| paul123 |
Introduction
Details are finally firming up on the Porsche SUV Cayenne. Two models are planned: Cayenne S (340hp) and Cayenne Turbo (450hp). Porsche claims 0-100km/h in 5.6s for the Turbo model, with the ability to tow 7716 lbs.
2003 Porsche Cayenne
General
Specified Configuration: Cayenne Turbo
Vehicle Type: 4-door SUV
Driven Wheels: AWD
Assy. Point: Leipzig, Germany
Engine
Layout: Front-engined
Disp./Cylinders: 4.5 Liter V-8
Bhp@RPM: 450
Torque (lb.-ft.)@RPM: 457
Transmission
Type: Manumatic
# Ratios: 6-speed
Vehicle Dimensions
Height (in.): 66.9
Length (in.): 188.43
Wheelbase (in.): 112.4
Width (in.): 75.9
Performance(Mfg.)
0-60 mph (sec.): 5.6 (0-62mph)
2003 Porsche Cayenne
General
First year production is 25000 with 70% being earmarked for export.
Two models will be offered: Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo.
The Cayenne will be built in a new factory in Leipzig, Germany. Styling
Cayenne Turbo sports additional inlets and 4 tailpipes to distinguish it from the S model.Engine
Cayenne S will be powered by a normally-aspirated 4.5-liter V-8 producing 340hp and 310 lb-ft of torque.
Cayenne Turbo is powered by a 4.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 producing 450hp and 457 lb-ft of torque.Chassis
Permanent all-wheel drivePerformance
Towing capacity of 7716 lbs.
Porsche claims 0-100km/h in 7.2s for Cayenne S
Porsche claims 0-100km/h in 5.6s for Cayenne TurboHandling
Porsche Stability Management
:eek: |
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| Warzau |
One word for this SUV.
WEIRD!
I cant get over how it just looks strange. I see boxter all over it, it just hard to place it. |
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| sideburns |
Paul123
You didn't mention how much all this horsepower and German ingenuity costs. I think waaay above the $50,000 mark. I wonder if it will have any of the initial problems that MB had with its ML line of SUVs. Time will tell. I don't think I will trade in my MDX on this new Porsche. |
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| Iceman |
| Porsche should be embarassed to put their badge on that abomination. That has got to be one of the ugliest creations since the Aztek. |
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| Calkc2 |
The only thing I like about the styling are the wheels :rolleyes:
The MDX looks much better. |
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| Leader(in L.A.) |
The Cayenne looks MUCH better in person than it does in photos. However, it does seem like the designers kind of "gave up" when they got to the rear-end. From the C-pillar back the Cayenne's butt does not look like it's on the same vehicle as the front.
Price-wise, the Cayenne is aimed clearly at the BMW X-5 and Range Rover, not the MDX. Porsche should be able to sell 25,000 a year without any problem. As a long-time Porsche owner (and participant on Porsche boards similar to this one), I can tell you there are a lot of Porsche folks who can't wait to add a performance SUV to their garage. (There are just as many Porschefiles who think the Cayenne is an corporate abomination...go figure.)
Acura sales should not even ripple as the Cayenne enters the marketplace. |
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| Aiya |
take a look at this:
Here's what the lastest issue of Road & Track (May 2002) says about it:
quote:
Porche has finally unveiled its Cayenne, a wagonlike SUV that's about the same size as a lowered Acura MDX and goes on sale in "the last half" of 2002. Whatever your thoughts on its design, Porche says the Cayenne blends "outstanding" on-pavement manners with "very good" off-pavement characteristics. To that end, Porche fits the Cayenne Turbo with a twin-turbo 4.5 liter V-8 that puts out 450 bhp and 457 lb-ft. of torque, whereas the S model gets by with a normally aspirated 4.5 liter V-8 that produces 350 bhp and 310 lb.-ft. of torque. Other Cayenne vitals include a 6-speed Tiptronic gearbox, full time all wheel drive (with low-range gearing and a lockable center diff) and PSM stability control. Production takes place at a new factory in Leipzig, Germany, which can build 25,000 Cayennes per year.
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| Leader(in L.A.) |
| The May edition of Automobile Magazine calls the Porsche Cayenne "perplexingly hideous." So much for those full-page Porsche ads...ouch! :eek: |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by Leader(in L.A.)
The May edition of Automobile Magazine calls the Porsche Cayenne "perplexingly hideous." So much for those full-page Porsche ads...ouch! :eek:
Oh well, nobody says it better than Porsche themselves:
"There is no substitute."
How could there be? :D |
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| MaD-X |
I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this... just remember, I do own an MDX.
