Quote:
Originally Posted by moodyhank82
I am a 45e owner and test drove the Cayenne e-hybrid yesterday, a few observations:
- Phev execution in my BMW is noticeably better than the Porsche. Coming to a stop in the Cayenne was a jerky experience, all the downshifts as the speed reduces were sending perceptible jolts to the whole car
- Position of the central screen felt wrong compared to the BMW's display angled toward the driver and the resolution of the back up camera was downright bad
- Classic Porsche pricing, for almost $90k, the car I drove had no keyless entry or blind spot warning
- This one is subjective but the Porsche v6 does not sound as good as the BMW inline six
- Porsche's steering felt a little more direct and conveyed a little more feedback
- Porsche had a little more combined legroom (front+rear) than my X5 but the a pillar felt more angled and front headroom felt more confined than the BMW
- Drive modes on the Porsche made more noticeable differences, steering felt significantly different between hybrid and sport plus and the little dial on the steering wheel is a quicker/easier way to change modes than the dash buttons in the BMW
My conclusion is that even if the cars were priced exactly the same for the same equipment, I would not trade in my 45e for an e-Hybrid. Maybe if the Cayenne was spec'ed with all the right options (pdcc, rear axle steering, air suspension etc.), it would have felt more special to drive spiritedly but the relatively basic Cayenne I drove felt underwhelming especially considering the price and the Porsche name.
|
I went the other way, ordered a very well appointed 45e (all options) rejected it, and went with a much better appointed Cayenne E Hybrid (again custom ordered). If you add the upgraded suspension parts to the Cayenne, which BMW doesn't even offer on the 45e, the difference in driving is night and day. Cayenne was $115,160 as ordered, 45e was $82,600, even with the large price delta, I would order the Cayenne again. Averaging 35mpg for the 16 months I have had it, either in Hybrid mode or Sport mode, and I don't drive slow. I will keep cross shopping the two brands, but not really digging the new BMW design aesthetic.