996AD:
RC Power is not everything. You seem to care more about power and you barley talk about design and quality of materials. I've seen the SRT I know how powerful they are but how many times would you race compared to the whole time cursing and enjoying your ride.
For the 64k EUR I paid, quality is excellent. Actually, quality is at par with the current Mercedes M class. Very unusual for a US car. The Cayenne has a better quality impression (looks, feel, etc.) in my opinion, I agree. You will however experience that the Macan is slightly behind the Cayenne, unless you choose leather and other options, etc.. Quality impression is also better than on my wife's BMW X3 35d (2013).
I have friends who own ZR1 but when they drive my 4S they get really impressed.
The Jeep GC SRT is no Cayenne GTS and not even a Cayenne Turbo when it comes to handling and sporty drive feel but it is pretty close to the Cayenne Turbo and sportier than a Cayenne Diesel for example.
I've owned too many American cars the parts get broken easily materials fall and worn out easily and they look old after a while.
Chrysler used high quality parts, the Brembo brake system for example is amazing (the SRT weights 2.5 tons and even when braking strongly from 260 kph down to 130 or 150 kph...it happened twice, the brake doesn't show any fading), the ZF 8 speed auto is faster than the 8 speed Aisin Tiptronic on the Cayenne. The adaptive chassis is from Bilstein. I have more examples, the glass panoramic roof is similar to the Cayenne for example.
My german cars were always like new in very good shape plus the design looks good. Not too many people understand the modern and simplicity of german designs. Americans know how to make their cars look angry with all the plastic parts and vents too much.
I like the look of the Jeep GC SRT a lot, so do other people apparently. Got a lot of positive feedback for the Jeep, not so much for the Cayenne.
If Porsche allowed to make the same engine size and emission of the SRT I'm sure they can make double that horse power.
The SRT is EURO 6(!), it has better emissions than all current Cayenne versions. Fuel consumption at 260 kph (GPS and speedo...pretty accurate) is less than the fuel consumption of the Cayenne Turbo. Not by much less but a bit less. Average fuel consumption is similar to my Cayenne GTS...which had 50 horses (or according to the built-in power "measurement" display 90 hp...it shows 510 hp) less.
Prejudice towards US cars? I understand it very well but believe me, neither me nor Lars 997 chose the SRT without doing our "homework". It is a very good offer (like I said, 64k after rebate in Germany) and even if there were some issues, I wouldn't mind for almost half the price of a Cayenne GTS. So far, knock on wood, the car is great. Also sounds great (aftermarket sport exhaust with flap system and believe it or not, it does NOT void the warranty and is even included in the lease contract).
A comparison with the Macan is quite ridiculous since the Macan is probably the more agile/nimble and sportier car, the weight difference alone makes it happen but I just wanted to point out that there are alternatives sometimes. Jeep has a pretty good reputation in Germany, you see Jeep Grand Cherokee all over Bavaria, it sells better than the BMW X6 for example, even better than the Mercedes G or GL class. The biggest advantage is: People seem to applaud the Jeep, I didn't feel any envy. Once. For a family car, really great.
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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)