loungin

What’s the best Cayenne for towing and what are the capacities?

I’m thinking of towing cars to the track and also a small airstream someday.

If I don’t get around to towing for another 4-5 years should I just wait until then to get a vehicle?

Whats the longevity of using something like a CD for towing? What are costs associated with increased wear from towing?

if I tow an airstream I’d like a vehicle that is somewhat enjoyable to drive unhitched as well. How are other vehicles in the VW family compared to the Cayenne?

I was also thinking maybe a super crew Ford Raptor would be a fun tow vehicle, or is that a waste of a sport truck?

911-997

CD is the best Cayenne for towing.

/thread

garrett376

I'm a fan of the Turbo, since unlike a Diesel which is close to a base model in features, commonly has air suspension and PDCC and PTV+, bigger brakes, plus nicer interior trim features, which are all things that make it very fun to drive when not towing, but improve the towing experience as well. Plus, I feel long term, the turbo is more reliable without all of the diesel emissions equipment that appears to have consistent issues.

tmckenna

When I was shopping for my cayenne I did a lot of research regarding this exact topic. I found that the Cayenne Turbo S, (or Turbo with the PDCC option)tends to be the best option for towing. Yes diesels get better mpg but:

#1 The turbo and turbo s give you more power and torque from the factory

#2 A lot of people say the Dynamic Chassis Control really helps with sway and stability.

#3 The turbo s comes standard with PTV (Torque Vectoring) (an option in the non S Turbo models) which gives you a locking rear diff that could certainly come in handy while towing offroad, like ill be doing on Long Islands soft sand beaches.

#4 PASM, the adaptive air suspension is VERY hard to find in a diesel model. This, in my opinion, is the biggest reason to get a turbo if youre going to be towing regularly. The PDCC is a nice to have but no one has ever proven it actually helps on paper. Self leveling air suspension is a different story and is almost a necessity when towing heavier loads.

yetti96

But does a Turbo tow $20k+ better?
With the emissions warranty and extension of new-car on the '15-'16 I can't see the value. Yeah it'll be fast unladen, but man it'll burn some fuel. If money isn't an issue then hell yeah Turbo all day.

garrett376

A 958.1 Turbo is less $$ to buy than a 2015/16 diesel, no?

911-997

exactly my thoughts

coffeeisgood

the biggest advantage of owning a CD is when your towing, your fuel economy doesn't go to dog poo
now if you own a Cayenne you should be really concerned about fuel $ prices but thats not the point
i just do not like stopping

if your towing, I would go for a CD & you can find a nicely equipped one... just shop

is it nice to have air suspension for towing? yep & yes for sure. Its also nice to have for all sorts of other maintenance, oil changes, etc.
it will be hard to find that air + CD combo but you never know
that said, if you got the air suspension & it breaks be ready to shell out more then you expect if you dont have a warranty
air just wasn't on my must have list but a CD w/ the tow package was (plus a few other options

IMHO, drive a couple different engines (V8, V6, diesel)
pick your must have "options" (i.e. color, tow hitch?, roof rack, air?, vented seats? panoramic roof? 18-way or 14 way seats or 8 way seats? etc etc...)
& figured out your hard no's (i.e. no on that color no matter what, etc.)
shop, buy & enjoy

mafpolo

Diesel

loungin

Is the towing capacity the same across all cayennes? Or do turbo and diesel handle more?

Ericson38

7500 pounds total trailer weight for 2009 V6.

YaNi

They're all rated the same on paper.
However, in the real world there are significant differences in the suspension, brakes, cooling, and power delivery. Obviously a base v6 with steel suspension will tow radically different than a Turbo S with all the doodads.

Ericson38

Being all rated the same on paper doesn't mean the Porsche Spec Department just decided to yawn and do a cut and paste job on this parameter and then take an early lunch.

If they did though (not possible), I would think in reality the Turbo S could tow maybe 30% more mass (a radical sized upgrade). Putting it around 10,000 lbs. Since the brakes, engine, cooling, and brakes are all better, as you say.

Since they didn't spec the Turbo S higher than the Base mode, the Turbo S will still show ability to start and stop the 7500 lbs much quicker, and counteract tongue loads thrown into the truck in bumpy curves and crosswinds better, for a better sense of control.

997.1 MT C4 Cab
957 Base

tmckenna

One of the main reasons i settled on a turbo (s) was in big part due to fuel efficiency. Now to preface this statement im not saying the turbo gets better gas mileage, but the difference between the diesel and a turbo wasnt enough for me to justify losing pdcc, ptv, and in most cases pasm.

I see just about 24mpg highway while using acc on reasonably flat roads. Throw in some mountains ill get just about 22mpg. My buddy with a q7 tdi (essentially the same car as CD) gets about 28mpg highway on reasonably flat roads. 4mpg difference, yes its notable, but not exorbitantly different.

Now i havent towed anything very big or heavy (yet), but one of the users here, that i got a lot of towing advice from, tows a 7-8000 pound airstream and usually sees 14mpg. Ive never seen a cayenne diesel tow something similar but i cant imagine its all that much better.

Long story short, sure the diesel will get better mpg, but in my opinion its not a big enough difference to sacrifice the turbo bells and whistles.

Price is a different story but thats different for everyone.

Eskimo1

Transmission, rear diff ring & pinion, and the body shell are however identical. The half shafts and CV joints may also be shared, but I'm not sure. No way does it have the wheelbase, mass, and overall structure to pull 10k repeatedly, especially something with a large frontal area.

I'd also question that the turbo's engine is "better" for towing, where you're looking at being under boost for sustained periods and throwing all that heat load into the cooling systems. We know the gauges don't provide true readings, so I'd be curious what oil temps, transmission temps, and coolant temps would actually be as seen in the OBD stream. Likely OK, given that Porsche's are made to be run hard, but thrashing around a track is a whole different ballgame then towing a trailer. Would be a fun academic comparison.