Crown

I'll never understand expensive SUVs or trucks. The best performance SUV is still a piece of shit compared to even an average sedan or coupe, so who cares about the driving experience? Whoopdy-do, it's a high-riding Cayman. As if anyone is ever going to use it like it's a Cayman. I guess it's just me, but I think the highlight of an SUV should be it's carrying capacity, fuel economy, comfort, and all-around usability.

Tesla SUV is going to crush the competition in this high-end SUV market imo.

My experience is different.  I have a 991s.  Great driving car, but drive it on mountain roads at speed limit, and it can almost be boring,, in that there's no challenge.  On the other hand, take the cayenne gts.   You sit taller, more comfortably for long drives, and at speed limit you can challenge yourself with some aggressive driving.  I appreciate the balance in a car, road feel,  suspension feedback, and sound of the engine etc.,, all of which can be had in properly designed suv.  And I'm hoping that the Macan at legal speeds is going to offer that sportiness I get when I drive my 991s at twenty over the speed limit.  And in the wet mountain roads of northern ca.,  should be a heck of lot safer.  I've lost total traction and control of the rear end twice on wet roads without even coming close to trying.  

noone1:

I'll never understand expensive SUVs or trucks. The best performance SUV is still a piece of shit compared to even an average sedan or coupe, so who cares about the driving experience? Whoopdy-do, it's a high-riding Cayman. As if anyone is ever going to use it like it's a Cayman. I guess it's just me, but I think the highlight of an SUV should be it's carrying capacity, fuel economy, comfort, and all-around usability.

Tesla SUV is going to crush the competition in this high-end SUV market imo.

No sports car lover can ignore a high performance SUV. I never understood this: People drive a GT3 and then a X5 Diesel with 250 something horses as a family car. This sucks. I remember when I once took a friend (he owns a Mercedes ML Diesel) in my Cayenne GTS. After only a 10 minute ride, he was stunned, absolutely amazed. 

I think that many people have a lot of prejudice towards SUVs and they kind of compare apples to oranges. You cannot test-drive a Cayenne Diesel and then assume that you know the Turbo or even the GTS as well. Huge difference.

Why would I drive a 560 hp car as a fun car but then be happy with a crappy 250 hp Diesel as a family car? Doesn't make any sense to me. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

I'm with Christian. I want to enjoy sporty driving day to day, not just when I get to drive my GT3. With kids, it often dictates that we get a wagon or SUV. So why not get the sportiest of them all?  Also, I don't agree with the comments that an average sedan is much better than the best SUV. My previous X5M or Cayenne GTS craps all over our 5 series or 7 series. Of course if you get a M5 then it's a different story. 

WAY:

I'm with Christian. I want to enjoy sporty driving day to day, not just when I get to drive my GT3. With kids, it often dictates that we get a wagon or SUV. So why not get the sportiest of them all?  Also, I don't agree with the comments that an average sedan is much better than the best SUV. My previous X5M or Cayenne GTS craps all over our 5 series or 7 series. Of course if you get a M5 then it's a different story. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

I am the other way : if I have a true-sports car - I don't need it for a family car as no car with 1800 kgs plus feels just close to a true sports car - hence is a pure ego thing for me. I rather enjoy a high milage/liter consumption in comfort. Also when you change back to a sportscar it feels massively different which is big joy. I never understood people having a big SUV with lots of hp and a similar car sitting a bit lower doing similar performance....

BjoernB:

I am the other way : if I have a true-sports car - I don't need it for a family car as no car with 1800 kgs plus feels just close to a true sports car - hence is a pure ego thing for me. I rather enjoy a high milage/liter consumption in comfort. Also when you change back to a sportscar it feels massively different which is big joy. I never understood people having a big SUV with lots of hp and a similar car sitting a bit lower doing similar performance....

Exactly! 

Besides that... Even with my "boring" Audi diesel, I can have fun in daily traffic, albeit a different kind of fun. It "feels" pretty powerful because of the amount of torque and that makes it feel comfortable as well. Everything you need in daily traffic feels effortless, but I still can drive 1200km on one tank. Oh and in a straight line, the car is equally as fast as my Boxster. In short: I LOVE diesel engines in this kind of cars. I would choose my current boring A6 Avant diesel over an RS6 or even a Cayenne Turbo S anytime.

Suzy

2013 Porsche Boxster S (MT) | Basalt black metallic
2014 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 BiTDI Quattro | Moonshine blue metallic
 

BjoernB:

I am the other way : if I have a true-sports car - I don't need it for a family car as no car with 1800 kgs plus feels just close to a true sports car - hence is a pure ego thing for me. I rather enjoy a high milage/liter consumption in comfort. Also when you change back to a sportscar it feels massively different which is big joy. I never understood people having a big SUV with lots of hp and a similar car sitting a bit lower doing similar performance....