Porsche should have never made that SUV. Historically, Porsche has always been a sports car manufacturer and a damn good one too. I just can't understand why they would betray their reputable lineage by making that hideous looking thing. Yes, it is fast but that does not make it a sports car. You just can't expect a car (or more like truck) that size and weight to handle very well. I'm kind of a purist in that way, but one of the main reasons why I've love Porsches are that they are great sports cars with a history behind them. I just hope that this new suv doesn't ruin their lineage. |
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| MDXLuvr |
quote:
Originally posted by MaD-X
one of the main reasons why I've love Porsches are that they are great sports cars with a history behind them. I just hope that this new suv doesn't ruin their lineage.
AMEN!!
btw, me like your taste in cars.:D |
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| renov8r |
quote:
Originally posted by MaD-X
Porsche should have never made that SUV. Historically, Porsche has always been a sports car manufacturer and a damn good one too. I just can't understand why they would betray their reputable lineage by making that hideous looking thing. Yes, it is fast but that does not make it a sports car. You just can't expect a car (or more like truck) that size and weight to handle very well. I'm kind of a purist in that way, but one of the main reasons why I've love Porsches are that they are great sports cars with a history behind them. I just hope that this new suv doesn't ruin their lineage.
I am with you 100%.
I can also 'splain (with near certainty) 'xactly why they'd do such STOOOPID thing ---
It's the 'anti-minivan thingy', as in "MAN OH MAN, I'D rather have my nasty bits gnawed on by hungry piranah then drive a GOD FORSAKEN MINIVAN".
The "flipside" of this the "MUEY MACHO" vehicle -- and what could POSSIBLY be TOUGHER than a FRIGGIN' 450 HP V-8 TRUCK!Makes <a href="http://www.geocities.com/danielmacmillan/kustom/porsche.htm">dying in your highly modified Porsche</a> seem downright limp wristed. The whole homo-erotic aspect of this creeps my out almost as much as the<a href="http://members.aol.com/TheEm1/Dateline.html"> "bathtub scene in</a> <a href="http://www.geocities.com/wuggles_the_evil_sheep/lurve.html">Talened Mr. Ripley"</a> (which stole the creep-out honors from<a href="http://www.nitpickers.com/movies/nitpicks/6699.html"> Spartacus "oysters or clams"</a> scene SHUDDER! eeeeeyyyyyhhhhhkkkk) |
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| young |
quote:
Originally posted by MaD-X
... I just can't understand why they would betray their reputable lineage by making that hideous looking thing. ...
it's all about money... in SUV crazy america, if they sell 20k of those things, i bet their stockholders will be happy. what's the sales figures for the rest of the porsches? the boxster (which many real porsche owners poopoo-ed as being a wannabee or watered down porsche) is probably their best seller... w/out a couple of cars that they can sell in decent numbers, porsche may not last.
btw, i don't like the cayenne. |
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| MaD-X |
This supposed to be the super Porsche 2-seater convertible to be priced ~$300-500k (all sold, sorry). There really aren't very many car companies out there that could make such a thing (and sell it for 1/2 million). This, to me, is clearly not about money (assuming that Porsche will not likely make a lot of money from selling few hundred of these). It's about tradition, the way real sports cars were meant to be built. There's something about these cars that make one's heart pound with excitement, even though you know it is highly unlikely that you'll ever get to own a car like that (or GT40, Porsche GT2, upcoming F60 to name a few). My point is that if Porsche is going to keep its reputation as a world class sport car company, then they should by not building a SUV no matter how much market share or money is involved. Can you imagine companies like Lotus, Saleen, or Ferrari building a station-wagon or suv? I can't. Sorry to blabber on like this (especially on an MDX forum :D) but I feel pretty strongly about these things because cars are important part of my life. I know, they're just cars and I don't obsess over them, but if you didn't like cars yourself, you wouldn't be reading this too.:cool:
Anyway, just remember, I do have a suv and damn good one too! No offense intended, just my opinions.
MDXluvr "btw, me like your taste in cars" - thanks. |
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| Leader(in L.A.) |
Even though Porsche enjoys the absolute highest profit-per-unit of any auto manufacturer, they need to sell more cars to keep from pricing themselves out of existence. As costs go up, Porsche prices go up. So, every once in a while, to create more business (customers), they have to introduce a new model to the lineup, which they hope will be a big hit.
The last time they did this was in 1996 with the Boxster. Now, 50% of all Porsches sold are Boxsters. It was a hit...a really big hit.
What's the top-selling segment in America today? Trucks and SUVs. So, for Porsche to introduce an amazingly over-powered SUV for rich folks actually makes sense - and might just be another hit. (You can bet they've got BMW's attention.)
