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View Full Version : Review: 2017 Porsche Cayenne Platinum Edition



flipstah
07-13-2017, 03:11 PM
With a new trim line in the 2017 lineup, The Porsche Cayenne in the 3.6L VR6 configuration gives you great fuel economy with decent pep, but struggles on acceleration to their boisterous weight. The Platinum Edition gives you goodies for a relatively great price, offering value to your weekend getaway to the ice cream shoppe. For something this big, it’s best to check the V8 options to feel the real potential of this Stuttgart monster.

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So as you all may or may not know, my summer commute is a 1995 Rover Mini and it’s currently at the shop. Bored, I had an opportunity to take a 2017 Porsche Cayenne for the weekend. I went for the gusto and picked it up at the new Porsche Calgary dealership up in Deerfoot Meadows.

What I got was a delectable Jet Black Metallic 2017 Porsche Cayenne looking mighty intimidating in upgraded 21-inch wheels. Sporting 265 Michelin Latitude Sport rubber bands, it was definitely ready for the open highway.

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As the monster SUV in the Porsche lineup, next to the baby-cute Macan, it had massive ground clearance and a very robust presence. It's not the prettiest product out of Porsche, but way better looking than the first-generation Cayenne. The selection of tyres will definitely not be suitable for off-road trails, but it’s good enough for range roads that are abundant in Alberta. For this special occasion, I took the family out to a random ice cream session from Calgary to Cochrane, where they have a popular ice cream shoppe called Mackay’s. It’s pretty good; check them out.

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The Cayenne was mated with the 3.6 VR6, producing 300hp and 300lb/ft of torque. Fuel economy was great as I was getting 12L/100kms in the city, exploring Calgary’s downtown streets during the Stampede. On the highway, it’s a great cruiser but the engine selection shows limitations when you conquer uphill sections of a highway: the power becomes lackluster at 3-4000rpm then you feel the weight of the car take precedence. I think the V8 configuration would be a better fit for power and usability, while the VR6 is great for fuel economy. The 8-speed transmission embraces that fuel economy with 6-7-8th gears meant for highway usage. 3rd gear is the party gear.

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Steering felt great because this trimline had speed-sensitive steering. Which means that it gives you more angles when you’re in slow speed for parking and not really sure what it does when you’re speeding, but it’s easy to speed in this. The steering wheel felt great (as all Porsche wheels do), and was thick for those twisties. The Cayenne handles twists with ease even with the high clearance, and I think it’s because it’s so wide. When you drive something like a Land Rover LR3, or the old Volvo XC90, you really feel the height. Brownie points for the Cayenne on that one.

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Inside, the Cayenne was well-appointed with goodies; this was the Platinum Edition, remember. I love the new center-stacked console; reminds you of an airplane cockpit. It’s the subtle touches that makes a difference and Porsche loves it. The rotating compass with elevation? Sexy. Multimedia screen in the instrument cluster? Gorgeous. Although everyone is doing those nowadays.

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(cont.)

flipstah
07-13-2017, 03:14 PM
The smorgasbord of buttons is very intimidating. It took me a while to figure out where things where, and my parents (the demographic that can most likely afford this type of vehicle) were shocked with the buttons,

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“What’s wrong with knobs and sliders?” Might as well use a flip phone, dad.

This package was tricked out to the max; 14-way adjustable front seats, with 3-seat memory, electric sliding visors on the rear passengers were awesome and the reclining rear seats ensure comfort is achieved when going on road trips. The interior was decked out with plastic pseudo-aluminum trim, which was nice and piano black trim that showed fingerprints easily. I hate that.

We liked the giant ‘holy shit’ handles on the sides for the off-road excursions to the mall or when you’re on the way to the dry cleaners. If you have money to blow and you’re a serious off-roader, you probably wouldn’t buy a Cayenne. Although this has a central locking diff, which I wasn’t able to test out. Oh, what could have been.

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The roof is replaced by a giant panoramic moon roof and it gave the cabin an airy feel. Around the seats, storage was everywhere so you can definitely misplace your Montblanc pen in this thing.

What we didn’t like was the auto start-stop function. Why would you want this in a sport racing-centric SUV? It’s stupid and glad it can be disabled on both normal and automatically off in Sport mode. On stop lights, it just shuts off and normally, I think something broke if that happens. Then you just release the brake pedal and it starts itself. Does it really affect fuel economy that much? I guess it does to make it a feature.

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The cooling seats through the plush and soft perforated seats made the drive to the dairy dessert factory comfortable because it was blistering hot outside. 30c in dry air is tolerable though with air conditioning, that’s either centralized or individualized. Everyone has climate control, but not a lot of vehicles have independent blower speed for driver and passenger. Pretty slick.

One cool party trick that came with the Platinum Edition was something they call “Porsche ParkAssist”, which was easy to understand and use. What happens is that the Cayenne is littered with tiny cameras to give you a 360 degree view that’s both visual and acoustic. You definitely want this package to park this beast around town. Tight spaces are easy if you have complete faith in this feature. It took me one tight space to be convinced. I successfully navigated through a passage that I wouldn’t confidently squeeze through if I didn’t have this.

