The P-Cars I owned:

2007 997.1 GT3
2009 997.1 GT3 Cup
2014 981 Boxster S
2014 991 GT3 Cup

Current rides:

2016 981 Boxster Spyder
2016 Cayenne GTS with PDCC

Believe me or not but my preferred DD is the Cayenne. PDCC is so effective that this SUV has NO body roll. As good if not better handling in corners than the Spyder. I don't miss the street GT3 at all when driving the Cayenne. PDCC is so good that you can order a 911 with it now. I tried few Cayennes without PDCC and they were all just like other normal SUV I owned previously ( 2 x Mercedes GL and Audi Q7).

 

vbb, since this is your thread, and your comments above ring true in my head too,... I'll chime in & say again that you CAN have your cake & eat it too.
GTS styling (Sport Pkg) in a 958 PDCC/PTV CTT w/ low mileage..

At my time of purchase (almost 2 yrs ago) there were several that popped up every month. Pulled the trigger & never looked back. I too have owned a lot of Porsche's over the years,... and even though my current 1991 964 Turbo (avatar) still puts a smile on my face sight-unseen (like even when I haven't uncovered it in weeks), the DD CTT puts a wide smile every single day....

eye candy below,... to help you keep your quest alive to find the exact one you're looking for....

 

I bought a 991.2 Targa 4S last May and yesterday I purchased a new 2017 Cayenne S ehybrid Platinum Edition. Some random observations.

Bose sound in the 911 is pretty good. It sucks in the Cayenne.
Lane change assist is always on in the 911 so when it wasn't working in the Cayenne I assumed it was defective. Reading the manual is always a good idea; now I know how to turn it on.
Whatever version of the PCM they put as standard in the Platinum Edition Cayenne does not have voice recognition. Ridiculous. It does have Apple Car Play so I guess Porsche's voice recognition is not really needed. The Sirius/XM tuner in the 911 lets me store my favorite sports teams and alerts me when they're on. The Cayenne's does not.
The configurable display in the gauge cluster in the Cayenne has much less resolution then the 911's and looks pixelated.

Just a few tech comparisons. It was great having the Cayenne for Chicago's first snowfall accumulation of the season.

 

interesting. thnx for the write-up. I have only ever owned air-cooled, so I can't relate to the newer techno comparisons. Although I love this '12 CTT w/ all the bells & whistles, I don't have anything newer to compare against. Ignorance is bliss.

..but wait, you saw the LCA lightpad in the mirrors, but your first assumption was defective?
sounds like now that you have read the OM, the Cayenne is still not living up to the 911. interesting.

 

Actually, that comment was self-deprecating. I assumed without apparent reason that the LCA would work in the Cayenne as it did in the 911, when in point of fact it doesn't.

 

I've had my 996 for about 8 years and added a 2011 CTT this past May.

The CTT is amazing. I was just commenting to my wife yesterday while driving in pouring rain about how solid and stable the vehicle feels in all conditions. Even though my 996 has a sport suspension the Cayenne feels just as flat in the corners and with the sport exhaust sounds just as angry as my 996 does with PSE.

I feel I have the best of both worlds with these two cars at my disposal. The Cayenne is definitely easier to live with on a daily basis but the two cars also serve very different purposes and are 9 years apart in age so that's expected. I couldn't compare them directly to each other though. The only two things they have in common are the badge on the hood and the fact that they are top performers. Other than that they're two very distinct and different vehicles - as they should be!

 

True that. And for me, the difference between my 1991 964 Turbo, and 2012 Cayenne Turbo is,... well, Light Years!! Lol.

But I must say, the Cayenne Turbo tows the 964T with style & ease. And then, as the 964T is sitting in the parking lot getting judged in Concours, I'm buzzing the Autocross circuit with my CTT/PDCC & having a blast.

Just wish the appreciation didn't push my 964 off the road & into the Concours. Was so much more fun to just take frequent randon errand runs in that thing. Now it's only used on longer, more dedicated PCA Touring drives, that get it out of the garage. So next up, a 996 TT would be the perfect ticket to more daily drives in a 911!!!

=Steve

 

Ok, screwed that up. Just found the settings to store my teams, now I won't need to miss any Duke basketball games

 

I don't like that in my 991 and CD, the gas gauge is in the same location, but full is on the left in one, and on the right on the other. Also, one you push the parking brake button, the other you pull.

 

Yes, very annoying! I have to do a double take every time at look at one of them.

 

Well I can sympathize but that's a nice problem to have

My 996 is worth nothing so I do beat up on it. Had an opportunity years ago to grab a C2 964 for almost nothing but opted to shop for something newer even though it put the biggest smile on my face. It would have been worth so much more than my 996 right now but then I might have been in the same situation where I wouldn't want to use it.

I have a soft spot in my heart though for a wide-bodied 964 - to me the best looking of all classic 911s!

 

While the original post & question by vbb is more along the lines of replacing his 997 with a Cayenne,... I do find it very interesting to hear of the Porsche "Human Engineering" differences between 911's, Cayenne's, and even the other mid-engine variants. Even though I am surprised to hear of the annoyances you guys are highlighting, I also want to couple that with an understanding of the exact years that we are comparing. I say this because I give Porsche a wide berth when it comes to comparing my 964T to my 958CTT. Rightfully so, given they are 21 years apart.

But when I start hearing of the human engineering differences (things like push -vs- pull on parking brakes) between brand new Cayenne's & 991.2's, ... or even 957's and 997's,.... then yes I start to think "What was Porsche thinking?!!". WHY would they make a annoying little change like that, when they KNOW that many Porschephile's own several, if not many of their cars! ... Things that make you go Hmmmm. Don't get me wrong, I have the UTMOST respect for the Porsche engineers,... but something tells me that in this day & age, the people directly responsible for a "push" parking brake, verses a "pull",... are educated & studied in different disciplines than the folks designing Dynamic Engine Mounts with electrically generated magnetic fields. just sayin'.

So keep those comments coming. I am very interested to hear of those type differences....

In the meantime,... more eye candy,.. since this was one of my favorite pics from a few years ago, when preparing for the long haul to French Lick Parade....

 

In my case, I am comparing the 12 C2S I had, and the 13 C2S I currently have, to the 12 CD I had and the 15 CD I currently have.

 

My two cents........ don't judge until you test drive one with PDCC. What a HUUUGE difference. And the carbon ceramic brakes are out of this world! 10-piston calipers brings this 4900 beast to a halt almost as fast as it gets to 60....which is 3.9sec. The tune with 100hp and 140tq should be interesting!

I had (3) '16 Cayennes in 8 months time. I loved each one more. But the Turbo S is a COMPLETELY different machine. The power is obvious. But the handling and braking are on par or possibly better than that of my 2014 M5. Lastly, I've had a lot of cars and this Turbo S Cayenne is by far the BEST daily driver. Everyday Functionality, performance nearing some sports cars and striking good looks.

BOTTOM LINE:
You CANNOT go wrong here.

 

Summer turbo and winter turbo. Each have their seasons.
A Cayenne is rock solid on icy days, high snow, driving offroad to the top of sledding hills. The 930 cab is perfect for summer days with the top down carving backroad curves on the way to soccer games with the kids but I would be horrified on salted, dark icy wet roads in winter sharing the road with new drivers.
I like to DIY and maintain to a high level and both are easy enough to work on. I love them both for different reasons and seasons.