timdf

Well, no prizes for guessing which was the winner in all areas (at least so far).

The Cayenne S with its 4.5L V8 sure can move & handle, the brakes are razor sharp (not mushy like the ML's). It drove and handled like a true SUV, but with the emphasis on the Sport part.

How it performs off road and in safety related issues, time will tell I guess.

It only had 127 miles on the clock but the engine revved freely to the red line ok ;-) Certainly had some push behind it.

Oil changes every 20,000 miles according to the dealer - Mobil 1 oil of course.

Fit and finish were excellent all round - making the ML look and feel like an Hyundai (even compared to 2003ML's).

Checked into one or two hidden corners which are out of sight - even there things were nicely done. No rough fitting parts or sharp edges etc.

One or two worries though - seems as though Porsche might be using some of the same component suppliers as the ML. Not much of a surprise I guess - but the ignition key was practically the same. On our ML (and other peoples) the keys and AAM were big trouble.

Makes me wonder how many shared parts and hence shared problems there might be betweem the Cayenne and ML.

Hopefully Porsche QA is up to standard.

Like all things in life - you get what you pay for and the Cayenne is lot of Porsche for your money, but more costly than the ML.

The Twin Turbo version must be a beast !

Now the $64,000 question (actually the price of the Cayenne I drove ) - a new Cayenne S for the wife or a new Twin Turbo 996 for me :-))

Alas MB's in any shape or form are no longer in the running for slot in my garage.

SteveB

I drove one last week, wasn't all that impressed.
It was way too siff riding for a SUV, but, it did handle very well. I have ML500, and I didn't find the Cayenne any faster. Actually, the ML has more torque, but less hp, so acceleration is probably similiar-- at least it felt that way. Both my 996 and Boxster have the 030, so I'm used to stiff sports cars. The Cayenne is almost as stiff as those, kind of annoying in a SUV. I expect that kind of ride in a sports car, but not in a SUV.

The Cayenne has less cargo room than the ML, and I didn't find the fit and finish to be any better. Add in the fact that the Cayenne is 20k more than a ML500, and the Mercedes looks like a good deal.

I suppose if you could only have one car, and you wanted one that would be a sporty SUV, the Cayenne would be good.

For me, I like my Mercedes as a SUV, and my Porsches as sports cars, and my BMW as a sports sedan. Each has it's own purpose for me.

To each his own.

Some Pete Guy

...or an SUV that is supposedly quite amazing off-road, in addition to being sporty on road.

It's too bad that those kind of "test drives" are impractical.

SteveB

The off road capabilities of any current SUV are well beyond the requirements of 99.9% of the people who own them. Any one who wants serious off road performance would most likely not buy an SUV anyway. The carmakers are very aware that off road performance is largely to satisfy macho bragging rights because very, very few owners ever take their Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, & the like anywhere near a dirt road, let alone up rocky cliffs, etc. Most sit in bumper to bumper commuter traffic on the freeway.

Can you imagine what the enviromentalists would do if people were REALLY driving their SUV's off road like in the commercials??

Amfung

timdf,
How about a TT for you and a G500 for your wife ?

timdf

but commonsense tells me I don't really need it and maybe I should just trade the ML for a Cayenne....
But it is a first year model and that does tend to worry me a little...

Amfung

Timdf,
Would it be too much of a hit if you trade-in your 996 for a TT now and the ML for the Cayenne a year later ?
A

Some Pete Guy

Tires, in case you trash one, are unavailable right now.

To get a replacement tire your dealer needs your VIN and reason for replacement to submit to PCNA and then each customer is allocated one tire, until they get some tires in the pipeline.

I checked an S out last week and they do look better in person. Nice vehicle.

One of the first Cayennes that my dealer delivered was in for it's first squeek/rattle complaint but that's the first that I've heard of that kind of complaint.

Counterpoint to your sig: My Porsche made transmission is being replaced today...

timdf

I trashed a tire on my 996 during the first week I owned it - and guess what ? Had to wait over a week for a replacement N2 spec tire to be flown in from somewhere or other :-(
I have seriously considered trading my 996 in for TT, but it kinda makes me admit I bought the wrong car in the first place !
Hoping I can hold off the urge till next year ...
One of the Cayennes I saw was in the workshop - thought it was odd at the time, could have been there for some other reason though.
The dealer had a really good stock of Cayennes S's and Turbo's - but couldn't help being drawn to a couple of 996 TT's . They had one stickered at 147k with a load of options - be interested to see which sucker buys that one ;-)

Pete, whats the deal with your tranny ? or should I check out the 996TT board ? It didn't have a 3 pointed star on the side like mine did it ;-) ?

Some Pete Guy

Porsche tranny, known problem with early '01 6 speeds, pops out of second gear at low rpms/light throttle.

jswedberg

How is the interior room, compared to the ML?

timdf

less room behind the rear seats due to the sloping rear.

As for leg room etc about the same as the ML - can't be sure of course without measuring.

Seats seemed a bit more comfortable compared to the ML as well, but was only driving for 10-15 minutes so hard to make any definitive comments.

Liked the way the engine was finished off under the hood - no loose pipes of wires in view. Cosmetic I know, but a nice touch.