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(cont.)

flipstah
07-13-2017, 03:17 PM
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The navigation system was great because it has native Apple CarPlay, and the native map graphics were easy to read and beautifully laid out. The voice recognition is modern, with address recognition doable by stating only one continuous phrase. Old navigation systems of yore forces you to speak in chunks: number, street, province, city, etc.

It has that VW sensor trick where if you hover near the 7.0-inch navigation screen, extra buttons show up and disappear when you lift off. It’s a waste of design that could’ve been spent on other things. Like improving this handwriting recognition for SMS. It’s per letter and absolutely useless, especially when you’re driving. I was struggling when I was waiting inside while someone was lined up for ice cream in the heat.

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Like I was going to line up for ice cream. I guffaw at that notion. I drive a Porsche.

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My Pistachio Almond ice cream tasted great, as I enjoyed the ride with great comfort. It absorbs bumps like nothing and I’d be curious how the Cayenne will handle trails for camping.

I was sad to see it go, but with price starting at $66,000 and the test vehicle priced out to almost $90,000 I don’t know if I could overlook a Range Rover for a Cayenne. That V6 isn’t enough to give you the ‘oomph’ to enjoy proper Porsche acceleration.

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Side-note: What changes in starter technology had to happen in order to do stop/start without burning out the starter motor?

flipstah
07-13-2017, 03:19 PM
Just general photos,

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Team_Mclaren
07-13-2017, 04:21 PM
why you go waste peoples time on cars you cant afford and will never buy?!

max_boost
07-13-2017, 04:48 PM
why you go waste peoples time on cars you cant afford and will never buy?!

why you gotta hate like that bro lol

Sounds like they treat flipstah better than they did me in my 5 years of servicing with them. :nut:

BTW, nice ride for sure.

TYMSMNY
07-13-2017, 04:53 PM
why you gotta hate like that bro lol

Sounds like they treat flipstah better than they did me in my 5 years of servicing with them. :nut:

BTW, nice ride for sure.

It was a test drive, not a loaner for servicing. Maybe that's why the better service.

Your 911 Turbo. My Panamera Turbo. Average service at best.

Skyline_Addict
07-13-2017, 04:57 PM
Well written review. I too, was most impressed with the fuel efficiency. I put on about 150 km during my test drive and the fuel indicator barely moved.

Buster
07-13-2017, 05:12 PM
nice. I like these. Not big enough for a family with 3 little kids, though, which sucks.

flipstah
07-13-2017, 05:19 PM
why you go waste peoples time on cars you cant afford and will never buy?!

It was an open offer, so I took it.

KPHMPH
07-13-2017, 05:35 PM
Start / Stop technology will be mandatory by the Canadian government in the coming years unless you can bring the fuel mileage drastically into the spec of what they want.

The starter is a beefed up version which can take the abuse from stopping and starting.

Darkane
07-13-2017, 07:19 PM
Thanks for this thread. I learned that the VR6 has the highest specific torque/L of any naturally aspirated V6 I've heard of. But the VR is a V block with one head right?

Trivia is what engine has the highest torque/l with six cylinders?

hachiroku
07-13-2017, 07:25 PM
Most of the newer start/stop don't even use a starter! They have one on the vehicle but it's use is very limited. Too lazy to explain in depth but I am sure google will do a good job at that

Buster
07-13-2017, 07:29 PM
Thanks for this thread. I learned that the VR6 has the highest specific torque/L of any naturally aspirated V6 I've heard of. But the VR is a V block with one head right?

Trivia is what engine has the highest torque/l with six cylinders?

Ford GT?

beyond_ban
07-13-2017, 09:59 PM
Maybe i am out of touch, but 12L/100km doesnt seem like anything to write home about. My old 4.4L V8 X5 averaged 12.8L/100km around town and has two additional cylinders and 10 year old technology.

benyl
07-13-2017, 10:29 PM
Trivia is what engine has the highest torque/l with six cylinders?

S54B32 in the 2003 M3 CSL. 270 lbft

Darkane
07-14-2017, 09:07 AM
S54B32 in the 2003 M3 CSL. 270 lbft

Close. The 2014 gt3 3.8 (324ft lbs).

Over 85/L. The CSL is 84.375.

The FORD GT is turbo. I meant NA.

rage2
07-14-2017, 10:35 AM
I never understood why people care about HP/L or TQ/L. Completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. It's like caring about which supermodels eat the most to keep their figure. Who the fuck cares, she's hot.

My GLA apparently has the highest HP/L, don't think I've ever mentioned it as a positive once.

killramos
07-14-2017, 11:14 AM
I think HP/Kg of engine is a better metric these days.

Because if you have a bunch of weight and space in turbos making up for displacement the metrics just get thrown completely out the window.

bjstare
07-14-2017, 11:29 AM
hp/kg of engine is still an irrelevant figure. power/vehicle weight is what really matters.

flipstah
07-14-2017, 11:38 AM
Thanks for this thread. I learned that the VR6 has the highest specific torque/L of any naturally aspirated V6 I've heard of. But the VR is a V block with one head right?

