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Board: Porsche - Cayenne
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Nov 10, 2004 9:38:14 AM
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Ron (Houston)
- Rennteam Moderator
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- Loc: Houston, TX , United States
- Posts: 8812, Gallery
- Registered on: Apr 10, 2002
- Reply to: Bilal
Re: ML
I like the fact that in the following article they compared the new ML to every SUV except the Cayenne 
. MB knows better not to mess with Porsche 
.
http://www.autoweek.com/printwindow.cms?newsId=101205&pageType=news
. MB knows better not to mess with Porsche .http://www.autoweek.com/printwindow.cms?newsId=101205&pageType=news
Nov 11, 2004 12:22:38 AM
- HighDesert
- Junior
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- Loc: USA
- Posts: 146, Gallery
- Registered on: Apr 8, 2004
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Reply to:
Ron (Houston)
CT trade-in poster child...a heart beat.
Quote:
Ron (Houston) said:
I like the fact that in the following article they compared the new ML to every SUV except the Cayenne
Thanks for the link to the article and I'm glad you included the grin.
Any one looking for an ML to Cayenne comparison should read RC's posts and review about his CT vs. his ML55. If you lived further out west we could swap between my CT and ML55 so you could feel for yourself what RC is talking about.
Can a Cayenne out handle an existing ML in the turns? Of course we are talking about a unibody vs. body-on-frame design. With the new M-class it will be unibody-to-unibody and 1,000 pound lighter one at that if the article is correct.
Does the Cayenne beat the current M-class at dealing with high speeds effortlessly? Yes. RC has detailed this well. That said, I have to also say that the existing ML is not bad at legal Interstate speeds.
Does the Cayenne's interior blow away existing the MLs? Put something other than 'elephant hide' in the Cayenne and I will say yes. With the 'elephant hide' the Cayenne looks as cheap as the existing MLs to my wife and I. With the "titanium look trim" the Cayenne looks cheaper. The aluminum trim makes the Cayenne look great but it dents like a soft drink can and certainly is not worth what Porsche charges for it as a standalone option.
Can the Cayenne best an existing M-class off road? Yep but that is not where they're driven most of the time. If off road is a primary target there is always the G-class. While the old one is no where near as well rounded as the Cayenne the new one's looks make it seem like it should be a reasonable match.
Can the existing ML55 (or other v8 MLs) provide a more pleasurable shifting and driving experience around town? Given Porsche's insistence that the Cayenne's hesitation is normal...YES! Again I point you at RC's review. His wife, in their ML55, takes him off the line by a couple of lengths before his CT can catch up. With the lighter weight, air suspension, and 410hp of the ML550 should give a CT a good run for the money even Interstate speeds. The normally aspirated 465hp engine in the ML63 on top of a AMG tuned seven-speed gearbox...again unless Porsche does something about the hesitation...only a Powerkit equipped CT is going to have a chance.
Do the Cayenne's airbags work described and as well as the ML's? Not even going to go into this one <g>.
My CT is incredibility well rounded but Porsche can't even address the hesitation issue they have right now, so Mercedes does _not_ have anything to worry about.
My Porsche roots go back to the 356 and 911 but, if Mercedes offered to put me in an ML55 today, with and upgrade to an ML63 when it came out,...I'd be happy to be a CT trade-in poster child for them in a heart beat.
Nov 11, 2004 1:38:56 PM
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GM Austin
- Rennteam Moderator
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- Loc: Texas , United States
- Posts: 3530, Gallery
- Registered on: Sep 10, 2002
- Reply to: HighDesert
Re: CT trade-in poster child...a heart beat.
Quote:
Can a Cayenne out handle an existing ML in the turns? Of course we are talking about a unibody vs. body-on-frame design. With the new M-class it will be unibody-to-unibody and 1,000 pound lighter one at that if the article is correct.
I think I recall, from the ML introduction, that the ML derived 70% of it's torsional stiffness from the body structure and only 30% from the frame, so it was more like a unibody from the beginning with a frame added to provide easy attachment points for the 4WD hardware.
I don't think the existing ML's handling is a result of a lack of body stiffness as much as it is a design decision. The floating ride and body lean in the corners was intentional because they believed that's what their customers wanted. They were probably right. I doubt this gets changed much in the new model.
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