The CS may be a little outside of my budget the way i want it optioned....Air Suspension, PDCC & PTV.

I could get the Cayenne loaded w/ all the above suspension options or get the CS with probably only PTV. What's the right balance between power and handling?

Is the base Cayenne super slow?

Also, what kind of maintainence going along with the air suspension and PDCC? Will I be regretting it if i plan to keep this car for 5 or so years?

 

I would not worry about maintenance costs on air-susp/PDCC if you are planning to keep the vehicle for 5 or so years. Longer than that probably yes.

In terms of which Cayenne to buy, let me tell you this. It terms of quality of fit and finish, safety, reliability, comfort, luxury you already are getting a very superior product be it C, CS or CTT. So you are already a winner having decided to go with the Cayenne. Please bear this in mind.

Trying to balance between frills and performance is always tough when you have a strict budget in mind. Ya, people will tell you to get performance options (PASM, PDCC PTV etc) over frills each and every time when you ask them for advice but one cannot deny the fact that there are times when those heated seats/4-zone climate control for your kids in the back come in handy and features like having the option of listening to your favorite team playing when you travel on satellite radio or that "free session of phototherapy (for those dull days) afforded by the pana roof are priceless and adds as much pride and joy to the ownership IMO as the performance features would.

The V-6 is an updated version of the engine introduced at the 2007 midlife makeover of the first-generation Cayenne. It's a member of the Volkswagen Group's engine family and some reviews suggest that it is slightly underpowered and others say that the power and torque is fine but the refinement is a little lacking to be worthy of a Porsche badge. But everyone who has gotten one seem to like it in this and other Porsche forums and that tells you something coming from auto-enthusiasts.

When I optioned my Cayenne S with all frills and performance features that I wanted it was well over the turbo price but I felt that the Cayenne S would be almost as satisfying to drive as the turbo with the right suspension. I strongly believe that whatever Cayenne you drive, as long as you have the right suspension and performance upgrades (PASM, air-suspension, PTV, PDCC in that order of most to least important) any Cayenne would almost be as satisfying as the next higher model as your suspension will be quite buttoned down and you can carving corners smoothly and easily which is pretty fun, to do in such a large vehicle.

I could ask you to go and test drive both a v6 and a v8 but you cannot test drive one with a V6 that has all these performance options since dealers like to keep the price down on the cars and IMO it is not fair to compare a V6 w/out PASM, AS, PTV vs a CS w/ PASM and then make a decision based on that.

To answer your question: Get the CS with just PASM and PTV. But if you will keep worrying about the missed frills each time you see a Cayenne with say a full leather or pana roof then go with a base with PASM, PTV and add the frills. Remember the disappointment of having to compromise far outweighs any financial loss that you may suffer when you settle for what YOU feel is something "less"

Disclaimer: I have never driven a Cayenne with PDCC and PTV. At the very least you should get PASM.

 

I'll agree with everything w00t stated, except
Get the CTT, nothing less will do

 

haha. Remember my other thread....well, this may be a little more in my price range....Unless you guys can get creative and make me an S in the mid-high 70's, i think i may have to go this route....unless i go back to looking for an 09-10 GTS or TT.

With that said, i def need to drive both

Total Price*


$74,565

 

Ya right, gues who's saying that ... Jace is part of the catastrophe theory ... guys who are conditioned by the brute strength and power of the turbo. Nothing else would do it for them. Don't listen to him

 

LOL. Thanks!

So, where is the sport exhaust option on the V6? Is it available? I saw you mention it in another thread but dont see it in the configurator.

 

Weird, the brochure says that it is offered on the V6 too but not listed under the performance options in the configurator. Ask your dealer.

 

Hi,and kudos to w00t-w00t for another detailed and insightful explanation
I have never driven a Cayenne with either PDCC or PTV,but have driven a base 2011 Panamera with the same 300hp V6 as the base Cayenne
My DD being a 997tts i was not wowed by the accelerationbut still found the power acceptable and actually enjoyed driving it.
Get the base Cayenne with PDCC(and your other options)and you will buy into the safe,dependable and fun world of Porsche
Best wishes to you and your family

 

Wow, that is one impressive V6 build! I really have to agree with w00t's first post (and prob agree with his second too, having read Jace's posts for the last few months ). Getting any version of the Cayenne is a great choice, the frill and thrills options, engine, etc. all depends on what is important to YOU and your allotted budget. I've only been reading these forums for a little bit, but I haven't seen a single post from anyone that doesn't like their Cayenne.

I ordered a V6 and while my build isn't quite as impressive as yours, I added the things that I really wanted and the final price came very close to that of a base CS. In pricing a CS with the options I really wanted, which changed when I configured a CS, I was way over my budget.

Anyhow, you have to ask yourself what are the must have's vs. the nice to have's. You don't know what you don't know, and in my case, I don't really know outside the test drive what the V8 is like, or what the performance options such as Air PASM, PTV, PDCC feel like behind the wheel. Therefore, I won't be longing for them (well, maybe the V8 ). If my budget was in the high 70s, I would definitely go the CS route and cut out some of the nice to have options. Those who have the new CS and have posted their impressions absolutely love it. The CS owners seem to exude a bit more passion about the V8 than the 6ers do about the new V6. All that said, I think once you have a good taste of the power, it's hard to rid yourself of that desire.

Good luck!

 

that build looks sweet! very much an enthusiast's car, with some fun bling thrown into the mix with your dials, red seat belts, and CF trim.

I didn't see the tiptronic auto trans on your options list - are you thinking about getting a manual trans? I'm biased (got a manual trans on order for late Feb delivery) but I'm hoping that it gives the V6 a little extra oomph to make it as fun to drive as the CS.

 

For almost the same money, I will definitely get a base CS over a loaded C.

All the extra money spent on a C will not make it faster. The performance of a C can be viewed as satisfactory for a people carrier. Air suspension and PDCC will not make any noticable performance advantage. Might as well spend a bit more for 100 more hp.

(Along my same theory, I will always get a base CTT over a loaded CS. For a heavy SUV, there is no performance options that can substitute the hp advantage.)

 

Pepper09tt, thank you for those kind comments on my post. GBX, have you test driven a pepper yet ? Check out the 18-way seats. The sculpted bolsters of the 18s may not be everyones cup of tea as it can be too snug of a fir. I personally love the look and feel of the 18s. With the second row seat the middle occupant can be subjected to some discomfort again related to the deeper side bolsters of the 18s (see picture).

 

I loooove those sexy 18 way seats

 

Get the CS and sacrifice a few of the "nice" options. Get the PASM and PTV. Pdcc is nice but id get the PTV over pdcc if needed to choose.
You can get a VERY nice CS for mid 70's to 80's and the v8 will run at lower rpm at higher speeds and be comparable to mpg.
I have the v8 in my GTS and it's great.

And w00t you're a silly silly man.

 

Targa tim, to each his own. I felt that having the Burmester, pana roof, PDCC, PTV was more valuable and would enhance the overall ownership experience than the 100 more HP or the brute thrust of the CTT. You are victim number two (Jace being the first) for the catastrophe theory... Just kidding. Outside of the track, many say that the CS with PASM and air-suspension is almost as capable as the CTT. It is my belief that a CS with PDCC, PTV will handle better than a base CTT. You know as well (or likely more so than) I do that there is more to driving than just speed. I just could not justify the 20K delta between a fully loaded CS and a fully loaded CTT. Resale was not an issue for me, if it was then I knew that I would be taking a big hit. The OP should be aware of that. A base CS will have better resale value than a fully loaded C.