I actually see it the other way around: Why would someone drive a fast sports car but rely on comfort and high mileage on the family car?  You either are what you are or not, there is no switching between driving modes. I drive all my cars the same way, as fast as possible, no matter where (of course within the legal limits). This is me. Driving in the US or in other European countries with a rental car is a pain in the a.. for me but I do my best to enjoy these cars too whenever possible.

I would get so bored in a normal car, take my wife's X3 35d for example. This car does 0-100 kph in 5.1 seconds and 0-200 kph in 24 seconds (according to a review). This is not a slow car but I drove it at it's limit and I was so bored. Not only talking about straight line but curves too (my wife was making fun of me all the time because I was bickering all the time how crappy her car is).
 

You should have seen me in my Smart (had one for the business a couple of years ago): I was driving this car like crap, my son was always making fun that the car is going to flip over (it didn't, don't worry). This wasn't a car, this was a disease, never again.

Sorry I have a different view on cars but for me, cars need to be fun. I cannot have fun in a car because it is comfortable or has a low fuel consumption, I have to drive the crap out of it. The only time I enjoy (sometimes) a comfortable ride is when I am tired from work. Even then, I drive in sport mode with the sport exhaust active because this is the most relaxing thing for me...the throttle response and the exhaust sound.

To each his own I guess. 

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

well - u r a bit special in many ways ( in a good way of course ) but for a lot of people a X3 35d is considered already the SPORT version  - maybe you're spoiled hence yr changing cars very fast . I love to drive my wife's new B-class and then hit a 680HP monster again - I would hate to drive a 600hp Cayenne sucking 20 liters/100km and then change to the GT2 - but that's just me. I actually enjoyed driving a old Fiat 500 so much that I m more leaning towards this direction again

BjoernB:

well - u r a bit special in many ways ( in a good way of course ) but for a lot of people a X3 35d is considered already the SPORT version  - maybe you're spoiled hence yr changing cars very fast . I love to drive my wife's new B-class and then hit a 680HP monster again - I would hate to drive a 600hp Cayenne sucking 20 liters/100km and then change to the GT2 - but that's just me. I actually enjoyed driving a old Fiat 500 so much that I m more leaning towards this direction again

Yes, I am spoiled indeed but this is my own fault. It started with the first SUV I owned, the ML55 AMG. I ordered it for my first child (my wife's Audi A3 wasn't really suitable as a family car at that time). Since the dealer didn't have a test car, I ordered it blindly, solely based on the fact that it was very powerful and "sporty". My dealer let me test-drive a regular ML with 6-cyl. fuel engine and it was OK but not really fun to drive. I didn't expect much more from the ML55 AMG but when I got the car, I was overwhelmed with positive impressions. This was something completely new for me, such a heavy truck with such a powerful engine. Absolutely amazing. Since that time, I'm hooked. I will never buy a SUV again with less than 400 horses (unless of course they put a 1.5 t SUV on the market. ).

The Macan will be so much fun and I am sad that I didn't go for the first car but it is going to replace my wife's X3, so no worries here. I also plan to upgrade my current Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT with the next gen Hellcat engine version (if Chrysler decides to build one), over 600 horses in a SUV...wonderful. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

I am with RC on this one.  I want every car I own to be fun.  Not always pure power (although that''s important for at least one car), but for uniqueness and quality.  I love my 1961 Roadster because it is classic and beautiful, and my vintage Mercedes because it is original and has bee in my family for over 40 years.  So I guess I am both a power freak and a romantic--a wonderful curse….

Wonderbar:

I am with RC on this one.  I want every car I own to be fun.  Not always pure power (although that''s important for at least one car), but for uniqueness and quality.  I love my 1961 Roadster because it is classic and beautiful, and my vintage Mercedes because it is original and has bee in my family for over 40 years.  So I guess I am both a power freak and a romantic--a wonderful curse….

 I actually really liked to get a Mercedes G class, this car attracted me a lot but only the G55 or the G63 AMG. After considering my options and the cost involved, I didn't do it but I get that...it doesn't always have to be pure power but the car itself needs to be "interesting" too. One car I would never get is a 356 for example. I love Porsche but I'm not a fan of the 356 and would probably also pass on the earlier 911s with under 200 hp. I know that power isn't everything but the only older Porsches which actually attract me are the 911 Turbo 3.3 (930), the 964 RS and the 993 RS. I wouldn't say no to a GT1 or a Carrera GT either but thats it.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

RC, you are lucky not to have the "romantic" curse...

