gokkav

Hi guys,

In the last few days I received a lot of support from this forum and now it's my turn to contribute.

Today I tested the Cayenne Diesel for an hour and wanted to share my experience. First, a short background info on my taste and preferences, so that you can see if my impressions are relevant to you. On the car side, I am a Porschephile and on the SUV side I am a huge fan of Range Rovers.

Porsches I have owned:
Carrera 4 cabrio (2006)
Panamera 4 (2011) my current car

SUVs I have owned:
RR 4.6 HSE (1997)
RR 4.4 HSE (2002)
RR TDV8 Vogue (2011)
RR Evoque SI4 (2012) my current SUV

I generally hate diesels. I can't stand their engine sound, their turbo lag and the general lack of emotion. There is only one diesel in the above list and I couldn't keep it for more than 6 months. And I bought the Evoque mainly because it's petrol.

The reason I tried the CD is that it's the only variant of Cayenne available for a test drive in my market. Despite all the positive reviews that I read, I was very skeptical and I actually wanted to dislike the CD as soon as possible and get it out of my way.

However, I came away VERY, VERY IMPRESSED!

First of all, it felt almost as luxurious as the RR Vogue (which I wasn't expecting). Handling is exceptionally good (which I was expecting). My test car had the air suspension and I really liked the PASM's sport setting. But the standard mode is also quite good and so the PASM is nice to have but not a must. A/S is, IMO not necessary at all unless you do serious off-roading. Anyway, I don't have much to add to the countless Cayenne reviews. It's GREAT car.

Now, about the diesel part of Cayenne Diesel...

Don't believe the reviews which say "it's impossible to tell that it's a diesel". Not true. It IS a diesel and you will know it all the time. But this one is a very fine diesel and light years ahead of RR TDV8. The famous (or infamous) turbo lag is either non-existent or not noticeable. You press the throttle and the car goes. Just like it should. And, sound-wise, this is one diesel I can live with. I especially drove it next to high walls, with the windows open, and the engine sound reflecting back from the walls failed to annoy me.

One thing the CD shares with other diesels, unfortunately, is the slight vibration on the steering wheel. The dealer told me that it goes away when the engines warms up enough, but it didn't. (I guess she wasn't expecting me to drive it for so long ) But it's not a major distraction.

This engine is also unemotional but it would be asking too much from a diesel. It is, however, very serene and lets you enjoy the drive without focusing on the engine note. It just doesn't get in the way.

Unfortunately, I am not able to compare it with the V6 petrol, and having failed to rule out the diesel, I am now really indecisive. I can buy a diesel straight away, or I'll have to wait at least 5 months for a V6 petrol without having tested it.

All in all, the CD is a great SUV. Until I can go for a new RR Supercharged or CTT, I can be the happy owner of it.

blazing928

just buy the diesel or get the CDS, if you can.

We tested a RRTDV8, agree on all points, laggy, probably due to its weight, but the CD just was better every where except ultimate width across the back seat. Lucky we stopped at two kids then!

ours is in town should be here in a week or so now........

gokkav

Congrats on your purchase. Hope you enjoy it. BTW my test car was also white/black. Another surprise: I liked the black interior

Dennis C

Glad to hear it. We're seriously considering a CD to replace our current CS.

Joseph O'Reilly

thanks gokkav for the review. i am on the fence regarding a/s for a cds, and your cd test drive suggests it is not a must-have so long as you are not intending any serious off-roading. but have you also driven a cayenne without pasm + a/s? by the way, my concerns with a/s are mostly limited to potential repair costs in the post warranty period (i.e. after 3 years), and this alone probably shouldn't stop me from getting it.

as for your decision, would you be willing to get a used v6 petrol so that you can have it now, and so that you can let someone else take the nasty initial depreciation on petrols (e.g. an 18 month old cs with 60k km is at the local dealer with a negotiable price of 69.9k euro - new price was 123.8k euro - "ouch" for the first owner). Given your positive first-hand impressions of the diesel, i would be concerned about never coming to peace with the decision to order a brand new v6 petrol instead.

gokkav

Joseph, as you probably know, PASM adjusts the suspension firmness (which is useful on-road) and A/S is only for the ride height. So, unless you need more ground clearance off-road, you really don't need the A/S. (Yes, it also lowers the car a bit at highway speeds but this benefit is minimal). Since the A/S was set to "normal" during my entire test-drive, I assume it was equivalent to a non-A/S car with PASM. Mind you, PASM can be optioned standalone.

If you intend to order A/S PLUS PDCC, that's a different story, of course. But that's too expensive.

