In November 2005, I bought a used Porsche Cayenne Turbo. I have now put about 6k miles on this car. Acceleration is on par with most sport cars. Handling is fantastic for an SUV but clearly is not as capable as a sports car. The Porsche Active Suspension Management allows you to determine comfort settings ranging from "comfort", "normal", and "sport" modes. For everyday driving I choose the normal setting. More importantly, the turbo line (optional for the "S" line) comes with the pneumatic suspension system allowing you to set the ride height from around 6 inches to above 10 inches. This is a MUST as it greatly improves everyday driving (lowest loading level or second lowest level "normal") and allows more extreme off roading (if you choose). It is getting about 12mpg city and around 18 mpg highway.
Leather seats are firm but comfortable with nice lateral bolsters. Central console grip handle is a nice addition. The radio/Navigation system control panel is the exact opposite of the BMW Idrive. Unlike the latter where one knob controls virtually everything, the porsche system seems to have a button for virtually every function...too many in my opinion. Some consolidation would be welcomed. Cargo space is about the same as for the BMW X5. The rear gate and glass panel can be opened separately. This means that one can easily enter the rear cargo space even with a bike rack attached (nice). The key fob has one button that both unlocks and locks the car. This can be very confusing and many times requires me to manually check the doors to make sure that they are indeed locked.
Great SUV, especially for someone who is looking for a high performance SUV. Those looking for a sports car should look elsewhere...the acceleration will blow most sports cars off the road but the handling (although great for an SUV) is still SUV!! If you don't care about the "turbo" issue, then stick with the Cayenne S but get the pneumatic suspension option (ride height adjustment). The system will greatly improve the ride comfort (not just offroad but more importantly on the road). If your family includes more than 4, this SUV, like the Lexus RX330 or the BMW X5, may be too small to accomodate everyone plus luggage. The key fob could be improved, but remoteless entry is now an option on the new cars. Like many sports cars, the Cayenne Turbo has high performance tires which will wear faster than all-season tires. I will need to replace my soon with about 15k miles on them. But absolutely no regrets. |