..wife is considering moving to Cayenne

[mbodo]

Hi all,

I recently took delivery of an '05 Boxster S and have little to no interest in hauling around, well, anything :D

My wife, otoh, is currently driving around HER '05 Mercedes ML. After having her brakes fail on her, causing an accident (oh yes, you read that correctly), she has subsequently lost faith in the silver star and is looking elsewhere to satisfy her hauling needs (I'm still unsure exactly as to what those all are!)

In any case, her only requirement is that it be able to tow our boat, a 25' sloop, as well as the other tasks associated with towing boats (launching & retrieving..).

Does anyone have insight into towing & launching boats or PWCs with their Cayenne's? Any insight into Salt Water vs. Cayenne? (i.e. does water get "trapped" certain places?)

How is the navigation system? The ergonomics of the navi in the ML would be better if the vehicle were RHD. The power/volume knob are clear across the cabin on the passenger side, along with many of the navi inputs, not to mention it is very difficult to adjust the "nag" volume (lady giving directions) within the navi itself.

At the risk of being shot and drug through the street, are there any clear functional advantages to owning a well equipped Cayenne base model vs. a comparably equipped Touareg? (ducking for cover).

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[LVDell]

Funny you bring this up.....my wife has said recently that she wants to trade in the ML for a CayenneS. I'd be interested to hear what others have to say as well.

I do know the towing ability is much greater on the CS than the ML.

As for the Toureg v. Cayenned debate I am not sure what you will find here. From what I understand though the Toureg has electrical problems of some sort in the beginning...not sure now though.

I would also jump on the Rennlist Cayenne forum for the less technical talk to compare notes. I have browsed that one as well. I am sold on the CS though after driving it a couple weeks ago.

[JW3]

I live in Germany and have driven the Cayenne Turbo, S and Touareg V8. The experience and order of preference is: 1. Cayenne Turbo 2. Cayenne S and 3. Touareg V8.

Having said that rememeber that here in the home of both of these fantastic automobiles the price difference is not that large. Pricing for the base models is as follows:

Cayenne Turbo (450 HP) = 101,913 EURO vs. Touareg W12 (450 HP) =97,500EURO. Cayenne S (340 HP) = 63,285 EURO vs. Touareg V8 (310 HP) = 60,500 EURO.

When you start loading these up with goodies the difference remains not that great. In the USA the price difference is much larger and proving to be a deciding factor for many new to this arena.

So, it boils down to loyalty to the marque and the cost of ownership for many people. As I mentioned in the RENNLIST forum, this comes down to a decision making process much like that of buying a new motorcycle - I ride Harley-Davidson bikes and always will. Are the other bikes good, yes they are. But they are not a Harley. I will order a 2006 Cayenne Turbo and that will be the SUV for me (I want the marque and everything that goes with it). So I think one has to look at this from a different perspective. For example: is the Touareg a good automobile? By all means. But the Cayenne is a Porsche.

Good luck. JW3 :cheers:

Edited June 10, 2005 by JW3

[skl]

I debated between the T-reg and CS as well and almost bought the V8 VW but liked the handling of the Porsche better and the interior better. Thought the VW was TOO fancy and the Porsche more "sporty." Been driving Porsches for 34+ years and figured after a few months I'd be kicking myself if I bought the Vdub even though it is a very good vehicle (and in all honesty, very similiar and built from the same underpinnings. I needed something that could tow a Spec Miata racecar or the GT3 to the track and still be fun to drive when not towing or using it as a truck. The whole family loves it. Wouldn't get one without the air suspension- makes towing a dream. My trailer is all aluminum (enclosed ATC) but looks pretty big- people can't believe I tow with it! Only thing I wish was someone made decent mirror extensions! Hard to see around the trailer!