I've done a lot of searching on this site as well as a few others. I'm looking to buy a Cayenne for towing my wakeboard boat and to be my everyday driver, probably looking at a 2006MY CS or CTT.

Anyways, it seems a lot of people recommend the air suspension, problem is I'd rather go with the S and most of them don't have the air suspension.

I was wondering what the negative points of towing with the steel spring suspension are? And also if anyone has any experience specifically with towing with the steel suspension, I'd love to hear about it....

My thinking is my truck doesn't have an air suspension and does just fine (trading in), so I'm not quite clear why a Cayenne would need one? Dealers have all said it doesn't need it, online everyone seems to say its needed. Won't a properly adjusted hitch height essentially do the same thing as the auto leveling? Also, I rarely tow far, usually less than 10 miles, twice a year I tow about 300 miles.

Any advice is appreciated...

 

hi mate, i know its a bit off on a tangent, but i dont think that towing has anything to do with it....
i have owned 2 cayennes, one without air suspension and the difference is night and day.
nothing to do with towing, the ride with the air option is vastly better, it offers the choice of rides from comfort to sport, as well as ride heights, also with the air option you get better throttle and gear changes when sport is selected.
wheel changes are much easier, it has an on board compressor to pump up your tyres or anything air with the long air line.
then there is the off road option where you can get the car much higher than a spring one.
but the most noticable difference is the way the car handles with the air, its vastly different, im not dissing the spring set up...that is superb, but the air is in a different league thats why its standard on the turbo.
as far as your original goes the spring cayenne is an admrable towing car, but yes, the air option is again better because it has self leveling, and can be manually lowered to aid towing.

but if you have the option of buying now then go for a air spec cayenne S, one will come along.
good luck with your choice

 

I have a 06 CS with steel suspension and tow an open trailer and track car. I have zero issues. It has plenty of power and handles quite well but stiff with 20 inch wheels.
However, my next cayenne will definately have air suspension for the same reason ONE234 and other have described.