porsche cayenne s tow rig?

[wakeup]

Hey guys,

i'm looking into a new suv for daily driving and towing the boat. I was looking at some used range rovers but they just seem to be too unreliable. I then started researching the cayenne s and they seem to have a great reputation and are reliable. the towing specs on it are 7700 lbs which should be more then enough for my needs. does anyone have any experience with this vehicle?

so what have you decided?

[scott_fx]

Hey guys,

i'm looking into a new suv for daily driving and towing the boat. I was looking at some used range rovers but they just seem to be too unreliable. I then started researching the cayenne s and they seem to have a great reputation and are reliable. the towing specs on it are 7700 lbs which should be more then enough for my needs. does anyone have any experience with this vehicle?

so what have you decided?

I am leaning heavily towards the cayenne. I have a guy coming to look at my car on sunday. If he buys it I'll start my search. Well. I think I may look at one or two regardless on sunday. See how they drive and handle.

[obski]

This has been a dangerous thread to read. It has me thinking.

[gregtay]

Hey guys,

i'm looking into a new suv for daily driving and towing the boat. I was looking at some used range rovers but they just seem to be too unreliable. I then started researching the cayenne s and they seem to have a great reputation and are reliable. the towing specs on it are 7700 lbs which should be more then enough for my needs. does anyone have any experience with this vehicle?

so what have you decided?

I am leaning heavily towards the cayenne. I have a guy coming to look at my car on sunday. If he buys it I'll start my search. Well. I think I may look at one or two regardless on sunday. See how they drive and handle.

And i am about to pull the trigger on the Q7 TDI or an V10 TDI Touareg. These cars are amazing... they know when you hook up a trailer and they adjust the engine, tranny, and sensor.

[scott_fx]

i got out of work 'early' today (8 pm) and gave the corvette a quick wash and took it out on a beautiful california night... BIG mistake! it's gonna hurt selling that car! but i think the porsche is the bst bet for me.

[Clutch-n-Throttle]

I just picked up a 2006 Porsche Cayenne S specifically to tow my 'Bu. I got it for $29K. Its a great car. It tows my 'Bu with no problems. I love this thing. I get about 12 MPH when towing and about 19 MPH on highway driving. It is solid as a tank and it handles very well for a 2 ton truck. I weighed my Sunsetter. Gross weight is 4300 lbs and 300 lbs tongue weight. The Cayenne has a 308 lb tongue weight rating but it has a 7700 lb towing capacity. I LOVE IT!!! Servicing the Pepper is no different than any other car. I have done it myself. I just have to take it in to the dealership when there is something I can't handle. Here it is.

The boat you are towing is probably 6,000-6,500 lbs and I believe the Cayenne is about 4,750 lbs curb eight so that boat is going to throw that vehicle around a little. Power will not be the problem. The towing rating on the Cayenne is I think 7,500 lbs but that is with a weight distributing hitch, only 5,000lbs with a dead weight hitch, again pushing the limit. Also, I am not sure the Cayenne has a tranny cooler or not, I would guess not.

If you are not towing long distance probably OK, but if it were me and I towed a lot I would consider a vehicle more specifically designed for the job.

This is a video that solidified my decision and eased my doubts of the Cayenne.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v213/CF1...ASPerfVideo.flv

Notice how stable the Cayenne is. You cannot go wrong with the Cayenne.

Did I say I LOVE MY CAYENNE?!!!!

Edited May 7, 2009 by Clutch-n-Throttle

[gregtay]

I just picked up a 2006 Porsche Cayenne S specifically to tow my 'Bu. I got it for $29K. Its a great car. It tows my 'Bu with no problems. I love this thing. I get about 12 MPH when towing and about 19 MPH on highway driving. It is solid as a tank and it handles very well for a 2 ton truck. I weighed my Sunsetter. Gross weight is 4300 lbs and 300 lbs tongue weight. The Cayenne has a 308 lb tongue weight rating but it has a 7700 lb towing capacity. I LOVE IT!!! Servicing the Pepper is no different than any other car. I have done it myself. I just have to take it in to the dealership when there is something I can't handle. Here it is.

The boat you are towing is probably 6,000-6,500 lbs and I believe the Cayenne is about 4,750 lbs curb eight so that boat is going to throw that vehicle around a little. Power will not be the problem. The towing rating on the Cayenne is I think 7,500 lbs but that is with a weight distributing hitch, only 5,000lbs with a dead weight hitch, again pushing the limit. Also, I am not sure the Cayenne has a tranny cooler or not, I would guess not.

If you are not towing long distance probably OK, but if it were me and I towed a lot I would consider a vehicle more specifically designed for the job.

