Did you test Cayenne?

Hi F25 owners,

Glad to see so many positive comments on the board regarding the new X3. I had an 08 and now have a 2010 E83, which is serving me well. My question is, did any of you test out, or seriously consider, a Cayenne base or S? In particular I wonder if anyone thought about a manual base Cayenne, which would be roughly comparable in price to a decently optioned new X3. I personally like the new redesign on the Cayenne and it's one of the only SUVs now available in manual. What made you end up choosing the X3 over the Cayenne?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by greg08x3

Hi F25 owners,

Glad to see so many positive comments on the board regarding the new X3. I had an 08 and now have a 2010 E83, which is serving me well. My question is, did any of you test out, or seriously consider, a Cayenne base or S? In particular I wonder if anyone thought about a manual base Cayenne, which would be roughly comparable in price to a decently optioned new X3. I personally like the new redesign on the Cayenne and it's one of the only SUVs now available in manual. What made you end up choosing the X3 over the Cayenne?

Thanks.

Nope never looked at it. For me it was either the Q5 or X3 from the start...did the X3 difference event and that answered my question in about 15 minutes

Greg, go down to the Porsche store and test a new base Cayenne out. I think you will have a hard time finding (1) a manual transmission and (2) a "stripper" V6. They seem to option them up, however they can be ordered. Personally I like the looks of the Cayenne better than the X3 (which all look the same to me) and it IS a Porsche after all. The "S" would be a better choice, but the 300 hp V6 is not bad either. As an aside, the new improved T-egg might be worth looking into as well. It is the most inexpensive diesel available in the US if you like oil burners and because it is a VW it can be modded for greater power if you choose.

The new generation of Porsche has a very very disappointing rear look IMO!!! It looks like a Santa-Fe or something similar...
I would invite you to compare X5 with Porsche Cay rather than with X3. Then you would have a fair comparison.
Porsche has not been too successful on its SUVs in gerenal (from a sales and marketing perspective I mean and their forecasts since day 1).
If you are thinking of Porsche I suggest the Panamera which is awsome looking!! and a revolution in Porsche IMO.

+1 on the Panamara! Great looking car -- in fact the best looking sedan on the road IMHO! Great new (Porsche sourced) V6 too! When that engine gets in the new Cajun small SUV then stand by! Have to disagree with Shaw about the success of the Cayenne. From what I have read it was the "car that saved Porsche" -- which may be a bit of an overstatement but had a big impact on their bottom line. Now of course that is moot because they are part of the VW/Audi/Porsche group. Still and all, the dealers (at least around here) sell all the peppers they can get and are loath to deal much on them. I really like the looks of the new version too!

I did seriously consider the Cayenne 2011 models - I know that it is a larger car but I liked the new redesign and was anyway looking for a slightly larger car than my old E83. I test drove the base Cayenne, Turbo and their Hybrid. The base model handled well but felt slightly underpowered for a larger car. The turbo (fully loaded) was much, much more impressive, but so was the price . The Hybrid felt sluggish but it may be just the need to get used to the combo.

In addition to the drive, the 3 problems I also had was i) demand is so high, like the X3, but the Porsche is made in Germany - you almost have to take whatever they have on the lot or in transit from Europe or risk waiting for months - this works both ways as someone said the dealers haven't seen a base stripped model for years but you also can not get the add-ons you want, ii) everything is extra and pricey, and the $$ quickly ramp up and iii) because of the demand, discounts are miniscule or nonexistent - unlike the BMW dealers, the Porsche guys will not negotiate (or at least the ones I talked to would not) and many wanted payment at MSRP.

In the end I was sold on the X3's ride, larger size than the previous model and the ability to customize and order what I wanted. The $$ savings didn't hurt either although that was not a primary motivator.

also highly depending on where you work and the crowd you hang with etc. a porsche might be too showy

Originally Posted by bimmerrace

also highly depending on where you work and the crowd you hang with etc. a porsche might be too showy

In Seattle that's very true. Generally my crowd of friends could afford Porsches, but most stick to Audis, VWs, Minis, and BMWs. Granted some are M3s and S4s, but still.

Originally Posted by bimmerrace

also highly depending on where you work and the crowd you hang with etc. a porsche might be too showy

True but, depending on the community you spend your time with, so could the X3. It's all relative.

I don't really see the Cayenne and X3 as competitors. Totally different price points. Plus the base engine in the Cayenne blows. It is the agrarian V6 out of a VW.

