3-Pedals

I have now 17,000 miles on the 2022 Cayenne GTS. Its an amazing SUV and does everything so well except the transmission is from 15 years ago.

- Try getting on the gas while going slowly (below 5mph) and you can count one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, and the car just rockets away completely unnaturally. This has happened at intersections and stop signs towards oncoming traffic and borderline dangerous.

- In normal mode, it lugs the engine. Horrible. Sport mode is better but now it will hold the gears too long, way too long. Sport plus is like the single clutch SMG transmission from the E60 M5. Its even worse, utterly useless if you let it shift.

- You have to exceed 50% throttle for the transmission to meaningfully downshift to overtake other cars in highway

- You have to be over 80% throttle for the car to not upshift too soon, even in sport plus mode.

I used to compare it to my GT3RS and PDK-S it had and yes that wasnt fair so now I picked up a TTS which is “daily driver” super car and its beyond me why Porsche cannot program this cayenne’s transmission like the 911’s PDK.

I’ll even offer potentially a very easy way out. ZF8 Cayenne uses is the same ZF8 BMW uses. Maybe take those BMW guys out for coffee or lunch and pick their brains a little? Because the ZF8 in X7 is worlds ahead. The ZF8 in the M5 is like PDK. So the problem isnt the transmission. Problem is the ****ty (and potentially AUDI/VW) transmission programming.

Lastly, the $60,000 Ford Explorer ST I recently drove (while being completely POS in so many other areas) had substantially better transmission. $140,000 and this is what you get - seriously porsche. Does the toureg team work on your cayennes?

chassis

Agree generally. MB also has very poor transmission calibrations. The Cayenne ZF8 is better than any MB SUV powertrain calibration.

The Aisin 8-speed in the 958 was great, I drove it in a Touareg for a long time and loved the transmission.

I have a ZF8 in a BMW and agree it is excellent.

MaxLTV

#1 also bugs me so much (in a 2019 Turbo)- it's just infuriating! I hoped they fixed it since 2019, because it clearly seems like a software issue, so it's upsetting to hear it's still there even on 2022 models. The rest of the issues are there but are not nearly as bad, and Sport seems fine but too reluctant to use top gear (in a Turbo, though) and I solve it by moving throttle pedal faster. I prefer to be very smooth (less yelling from wife, for one), but quicker throttle inputs make the transmission more decisive and sportier in Normal. I hope the facelift fixes it. But one thing that makes me less optimistic is that my 992 Turbo S does it too, just to a much lesser degree - I'm sure it's not turbo lag because the revs practically don't change for the first couple of tens of a second. So maybe it's a feature rather than bug, but I can't think of any good reason for it.

Schnave

Normal mode is designed to meet fuel economy numbers; transmission is programmed to hold higher gears. Rubbish! Use Sport Mode as Porsche intended. My other Porsche is a 6-speed manual so I’m accustomed to rowing the shifter and using the gear that I want, not the gear the EPA wants.

Use those paddle shifters. When I need quick power I pull the left paddle once or twice as I apply throttle. Instant power. 😎

If the Sport Mode is holding a low gear, a quick pull on the right paddle will fix it in a flash.

chassis

Agree, I drive with the paddle shifters most of the time.

Needsdecaf

I find this ironic, because most BMW’s are way less responsive than the Porsche transmissions, IMO

3-Pedals

Well, I drove F90 M5 a few times so I know that car and that is by far the best automatic (non dual clutch) transmission I have ever experienced. I have also recently driven an X7 and I was extremely pleased with how responsive that transmission was.

Regarding the comment about fuel economy and normal mode, I'll just say that my TTS which has the same fuel economy concern and a normal mode never makes me feel for wanting a better transmission. It knows the gears and how long to hold them and when to downshift. I am not buying that this is PDK vs torque converter problem. Its all in programming. PDK would make a difference in how quick the gears are changed when you pull a paddle. In my case, my complaints are in full auto mode and they arent about delayed shifts but rather shifts that never happen like EVER or shifts that happen too quickly (doesnt hold the gears when you want it to).

