Jay Wellwood

Did a test drive today of both a Diesel and an S. Both are 2014 birth years.

While I found the acceleration of the S more gripping above 40 mph, the Diesel I think held its own off the line and is certainly no slouch.

Since I'm looking for tow capacity and general hauling capabilities, the Diesel will likely be my choice.

Other the the obvious Dieselgate issue lingering in the air, what say the collective wisdom here - why shouldn't I choose a Diesel pig?

sclemmons

I just bought a 2015 diesel, have put 1000 miles on it since I got it almost new last month, and I could not be happier with it.

I think the diesels are generally more lightly optioned than the S model. Mine has steel springs and would do better with PASM or Air Suspension. It has the 14 way seats instead of the 18 way seats. It has the small sun roof instead of Panorama size. It gets 30 mpg in town and closer to 35 mpg in on the highway. The CD has everything I need and I would not have the discipline to order one this lightly optioned. I bought it in the smoothest remote deal you could imagine, which was initiated on Rennlist, and I was glad to find a nearly new car with 2500 miles when most dealer demos have 10,000 miles on them these days. (Thanks, Digs!)

It rocks in sport mode, but MPG goes down closer to 20 than 30. The one thing that would make sport mode rock even more would be PASM or Air, but that is a lot more money. It is plenty fast around town and can cruise all day at 75+ and get great mileage. You can't get a diesel with the 4 zone A/C and you have to change the oil every 5000 miles and pay attention to the AdBlue. By contrast, my BMW needed an oil change every 2500-3000 miles.

Imagine Porsche quality with a big dose of utility and mileage. And the diesel fuel is $.35 cheaper than premium unleaded. It is a shame that these are going the way of the nickel beer. I am glad to have mine. There are no emissions regulations in many states, including where I live.

I would love to have an S, too, particularly the last of the normally aspirated gas guzzlers from 2014 or earlier. It is clearly more car and more money.

But the diesel is close to the big car ride without the big car price.

BenCD

I test drove both a 2016 S and a 2016 CD and chose the CD. The 15+S has the TT V6, 420 - HP and 406-TQ, it too, had giddy-up and clocks a 5.2-something 0-60 mph.

I had/have a 2012 Touareg TDI that is being bought back by VW so I needed another tow-vehicle. I got the TDI because of the 7,716lb tow and the 28 mph hwy-which I love. I can/could never keep the truck at the speed limit on the highway so I would average about 25-26 hwy in real-life highway driving. The TDI motor is awesome and I had to have it again.

The 15+S is nice. It is fast. It is as fast as the 2009 G8 GT sedan I had with a 6.0L V8 RWD with a Corvette A6 transmission. It too, was rated at 24 mpg hwy but was hard to achieve when going anything but the speed limit. I realized that I like getting better mpg and a better range and I love how the CD feels at any speed as I realize that I don't need a 5.2 second 0-60 mph and that the speed that I get out of the CD is more than enough. I love its range and not having to fuel up as much as I would if I had a gasoline-anything. The motor exerts no effort at most anytime, even when towing. I love the 8-speed tranny-it feels perfect.

I'm glad I don't have PASM/air and the must-haves were: The Premium package, ventilated seats, Bose stereo, Pano-roof, rear heated seats, white with Luxor beige/black interior, I got myself the exact CD I wanted.

The CD, at least for me so far as I have not manually calculated a tank of fuel, shows an incredible increase with either city driving or highway or any sort of combination. Whether the truck is lighter than the Touareg cousin, or more aerodynamic, or Porsche breathed a little on the motor somehow, I don't know but I like, if not LOVE it. I'll be the biggest cheerleader for the CD on here if need be.

I had my 2012 TDI for over 40,000 miles with not a single issue and there are many who have had their TDI for well over 100,000 miles with no problems and the fact that Porsche/VAG has given us extended warranties on just about everything, I'll be warm and fuzzy for a long time as I plan on keeping the CD to maybe give to my 7 year old son when he gets his license.

Jay Wellwood

After skimming thru the Dieselgate thread, I'm not sure there is an issue with any future impacts to performance or fuel economy from the proposed settlement fixes.

In all reality, I'm seriously thinking of pulling the trigger on a CD before the settlement is signed off next month.