As for used petrol V6, I would certainly try it, only there is none available in Turkey on the new model. Nobody here ever bought one. And yes, I am very much concerned that I may regret ordering a brand new petrol car only to discover that the diesel was at least as good (or better?). Also, I can get up to 20% year-end discount on a brand new 2012 CD. This won't be the case with a 2013 petrol.

steve_Cayenne

Just as gokkav went in trying to brainwash himself to dislike the Diesel (but failed), I went in trying to brain wash myself that the standard suspension was fine (and succeeded) ... predominantly to keep to a budgetary price point. I partly did that by not critically testing between standard and PASM/AS. No regrets personally ...

However some points to consider ...

Technically PASM is always at work, even in normal mode. Firming this corner, softening that bump. "PASM actively and continuously regulates the damping force for each wheel according to the road conditions and driving style."
So PASM in normal mode being same as no-PASM is not 100% correct.

Technically air bladders are physically very different than steel springs, should they feel identical while driving? Many people swear AS softens some harshness that the steel springs exhibit.
So AS in normal height being the same as steel springs also not 100% correct.

Can one feel the difference? There seem to be two camps on this question. Many debates on prior threads.

Most important, can YOU feel the difference? Only critical test driving between the models will reveal that answer.

gokkav

Steve, I didn't say PASM in normal mode feels the same as no PASM. It is indeed at work at all times. And I rather liked the sport mode.

However, A/S in normal mode has "practically" the same effect as no A/S. Because it has to do with ride height (higher setting for more ground clearance and lower setting for better aerodynamics at highway speeds). At least, this is its intended function. Higher settings might result in extra softness due to longer "suspension travel", but this is more like a side effect.

But you are right in saying that we can not expect two technically different suspension systems to feel identical. Only, I don't know if one is "better" than the other.

steve_Cayenne

Must have misunderstood your statement. But previous posters have had the misconception that PASM is just a "harden" or "soften" the dampers more or less than the standard ones, instead of active real-time dampening. And think since they leave it in "normal" all the time, they waisted their money.

gokkav

On second reading, I see that my sentence could not be interpreted in any other way What I wanted to say is, PASM makes the real difference when you deviate from the normal mode in either direction.

Galion

I have to disagree on this one, air suspension is not just for height adjustment, it enhances ride comfort too, feels like you are literally riding on air without loosing control. IMO its one fantastic option and a must have for a Cayenne with 20" or 21" wheels.

Cowboys5

I'd go for the CD now. Not sure what you think you'll like better on the V6 petrol. If it was the S, then I would understand your dilemma, but as against the V6, no contest in my view, as the diesel is simply better in so many ways. The extra torque on the diesel makes it more responsive and more fun, and not even mentioning the fuel efficiency. Can't really think of any upside to the V6 over the diesel. Guess which one I chose?

TGED

We've test drove the V6, diesel and V8. We finally decided on the V8 as we want to have the 4-zone climate control which is not offered in the diesel in US/Canada. Otherwise we would have purchased the diesel.

blazing928

so we drove V8 with a/s, two CD with steel. Cd steel springs & 21" was amazing and really no different to 20" rims on other car. I know this is not others experience, but my wife & I both agreed. We drove a
V8 with air on 20" and really couldnt pick it as any better. This was over concrete roads, so lots of sharp edges.
We have ordered steel with 18" & will fit aftermarket 20" TIIs, mostly for cost saving as here its a $12000 option for the 21" turbo II rims.....ouch!

our dealer also said, get a/s if you tow heavy boats/horses etc or a lot of off roading, we do neither & its also expensive here.

We did however order 4 zone for our diesel, so why its available here is a question I can't answer. Maybe the adblue tank takes up the compressor space, as Oz doesn't use adblue.

We wanted to buy 2nd hand and save some depreciation,but the diesels are holding value too well, and for perhaps $10K more we got the options we wanted; bixenons pdls in black, pano roof - its so fantastic1, bose, 4 zone a/c, 14 way comfort seats, roof rails black, ext black out, tow bar, heated front seats, load management system, LCA, all Oz cars come std with nav/phone bluetooth, rear camera, extra rear air bag, elec hatch in the price. White/black car

gnat

Almost 7k (in the US assuming you take a 6 speed on the V6) that can cover a few more options? The ability to get 4 zone climate or a couple other options that aren't available on the US spec CD?

Personally I wanted a manual transmission, the 4 zone, and a few other options that the extra cost for the diesel cut out of my budget, but I went with the CD anyway because the MPG and torque are very nice things to me