Just Drove a Cayenne

Just drove a friends Cayenne(2016) for the first time(his Panamera is in the shop and they gave him one as a loaner). Granted it's a totally different type of car, but I drive SUVs all the time. I can honestly say, while I would consider trading in my 996 for a Panamera, I would never even consider trading it for a Cayenne.

Any particular reason you are so anti-P!g? There is actually a lot of overlap between the Cayenne and 996 crowds. It's obviously no 911, but you won't find a better handling SUV out there even without all the goodie options. Hell, my diesel with zero suspension or performance options hung just fine with the 996s for a day of AutoX. Damn fine vehicle if you treat it like a Porsche.

We put over 140K miles on our first gen Cayenne S. It was a great SUV. Of course it's no 911, but it's great if you need an SUV.

I had a 2012 Ford Explorer for a few years and honestly I would take that over the Cayenne. Granted the Cayenne had a nice smooth engine, but it was more S than UV.

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That is indeed true. The rake of the D pillar kills the cargo utility (Macao is worse), rear seats that don't fold flat, and non opening hatch glass are all stupid design decisions in my opinion.

Don't forget the Cayenne also has that pesky IMS problem..:

Totally confused by the OP's illogical straw man argument. Did someone ask you to trade your 911 for an SUV? These vehicles are apples and oranges. The Cayenne is a very capable, comfortable, and well built SUV. I've been driving mine in ice and snow the pst three days with compltete confidence. It's no 911, but it is far more enjoyable to drive than any Explorer, MDX, X3, Tribute, Cherokee, or Grand Cherokee - all of which I've owned. And mine is only a base V6... the GTS and TT versions are ridiculous. Nothing that big should go that fast.

You should try my winter ride, a 2015 Subaru Forester XT. It's not a real monster by any means, but its' 250hp and 258 lb of torque let it get out of its own way quite well. I have added decent coil-overs and bigger rear bar, and the handling is much improved over stock. I even have gotten to like the cvt transmission, the XT iteration has three modes which allow either relaxed cruising or fairly aggressive shifting/engine mapping modes. The Cayenne is much more refined, but then it should be considering the cost of admission.

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No problem. Simply putting it out there that if I was to trade my 911 for a larger Porsche, it wouldn't be a Cayenne(but it would be a Panamera).

I bought my wife an older P!g this summer - an '06 S model. She's really hard on cars, so I don't spend a bunch of money on her cars. I learned my lesson with an E55 AMG she destroyed over the course of a year - no major accidents, just constantly doing things like driving across deep drainage ruts and having parking lot fender benders. Anyhow, she hated it at first and wanted me to buy her another Explorer. Last week I listed the P!g for sale in Craigslist planning to replace it with a 2011 Explorer Limited and she went ballistic. Go figure. I had to sort out a few issues when I first got it, but it's actually now a pretty decent daily driver for her. It cleans up well and I have less than $10k total invested in it. Pretty positive experience thus far.

If I wanted a larger SUV, P!g would be high on that list (probably at the top, actually). Older ones are damn cheap nowadays. Definitely something to complement a Porsche sports car. Macan in a couple of years seems like it'd be a fun option too - lot's of depreciation left still though. It's not super useful, I will admit - more a really expensive GTI than a utility vehicle, but that hasn't stopped everyone on (s)*** Hill from buying one apparently. On my 1.3 mile walk home from work, I saw four Macans going up the hill in a six block span (plus a Cayman and two 911s - an SC and a 996.1 cab).

I have a 2004 Cayenne S. Bought it 3 years ago with 80K miles on it, for $13K. Has 114K on it now. It needs $1K-$2K of work each year, but I'm okay with that since the low initial price means no car payments. It had also been a CPO car right up until I bought it, so all of the stuff that typically goes wrong with it had been addressed. I was really looking for a Tourag when I came across the Cayenne. Did not initially like it, but really love it now. I'll most likley be buying another one. It can also haul a ton with the seats down. I also use it as a tow vehcile for my 996. It tows real well (just had to add the brake controller, which took all of 30 minutes to do).

Drove on as a loaner from the dealer. I have to say, I was not too impressed and my X5 was the better handler.

I sat in one at the dealer while my car was being washed. Awesome interior, much nicer than my 2011 Jeep GC, didn't get to drive it though.

Chalk me up as someone who saw no reason for the Cayenne's very existence when it was first released. Fast forward to today with two kids and the need for the extra room we ended up with a Cayenne TT. It's technically my wife's car but I still drive it when we're out as a family. The thing is brutally fast and awesome. It's everything my 996 is not with all of the electronic aids, creature comforts, and additional size. It'll smoke my 996 in a straight line and who knows it might even beat it in the corners. Granted me 996 is much older and it doesn't make sense to compare the two but this truck does things you wouldn't think a truck could do. One thing both of my P-cars do have in common though - AWESOME exhaust sounds. I have PSE and X-Pipe cats on my 996 so it has a high pitch exotic whine very similar to a GT3. The CTT has a full Fabspeed sport system that makes the most perfect V8 sound and shakes our dishes in the dining room when it starts. Love both cars and feel honored to have both in my garage. I've never driven a base model Cayenne or S so don't know if they just aren't as convincing. But the CTT is the real deal!

