A short Cayenne Turbo owner report
I thought I write down a few points since I own the Cayenne Turbo for two days now:
Pros
1. Cayenne Turbo feels rock solid, almost as a "tank"
2. Quality feel/look is superb, I'd give it a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10 (10=highest)
3. engine feels very strong, I already saw boost pressure values of up to 0.8 bar on the boost gauge
4. the speedo cluster incl. TFT screen looks great and is fun to look at, very stylish, informative and ergonomics are good too
5. the heat insulated windows are a great thing to have, they're a bit darker as the normally tinted glass and even the privacy glass in the rear seems to be darker (if you worry about garage door openers or automatic pay pass systems, the glass has a non-insulated area above the interior rear mirror)
6. air suspension is absolutely fantastic, it works great and being able to change the stiffness of the dampers and the ride height is a treat, I just love it
7. the 20'' Sport Techno wheels look much better in reality than on pictures, the ride is stiff (especially with SPORT suspension setting), direct but also very sporty and they show almost no problems with wet pavement (like wide wheels on sportscars).
8. steering feel is very direct, especially in curves
9. sport seats are a MUST have, very good side grip but still comfy
10. the PCM 2 works great, the CD player even shows CD Text and you can use all kind of self-burned CD-Rs.
11. BOSE sound system sounds great
12. Bi-Xenon lights provide great light at night, they look absolutely marvelous and they are a MUST have
13. front and rear leg room is much better than on our ML55
14. the tilt-down compartment for sunglasses near the sunroof button is a great solution for us sunglass addicts
15. brakes are pretty good, very stiff and spontaneous brake feel with no real fading
Cons
1. exhaust sound is horrible, no V8 growl
2. throttle/shifting response with PSM activated is horrible and very annoying, especially for fast maneuvers (passing other cars, etc.)
3. car feels very heavy on the straight line (but surprisingly not in curves)
4. acceleration from standstill in auto mode unsatisfactory (it takes a second or two until full acceleration is established, even with PSM off)
5. PCM 2 TFT screen quality not that good (if you look straight at it, it is good but not from a driver or co-driver angle), not many possibilities to adapt color and contrast
6. Tiptronic shift buttons not well positioned (rear buttons would be better)
7. CD changer has only space for 6 CDs (10 should be minimum)
8. no MP3 jukebox available as an addition to the CD changer
9. low profile 20'' tires very likely to be sensitive to damage (boardwalks, potholes, etc.)
10. no digital boost pressure readout
11. no digital oil level readout
12. TFT screen (speedo) doesn't memorize last setting
13. steering wheel too large (diameter) and especially too thin
14. central locking system needs a honk signal (for example when doors are closed)
15. key too bulky and especially too heavy
Just my first impressions, I might add a few things later on.
Overall, the Cayenne Turbo is an impressive piece of SUV but it still needs some refinement here and there.
I can't hide the feeling that apparently the Cayenne has been developped by several different development teams and some did it right, some not.
I'd love to hear your comments on my Pros and Cons and maybe suggestions of what could be improved.
Pros
1. Cayenne Turbo feels rock solid, almost as a "tank"
2. Quality feel/look is superb, I'd give it a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10 (10=highest)
3. engine feels very strong, I already saw boost pressure values of up to 0.8 bar on the boost gauge
4. the speedo cluster incl. TFT screen looks great and is fun to look at, very stylish, informative and ergonomics are good too
5. the heat insulated windows are a great thing to have, they're a bit darker as the normally tinted glass and even the privacy glass in the rear seems to be darker (if you worry about garage door openers or automatic pay pass systems, the glass has a non-insulated area above the interior rear mirror)
6. air suspension is absolutely fantastic, it works great and being able to change the stiffness of the dampers and the ride height is a treat, I just love it
7. the 20'' Sport Techno wheels look much better in reality than on pictures, the ride is stiff (especially with SPORT suspension setting), direct but also very sporty and they show almost no problems with wet pavement (like wide wheels on sportscars).
8. steering feel is very direct, especially in curves
9. sport seats are a MUST have, very good side grip but still comfy
10. the PCM 2 works great, the CD player even shows CD Text and you can use all kind of self-burned CD-Rs.
11. BOSE sound system sounds great
12. Bi-Xenon lights provide great light at night, they look absolutely marvelous and they are a MUST have
13. front and rear leg room is much better than on our ML55
14. the tilt-down compartment for sunglasses near the sunroof button is a great solution for us sunglass addicts
15. brakes are pretty good, very stiff and spontaneous brake feel with no real fading
Cons
1. exhaust sound is horrible, no V8 growl
2. throttle/shifting response with PSM activated is horrible and very annoying, especially for fast maneuvers (passing other cars, etc.)
3. car feels very heavy on the straight line (but surprisingly not in curves)
4. acceleration from standstill in auto mode unsatisfactory (it takes a second or two until full acceleration is established, even with PSM off)
5. PCM 2 TFT screen quality not that good (if you look straight at it, it is good but not from a driver or co-driver angle), not many possibilities to adapt color and contrast
6. Tiptronic shift buttons not well positioned (rear buttons would be better)
7. CD changer has only space for 6 CDs (10 should be minimum)
8. no MP3 jukebox available as an addition to the CD changer
9. low profile 20'' tires very likely to be sensitive to damage (boardwalks, potholes, etc.)
10. no digital boost pressure readout
11. no digital oil level readout
12. TFT screen (speedo) doesn't memorize last setting
13. steering wheel too large (diameter) and especially too thin
14. central locking system needs a honk signal (for example when doors are closed)
15. key too bulky and especially too heavy
Just my first impressions, I might add a few things later on.
Overall, the Cayenne Turbo is an impressive piece of SUV but it still needs some refinement here and there.
I can't hide the feeling that apparently the Cayenne has been developped by several different development teams and some did it right, some not.
I'd love to hear your comments on my Pros and Cons and maybe suggestions of what could be improved.
)
