JGriff

I just figured I’d post some notes about my Christmas vacation road trip… the first long, fully-loaded excursion in my 2005 Cayenne.

Please excuse the bullet point format… it’s easier to just rattle off thoughts that way:

Facts:

• Vehicle – 2005 Cayenne

• Leaving From: Greencastle, PA

• Going to: Framingham, MA (half an hour outside of Boston)

• Route: mostly interstate, via I-81, through the mountains of PA, across NY and CT via I-84, to the MA Turnpike.

• Vehicle Weight/Load: fully-loaded with a family of five (three of which are boys under the age of six), all of their luggage, and gifts for the rest of the Griffin clan; I estimate the total weight to have been approx. 5500 lbs. (including the Yakima 16s cargo box and rails etc. on top).

• Average MPG: 19.4 on the way up (using cruise control much of the way); 18.8 on the return trip (not using cruise control as much, very windy, and being a bit more lead-footed)

• Average speed: I’d say somewhere between 70 and 80. With the Yakima box on top loaded with stuff, I didn’t want to push my luck too far… with excessive speed or cornering (i.e. no impromptu autocrossing on this trip!!).

• Tire pressure: 38 front, 43 rear

• In-flight entertainment: Christmas toys and books etc.; no portable DVD player on the way up; for the return trip, I needed to borrow my niece’s portable as insurance against another "meltdown" for Baby Einstein by my two-year old. (As it turned out, the use of the DVD player on the way home was much needed and appreciated.)

Opinions:

• Overall impression: This is one awesome vehicle!! Stable, safe, comfortable, confidence-inspiring… a real pleasure to drive.

• MPG: I feel that roughly 19 mpg is rather good considering the total weight and the excess drag created by the cargo box. (It was also quite windy on the return trip, hence part of the reason for the lower mpg on the way back.)

• V6 Power: Definitely adequate; despite what some folks think about the V6, I find that it was quite adequate for the task at hand, especially if I worked the Tiptronic to help maximize the power when necessary. I never felt embarrassed… it cruised right along, up and down hilly terrain with aplomb. From day one, I haven’t regretted getting the V6… and this trip only strengthened my confidence in that decision.

• Ride comfort: Nice blend of ride comfort and handling… I think the 17” rims/tires helped smooth out quite a bit of the harshness found on PA, NY, CT and MA roads. I did not tire of driving this vehicle, even after 8 hours behind the wheel.

• Cargo capacity: Definitely a weakness of the Cayenne; we wouldn’t have been able to carry all of our “stuff” without the Yakima cargo box.

• Yakima cargo box: We couldn’t have made the trip without it; definitely a “must” if you have a family and need to haul lots of luggage etc.; the box was the right fit… no hatch interference and no front overhang; not a lot of wind noise. (Thanks Alex for the deal on the crossbars and landing pads… they worked perfectly.)

• Uniqueness: Only saw two other Cayennes during the trip; most of the time we turned heads; my impression is that most folks hadn’t seen one before, or at least not one that was loaded up with a family, roof racks, and a cargo box etc. (i.e. it being truly used as a SUV).

So… I can’t say enough about how pleased I was with how well the vehicle performed and how much I enjoyed driving it. I’m definitely looking forward to many more road trips and family excursions with it.

Here is a pic right before we left. Lewis… note that I didn’t wash it… I mentioned to my wife that I wanted to… but she said “Why? You are just going to get it filthy driving it 1,000 miles this week!”. Given that, along with not having enough time to do so... I didn’t wash it (and still haven't)… but I must admit… I just HAD to clean off the couple of weeks’ worth of built-up brake dust before I left!!



If you’ve read this far… thanks for listening!! Happy New Year!!

ltc

Thank you for mentioning/thinking of me in your post.

Framingham/MA Pike? You probably drove right past me.

Wash the car? Couple of WEEKS worth of brake dust? How about YEARS?
Your Cayenne looks like it could go into a concours compared to mine.

However, I did for the first time actually have to open the hood today after 2+ years. My wife said she heard something 'ticking' under the hood. I normally ignore everything the Cayenne does.

So, I opened the hood. Yup, ticking.....sounds like valves. I've probably never heard it before with the wipers being so loud.

