tkerrmd

I go over 125mph all the time!..................Oh yeah, I am at Sebring racetrack!!!!

BC

I think LA is the best for high speed transportation. It just can't be during the peak hours of the day. Too many people for the CHP to really pay attention.

Brent 89-GT

I think it is a valid comparison/comment. With a 19 or 20" wheels/tire combo the cornering forces generated by the Cayenne certainly exceed many so called sports cars. With PASM in sport, transitions are extremely well controlled. Sure it is heavy, no it isn't a race car but, I think the Cayenne deserves its due here. I know personally I would challenge just about any sports car on a curving moutain road and probably pull away. In fact I have done it. There are those that will out power a CS but precious few that will out corner it.

I went directly fron a 2 hr 997 test drive, right back into my CS a couple weeks ago. Dynamically the Cayenne may not feel like the 911 but in sheer cornering it comes pretty dang close. On the street, which is my main point, it would take a very determined sports car driver to shake a Cayenne. If that doesn't give it some modicum of "sports car handling" I'm not sure what would.

Zin

You know that same scenario happens to me everyday I drive. It used to happen more frequently when I had my Boxster. EVERYONE wanted to race me then, moms in minivans, kids in their POS hoopdie mobiles, rice burners, and the list goes on. Yesterday a guy in an early ninties Lincoln Mark V (which is terribly ugly) thought he was in a Nascar stocker, just because he had modded the exhaust to make it really loud, put some cheap ugly overly wide tires on it, a Ford SVO sticker and a FEAR THIS sticker on the back window. Well trust me I was shakin in my DJ Pliner's.
He kept getting beside me and gunning it wanting to race. THe first time I ignored him, the second time I ignored him, the third time he got the universal symbol for "leave me alone".

I did not race, and have not raced...yet. I am tempted to just blow the doors off the next idiot, but then again that would be lowering myself to their level. Because we all know that I would win!

Brent 89-GT

While the challenges can seem rather juvenille, maybe we can have a different take on it too. Stomping them can be FUN When I was the kid harassing the fancy cars, it was just for fun. You expected and hoped that the German dream machine would rise up and crush you. That was part of the motivation to succeed well enough to be the guy in the hot car. Think of it as your duty to provide inspiration to the masses. Smug and stuffy are no fun, you gotta let er buck now and then, get that adrenaline going and live a little

SnP

I was 29 when I bought my first Porsche - a new Base Boxster.

The 'idiots' I found wanting to race me were grey haired dudes in Lexus convertibles, caddies, and suburbans. I often wondered if they were trying to teach the punk in the Boxster something about displacement...

When pulling hard from the line on a kid in a 'ricer' I'd always give them a wave and a smile and would more often than not get one back.

To date, I've gotten more waves while driving my Cayenne S from guys in WRXs than other guys in Cayennes. The ratio is 2 to 1!

Personally, I think the whole hierarchy of cars thing has more to do with age and dollars spent on vehicle than anything remotely resembling automotive enthusiasm.

ltc

Step away from the Purplesaurus Rex punch bowl, you too have had enough.

The Cayenne(S) is capapble, but it's HP/weight ratio is nothing to write home about (345hp for 5500#).
I think the number of sports cars you could 'pull away' from is smaller than you think, again based on HP/weight anyways.
Besides, being able to 'beat a driver' with your right foot is nothing but 'point and squirt' driving technique...nothing to write home about.

Now with respect to cornering, HP/weight means even less (at least on corner entry...the part that matters). Here there are even more 'sports cars' that will outperform a Cayenne.
Disbelief? OK, show me a Cayenne (S), Sport PASM mode, in an autocross that posts a competitive time (right before it tips over, destroys its tires or wears out its brakes).

Yes, the Cayenne is a well above average SUV, it has a PAG engine and the brakes that you have come to expect from PAG/Brembo, but don't compare it to a sports car handling, at least with your right foot.

Apart from that, I have no strong opinon.

Brent 89-GT

I didn't figure you would

Still, I think you are wrong. Maybe the driver is the key because the people I run into can't keep up with the Cayenne. Initially they seem to "think" they can. More often than not the Cayenne impresses the heck out of me. Maybe I'm just simple.

I also was specifically avoiding competition comparisons. Autocross is much different than what happens at higher speeds when the Cayenne already has plenty of momentum and its stability at high speeds comes into play. Who would autocross a Cayenne anyway?

ltc

It's my job here, remember? .......
Now that I'm free of the Cayenne , what am I supposed to do with my time?