On the loaner Cayenne I had for a week, you had to disable the stupid start/stop function with each restart. That alone was a deal breaker for me. The vehicle rode, for all intents and purposes, as well as or perhaps slightly better than the competition but I am a car guy, not an SUV guy. When I had young kids we always had a minivan, which in my opinion was a better choice for a family. Still don't understand the love afffair with the SUV unless you really need offroad capability. Sorry for the rant.

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Get used to it. The 991.2 cars are the same way. I think that tighter government fuel efficiency requirements will result in even more unpleasant changes to sports cars.

I don't get the SUV as well. Much prefer a fast station wagon like the Audi A6 or BMW 5.

I have a 06' Cayenne S Titanium... love it. I'll have it til the wheels fall off. It's been great, hauls the boat great, and is nice to drive.

Have had a lot of SUVs and still think the Cayenne is the best available on the market. Used or new. The 1st gen was a tank even if it was a hyped up Touareg. The 2nd/3rd gen interior is still better than anything out there and the ride is superb. Our 2011 has been a tank. 380hp/427lbs and it gets 27mpg+ still at the 65k mile mark. Tires, belts and brakes. If I had to get one now, I'd jump all over a 2012 Diesel. Their prices have plummeted tremendously. To each their own.

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Agree. I've owned 6 or 7 Foresters. Excellent vehicles. I recently test drove a Macan. A very nice vehicle, but in my opinion not worth well over twice the cost of a Forester.

I take it you drove a base cayenne. I had a 2016 base loaner for a bit while my 2011 TT was in the shop and would not own one. The difference in the TT and base is noticeable to say the least. Now even my 2011 TT Cayenne with PDCC and PTV does not handle quite as good as my 2001 911 c4, but it will out accelerate it and handles insanely well. Put it on the interstate for hours and after reaching your destination refreshed and enjoying the ride makes it worth it. This is the family travel vehicle that the wife say I am not allowed to get rid of. The wife’s daily driver is a 2005 TT that as Vandersmith says is a tank. After having it off road in places I would not bring other 4WD vehicles makes it great. It is not as refined as the 11 but still is a blast. Power, off road prowess, and comfort makes it no comparison to friend’s Acura’s, Ford’s, or Chevy’s. All of them wish they had my wife’s old cayenne. Start stop sucks. On the 11 once you disable it, it stays disabled. On the newer Cayenne’s you must disable it every time you start the vehicle. Darn EPA. The Diesel, if you could find a nice one buy it! It is the only thing that would pry the 05 TT from my wife. Great gas mileage and insane torque. It would be awesome as an around town vehicle.

I had an 06S and liked it. My now ex took it with her when she left. Fast forward a few years and replacement wife is looking at suv's. I have her test drive a Pig and she literally did not get out of the parking lot before she said No. She bought an Audi Q5, drove it about a year and is now in a Subaru Forrester which she loves. I liked the Audi , don't much care for the Forrester.

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I wanted a 5 wagon, but they had just killed it off here in the States when I started my search. Bastards!! Our wagon options in the US are crap which forces you to SUV or Minivan. I've found, however, that I like the SUV in general though. It just seems to suit me.

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everyone is different and has different needs. a wagon wouldn't fit my family unless it was a Mercedes with the rear facing seats. some people hate vans so go with a SUV instead.

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just got back into a subaru after selling my last one for the porsche. 2015 legacy - this thing owns snow all day long. just as I expected.

I drove a '17 Cayenne as a dealer loaner last week while my car was in the shop. 2nd time I'd driven one. I was impressed with the technology, comfort, and luxury, but they are way too expensive. You can buy a comparable SUV with being a Porsche for much less money. I just can't make an argument to spend the extra $10k-$15k just to say I have a Cayenne...

I picked up a '13 CD with 52K miles for $38K OTD this summer in June. I got rid of a BMW 550XI due to the crappy engine and tired of staring into headlights driving at night. It is the reality of driving in the US today. Love the CD and do not regret the move from a sedan at all.

I have a 2013 Cayenne GTS. I've owned a Ford Explorer and Expedition, a Toyota 4Runner and my wife has a MB GL450. I think the Cayenne is the best all-around SUV I've owned, very quick, handles well and drives better than any of them (but was more expensive). I'd buy one again if I could still get the big engine.

I have a 99 996 and a 11 cTT. There are both great cars but very different. The cTT is a beast and has pccd and ptv and will apparently run a lap faster than a base 997/991. Not that I am gonna try it but the thing is a beast. Stomp on it at 75 and it gets to 150+ without blinking.