Trivia is what engine has the highest torque/l with six cylinders?

VR6 has one head and lined up like a zigzag.


Most of the newer start/stop don't even use a starter! They have one on the vehicle but it's use is very limited. Too lazy to explain in depth but I am sure google will do a good job at that

WAT. Sounds like voodoo.


nice. I like these. Not big enough for a family with 3 little kids, though, which sucks.

The Mercedes GL is a nice compromise or the XC90. SCHOOLBUS!

rage2
07-14-2017, 01:22 PM
WAT. Sounds like voodoo.
They still mostly use a starter for start-stop. Things are changing quickly though, with 48V systems, bigger batteries, and bigger motors we're going to start seeing some mild hybrids to handle all this shit with one big motor and simplifying a whole bunch of shit.

ercchry
07-14-2017, 01:24 PM
hp/kg of engine is still an irrelevant figure. power/vehicle weight is what really matters.

The weight of engine will help dictate weight split and COG... so still kinda important

Sugarphreak
07-14-2017, 02:04 PM
...

Darkane
07-14-2017, 07:04 PM
I never understood why people care about HP/L or TQ/L. Completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. It's like caring about which supermodels eat the most to keep their figure. Who the fuck cares, she's hot.

My GLA apparently has the highest HP/L, don't think I've ever mentioned it as a positive once.


It gives a benchmark for the volumetric efficiency, engineering and overall bespoke'ness of the engine.

Take this as an example: if Chevy would have the same tq/l in their 6.2 LT engines as the 5.0 coyote they would make 40ft/lbs more than current. They've also already used DI.

its just benchmarking.

It's like, how come Porsche can make so much more torque than say.. Chevrolet apples to apples 3.6L, 6 cylinder engines.

TomcoPDR
07-21-2017, 04:57 PM
You really love Cayenne this much? https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/404392-FS-2010-Mercedes-Benz-E550-4Matic-Sedan

Man, you change your cars, like a girl changes clothes.

max_boost
07-21-2017, 05:03 PM
flipstah is motivated by team mclaren. gonna sell the benz for porsche. woot woot.

mrsingh
07-21-2017, 05:58 PM
You really love Cayenne this much? https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/404392-FS-2010-Mercedes-Benz-E550-4Matic-Sedan

Man, you change your cars, like a girl changes clothes.

Man flip you're worse than me! What classic are you buying? Inquiring minds want to know! :clap:

Shlade
07-21-2017, 06:56 PM
Nice Touareg

Buster
07-21-2017, 07:13 PM
It gives a benchmark for the volumetric efficiency, engineering and overall bespoke'ness of the engine.

Take this as an example: if Chevy would have the same tq/l in their 6.2 LT engines as the 5.0 coyote they would make 40ft/lbs more than current. They've also already used DI.

its just benchmarking.

It's like, how come Porsche can make so much more torque than say.. Chevrolet apples to apples 3.6L, 6 cylinder engines.

DOHC vs pushrod is a difference in some cases (especially with the V8).

flipstah
07-21-2017, 09:30 PM
You really love Cayenne this much? https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/404392-FS-2010-Mercedes-Benz-E550-4Matic-Sedan

Man, you change your cars, like a girl changes clothes.


flipstah is motivated by team mclaren. gonna sell the benz for porsche. woot woot.

Not buying the Cayenne. Life hasn't been the same since the R left my life. :(


Man flip you're worse than me! What classic are you buying? Inquiring minds want to know! :clap:

It's French. That should be a massive clue haha.

npham
07-21-2017, 11:49 PM
It's French. That should be a massive clue haha. Bugatti Veyron? It's a classic now that the Chiron is out...

max_boost
07-22-2017, 12:03 AM
Not buying the Cayenne. Life hasn't been the same since the R left my life. :(



It's French. That should be a massive clue haha.

Do you have same taste in women like you do cars? English / European middle aged / money pits? Lol bro. I love your decision making haha

mrsingh
07-22-2017, 12:25 AM
It's French. That should be a massive clue haha.

Just don't say Citroen 2CV or DS...

flipstah
07-22-2017, 06:18 AM
Just don't say Citroen 2CV or DS...

Then I won't lol.

bjstare
07-22-2017, 08:40 AM
Dear sweet Jesus, Don. Are you actually buying a 2CV? :rofl:

rage2
07-22-2017, 02:06 PM
Renault R5 Turbo. The ultimate Le Car.

never
07-24-2017, 12:40 PM
Then I won't lol.

Good...they're both awesome! There was a clean 2CV for sale in Calgary for about $14K...didn't check it out though. Haven't seen many/any DS for sale lately.

flipstah
07-24-2017, 01:09 PM
Good...they're both awesome! There was a clean 2CV for sale in Calgary for about $14K...didn't check it out though. Haven't seen many/any DS for sale lately.

That was the beige yellow-y one? I'm looking for a 67-74 because it has a corrugated hood. DS is hard to find in a decent condition without a HELOC backup haha. The suspension system alone is yowza.

never
07-24-2017, 01:48 PM
It was a pastel yellow and I'm pretty sure it didn't have a corrugated hood...probably the same one.