645

Considering both these 4x4's. Anyone got real experience of either of them? Cayenne 4.5S looks/sounds great (I like the looks), but a tad pricey. Wanted to spend 25-30K, so would get a nice Toureg for that sort of cash (only 3.2/250bhp though, which ain't really enough for such a heavy car? anyone got one?)

What do you reckon?

TurboMav

You could get a 3.0 V6 TDI Touareg, it would be at the top end of your budget, but with 369ft/lbs of torque, IMO is a better option than the 3.2 petrol engine.

cheers

Brendan Hughes

Someone on here absolutely slated the Cayenne recently - "the more I drive it, the more I hate it." I think that was a respected poster too. I was quite surprised considering all the good write-ups it had.

Andy M3

I would get a cayenne 3.2. It will hold it's money better.

As far as power goes, the 3.2 has a better power to weight ratio than most 4x4 cars.

EDIT
Cayeene = 115bhp / tonne.
Range Rover 4.4 V8 = 112 bhp / tonne
BMW X5 3.0 = 100 bhp /tonne

Olly

Could have been me. I am certainly no fan of the Cayenne having had plenty of first hand experience. Respectable poster Brendan? Me?? #blush#

The old folks run a Cayenne "S". To be fair, they are happy with it, but their 30-something hooligan son (me), who drives it VERY regularly, reckons otherwise. Personally I just cannot see the point. If you want a comfy cruiser, an E class/5 series/A6 diesel is faster, nimbler, cheaper and does double to the gallon. If you NEED 4x4 probably 0.000001% of the population) then what's wrong with a Land Rover?

Cayenne ownership requires deep pockets too. First service was just shy of £600. For an oil & filter change, nothing more. Tyres were shot after 14000 miles of mainly tootling by my mother, who is nearly sixty. MPG is horrendous. They went to Padstow in it before Christmas: the Old Man (who never drives it) came home with a white face and threatened to bung it in the Auto Trader. 13mpg is normal. And it hasn't been without fault. All covered by the cushion of a warranty, but what happens later? Have you seen Porsche dealer rates?

It ain't THAT quick in a straight line. The handling is surprisingly decent for such a whale of a thing, but something just seems so wrong: like driving an Elise sat on a barstool, with ropes attatched to the steering wheel. And the payoff is a stiff, harsh ride. In any case, it is huge, so you couldn't thread it down a B road without fear of total wing mirror loss. So Corsas and Fiestas would murder you. The seats are hard. Not much room in the back. Laden with stupid features. And the image is dreadful- no wonder so many have blackout tints, someone you know might see you driving it.

No personal experience of the Toe-rag. But on paper, a V10 Diesel with all that torque, more MPG, cheaper dealer costs and a better image would appeal more to me.

Incidentally, the Porker replaced a diesel X5, which I much preferred, and would reccomend. But when it got nicked off the drive, 8 weeks after delivery, my mother danced around and organised a party. She HATED it.

SimonD

Why hate the X5 but not the Cayenne?

I have no experience of the Porsche but the 3.0d X5 seemed ok if you like that kind of thing....... which personally I don't. Never really saw the point when big estates do absolutely everything better for less money. .......and if you want to go off-road, the X5/Cayenne/Toureg are hardly going to be your first choice are they?

Dracoro

The VW looks soooo much better, inside and out. Given that they're the same car underneath etc. I'd have to go for the VW.

Adam M

most women think the 4X4s are better looking than estate cars. They think the aspect ratio of estates is long, like a stretched golf or something.

The 4X4s look like a golf tat is bigger in all dimensions hence in proportion hence ok to look at and own.

eldudereno

One of my German colleagues tells me that the build quality on the Cayenne is very poor.

Brendan Hughes

Olly, may have been you; "respectable" as 1000 posts in 6 years means you haven't put the effort into becoming an arsehole like many others

Adam, you might be right, I think my wife prefers a higher car for the safety aspect. In the UK I'd disagree, but Portugal has the highest number of deaths pcpa in the old EU, so I'll let her get away with it

Dracoro

Interestingly, you rarely ever see a woman driving an estate, it's always men.

Brendan Hughes

...yeah, photocopier salesmen.