Porsche purists may hate it, but they really ought to hope the Cayenne succeeds. If it doesn't, Porsche could wind up as a subsidiary of GM, Ford, or worse. Can you imagine what kind of cars Porsche would be introducing then? |
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| Tahoe4wd |
Leader(inLA) had a good response. If you look at demographics the babyboomers are in control. They are buying SUV's Porsche is extremely smart to enter this market. Sure it will piss off porsche fans, like many members of PCA, (Porsche Club of America), which BTW, don't buy new porsches anyway in any great numbers.
Plus Porsche is only building 25,000 of them. They will ALL be sold in RECORD time. They can make more but are restricting the "intake" of the market to make them even more sought after. Yeah they left the racing scene that so many P-car owners loved them to be in but they will be back and probably with the Cayenne doing the off road thing. Plus they are building the Carrerra GT, awesome car and i bet they will race it successfully. I understand the Leipseg (sp?) plant is like Epcot center. Huge and contains its own test track and off road course. (A real estate feat in land poor Europe!) Evidently there is much room for expansion. Rumor from a Porsche dealer friend of mine is that a totally new porsche is in the works. An auto to show case the awesome V8 porsche has developed, (not just for the Cayenne). Prob along the lines of the old 928, a front engine V8 of some kind. I think they are on the right track. Pricing will not be competative with the MDX, that is probably obvious and the the MDX will do things the Pcar won't and vice versa. |
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| MDXLuvr |
I agree that porsche should be independent. porsche knows that it can easily sell 25,000 SUVs a year and make a huge profit from it. But, why didn't porsche first make a sports coupe(clk 430) or sports sedan(m5) before they start making SUV's. That to me would be a proper extension of their lineup.
QUOTE]Originally posted by Tahoe4wd
Sure it will piss off porsche fans, like many members of PCA, (Porsche Club of America[/QUOTE]
PCA is a joke. when the water cooled 911 came out, die hard PCA members weren't too receptive of their new members. they also didn't want boxster owners in their club. therefore, porsche is asking pca members to be nice to the cayenne owners(this i heard on the boxster web site). they are considering offering free pca membership to cayenne buyers!
as much as i luv porsches, IMHO Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's vision of a sports car has been watered down by his son, and by subsequent CEOs of the company.
aside: I was watching a supercar show on t.v. the owner of Callaway racing-Reeves Callaway said something that fascinated me. He said that the great sporst cars in history have one thing in common. They are the vision of a single man(not a team). he went on give examples of the Ferrari gto, Bugatti, etc. etc. i agree 100%. the vision of Mr. Soichiro Honda, or Sir William Lyons(jag), or Mr. Enzo Ferrari are long gone. sad but true.
ok, ok i am getting off the soap-box. sorry to depress u guys. |
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| Tahoe4wd |
Porsche had considered then rejected a 4 dr Porsche. But now that the SUV is on the scene and a ton of development money in the V8 I bet there will be some interesting P-car models coming.
RE: the Cayenne. A Porsche dealer friend told me that he set up a purchase of the ML430, BMW X5 and an MDX for Porsche to compare against last year. According to him, Porsche was most impressed with the MDX! He says even now in his opinion the MDX is far better than the Merc and the Bimmer in overall considerations of use of the car. (e.g. BMW might handle better but is too small and rides rough--Merc is just plain ugly).
Imagine if Acura puts a V8 in the MDX!!! They have an upgrade path that will be very competative! |
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| Drew |
quote:
Originally posted by Tahoe4wd
Imagine if Acura puts a V8 in the MDX!!! They have an upgrade path that will be very competative!
Actually if they did that without any modifications to the chassis, the MDX will be even more front weight bias than it already is, making its handling (and emergency handling) suffer even more. There will be more understeer, and more oversteer as a result of the heavier V8 engine. Not a good idea.
BTW, according to Porsche, the X5 was one of their main benchmark vehicles. |
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| MDXLuvr |
quote:
Originally posted by Drew
according to Porsche, the X5 was one of their main benchmark vehicles.
yup, i read comments in an auto mag, something to the effect that porsche wanted to develop a suv that out handles a X5 on and off pavement with better performance on the street, and with more utility. |
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| donsev |
quote:
Originally posted by Drew
Actually if they did that without any modifications to the chassis, the MDX will be even more front weight bias than it already is, making its handling (and emergency handling) suffer even more.
