Drove my car to the store today happy as can be. Returned about 30 minutes later and when I tried to start her up I got dashboard lights but nothing from the engine. Tried everything from disconnecting the battery to jumping the car but nothing. Loaded onto a flatbed and off to the dealer. They aren't sure what it is but suspect something with the electrical system. My first negative experience with my Porsche so I sincerely hope it is an aberration.

They did give me a Panamera to drive for now. Nice car, love the PDK but I really prefer the Cayenne.

 

Sorry to hear this mishap with the Pepper. Keep us posted. I had similar experience with my 50i due to battery discharge issue.

 

Sorry to hear tex, pls keep us posted on the issue.

 

So far the only positive thing is that you prefer your car to the Panamera.
Hopefully more positives are about to come.

 

+1
That's the right way to look at it
GL

 

i'd love to let them keep my cayenne in the shop and drive a panamera around...

 

Call me crazy but I like the Cayenne much more. Better visibility, feels more luxurious, more space. Panamera definitely has more kick comparing V6 to V6 and the PDK is sweet but I will be happy to go back to my car. It's relatively easy to switch back and forth as these cars have similar options and button layout.

 

Cayenne = Airbus a380
Panamera = Gulfstream

Keep us posted with the electrical problem!

 

Nice comparison
I am happy with either one

 

Apt comparison. Panamera is very, very nice. Faster, more nimble. Not sure if it is PDK or the engine, or both, but the Panamera V6 is a better engine. Faster off the line, much smoother. You can really get the car to fire up when needed. Makes me wonder what it would be like in the Cayenne. I think a significant upgrade on all fronts from the VW VR6. But who knows, the Cayenne is also 500-600 lbs heavier.

All that being said, I'd still pick a Cayenne if I were choosing again. I wanted an SUV with the room, off road capability, and still have some kick to it. If I wanted a sedan though, Panamera would be an outstanding choice. If you are just going for fun to drive then you'd better not stop at a Panamera - go for the 911!

One other stunning difference is the price. I used the Porsche build tool to price out my loaner and it came in at a cool $87k. This doesn't even have all of the goodies my Cayenne has for $15k less. So the question might be if you were buying a private jet and you could get an a380 for less than a gulf stream, would you?

 

Dealer called with the diagnosis. Starter went bad and they don't know why. New part on rush from Germany and will be installed by the end of the week. While it is frustrating to have it happen on a new car I am happy it was something definitive. Nothing more frustrating to hear than 'we aren't really sure, must be electrical. It's working now'.

On the plus side I now know what the Panamera is like and I took the opportunity to have them install a trailer hitch.

 

Glad that your problem is accurately diagnosed and will be resolved soon . Can you kind of give us a brief comparison between Cayenne's V6 and the V6 in the Panamera? Thanks.

 

^check 2 posts up for my comparison between the V6 engines in the Cayenne and Panamera. I believe the Panamera 3.6L V6 is the better engine. Smooth, more power at lower RPMs, very responsive. Could also be the PDK vs VW transmission though. Bottom line is it's tough to compare engines between 2 very different vehicles. I don't know how the Cayenne would drive with the Panamera engine - the extra weight of the Cayenne might be too much for it. Or the off road abilities might be compromised. Or it might not handle the towing needs of the Cayenne. Just tough to say.

What I will say is that if you ended up with a similar engine response in the Cayenne it would be a real stunner as the Panamera is very good. Overall, still sticking with the Pepper though.

 

do you use the auto start/stop function? Also mine didn't come with trailer hitch either, I was wondering how much do they charge you to install it now?

 

Interesting question, hadn't thought of the auto start/stop. I have left it off 99% of the time but played with it occasionally. I wonder if the added complexity of supporting that (unused) function contributed to the failure?

Trailer hitch is $1700 to install. Expensive considering it can be ordered that way for around $600 but not too bad since Suncoast sells the part only for $900 and it is a couple hours of labor to install.