as the v6. You may get better gas mileage, but it will still cost more to fill up as it's about 2.75/gallon here in Atlanta. I don't tow anything. Right now I only fill up roughly every 2-3 weeks as it is ...so gas mileage isn't a big deal.

I had to bring my car in for service a second time and they gave me an S loaner for 2 days. There is a huge difference between the diesel and the S (roughly another 200HP). The gas milage is better on the S than my current V6. Additionally, the engine / exhaust note was much nicer on the S as the diesel is very quiet.

I ended up putting an order in for an 2016 S with an Aug delivery. I still go back and forth as the diesel is a nice ride and roughly 7K cheaper based on my specs.

tomc_mets

Good point about the more frequent oil changes for a diesel. That def needs to go into your calculation....T

gnat

You have to compare cost per mile not per gallon. Yes diesel is usually more expensive per gallon, but due to the higher mpg you fill up less.

I was looking at the Base when the diesel came out so I've been tracking my costs vs what I estimate I would get with the normal V6. On average I save about half a tank over two fill ups.

Now that said, it will take close to 100k before the savings pay for the price difference between the two. So it's not like you are making money, but it does make a difference.