Drew,
Obviously you do not appreciate the Honda legacy of crafting very lightweight/powerful V8 engines for racing (Indy,CART etc.) :D
But seriously, I would have thought that you would understand the effect that the tires have on handling, and in particular, emergency handling. In a March 2001 Automobile Magazine comparo of SUV tires (using your ML320 as the test vehicle) the performance difference among the major brands was dramatic (and the manufacturers were told the ML320 was the test vehicle!). Several of the tires introduced undesirable emergency handling characteristics. As an example, the Pirelli Scorpion S/Ts in 255/65R-16 (exactly matching the specs of the ML320 OEM tires) "Under more aggressive handling conditions on the autocross circuit, the ML320 was quite tail-happy".
IF Acura were to produce an MDX with a V8, certainly they would upgrade the tires from the (IMHO) rather narrow, stock 235/65s. But I doubt that they would go the route of Mercedes (285/50 R18s on the ML55) and BMW (275/40 R20s on the 4.6is) and mount monstrous rubber solely to enhance on-road performance at the expense of severely compromised off-road capability - that simply isn't the way Acura typically does things.
On the other hand, Acura could simply embed about 500 lbs of lead weight in the rear headrest compartment of the MDX to provide a more naturally balanced 50/50 weight distribution (and still weigh less than the ML320) ;) |
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| zafer |
| An idiot with one in Istanbul city traffic - |
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| Captain MDX |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
An idiot with one in Istanbul city traffic -
Maybe he just won the lottery. |
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| rroof |
I enjoyed Leader's (in L.A.) response as I felt it was right on. Porsche has to survive and I also do not want Porsche to be part of Ford. I also own an MDX (for the wife) and a great driving car (E46 M3). When it came time for MY OWN SUV (can't very well drive the M3 in the winter) - I drove the Cayenne S. It was merely OK. Sure didn't feel as fast as 340hp (but only 310 lb/ft) should have. Really didn't like the inside (as with all new Porshce vehicles). Was told it was really good off-road (which seems silly in this vehicle's demographics). So...I waited for the Toureg - same story except a MUCH nicer interior. Ended up driving an FX45 and fell in love (with the drive that is - the exterior is still growing on me).
Could not afford the Cayenne Turbo (85K) with my other vehicles or I probably would have ended up with one (never did get to test drive one though).
FX45 hits 0-60 in 6.3 vs. 7.2 for the Cayenne S, brakes better, corners better (0.87g!) and costs a little less (53K was my fully loaded sticker). Anyway, there are certainly a LOT of wonderful SUV options out there for the silly Americans (me included). I fought this urge for years ... but alas, now I own 2!
I don't even like driving the MDX anymore compared to the FX (no offense to anyone here), but the MDX will almost always win on 2 very important issues: Resale value and quality. Nuff said. |
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| Markedoc |
| Buy the VW version and save $25k (or whatever the diff is)? |
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| remydog |
I realize that this is an older post, but just came across it. A friend of mine has a Cayenne. He came over and asked if I'd like to drive it. What am I, stupid? Of course!
Hopped in and took about a 20-minute seat of your pants drive through some windy hilly areas and on the highway. No question that this sucker is a rocket ship! The tiptronic is awesome.
BUT! It costs a fortune, it's tough to find roadways that will allow that kind of driving (even on my drive I got stuck behind some people driving only 5mph over the speed limit and had to pass on a double yellow to make the ride worthwhile) AND, it's small. Seats only 5 and has a tiny trunk, half of which is taken up by the bass unit for the stereo.
Really this car is a station wagon race car that seats 5 and allows the driver to sit higher than 2 feet off the road, not worrying about the suspension when he crashes through the notorious New England potholes that will ruin any other sports car.
If I had the bucks to afford it, I would probably consider it as a second or third vehicle, not as a primary car for the family. Although not yet an X owner, I am picking mine up on Tuesday. I have been very pleased with the handling and performance on my several test drives and with the added roominess and lower price tag, I am certain I will not feel the least twang of remorse when I see my friend pass by with his Porsche. |
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| remydog |
I also tested the FX. Very fun monster of a car, but I found two significant problems -- first, there is really no trunk space. Less than in my Volvo wagon that's being replaced by my X. If I'm going to go to a crossover, it should have room for my stuff! If I want a sports car, I'll buy a coupe. Second, I did not find the drivers compartment comfortable. I prefer to drive with both arms completely unobstructed in case of the need to make an emergency maneuver, with armrests available, but out of the way. Yet the armrest on the center console of the FX is up way too far, forcing you to have your elbow on it no matter how you're driving. It's so in the way, in fact, that you sort of have to reach over it to operate the shifter. Which is a shame, since it has the sport shift.
quote:
Originally posted by rroof
I enjoyed Leader's (in L.A.) response as I felt it was right on. Porsche has to survive and I also do not want Porsche to be part of Ford. I also own an MDX (for the wife) and a great driving car (E46 M3). When it came time for MY OWN SUV (can't very well drive the M3 in the winter) - I drove the Cayenne S. It was merely OK. Sure didn't feel as fast as 340hp (but only 310 lb/ft) should have. Really didn't like the inside (as with all new Porshce vehicles). Was told it was really good off-road (which seems silly in this vehicle's demographics). So...I waited for the Toureg - same story except a MUCH nicer interior. Ended up driving an FX45 and fell in love (with the drive that is - the exterior is still growing on me).