Perhaps, but I don' think I've made any invalid/incorect assumptions above.
Based on HP/weight alone, I doubt that a CayenneS (345hp/5500# = 15.9#/hp)could 'outrun' my 996TT (400hp/3600# = 9#/hp) or my 964 (270hp/2750# = 10.2#/hp).
When it comes to handling/braking, the Cayenne is again at a disadvantage, simply due to Sir Isaac Newton's laws applied (momentum is a bitch, let alone center of gravity)

The only way to know would be an on track test with laptimes being the deciding factor.....winner take all, sort of like the show 'Pinks' on Speedvision.
Of course I wouldn't participate, since the last thing in the world I'd want to win is a Cayenne.

No reason not to. People DE Cayennes (see tkerrmd).
I only used the autocross example since you were inferring handling, which is implied in autocross moreso than hp.



P.S. Like the new avatar, although the 928 was a classic one.

pdxjim

"Whats more astonishing is its handling prowess. The Cayenne Turbo is slightly slower than a Boxster S to 100mph, yet in the hands of an experienced racing driver, both managed identical times around Germanys gruelling Nurburgring northern loop. Make of that what you will. The Cayenne Turbo S develops 521bhp and can perform the 0-60mph sprint in 5.2s before hitting a 167mph top speed. Given the performance of the standard Turbo, we can probably assume that this model is faster round the Nurburgring than a Boxster S! The steering is pleasantly quick witted, giving the driver the impression that the Cayenne is very light on its feet. This is helped by the air suspension which gives a well-damped feel and an almost roll-free cornering attitude. After even a short drive, its apparent that a sports car developer has been at work on the Cayenne."

JFScheck

I drive it "spirtily" and toss it around the corners (pushing it every now and then) but it isn't my 997S - that being said it's a BLAST to drive around in and yet I can raise the suspension and drive over the creek to my friends cabin on the weekends and tow my bike trailer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ltc

John,
It would appear as though you may have an issue with the "!" key on your keyboard perhaps?

Stone43

Since I am still suffering a bit from 911 trade-in withdrawl, I spent the first 2 weeks driving the cayenne in tiptronic mode. Which resulted in limited fun, and about 9 MPG. Learned that lesson rather quickly. I cannot compare it to my 911. Nor would I. They are distant cousins, at best.

But since I do own an 02 Tahoe, there is no comparison with that. The cayenne is tighter, quicker, faster, etc. It is one hell of an SUV and for my lifestyle, much more practical. I NEEDED an SUV. I bought (in my opinion), the best one I could find for the money (drove Mercedes, X5, Landrover, etc.)

I am installing the cat bypass pipes tomorrow (finally) and an aftermarket hitch. So now I will be able to drive around in tiptronic mode (gas is now $3.00 per gal here), make a little noise, pass a few ******** and then go ride my mountain bike while the kids are at a birthday party. Life is good...........

wingless

My impression is that the CT has effortless acceleration, the CS has appropriate power and there are no polite words to describe the power of the 6-cylinder.

My expectation is that there are a limited number of stock vehicles with performance that exceeds that of the CT. It is reasonable to conclude that this vehicle, with a skilled driver, would provide acceptable results at the track.

For my purposes, the CT provides the performance required for New England roads. The principal hazard is brain dead drones existing in the passing lane, until taking a hard right onto the exit ramp, across the travel lane.

With the CT, to drive efficiently, all that is required is to see ANY space between the lead left-lane drone, in the long line of drones, and the vehicle ahead of it in the right lane. The CT can pass all on the right, prior to the gap closing, with a couple of down shift flicks, prior to entering the left lane, there is no change in the brake lamp temperature.

My wife and I find the CT completely appropriate for it’s primary use of donkey transportation, amateur class.

GM Austin

Do I drive fast in my Cayenne? Uh ... yeah ... doesn't everybody? If you didn't want to drive fast there are lots of better choices for an SUV. Lexus has several excellent offerings!

On the sports car comparison, yes, the Cayenne corners pretty darn good and it can be competitive with some lower powered sports cars on the track. But still, your talking about a lot of weight here. It's just nowhere near as much fun to drive fast as say, a Boxster. In comparison to the Boxster, the Cayenne is just so ponderous. In comparison to other SUV's, yes, it's amazing, absolutely amazing. But it's nothing like driving a real sportscar.