I have been looking for a manual transmission Cayenne for several months to replace my Dodge truck, and my wife and I just picked up a 2008 V6 in Denver on Friday and drove it home to Bismarck. Because these are so rare, I thought I would offer a few observations that might be of interest to others out there who prefer to shift for themselves and for whom a Cayenne is one of the few available choices in a four wheel drive vehicle.

The clutch is light and easy to use. The shifter is a little notchy and the throws are a little long. It's certainly not as smooth and short as the 5 speed in our 05 Boxster, but that is to be expected in a 5,000 pound vehicle that is supposed to be able to tow over 7,000 pounds. First gear is a little low, and it's a big jump from first to second that takes a little getting used to. The shift lever does not vibrate at all, unlike many truck transmissions. This is not a transmission for drag racing, but then, that's not what a Cayenne V6 is for! I have owned many stick shift vehicles over the years, and the Cayenne shifts as well any truck I have owned, and better than some of the cars.

The 290 hp 3.6 liter V6 has plenty of power for our intended uses, and we got over 21 mpg on the 700-plus trip home from Denver.

Overall, we are delighted with our purchase. Thanks to Porsche for offering a manual transmission option for those (apparently few) of us who prefer one.

I'm attaching a picture of our "new" Marine Blue Metallic beauty!

 

congratulations. thanks for the nice review.

 

Congrats and enjoy!

 

Nice,very pretty blue

 

Reviving this thread to see how many of us are out there driving 6MT sixers.

 

my 08 GTS is now 10 years old and is the only Porche my dealor ha never been able to get me to trade.

the manual in the V8 is really fun in 2nd and 3rd - the throws are not really that long, and downshifting those gears is also easy. and with sport on the exhaust note just doesn't get boring.

a friend drove it last spring and found that getting into 5th was trickey as it does require a little push, an effort that is seamless after driving it for bit.

the only rel downside is that in 6th it rev's high on the highway - just results in lots of gas, but in the end a rather small cost for the fun.

 

If you think the throws are long, pop in a short-shift kit. I've had two 911's in the past and installed the B&M short-shift kit in both of them, loved the snappy quick throws. Once I get back in a 911 in the future that will be one of my first upgrades.

 

Has anyone ever done this sucessfully in their cayenne?

I would love one for my 08.

 

it has been talked about on the site for years but i do not think there are any kits given the minuscule number of manual Cayennes.

i had a short shift in my manual turbo - and agree they are a very good option for the manuals.

 

Here's one, first google hit:

https://www.vividracing.com/schnell-...150723115.html

 

 

wholly smokes - i can't believe they made something. i honestly have not looked for years as it wasn't an option back then. Many thanks as i just would not have bothered looking

that is amazing and i think i will order one - if it is anything like the one on my 997 turbo - it will make a lot of difference.

 

If you order it please keep us updated!

 

How much is the clutch job on these??