Thoughts on the Cayenne vs. Touareg

We have a 2001 Acura MDX in addition to a 2002 996 and we got a Cayenne S loaner for a few days when the 996 was in for rear tires. Very fast, excellent handling (for an SUV) and comfortable as well. If money were no object I'd get the S in a heartbeat. Never driven a Touareg.

That having been said, if you're looking to spend in the high $30/low $40k region you can get a loaded MDX for about $42k - touring and navigation/rear seat DVD packages. The new ones have 265 HP and for the money I'd take it over either V6 German model. Ours has been trouble free since new, is comfortable, handles OK (for an SUV) and gets 22+ MPG on the highway.

A few days for rear tires???

Wow. I must know ~where~ this dealer is.

'06 touareg v-6 horsepower is going up by twenty some.......

regards

I'd take the Touareg with the diesel.

[...]

Is the MDX big enough in the back to stretch out? Does it have decent ground clearance and 4WD?

That wasn't on offer on their website, and I think it an Europe-only option.

They scratched the wheels installing the tires and had to fix their goof.

">> "Dan Stephenson" wrote > Is the MDX big enough in the back to stretch out? Does it have decent

I'm 6' 2" and with the rear seats folded down and the front seat moved forward I can lay out flat in the back. Ground clearance is about 8 inches.

Our MDX has a limited 4WD capability - we can manually select 4WD for speeds up to 18mph, but beyond 18 mph the car reverts to FWD. It's enough to help you get unstuck should the need arise, but the car is primarily meant for highways. If you're really looking to tromp through the boonies, the MDX, Cayenne and Touareg are probably not what you want.

The new MDX has an automatic 4WD system and can also be selected manually, but I'm not sure if the speed constraints apply.

with all due respect to your opinion, i'd have to strongly disagree with your conclusion relating to the off road capabilities of either the porsche or vw models....either one is engineered to do exactly the kind of activity you describe...from the short f and r overhangs to the protection offered underneath to all drive components...the anti skid/wheel spin on each wheel to prevent slip/slide of wheel[s] understress.....to the locking hubs....they are all designed for the off roader...one of the slams against each is the over built nature for the people who simply like to go grocery shopping in their "sport ute"

regards

Point taken on the hardware. The platform of the German cars is certainly more purpose-built than the MDX, which is a Honda Odyssey platform, but I think if one's primary purpose is serious off road activity vs. having an off road capability, all three are too "nice" and expensive for that job.

Car and Driver did a road test on a Cayenne S around the time the model was introduced. Two guys in a Chevy 4x4 had to pull the Cayenne out of a bog with their winch when the C&D guys got stuck.

I would be looking for something that could go on trail made of rocks the size of softballs.

My boxster sure cannot!

ADAC, the German Auto Club (well one of two actually), did a 4X4 shoot-out. They went to a field next to a ski slope gave each SUV about 100 meters to build up momentum and then up the ski slope (covered in snow) Touareg (the

10 cylinder beast) blew everyone away my climbing more than 50 meters further up the slope than any other SUV. The Porsche didn't do too badly, but not as well as the Grand Cherokee and the BMWs did poorly.

the defender is nice, and then there's the Bowler Off-Road Wildcat which is probably the wildest ride on the planet, 0-60 faster than a 996 (and that's on asphalt).