BoBcanada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_w6a5O1dtY

Havnt seen this one yet!!!!

Enjoy!

EX-BEEMER

Well, my German is a little rusty...(OK non-existant) And although they look like they're really putting them through their paces. I think they give the nod to the Cayenne for off road ability, top end speed, and something else. I think they give the nod to the ML63 for acceleration and price. In their comparo I think they prefer the Cayenne. But their reasoning doesn't mean much in my real world driving.

A) I'd never take the ML for serious off roading.

B) We have no Autobahn here in the US to worry about getting beat at the top end of the speedo. (although I'd vote for any man who can get us one!)

I'm not sure what the other green star was for...maybe handling? Come'on if I wanted a 911, I'd have bought one!

What is important to me is...

A) Crushing acceleration (That's something you can use everyday)

B) Saving 20 grand on the sticker price between the two...

Plus in the looks department the ML is the winner hands down...

I never did get the logic of trying to slap a 911 hood on a Tourag. Never worked for me.

Still, it's a great video find. Thanks Bob! Well worth the 7 minutes.

Rider1

And to add my $.02 (barely) worth: The smooth power delivery and a transmission that responds to my command instantly! And the handling while it may not be "better" than the CTTS it feels better IMO. And as u know I've spent over 20K miles in a Cayenne Turbo.

Enjoy !

BoBcanada

Yea i think where ML63 looses to cayenne is Offroading thats about it, everything else ml63 does it for me better.

PhilS

Here is a summary of the Motorvision video:

They listed the plus and minus for each vehicle

Cayenne Turbo S
+ Performance
+ Off Road
+ Top Speed
- Basic price
- Weight

ML63 AMG
+ Cost
+ Acceleration
- Performance
- Weight
- Consumption

They gave a slight nod to the Cayenne.

Phil

Germancar1

Off road makes no sense for these two models, they aren't going to be used for that and they don't come standard with the right tires for off roading.

M

PhilS

With a switch to suitable 18" wheels/tires on the Turbo or 19" wheel/tires for the Turbo S here is what the Cayenne is capable of according to Automotive.com:

"The Sahara we couldn't arrange, but we have mucked the Cayenne through a muddy off-road course in the south of Spain. This was not a bolder-laden wilderness trail like the Rubicon, but it included axle-deep mud and steep, low-grip 50-yard grades. Up, down and across, the Cayenne performed flawlessly with little sweat for the driver. In most cases the onboard electronics did the heavy lifting, and the driver had to simply, lightly, modulate the throttle or brake in low range. When introduced, Cayenne's back country performance impressed even the jaded, and it supported Porsche's assertion that it has more off-road capability than the BMW X5 or Mercedes M-Class, which we've tested in similar circumstances. Cayenne has maximum ground clearance 8.54 inches, or 10.75 inches with the optional air suspension, and a fording depth of 21.9 inches. There's even an Advanced Offroad Package that adds skid plates to protect the underbody and a locking rear differential."

And contrary to what you may think many Cayenne owners take advantage of its off-road capabilites. My local Porsche club has a off-roading adventure this month for Cayenne owners.

Phil

Rider1

Two reasons I wouldn't take the Cayenne or ML63 off road: 1.) No full size spare tire and 2.) the unrealistic "option" of changing out the tires for some that would do better off road. And "road side" assistance won't come and rescue u if need be. Of course hopefully your off road buddy/s would have a solution.

Overall it's just not worth it to go off road in either of these vehicles, except a graded dirt road or the like IMO.

PhilS

The EPA's list of the most efficient and least efficient 2007 vehicles recently came out. The ML63 AMG made the list of one of the 10 least efficient vehicles sold in the USA. The Cayenne didn't make the least efficient list. Here is a comparision of the ML63 to the Cayenne Turbo/Turbo S:

ML63 AMG 12/16 (city/highway) miles per gallon

Cayenne Turbo/Turbo S 13/18 (city/highway) miles per gallon.

Another interesting fact is that the hot rod Jeep Grand Cherokee is even worse with 12/15 (city/highway). The others on the list include Lamborghini, Bentley, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Phil

PhilS

Isn't this true of many off-road capable vehicles. Even some guys I know with Jeeps have a set of street tires and a set of off-road tires. And yes road side assistance wouldn't likely rescue you in the middle of nowhere. But, this would be true for any off-roader. And if you are going for an off-road trek you can throw a full sized tire in the back.

The only point I am trying to make is that Porsche somehow managed to make an off-roader that is also excellent on the track. No one else has managed to do that. How important is that to most potential buyers??? I wish they had offered it in two versions, the heavier off-road capable version and a lighter non off-road version, sort like they do in the 911 with the C2 and C4 versions.

Phil

EX-BEEMER

Well...I'm not surprised it's at the bottom of the list. My E55 wasn't much better. I knew going into this vehicle that gas consumption was going to be prodigious. So far I seem to be filling up about once a week which isn't too bad. I think the large 25 gallon tank helps. It'll start to sting more when premium goes back up to $3.50 a gal and higher which we all know it soon will. I know I could get better milage if I could just keep my right foot from pressing so hard on that right pedal. But I can't...it just tickles me so and I grin from ear to ear. So I say to Mr. Middle East Oilman,"Go ahead...build another indoor snow ski resort in the desert...you can pay for it!"

Rider1

I agree with you 100% Phil on the two version edition of the Cayenne. Good insight...maybe Porsche will "listen"

JLP

While the ML63 is a wonderful vehicle I still think the Cayenne is the more complete package, and if you want more power 60+ bhp is only a ECU flash away!

G55K

I picked the cayenne because it's easier to mod. I just got my GT700 Cayenne back from Evolution Motorsports. Here's a quick summary from the guy who built it:

"The numbers are in. We do have a monster on our hands I will elaborate later. We are north of 700 HP and 750 TQ @ just over 1.0 bar of boost. I have been driving he car for the past few weeks making some final software changes with Garrett. We have been at it non stop and the results are more than expected. We have maxed out 2 substantially larger 3.5" MAF's which support 350 + HP each. The craziest thing is I got into my 997TT today and actually thought it was slow. This Cayenne TT project has wrecked me and it is crazy to get into a 6500 pound truck and smoke most sports cars on the road. I 3will post all the data Monday. Thank you John for your patience on this project. It will be worth the wait."

It put down over 510 awhp and 560 TQ on a Mustang dyno. It ran 0-100 in 9.9 seconds on a hot day in Phoenix. It's a fun truck.

JLP

700 bhp with stock internals? Gemballa has a 700hp kit but requires new pistons etc I believe. Your CTT is going to fly..........congrats!