Your statement doesn't apply in school arrival/leaving hours BTW

gregjd

Interesting thread.. I have a current shape E Class estate (E320cdi) and I'm thinking of chopping it in for a 4WD. This is totally a case of heart ruling head though.. The Merc is economical, practical and nice to drive. I just find the Merc's image a bit staid and in the right colour/wheels combo I prefer the looks of the Cayenne and Range Rover Sport. The Merc is a bit hairy on wet and icy roads but I'm clutching at straws with this really! I think the living in the country/kids at private school thing has gotten to me.. I'm so shallow

Brendan Hughes

Greg - you'll also lose a surprising amount of loadspace, I think you'll find. And do your research into wind/tyre noise and mpg on the motorway - jeeps have a big frontal area and aren't so nice to drive long distances.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Mate of a mate had the Turbo, got rid because of the expense, negative attention and the fact that changing a side repeater bulb was a main dealer job and cost 80 quid !

Olly

Because even though she is my mum, she is still a female. Which means irrational. And in her case, a bit odd. I hope she doesn't read this.

But then her car history is awesome, would outdrive most men I know on a track, and has never had a bump. Ever. Not even a car park scrape. And she loves the Cayenne.

So maybe I am totally wrong about the ugly Porker.

RobHardy

touregs speedo goes up to 200mph on the v10 tdi and the v8. lol.......!! OR NOT

The Fixer

I heard that the V10 is (aledgedly) very unreliable, lots of engine warrenty claims!

Blow Dog

Can tell you lots about the V6 v V8 Cayennes.

V6 is cheaper, more economical and a little easier to sell because of wider audience. However, V6 cannot cope with the weight and bulk of the car so suffers considerably when perfomance is in equation. It feels slow and lethargic.

V8 a much more spritely engine, better power and feels a lot more energetic. However, performance gains are balanced by revolting economy as fuel stops are frequent.

Suspension on a Cayenne is quite an eye opener as you'd expect it to be soft and supple. Quite the opposite with the ride proving to be hard and crashing, especially in areas populated with speed bumps.

Overall, no arguement from me when claiming the Cayenne to be the best every day car in the world. Conversely, it's also the most unethical and illogical addition to the road, as a car that serves its purpose as purely a family a-b car should not average 12-14MPG.

It's why I now use a TDi Golf for my family car. Much more sense. Looking forward to a shared hybrid platform from Porsche with the release of the new facelift Cayenne due soon (which will have considerable impact on residuals of current model Cayennes so bargains to be had if you wait).

Tourag is an attractive proposition as above. Shared platform with Cayenne so a lot in common. Differences are in prestige as build quality is almost equal, Cayenne born from American mass built origins.

25k Tourags are common, the difference comes down to the after sales as from experiences from both Porsche and VW are vastly different and a world apart.

ScooByer Trade

Hi everyone, a word of warning despite the claims of power from the Vw v10 they are very slow and the interior quility is very poor, i know this because me and my Dad tried one at Fords of Windsford and not as practical as a manual 1990 H reg 4.2 Toyota Landcruiser with 162,000 miles on the clock. It's personal choice but i don't recommend one.

Andy M3

Who are you trying to kid. The V10 and it can **** on most things off the lights and go on beyond 130 before the drag becomes noticeable

645

Hi all - I'm really greatful for all your feedback. You've put me right off the Porsche! The VW does look like a better deal. My alternative would be a 535d (which I could get as a company car, as we have a deal with BMW that means prices are relatively cheap when compared to other manufacturers cars), but having driven one (and it's undoubtedly quick), it's hugely boring. And there's loads of 5 series sports around, so hardly exclusive. I know that I'd buy one and it'd do the job perfectly - me and the two kids would travel around in comfort - but I'd be wanting something a little more exclusive looking, whatever that is!!!

On the X5 - I like em, but the wife hates the image. Did anyone else have this? Did you get the car anyway? Did the wife eventually decide it was good after all???

Also considering a Land Rover Disco - 2.7 or V8 - still a bit pricey if I buy privately though. I like the looks though - a bit more "rugged" and not so "footballers wives"!

sti-04!!

I have a 535d Tourer, it does the job perfect for me

sgcooby

[quote=ScooByer Trade]Hi everyone, a word of warning despite the claims of power from the Vw v10 they are very slow and the interior quility is very poor, i know this because me and my Dad tried one at Fords of Windsford and not as practical as a manual 1990 H reg 4.2 Toyota Landcruiser with 162,000 miles on the clock. It's personal choice but i don't recommend one.[/quote

In fairness your dad has just tried one once. Hardly a background to be making too many recomendations. The stats for the V10 are very impressive performance wise and the interiors of touerag's ive been in are fantastic.