SuzyF:

BjoernB:

I am the other way : if I have a true-sports car - I don't need it for a family car as no car with 1800 kgs plus feels just close to a true sports car - hence is a pure ego thing for me. I rather enjoy a high milage/liter consumption in comfort. Also when you change back to a sportscar it feels massively different which is big joy. I never understood people having a big SUV with lots of hp and a similar car sitting a bit lower doing similar performance....

Exactly! 

Besides that... Even with my "boring" Audi diesel, I can have fun in daily traffic, albeit a different kind of fun. It "feels" pretty powerful because of the amount of torque and that makes it feel comfortable as well. Everything you need in daily traffic feels effortless, but I still can drive 1200km on one tank. Oh and in a straight line, the car is equally as fast as my Boxster. In short: I LOVE diesel engines in this kind of cars. I would choose my current boring A6 Avant diesel over an RS6 or even a Cayenne Turbo S anytime.

I'm with you guys on this one. I think different cars offer up different experiences, and depending on what you want to do  with them you have the choice. For an SUV comfort and easy usage is more important (to me) than it's sporty capabilities.

I guess it also has a lot to do with country specific aspects. Maybe RC can get to exploit a super sporty SUV because around where he lives all the roads allow that. In other places (DR at the top of that list) if you drive half an hour outside the city center the roads are so bad you'd wish you had a comfortable ride instead of a sporty setup. 

Wonderbar:

RC, you are lucky not to have the "romantic" curse...

Too expensive, right?   

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Enmanuel:

I guess it also has a lot to do with country specific aspects. Maybe RC can get to exploit a super sporty SUV because around where he lives all the roads allow that. In other places (DR at the top of that list) if you drive half an hour outside the city center the roads are so bad you'd wish you had a comfortable ride instead of a sporty setup. 

I'm not so sure about it. Actually, I enjoy a SUV much more on bad roads than on good roads. Not a fan of comfortable rides (even my mother's car had a sport chassis  ) but I get the comfort thing, I have friends who drive sports cars but prefer a BMW 7 series or Mercedes S class for business travel. Personally, I would probably use the 991 Turbo S all the time. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

RC:

Enmanuel:

I guess it also has a lot to do with country specific aspects. Maybe RC can get to exploit a super sporty SUV because around where he lives all the roads allow that. In other places (DR at the top of that list) if you drive half an hour outside the city center the roads are so bad you'd wish you had a comfortable ride instead of a sporty setup. 

I'm not so sure about it. Actually, I enjoy a SUV much more on bad roads than on good roads. Not a fan of comfortable rides (even my mother's car had a sport chassis  ) but I get the comfort thing, I have friends who drive sports cars but prefer a BMW 7 series or Mercedes S class for business travel. Personally, I would probably use the 991 Turbo S all the time. 

Well... I'd prefer a Bentley Flying Spur for business travel, but no one wants do be my chauffeur .

All joking aside,  i think that is the difference (besides the fact that  i don't really need a SUV ). i like a comfy, relaxed drive as much as I like a sporty, spirited drive in my Boxster. That's probably why a true 2+2 GT car suits my needs better than a real sportscar if I'm really honest to myself. Unfortunately Porsche doesn 't have a car like that at the moment. That is the reason why i would like them to come with a decent 928 successor so much. A 991 with all the available luxury options comes close, but it's still more sportscar than GT.

The only thing about an SUV that i like is the higher seating position, but at the moment, I'm glad that i went for the A6 instead of the Macan.  

Different people, different preferences 

Suzy

2013 Porsche Boxster S (MT) | Basalt black metallic
2014 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 BiTDI Quattro | Moonshine blue metallic
 

SuzyF:

That's probably why a true 2+2 GT car suits my needs better than a real sportscar if I'm really honest to myself. Unfortunately Porsche doesn 't have a car like that at the moment. That is the reason why i would like them to come with a decent 928 successor so much. A 991 with all the available luxury options comes close, but it's still more sportscar than GT.

Suzy, you should try the new California T. This car was made for you, from what I can gather.

It has a lot of flair and elegance but it is also a rational car. Perfect for your Dutch(?)-Italian mix

"Form follows function"

reginos:

SuzyF:

That's probably why a true 2+2 GT car suits my needs better than a real sportscar if I'm really honest to myself. Unfortunately Porsche doesn 't have a car like that at the moment. That is the reason why i would like them to come with a decent 928 successor so much. A 991 with all the available luxury options comes close, but it's still more sportscar than GT.

Suzy, you should try the new California T. This car was made for you, from what I can gather.