PJ Cayenne

I did 180 joyful miles in our CD today. Truly a great car to drive, whether winding roads, parkways or interstate, the CD yields an invigorating ride with accurate handling. I find that I can maintain high speeds with this car with no fatigue for very long distances. By the way, the backseat with the panorama roof is a very nice place to sit.
We bought our CD three and half years ago and put 26k miles on it. It is the best long distance car I've ever owned. No problems to mention. Had some issue with tire balancing and our luxor beige with walnut package interior is gorgeous, but you'll need polarized sunglasses during the day due to dashboard glare. Build quality is top notch. The 14 way front seats are very comfortable. Fuel economy is fill it and just forget it. Performance is great for a heavy SUV. It is not a race car, and I've found that power is terrific at high speeds, you won't be disappointed with the performance. Truly a special car, that has earned a long term position in my garage.

skl

I have a Q5 TDI with the same engine. Love it- and so does a friend in Des Moines with a CD. Not sure I'll do the fix and get the second 1/2 of the settlement if it screws things up too much.
You'd probably be happy with the oil burner...

mk85911

I own a 2014 Cayenne S and I really like it. I guess I bought it for the NA V8, which , paired with PSE, is great. However, if my wife, who is the primary driver, had not been against the diesel, I could easily have gone that route. I had driven a Q7 loaner with TDi, and was very impressed. Mike

Bayou_Flyer

If dieselgate rears its head on the CD, you will have the option to sell it back (probably make money on it), take cash and get the mod (which for 2015+ VW 2.0 is a reflash), or do nothing. I am at the tail end of my buyback, and while I love the car and mileage/performance, I could never get the amount of money if I kept it and sold later. The money I am getting will be buying me a used Cayenne....I'd have to second the CD and would certainly buy one if I were looking for a newer Cayenne.

jbse39

We bought ours in February this year, and sold our X5 diesel to a friend. I thought X5 drove nicely, but the Cayenne is on another planet. We put 600-700 miles last week and it was comfortable, quiet and fast with 5 of us and luggages. It still returned just over 30 mpg, whereas our X5 did about 25-26 mpg from DC to Orlando last year. Even at 90+ mph, it was very quiet and stable.

I (or rather my wife, since it is "HER" car) am already thinking about what can possibly be a better daily driver when the time comes for its replacement...

chsu74

There isn't. Name another reliable great handling utility vehicle that can seat 5 adults, has the power of a V8, economy of a Toyota Camary and tow 7,500 or 7,700 lbs..

RRS comes close but it only gets 31-33 MPG not 35-36 and still drives more like other SUVs. I am also not sold on the JLR reliability yet although they have improved considerably..

Newegg

Well the good news is a guy can't go wrong S or diesel. There is a thread on the S loosing boost in some situations and a couple guys had motors replaced, not cool. I thought I was going to go with the gasser to replace my 2012 Touareg TDI. I do love the diesel. Guess I am familiar with the issues but not sure about the long term re sale of it. Will these become unicorns or tainted vehicles that nobody will want in 5-6 years. Around and around I go.

pieter97

My wife recently purchased a 2015 CD, she loves it.
My dd is a 2013 Panny GTS, my commute is mostly FL highway, I have taken the CD a handful of times and I have to say, it is a really nice car, drives well, good torque, plenty fast, I have been toying with the idea of getting one myself...

jbse39

Funny you say that, I was thinking about one for myself because I like driving my wife's car so much. My current DD is 97 M3 which is a lot of fun, but there are times I appreciate effortless torque and comfort of CD. My favorite DD used to e39 M5, but I sold it to buy the Cayenne, and I have to say that I actually prefer Cayenne over the M5.

sclemmons

I exited my E28 M5 to get the Cayenne Diesel. The Cayenne is heavier than the older M5 and it shows, but it runs and handles so well and is so much more useful, I am glad I moved on. I took it on a PCA run and it hung in with the Boxsters. It really is like a new girlfriend compared to an old girlfriend. I wish I had room for both, but that would just get me in trouble.

I have driven the gas guzzler GTS in 2013, but those priced used are still more than I paid for the Diesel. Have not tried the newer turbo-ed Cayenne S models. I saw the 2015 nearly new Diesel and jumped on it.

CaptainGSR

For towing and incredible mpg, I would pick a diesel over a S.
Off the line turbo torque is also very addicting! :-)

Take it on long road trips from time to time. They do not like repeated short distance city driving.