TERRIBLE New Porsche Cayenne

[manu_sachdeva]

Tragically the disgusting new Cayenne shot are available on http://www.porsche.com

This is the end of Porsche as a serious sports-car manufacturer, regardless of whether they build the Carrera GT.

What a terrible shame....

[Seb]

Hey manu didnt you know its the new 959=). Hope we will see some Paris Dakar Rally. Bmw proved that SUV can go pretty fast with their X5 Lemans on the ring. Wonder what a V8 Biturbo 450hp can do. I dont realy like it but it would be my first pick if i was out for a Suv.

[manu_sachdeva]

ah Seb my Swedish friend....

Don't you think this will damage the reputation of the marque...

Can you imagine what a 996 GT2 owner feel when he sees a Cayenne pass him.....
If I was out in my 550 and a £60,000 Ferrari SUV (with a middle aged mother taking her kids to school in the back seat) drove past, I'd feel sick to the pit of my stomach. I'd feel F***ING SICK!

Pinninfarina once tried to get Ferrari to build a saloon. But even THIS was too much for Enzo Ferrari - he said NO. I feel safe in saying that Ferrari will NEVER build a non-sportcar (one-off specials for the Sultan of Brunei excepted). For that we have Maserati.

I'm sure the Cayenne will sell very well but I think Porsche have made an error. Porsche is a great name and a profitable company. They didn't need to do this.

[Seb]

Porsche is the highest valued marque in Germany. Seen those pics of Sultan of Brunei cars. Those are one kind. I dont know if it would be good for Ferrari. A relative to me said(911 owner) "I would feel ashamed driving a Ferrari" like those cars are for young guys. But i dont think he would get a problem maby driving a SUV. So many Ferrari owners takes the Ferrari marque down i think. I dont know realy if im for it or not. But no man i think would have bought a Cayenne for driving his young blond beuty to the casino in Monaco.

[manu_sachdeva]

whoa, whoa, whoa Seb....

Not all Ferrari owners are just poseurs. (I'm not and I'm sure Roland isn't....).
I admit that there are lots of rich *****s who can't drive that own Ferraris just to ferrry around their girlfriends but this group of people are very small.
Ferraris are difficult to drive, very expensive to run and maintain and will ALWAYS be unreliable. Therefore they attract people who really LOVE cars.
Of course, super rich people will always buy them but you'll be surprised - these people find Ferraris uncomfortable, noisy, and impractical - they pose for a bit and then go back to their 911 Turbo Auto, or SL500.....

As for Porsche, my point is this. This company is famous for building sports cars which are fantastic driving machines. Their most famous model, the 911 has a layout which challenges the driver.....indeed, it used to be scary and rewards only the most accomplished drivers.

And NOW THIS......an SUV!!! This is BULLSH*T! They've built a car for people who like Toyota Landcruisers. This is SH*T!

The Cayenne will be bought by affluent housewives in Californian suburbs to take the kids to school.
Imagine... from now on, when my friend takes his 968 Club Sport to a Porsche Club meeting, a load of Cayennes will be there too, driven by boring housewives who think that performance driving means pressing 'sport' on the auto transmission........
I don't care whether you have a 450bhp Turbo or not. The car looks terrible - its going to be a huge success but in my opinion this is TERRIBLE for Porsche......

[Seb]

Im a fan of the old style 911 wich are not the easiest cars to drive. Manu to be honest most of Ferrari owners i had a word with are enthusiasts in my country. I dont know in others this was what a relative told me. Question is Cayenne a Sportcar?. Those marques that was just sportcars are not so many. Ferrari, Porsche the biggest. Now maby Ferrari the only one left. Think this can also be a good thing for Ferrari "the only real sportcar marque left". Could be cool if they start racing with the Cayenne in like Paris Dakar like 959. Think that would be good for the marque.

[thepolarfoxqx]

Bmw suv, that i can accept, but porsche, Ferri is probably turning in his grave now. Also, i have read reports of a 2 speed transfer case - why? who would take a porsche off roading? The great sports car marque is dead. The 928 was blasfamous enough - a big front engine V8?

Oh Yeah

Porsche is considdering a V8 for the 911 :roll:

V8 - nothing but a boxer six belongs there.

IF 911 goes V8, I give up on porsche.

[Corey]

Let me toss my 2¢ into the ring here. True, that Porsche has always been associated with the elite of sports cars. But, in the early 90's they nearly went out of existence. Hard economic times, and their limited and expensive line-up, almost took them under. They are producing this to capitalize on a very popular market. Is it a smart move? Yes. If the company is looking to increase profits and move into the 21st century, it is imperitive that they diversify. Is it a popular move? Not with most Porsche purists. I have heard many arguments like the ones above. But, this move has not hurt the performance of BMW or Benz in the slightest. Both of those companies are still putting out some incredible machines. And they aren't losing any of their customer base, becuase they are building SUV's.

On a personal note: I will be trading my SUV in for one! And still will park it next to a 911. And I will ask my wife not to take the kids to any Porsche club gatherings

[thepolarfoxqx]

would ferrari ever build an SUV?

[Corey]

Apples and oranges, Fox . Even if Ferrari was faced with the same finacial statements that lead Wiedeking to give go-ahead on developing the Cayenne, they wouldn't and likely couldn't. There are few auto makers that need as much 'attention' every month mechanically :roll: . But, if they ever get past that Ferrari 'mystique... err, mechanical uniqueness', a new management team in 10 years could see it beneficial to capitalize on the most popular line of vehicles on the planet. I'm not saying that Ferrari will do it someday. Just that they could. Not likely though.

Back to the Cayenne. There is little reason for people to hate this idea... Other than it is wavering from Porsche's vaunted history as a sports car company. But if you look closely at the Cayenne, it is more a sports car than 99% of anything non-SUV out there . Actually, how many sports cars can you name that will match the Cayenne Turbo's, 4.8 0-60, and 165 (claimed) top speed? For 2003 model cars available in the US, you should be able to count them on both hands. It's numbers are staggering even for a car. And it's performance will be typical Porsche. 4.5 liter, 32-valve V-8. 450 HP, 460 ft. lbs. torque. And the running numbers that I listed above. All wheel drive, with a 6-speed tiptronic. The only thing that keeps this thing from running with the top exotics, is its 5,000 pound SUV stature. The biggest drawbacks that I see, are that it is straight-up ugly (most SUV's are), and at 90K for the Turbo, only the Hummer compares in cost. On second thought, maybe I will keep our Sub, and put that wad of $$$ into the Speedster!?!