It has a lot of flair and elegance but it is also a rational car. Perfect for your Dutch(?)-Italian mix

Haha yes I know... That car is on the top spot of my wishlist at the moment. The re-design looks much better than before and the new turbocharged engine seems very nice too. The car seems to be the perfect match for me, despite the lack of a Porsche badge on it, although the prancing horse is part of both badges  Car is not too flashy, but has a beautiful classic GT design IMHO. I like it a lot!

The 7 year free general maintenance program is another part that is very appealing.

Suzy

2013 Porsche Boxster S (MT) | Basalt black metallic
2014 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 BiTDI Quattro | Moonshine blue metallic
 

SuzyF:

reginos:

SuzyF:

That's probably why a true 2+2 GT car suits my needs better than a real sportscar if I'm really honest to myself. Unfortunately Porsche doesn 't have a car like that at the moment. That is the reason why i would like them to come with a decent 928 successor so much. A 991 with all the available luxury options comes close, but it's still more sportscar than GT.

Suzy, you should try the new California T. This car was made for you, from what I can gather.

It has a lot of flair and elegance but it is also a rational car. Perfect for your Dutch(?)-Italian mix

Haha yes I know... That car is on the top spot of my wishlist at the moment. The re-design looks much better than before and the new turbocharged engine seems very nice too. The car seems to be the perfect match for me, despite the lack of a Porsche badge on it, although the prancing horse is part of both badges  Car is not too flashy, but has a beautiful classic GT design IMHO. I like it a lot!

The 7 year free general maintenance program is another part that is very appealing.

Indeed. It is also my favourite car at the moment.  A superb mix of top performance, classic elegance, lifestyle statement, powerful brand name and usability.

Ferrari have nurtured the exclusive sportscar concept very well and they are currently the "gold standard" of fast cars and very profitable at the same time.

Porsche have taken a different route with the increasing number of mainstream models. I wish they stayed more focused on their heritage. I love Porsche very much but I wish they didn't have to rely on the Cayenne and Macan and the next one for their existence, particularly now that they are part of the giant VW Group.

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"Form follows function"

SportCarGroup:

Very nice !!  This is the best angle of the Macan. 

Sorry, but it's a popcorn fart....way too little to be practical in my view

Lots more choices out there for the same or less $ unless you need a Porsche Badge in your driveway.

NSXER:

Sorry, but it's a popcorn fart....way too little to be practical in my view

Lots more choices out there for the same or less $ unless you need a Porsche Badge in your driveway.

It is going to sell like hot cakes...

I fear Zürich will be invaded by Macans in a year or two 

2014 991 Carrera 4S | Dark Blue Metallic | PDK | S-PASM (-20mm) | PSE
2010 Audi S5 cabrio | Ibis White

I have been talking about the Macan with my dealer . They have had special courses about the new clients it will bring in and how to deal with that .  People you will see at a Porsche garage will be much different then what it was a few years back. 

I used to be the only one when going to my dealer to talk about cars  ( pre Cayenne ) . Now, each time I go there are a few people around …..  The Macan will bring loads of new people . And I am also sure the roads of my part of the world will be flooded with Macan 

 997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

Gnil:

I have been talking about the Macan with my dealer . They have had special courses about the new clients it will bring in and how to deal with that .  People you will see at a Porsche garage will be much different then what it was a few years back. 

I used to be the only one when going to my dealer to talk about cars  ( pre Cayenne ) . Now, each time I go there are a few people around …..  The Macan will bring loads of new people . And I am also sure the roads of my part of the world will be flooded with Macan 

One good thing about it: Driving a Porsche will become more socially acceptable. For me, this is a good thing.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Too many Porsches and I am not happy at all about this predicament! Porsche is becoming the new BMW.

BMW carried  the sports/exclusivity charisma until the late 70s when they were producing as many units as Porsche do now. Then a BMW owner was proud. Nowadays every car in the market can be compared with a BMW. Nothing special anymore.

Porsche was a super valuable brand built up by innovative engineering and motorsport success but it is unfortunately becoming more and more mainstream. In 10 years at the latest it will be rated, at best, just above Audi. I cannot understand VW's business logic in doing so. They have so many different models in their palette all selling in hundreds of 000s all over the world and huge profits. Why do they need another few thousand cars from Porsche and in the process devalue what was once an automotive jewel. VW IMO have been overcome with short term greed and lack a vision.

FIAT might produce rubbish cars in general and have financial problems but if they have done something correct, is the fact that they have  kept Ferrari on a pinnacle, and have avoided all temptation to abuse this goldmine of a brand.

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"Form follows function"

Couldn't agree more!

1987 911 Carrera 3.2 - 1992 964 Carrera 2 - 2012 Cayenne Diesel - 2013 Mini Cooper S - 1995 BMW318ti

Porsche has lost its exclusivity a long time ago in the USA... Since the Cayenne basically.