This is a video that solidified my decision and eased my doubts of the Cayenne.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v213/CF1...ASPerfVideo.flv

Notice how stable the Cayenne is. You cannot go wrong with the Cayenne.

Did I say I LOVE MY CAYENNE?!!!!

Love the Video:). 300# tongue weight rating?.. that seems really low for the factory hitch. The Touareg is around 600#'s.. can't see why they would be different. Did you get the air susp?

[wakeup]

I just picked up a 2006 Porsche Cayenne S specifically to tow my 'Bu. I got it for $29K. Its a great car. It tows my 'Bu with no problems. I love this thing. I get about 12 MPH when towing and about 19 MPH on highway driving. It is solid as a tank and it handles very well for a 2 ton truck. I weighed my Sunsetter. Gross weight is 4300 lbs and 300 lbs tongue weight. The Cayenne has a 308 lb tongue weight rating but it has a 7700 lb towing capacity. I LOVE IT!!! Servicing the Pepper is no different than any other car. I have done it myself. I just have to take it in to the dealership when there is something I can't handle. Here it is.

The boat you are towing is probably 6,000-6,500 lbs and I believe the Cayenne is about 4,750 lbs curb eight so that boat is going to throw that vehicle around a little. Power will not be the problem. The towing rating on the Cayenne is I think 7,500 lbs but that is with a weight distributing hitch, only 5,000lbs with a dead weight hitch, again pushing the limit. Also, I am not sure the Cayenne has a tranny cooler or not, I would guess not.

If you are not towing long distance probably OK, but if it were me and I towed a lot I would consider a vehicle more specifically designed for the job.

This is a video that solidified my decision and eased my doubts of the Cayenne.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v213/CF1...ASPerfVideo.flv

Notice how stable the Cayenne is. You cannot go wrong with the Cayenne.

Did I say I LOVE MY CAYENNE?!!!!

Heck, after that vid I'm ready for an Airstream trailer!!

As I stated above, my brother had the 08 Turbo version. Other than size and few maintenance issues when new, he like it and said it was rock solid on handling. I think in 08 they improved the suspension even more and he had the Off-Road Technology Package which provided a auto locking rear differential and skid plates. but don't believe it had the tranny cooler. If it did, he was not aware of it.

[bareftskier]

We don't have a Cayenne, but I did recently just switch from an F-250 Powerstroke to this...

It's an ML55 AMG and a blast to drive. I was concerned about the towing aspect, but so far I'm very impressed. My boat's pretty light, but the MB handles it with no trouble.

I'd think the VW/Audi/Porsche products would be just as good, if not better.

[fijidaniel]

Wow! My wife and I were talking about getting a Cayenne S. She has a G35 and we were wanting a SUV. I never even thought about using it to pull the boat! We decided to stay with the G35 for a while...but this has my mind racing now. Especially since I recently posted about the towing stuggles of my 4.8L V8 Chevy!

[barefootski]

I agree with obski, this is a dangerous thread to read, it has me thinking it might be time to trade the 2005 QX56. The Infiniti already has everything we need including back up camera, rear seat DVD, air leveling suspension and it tows the RLXi quite easily. I recently had an aftermarket wood kit installed in the interior and it made the interior look more finished. I think I will keep what I have for now.

[Clutch-n-Throttle]

Love the Video:). 300# tongue weight rating?.. that seems really low for the factory hitch. The Touareg is around 600#'s.. can't see why they would be different. Did you get the air susp?

I know its strange having a low tongue weight rating. When the Cayenne first came out, they were rated at 600# tongue weight with 7700# tow capacity. My 2006 owners manual states that the PERMISSIBLE tongue weight is 300#. But, the actual hitch has a sticker that states max tongue weight is 600#.

My Cayenne has the steel springs. It was a few more pennies to get a Turbo w/ the PASM. As you can see in the picture, the back of the Cayenne hardly dropped.

I LOVE THIS THING! I call it the "Turtle". On Rennlist.com, they call it a pig(go figure).

[UberXY]

The Cayenne is awesome, towing or not towing.

We've been towing with a Mercedes G500. They are a good value as a used car, but a terrible buy as a new car, as they depreciate enormously right off the lot. I bought mine with 37k miles at 65% off the original list price.

Still, the two best tow vehicles I have ever owned were a diesel Excursion and a Chevy dually with the Allison transmission.

Steve

Edited May 10, 2009 by UberXY

[gregtay]

I decided to go with an 08 Touareg V10TDI . I am having it shipped out from Boston... so i have to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive.

[JohnDoe]

The Cayenne is awesome, towing or not towing.