George from MD

I keep mine in Sport and love the tranny.....response has always been instant.

3-Pedals

But you dont find it an issue that it now holds the revs too high and keeps 6th gear instead of 8th in highway (unless you are going 30 mph over the speed limit)? Or that when you are driving spiritedly, it always upshifts at 4500 unless you are being too aggressive with the throttle? Sport mode response is better yes but then other things suffer. I dont have this problem with the 911s. It will hold the gears longer in sport mode as well but its smart enough to upshift when nothing is going on and then quickly downshift when you want more power. Thats the problem, the programming in the cayenne is too dumb. I can guarantee you the software for both is completely different as in not in the same universe of even the algorithm.

rdboxster

I have been pleased so far with the transmission and engine in the GTS. Vast improvement over the 3.6 turbo and tranny in the 2016 GTS. I also save most of the race car driving for the Boxster. My issue with sport mode is it holds lower gears too long for city driving. On the highway and merging sport works great. The one complaint on the drive train is when merging or accelerating to highway speeds in normal it’s difficult to prevent both a down shift and turbo at the same time. While it’s fun it does create a little lack of oxygen when there are passengers along. Sport mode evens this out. I also wished there was a turbo boost gauge in the GTS.

Woofman

I've watched and read a gazillion reviews of the various Cayenne models. Some of the more technically oriented reviews have attributed the hesitant low speed performance of the higher output Cayenne engines to their developing their maximum torque at higher RPM's. Some reviewers have noted that the base Cayenne engine seems like a naturally aspirated engine which is not surprising since its maximum torque is achieved at substantially lower RPM's. None of these reviewers have attributed the performance lag at low speeds to the Tiptronic. Some have noted that the Tiptronic is nearly as quick as a PDK.

Here are the "Max. torque at rpm" figures for the various Cayenne engines (E-Hybrids excluded):

Base: 332 lb-ft @ 1,340 - 5,300 rpm
S: 405 lb-ft @ 1,800 - 5,500 rpm
GTS: 457 lb-ft @ 1,800 - 4,500 rpm
Turbo: 567 lb-ft @ 1,960 - 4,500 rpm
Turbo GT: 626 lb-ft @ 2,300 - 4,500 rpm

The driving impressions section of a Savage Geese review discusses the Tiptronic transmission and lag at low speeds for the Cayenne S which has its maximum torque powerband starting at the same RPM as the GTS. It starts at about 14:26 if the video doesn't automatically start there:

You Tube

Needsdecaf

That's why I said "most". M Cars are the primary exception.

Shuga

I wonder if they'll change it for the face lift

Woofman

The low speed performance of the X7 is augmented by its 48 volt mild hybrid system. I'd probably be driving an X7 instead of a Cayenne right now if I could have gotten a sleepy BMW salesman to pay attention to me last year - one of the most bizarre experiences I've had at a car dealership.

I've seen very little information about Cayenne drivetrain changes for 2024 other than a few horsepower ratings. As I mentioned on this forum previously, a German auto magazine said last summer that 48 volt mild hybrid systems would be widely used in the 2024 Cayenne. Maybe that was B.S. but we'll see.

pbon

I don’t have any complaints about the transmission in my 21 Cayenne S. Neither the engine nor transmission feel laggy to me. I normally drive in standard mode and if I put my foot down, it downshifts and accelerates well. If I want to hot rod around I use Sport or Sport Plus. My car has Sport Chrono if that makes a difference.

I also have an F90 M5 and agree the version of the ZF 8 speed in that car, or the transmission tuning, has snappier up and downshifts. Even though I had no complaints, I did flash the trans ECU with an Xhp tune. It is a little more lively now. Also flashed the engine ECU with a BM3 tune.

Maybe the aftermarket for the Porsche Cayenne has similar solutions. I have seen threads on engine ECU tunes but not trans ECU. At least in my F90, the engine ECU tune also flashes the trans ECU but that is just to relate to the engine tune and is different from a trans tune.