Originally Posted by greg08x3

Hi F25 owners,

Glad to see so many positive comments on the board regarding the new X3. I had an 08 and now have a 2010 E83, which is serving me well. My question is, did any of you test out, or seriously consider, a Cayenne base or S? In particular I wonder if anyone thought about a manual base Cayenne, which would be roughly comparable in price to a decently optioned new X3. I personally like the new redesign on the Cayenne and it's one of the only SUVs now available in manual. What made you end up choosing the X3 over the Cayenne?

Thanks.

I can partially answer your question, but I have an E83, not the newer F25.

My wife and I were on the verge of ordering a Cayenne, similar to what you are now considering. It would have been the V6 with 6-speed manual. What killed the deal was a test drive.

The dealer did not have a 6-speed manual version in stock, so we drove a base version Cayenne (with light options) that had an automatic. We were both disappointed, and thought it felt big, sloppy, and ponderous. It was enough to kill the deal.

The playing field has now changed, since Porsche is now the lone manufacturer that offers a 6-speed manual premium SUV. My wife and I are both manual transmission enthusiasts, so that will weigh heavily on our next purchase.

Originally Posted by alpinweiss

The playing field has now changed, since Porsche is now the lone manufacturer that offers a 6-speed manual premium SUV. My wife and I are both manual transmission enthusiasts, so that will weigh heavily on our next purchase.

Agreed; it's a tough situation for those who want a manual Premium SUV. Consider the Mini Countryman (not "Premium" really) or a 328xi Touring (not an SUV). When I have to replace my 2006 X3, I may end up in an Audi A4, A3, or some other non-SUV, as long as it's manual.

-James
Seattle, WA

The X1 is listed having a manual transmission, but I don't know if it is available here. Also several of the Asian marques offer a manual transmission for their entry level cross overs, but alas the turbo forester no longer does. So, for a "premium" M/T save your pennies and get a Cayenne!

I did compare the X335 to the Cayenne S. The performance specs are pretty close even though they are not direct competitors. I thought the Cayenne had a bit of a nicer interior and more space (which we don't really need). Performance was quite similar although I thought the Cayenne S was a bit sharper. The Cayenne base was a bit of a dog in this comparison performance-wise and was quickly dismissed.

The deciding factor was clearly the price. I completely realize that they are not direct competitors (maybe the X5) but the X3 fully optioned was still quite a bit cheaper than the Cayenne S with the basics that we would need to feel comfortable. The Porsche option list is even more ridiculous than BMW. With the X3 remodel adding just enough space for what we needed the X3 won.

We also (briefly) considered the RR Sport. I thought it was the best looking of the bunch but it just isn't a drivers car, even with the "sport" moniker. Way too heavy and ponderous. Much improved interior though, I was pretty impressed.

We also (even more briefly) considered the Q5. My wife literally ran from that car after testing it. She thought the interior felt cheap and we noticed that there was actually less back seat leg room than in my e92. The salesman didn't even seem excited about this car, especially after we mentioned that we were cross shopping with the X3. Q5 is certainly cheaper and the base engine was more impressive than the 3.2 but just didn't have the all around package.

Despite deciding on the X335 I would have gone for a 335xi Touring in a heartbeat if they existed in NA.

Originally Posted by greg08x3

Hi F25 owners,

Glad to see so many positive comments on the board regarding the new X3. I had an 08 and now have a 2010 E83, which is serving me well. My question is, did any of you test out, or seriously consider, a Cayenne base or S? In particular I wonder if anyone thought about a manual base Cayenne, which would be roughly comparable in price to a decently optioned new X3. I personally like the new redesign on the Cayenne and it's one of the only SUVs now available in manual. What made you end up choosing the X3 over the Cayenne?

Thanks.

I think Cayenne 6MT is an excellent car to get. but it's not going to be the same price as X3. It'll be the same price as X5, unless you don't order any options on Cayenne. Adding a couple of handling options (PASM, PTV, PDCC) and a couple of creature comfort and you are looking at a pretty expensive Cayenne. Sure you can stay bare bone - it all depends on what you want.

One plus for Cayenne - there's a spare tire, an inflatable one.

Good points, there is also the manual transmission available on the V6 Cayenne too. The "bare bones" Cayenne is still pretty well equipped. For example they come standard with leather, both the X5 and X3 do not. Look at the standard equipment list and you may be surprised at what you get. You can, of course, option the thing to the moon (Porsche is noted for that!) but it looks pretty good to me just as "issued" although I probably would get the upgraded wheels.