We've been towing with a Mercedes G500. They are a good value as a used car, but a terrible buy as a new car, as they depreciate enormously right off the lot. I bought mine with 37k miles at 65% off the original list price.

Still, the two best tow vehicles I have ever owned were a diesel Excursion and a Chevy dually with the Allison transmission.

Steve

Love the Gwagon! will you let me know when you go to sell?

[Clutch-n-Throttle]

I decided to go with an 08 Touareg V10TDI . I am having it shipped out from Boston... so i have to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive.

Nice pick. I was looking at a 07 V10TDI Touareg. It had 25K miles and they still wanted $47K. I picked up my 06 Cayenne S for $29K.

[scott_fx]

I decided to go with an 08 Touareg V10TDI . I am having it shipped out from Boston... so i have to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive.

Nice pick. I was looking at a 07 V10TDI Touareg. It had 25K miles and they still wanted $47K. I picked up my 06 Cayenne S for $29K.

That's what I'm looking to spend. How many miles did it have if you don't mind my asking? (Feel free to pm)

I have seen a few 04 turbos for about 32k which has me debating between a mid mileage s or higher (65' mi) turbo

[Clutch-n-Throttle]

I decided to go with an 08 Touareg V10TDI . I am having it shipped out from Boston... so i have to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive.

Nice pick. I was looking at a 07 V10TDI Touareg. It had 25K miles and they still wanted $47K. I picked up my 06 Cayenne S for $29K.

That's what I'm looking to spend. How many miles did it have if you don't mind my asking? (Feel free to pm)

I have seen a few 04 turbos for about 32k which has me debating between a mid mileage s or higher (65' mi) turbo

So...... What's the verdict? What did you get? I just saw that you were looking at an 04 Turbo. I was advised to stay away from an 04. Too many problems with the first model year. A turbo is cool but an S model will be more than enough for towing.

Let us know what you got.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Clutch-n-Throttle

[scott_fx]

I decided to go with an 08 Touareg V10TDI . I am having it shipped out from Boston... so i have to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive.

Nice pick. I was looking at a 07 V10TDI Touareg. It had 25K miles and they still wanted $47K. I picked up my 06 Cayenne S for $29K.

That's what I'm looking to spend. How many miles did it have if you don't mind my asking? (Feel free to pm)

I have seen a few 04 turbos for about 32k which has me debating between a mid mileage s or higher (65' mi) turbo

So...... What's the verdict? What did you get? I just saw that you were looking at an 04 Turbo. I was advised to stay away from an 04. Too many problems with the first model year. A turbo is cool but an S model will be more than enough for towing.

Let us know what you got.

well after a long wait I bit the bullet. While going out to lake mojave; towing with my v6 montero, I blew a head gasket and that was the last straw. As soon as i got back from the weekend trip I went out and purchased a Cayenne S with 47k miles. I guess i actually read your post wrong though and thought you said to avoid the 04 turbo... I have to say i'm really happy with it so far. I'm shocked at the lack of body roll in the turns. haven't towed with it yet (had a caliper seize on my trailer so I'll be fixing it this weekend) so i can't comment on that, but the thing has balls! The one thing that kills me though, is the bose stereo. I can't believe how horrible it sounds. I think the first upgrade will be to add a few butler tube amps, speakers and a sub

[Jimmy Buffett]

You guys are killing me! I've got my eyes on a '98 911 Cab black/tan. Great looking Cayenne.

[Clutch-n-Throttle]

well after a long wait I bit the bullet. While going out to lake mojave; towing with my v6 montero, I blew a head gasket and that was the last straw. As soon as i got back from the weekend trip I went out and purchased a Cayenne S with 47k miles. I guess i actually read your post wrong though and thought you said to avoid the 04 turbo... I have to say i'm really happy with it so far. I'm shocked at the lack of body roll in the turns. haven't towed with it yet (had a caliper seize on my trailer so I'll be fixing it this weekend) so i can't comment on that, but the thing has balls! The one thing that kills me though, is the bose stereo. I can't believe how horrible it sounds. I think the first upgrade will be to add a few butler tube amps, speakers and a sub

Very nice! Congratulations! You will not be disappointed. That was the color I originally wanted but with a black interior. My wife's E320 Benz has the light tan interior and it gets very dirty, very fast if you have kids. I really wanted to find a dark blue Cayenne with a black interior. I could not find one. All I could find is Blue with tan interior.

The CS(CayenneS) will tow the boats without any problems. What year? I meant to say stay away from all model year 04 Porsche Cayenne models( V6, S, and turbo... too many problems)

Something must be wrong with the Bose system. My Bose system sounds awesome! I put a mObridge iPod and Bluetooth

adapter in mine. It works great!!!

