You drove the wrong Cayenne. I know Porsche haters always say you just "pay for the badge" but in the V6 Cayenne, it's really true. It's just a rebadged VW Touareg.

I always secretly laugh at those who have the V6 Cayenne. It's a serious poser car, like the H3. I don't get the poser arguments for the Boxster, which in itself is an excellent car, but the V6 Cayenne? I don't think there's a better way of saying you wanted a Porsche but couldn't get a real one, so you had to settle with the VW at the Porsche dealership.

 

I don't like SUV's at all and think they're pointless, regardless of badge. I'll take a wagon anyday over an SUV.

We tried an X3 and gave it back after a year and got a sedan instead.

 

truck shifter hehe

 

Your comparison of an M3 to a Cayenne is way off.

Very few people seem to like the multi car scenarios that you like. Getting 2 cars vs. 1 especially in areas with high insurance rates & minimal space for parking.

The Cayenne has obviously been a huge hit for Porsche. Porsche guessed correctly that there are their customers who value the Porsche name, & have gotten their products in the past, but now need more space, but still want the sportiness of the Porsche.

BMW has it with their X5, and upcoming X6, but the M3 is the comparison with the M3 is questionable. Their direct compaetitor is the Cayman S/Carrera class car. The Cayenne was never meant to be competitive with that car if that is what people are looking for.

 

I'll believe that when I see some on the road. Still about a 100 to 1 in favor of SUV's on the street. Will it change in the future, I hope so. I loved driving my family's Prius. The design was great.

 

I love the Cayenne we got for my wife. It is stable in the rain, stable at speeds over 100, and can haul enough for a weekend trip. Some of the comparsions are unrealistic. The cayenne is all forms is a very capable off road car. The brakes are amazing, 6 pot in front, 4 in rear. Its an SUV that excels in every asspect. Its like comparing the e46 m3 to a mustang gt. They roughly have the same amount of speed, but nowhere even close in fit and finish, safety, and handling. You pay for what you get.

(PS I test drove the MDX)

 

I never said Porsche was out of line to sell a SUV. I said for me it's a car just like the M3. I'd compare it to a M3 sedan as they don't sell a M3 wagon.

The Cayenne has AWD M3 doesn't. Other than that both have V8 400+hp 6-MT, both are proported to have some luxury as well as sport.

I do not tow anything (in 8 years with a SUV it was never used to tow anything)

So for me it's one car or another both are V8 luxury/sporty cars. The Cayenne happens to cost more and is a slower, and less sportyl.

I will grant you it's AWD so it's better in conditions but the M3 is OK to drive in rain and in my area 99% of the time streets are plowed. So yes 1% of the time the Cayenne would be better as it's AWD and higher clearance but I'd be giving up the M3 which is better in all other areas 99% of the time for that one just in case 1%

The Cayenne is not a huge SUV, it's not a MDX or Surburban it's probably similar to a FX45.

 

I am not comparing a $60K M3 to a $25K Mustang GT

I am comparing a $60K M3 to a $70K Cayenne I doubt the Cayenne is above the luxury level or status of a M3. Both are in the same price range, both are luxury/sporty vehicles with the Cayenne trying to be sporty with it's 6-MT and 'sporty' suspension.

This Cayenne will weigh ~1500 lbs more than a M3 with the same power.

I did not say the Cayenne is not a capable off road car, I never said it was poor off-road. However I don't take my cars into the mud if it's a M3 or a Cayenne makes no difference and a lot of people (many/most?) buy a Cayenne for street driving.

I said FOR ME it'd be compared to a M3 and for me the "truckishness" is not a big selling point. It's a point in it's favor AWD is nice but you pay for that with the extra tonnage you have to push around all the time even when you are not towing or going off-road both of which I don't do.

 

Given Cayenne is AWD, it still has performance tires on them.

On snow or ice, those tires will probably work as well as a M3 even though it is AWD.

 

but I'd put a set of winter tires on either (both).

Summer tires = three seasons
Winter tires = winter


Also as I said "FOR ME" but I/we have a Sienna, a MDX and a Legacy wagon so that's not the same as other peoples situation. If you don't have access to my cars you may view the Cayenne as more useful than the M3.

But purely for transportation (for me and one or two or three others) the M3 sedan is very useful. It's not like I am saying Z06 v Cayenne. The M3 sedan has 4-doors and fits 2 people in the back just like the Cayenne.