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escapement said:
A while ago I had my DME reprogrammed under recall W516. It didn't help my transmission hesitation. This week I had my transmission control unit replaced on my Cayenne Turbo and the effect is remarkable. I think the recall is W515, but I'm not sure. I was told that the control unit fix is for hard shifting when cold, but there's a lot more to it than that. The transmission is now eager to downshift, sometimes 2 gears if needed. I had complained for a long time about the reluctance of the transmission to downshift on partial throttle, but that problem seems to be fixed. It now drives more like what you would expect from a Porsche.
I had the first gearbox control unit replaced many months ago, I suppose it is the same software. It fixed a few issues and improved shifting (now always one gear lower than before at the same speed) but it didn't do too much, if anything, to the hesitation issue.
There seems to be a problem with actually being aware of the hesitation: if you drive a lot on the highway or the Autobahn or even on fast country roads, you probably won't feel too much of the hesitation/shifting issues. But drive your car mainly in the city and it shows up. My Cayenne Turbo still has it and sometimes I'm so fed up with driving it...
My wife refuses to drive the Cayenne Turbo because of the throttle response, she's used to our second family car, a ML55 AMG which we own for almost 4 years now and never let us down.
Porsche should be aware that the hesitation/shifting issue will damage their reputation as a sportscar manufacturer sooner or later. While first-time Porsche buyers and Cayenne customers don't seem to have a problem with that, Porsche sportscar owners (or former owners), especially those who own (or owned) a BMW X5 4.4/4.6is or Mercedes ML55 before, are not happy at all. I already know a lot of Cayenne Turbo owners who sold their Cayenne exactly because of the hesitation issue and I'll add myself to that list if they don't get it right soon. We were very happy with our ML55 and if the new ML63 is as sporty as the specs indicate (~ 460 HP and air suspension), we won't go for a Cayenne again. I really don't get it: Mr. Wiedeking promised us a unique product in the line of the Porsche tradition. Unique it is indeed but surely not a Porsche how I understand it. It handles well but the throttle/shifting response and even the brake isn't up to Porsche specs. And it doesn't help me too much if every Porsche employee I talk to assures me that the next Cayenne generation will be improved. No thanks.