I am taking my CS and Malibu out this Sun thru Wed to Parker. Ill post some pics when I get back.

Edited July 10, 2009 by Clutch-n-Throttle

[Pondking]

Congrats on the new rig! Soooo cool pullin' the Bu with that Cayanne. This is going to be an expensive thread. Hope this is not considered a hijack...

Drove the VW V6 gas and V6 TDI today and must say I was very impressed with the power of the TDI.

Question...

They say the 3.6 v6 gas (avail 07 onward) will pull 7700 lbs too. Anyone have any practicle experience with V6 gas set up? I can't see it pulling the BU through the mtns. Only 250ish ft lbs torque compared to the TDI at 465 ft. lbs.

I wouldn't even ask but found a smokin' deal on an '07 V6, so I need to hear the answer from some one who knows and is not trying to sell me.

No deals here on the TDIs' as they are so new. loaded 65K+++ Up here. Oh well, cash is a renewable resource, right?

Thanks for any advice or other suggestions.

[Clutch-n-Throttle]

Congrats on the new rig! Soooo cool pullin' the Bu with that Cayanne. This is going to be an expensive thread. Hope this is not considered a hijack...

Drove the VW V6 gas and V6 TDI today and must say I was very impressed with the power of the TDI.

Question...

They say the 3.6 v6 gas (avail 07 onward) will pull 7700 lbs too. Anyone have any practicle experience with V6 gas set up? I can't see it pulling the BU through the mtns. Only 250ish ft lbs torque compared to the TDI at 465 ft. lbs.

I wouldn't even ask but found a smokin' deal on an '07 V6, so I need to hear the answer from some one who knows and is not trying to sell me.

No deals here on the TDIs' as they are so new. loaded 65K+++ Up here. Oh well, cash is a renewable resource, right?

Thanks for any advice or other suggestions.

There are some V6 Cayenne owners towing boats and trailers. I think they are trailering short distances and on the flats. Mostly they tow seadoos or motorcycles. The V6 is fine for that application.

Even though the V6 is rated the same as the V8 at 7700lbs, I dont think the V6 has the muscle to pull reliably. Mountain towing would be out of the question and the get up and go would be "anemic". Dont know what kind of deal you are getting on the V6. My recommendation is to pony up for a V8. If you look around you might be able to find a reasonably priced Cayenne S. I did my research and found a 2006 Cayenne S with 43K miles. I got it for $29K. Make sure you get a 2005 or newer. Too many mechanical and electrical problems on the 2004's; all models.

Another get towing vehicle is the Volkswagen Touareg V10 diesel. A little pricey still but worth the money. I found an 07 V10TDI Touareg. It had 25K miles and they still wanted $47K. This thing has ludacris torque. It can pull your house and boat down the street.

[Soon2BV]

"Once we're able to measure torque, we can then measure horsepower. The formula is simple: Multiply torque by the engine speed (measured in rpm), then divide that by 5,252 to get the horsepower at that rpm level. In other words, to get the horsepower of a vehicle generating 350 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, you would calculate (350 X 4,000)/5252, which equals around 267 horsepower.

It comes down to this: torque measures how much work is being done and horsepower measures how fast that work is being done."[/quote]

For towing, you need a combination of torque and horsepower. The low end torque will get the load rolling, but high speed power is what will let you move down the highway.

Car makers list the engines at their peak points. horsepower is a derived value, with torque and speed as inputs.

The peak torque is measured and quoted at its speed.

The peak SHP is determined by the combination of speed and torque that produces the highest power rating.

If you look at the ratings, they are never quoted at the same speed.

For comparison (a quick website look) -

The TDI has a peak 407 ft lbs of torque, and is producing 135 SHP at that point.

The VW V6 has a peak 265 ft-lbs, and is producing 126 SHP at that point.

The GM 5.3V8 has a peak 338 ft-lbs of torque, and is producing 283 SHP at that point.

The GM 6L Turbodiesel has 660 ft-lbs of torque, and is producing 200 SHP at that point.

So, the TDI has a high towing rating (TORQUE), but it won't move it very fast (SHP) (peak SHP is 221)

The 5.3L has a strong towing rating, and is pretty fast at doing it (SHP) (peak SHP is 315)

The turbodiesel has a massive towing rating, and is pretty fast (Peak SHP is 365).

So, the bottom line - the OEM towing rating is a measure of the torque the engine produces, and the ability of the frame to handle that load level. They make no statement about how fast you can move that load - which is where the overall torque curve and SHP level comes in to play.

[Pondking]

Wow!

That really gets ya thinking.

Can you say informative?

Sure, I knew you could.