Could not afford the Cayenne Turbo (85K) with my other vehicles or I probably would have ended up with one (never did get to test drive one though).
FX45 hits 0-60 in 6.3 vs. 7.2 for the Cayenne S, brakes better, corners better (0.87g!) and costs a little less (53K was my fully loaded sticker). Anyway, there are certainly a LOT of wonderful SUV options out there for the silly Americans (me included). I fought this urge for years ... but alas, now I own 2!
I don't even like driving the MDX anymore compared to the FX (no offense to anyone here), but the MDX will almost always win on 2 very important issues: Resale value and quality. Nuff said.
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| catzx6 |
quote:
Originally posted by Warzau
One word for this SUV.
WEIRD!
I cant get over how it just looks strange.
Totally agree, Warzau.
:16:
:headshake |
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| maransm |
| the link seems to be different than the topic.. could you pl post the link? Thanks.. |
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| hopeitsfriday |
| The Cayenne has got to be the number one selling Porsche right now, does anyone know that to be a fact or otherwise? |
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| DaveI |
For February '04 they sold 1,240 Cayennes, 257 Boxsters, & 582 Carreras.
Porsche Sales |
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| jbdmd |
I know I am a bit late to the thread but I have to say that I really like the cayenne.
Before I got my mdx i seriously almost got a Cayenne S but decided that it was a little more than I wanted to spend. So I went out and bought the MDX then they came out with the 6 cylinder Cayenne which is way affordable! To be honest if they had 6 cycl Cayenne out when I bought the X It would have been a no brainer (Cayenne all the way!)
One of the guys in my local porsche club has the Twin Turbo and he Tracks and Autocrosses this thing like no tomorrow...does well too!
Also, Friday a buddy of mine took out a Cayenne Six cyl and that thing has it all great price, great looks, ride height of an SUV and the handling characteristics of a true sports car!
Lastly how cool would it be if I could get bumper stickers on both cars that said "My Other Car is a Porsche!" :) |
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| hopeitsfriday |
| How much horse power in the 6 cylinder? |
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| DaveI |
| V-6 has 247 hp @ 6000rpm, 229 (or so) ft/lb of torque @2500-5500rpms. |
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| hopeitsfriday |
| 247 HP, thats not bad, have anyone test drove a cayenne V6 yet? Did it perform as well as the 04 MDX? I personally love the interior in the cayenne, IMHO, its the best interior in the luxury suv market right now. |
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| jbdmd |
well as mentioned
i rode in one during a test drive this weekend but did not actually drive it (partly for fear of buying one!)
my impressions:
1)stiffer more car like through the turns
2)not quite as much pep as the mdx (but then it weighs more and has less horse power)
3)similar ride height
4)sweeter exhaust note (imo)
5)gorgeous looking interior (nicer than my 911 by far which is 2x the price) more luxury and less....well... honda? |
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| hopeitsfriday |
| Just test drove one of them today, what a sweet ride. I know what my next SUV will be. |
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| wmquan |
quote:
Originally posted by hopeitsfriday
Just test drove one of them today, what a sweet ride. I know what my next SUV will be.
Which one? The V6? How was the power compared to the MDX? Obviously it's about more than power with the Cayenne, how did you find the handling? |
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| hopeitsfriday |
| I test drove the V6, cant afford the V8 or twin turbo yet lol. Keep in mind I had my 7 year old kid in the back seat, so I couldn't really push the car. My first impression was, wow what a interior, blows all others I have seen and felt so far, including the XC90, LS330, X5 and needless to say the MDX. Acceleration was not bad. Its not MDX fast, but very close and fast enough. Handling was great, a very firm and stiff ride, almost no body lean. In typical Porsche tradition, the engine and the exhaust sounds great. It has decent cargo room and ride height was good as well. The only draw back was the V6 is a modified VW engine, but it did not sound like one. The wife loves the car and if my X wasnt't less than a year old, I would have try to make a deal right there and then. The one I test drove was in the $50000 range and seems to be equipped with the basics and a other few options, If fully loaded, the price can get out of hand. |
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