Low oil. Well that's what you get after 56K miles I suppose.

Interesting that the Cayenne didn't display a low oil light......I just assumed that with the "!" displayed most of the time, the other warning lights are afraid to come out.

I am glad to see someone enjoying their Cayenne however.

alex911s

Hey Jim,

Great write up on your trip, glad you like the yakima looks great! I havent bought an OEM crossbar for my rails, havent had a chance to go to tahoe this year(that's a record for me)
btw does that roof box fit ski's and boards? I;ve always used regular ski racks, after seeing yours I will probably go that route..

Happy New Year!!!

356driver

Hi Alex,

Thule has a number of boxes that have internal ski racks. I have the Porsche-badged Thule box and it holds four pairs of skis very nicely, with lots of leftover space for boots and other gear. The picture at left is actually on the way to Mammoth (don't ask what we were doing offroad). But take my word for it, there's a full complement of skis and other snow toys inside the box.

- Bill

alex911s

I'll look into it, thanks Bill

JGriff

Hmm... come to think of it... I did see a Cayenne with an angry driver on the 'Pike with no lights on... towing a trailer!!

Yep... I was staying and visiting relatives around the Route 9 area. I grew up in Boston (Dorchester), my parents grew up in South Boston, and I lived in various towns (Watertown, Grafton, and Auburn), up until about three years ago.

Route 9 hasn't changed much... lots of traffic and lousy roads.

Thanks. How about posting a pic of your dirty Cayenne sometime. I'm sure everyone would get a chuckle out of it!!

Trying to see how much abuse it will take? Seeing whether you can get a rod to fly through the hood?

skl

Lewis should give us a picture of the TT, 968 cab, and Cayenne in the background looking all sad and forlorn (sp?). And I don't think we'll need to worry about the glare from the front wheels of the pepper...

JGriff

Thanks!!

I'm not a skier, so I'm not sure... but I believe that it might fit skis and boards. I believe that the total length of the box is 78", if that helps. The inside of the box looks like it has channels... I'm not sure if they are for skis, or for some other reason.

You may want to check the Yakima site to see if it will give you what you need.

Ditto... Happy New Year!!

ltc

Earlier in the week, I was towing my 968 back from the detailer (came out fantastic) on the MA Pike with no lights, so you may have seen me (if you saw a couple of Maglites held in place with racer's tape....no, not kidding, that's what its' come down to)

Rod thru the hood and not the bottom end? THAT would be kind of neat.
I did throw in a quart of oil, unfortunately, all I had was 2 cycle oil for my son's kart, but it did quiet down the engine for a while....good enough I suppose.....after all, it was synthetic 2 cycle kart oil.

ltc

That will have to wait until spring, as the garage queen (996TT, top bunk) and garage princess (968 Cab, bottom bunk) are in their bunk beds and tucked away for the winter:
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=93395
........and who knows, the Cayenne may not be around in the spring for that family photo.

356driver

Lewis, dude, you're busted. I see clean wheels peaking out from beneath those car covers.

skl

Bill, I'm sure the TT and 968 are immaculate- it's the pepper I was referring to...

ltc

Not at all, Not even close.

The car in the pic is the 968Cab. Do you even think for a minute I'd buy a European Tequipment car cover for my Cayenne?
The only cover I want to see on my Cayenne is the sheet they pull over it when they pronounce it DEAD.

You can perform surgery off the wheels on either the 'garage queen' or 'garage princess'. They are washed, dried and quick detailed EVERY time they go out (drives my wife NUTS).

Here is the 'normal' state of the queen:
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=74262
Here is the 'normal state' of the princess (pic from previous owner):
http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/968_copy3.jpg
Here is the normal state of the 'track appliance' (washed/waxed after each event):
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=74260

Yes, that's the Cayenne in the back, back when it was 'new' and still 'loved'.....seems like such a long time ago.

356driver

Perhaps synthetic 2-cycle gokart oil can also be used to clean brake dust off wheels.

ltc

You have a good sense of humor

I have already established that the proper Cayenne brake dust removal tool is a box of Brillo pads. Seems to work well, they're disposable, and clear coat doesn't really belong on a wheel anyways.