Why did you

After 118,000 miles the clutch was "slipping" so I had it replaced. The car is shifting like "butter" again. If I do not look at the odometer, I swear, this car drives like the day I bought it.

I was given a base Cayenne as a "loaner" car. I got to drive it for five days and put almost 500 miles on it. My impressions...

- Overall, it was a blast. It put the Porsche "permagrin" on my face constantly.

- Awesome handling, braking, exhaust note & pick up(sport mode) for an SUV.

- Loved the PDK in a SUV.

- Plenty of head and leg room and well designed interior.

- Plenty of storage for people and cargo in the back.

- Lots of tech.


Minor Issues - poor visibility out back window, paddle shifters a tad small, Buttons and buttons and more buttons; I stopped count at 50!!!




"Bart, with $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like...love!"

I got a Cayenne loaner once too. I was surprised by how nice it was. There is no PDK Cayenne though. It is tiptronic only.

Thanks for the tiptronic info...it seemed quicker than previous tiptonics I have driven..

It certainly is not like the old tiptronics. When I had my loaner, I thought at first it was PDK also since it did not drive like the old ones. I started playing with the configurator and realized that it was in fact not PDK. I could live with it

I have had a Cayenne loaner and a Macan loaner and even an Audi SUV loaner once (the Porsche dealer is owned by a company that owns a number of other dealers all located next door to each other and once in a while a Porsche customer will get an Audi loaner if there are no Porsche loaners available).

The Macan was a 4 cylinder diesel. The Cayenne was I think a gasoline V8. Don't recall what engine the Audi had in it. All 3 vehicles were quite nice. If I had need of an SUV I would certainly consider one the Porsches -- the Audi was ok but I just don't think I want to own one -- but I would probably opt for a gasoline engine and a V8.

I got a Macan loaner once, and did not like it. My head was jostling around the entire time. Way too much movement. It actually gave me a headache. Don't understand why SUVs are so popular. The ride in them is awful, including these expensive ones. I'll take a sports car any time. Firm ride is fine with me. If I needed cargo room, I'd get a Panamera over an Macan or Cayenne any day.

I live in the Minneapolis area and need something as a year round daily driver. I just sold a 2005 Honda Pilot and bought a new Lexus RX350. I've had a Macan loaner, and prefer the Lexus in every respect except steering feel. The Lexus isn't bad, but doesn't equal the Macan in that area. The maintenance cost of the Lexus should be less than the Porsche and it uses regular gas. I agree that I would never have an SUV if I didn't have to worry about transportation in the snow.

go to the Lexus as opposed to the RX4? Or even the new Honda CRV which has gotten great reviews? Mazda CX-5 as the drivers SUV? I'm considering the RX4h hybrid. Money isn't the big consideration for me (8k miles/year) but I've gotten used to higher MPG cars and their infrequent fill ups so I'm interested in someone else's thought processes. Also the availability of dealer services in the manufacturer's lower priced brands would be a point in its favor.

Through a non-scientific process of looking at older vehicles in parking lots, I believe that Honda and Toyota are more resistant to body rust. I was going to get another Honda Pilot until reading reports on a Honda forum of reliability problems and driving a new Pilot uncovered a complete lack of steering feel which is a definite consideration regarding driving on icy roads. We were all ready to buy a Toyota Highlander until I told my wife that we should check out a Lexus just to be completely sure that we were making the right decision. We both thought that the Lexus offered enough to pay the difference in price, especially since we plan to keep it for 10 years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2017 09:43AM by SteveJ (2010 987 base, manual trans). (view changes)

Thanks SteveJ. My nearest Lexus and Mazda and Mercedes and Porsche dealers are 40 miles away. Part of the reason my Boxster was sold. Toyota and Honda are maybe 4 miles away and will drive me back home. So even on my once yearly service the proximity factor rates a plus. Most of the time it is just me. Sometimes 4, seldom 5. If I'm taking 3 grandkids plus wife and stuff to the beach, I'm not opposed to renting a minivan. Retired so if there is snow, I wait till the afternoon when it has melted. So I have much different circumstances than you but am informed by your thought processes.