Towing with the big Porsches

[PGM]

Hi

Could really do with a tow hitch on my Panamera, trouble is it's seriously expensive to have retro-fitted and the aftermarket can't help with it.

We need it for bike racks and horse trailer.

4wd would be an advantage and I'd like a v8 at somestage so could kill two birds with one stone here and get the GTS or Turbo.

However, they are few and far between as a used prospect with either the tow bar preparation or the full system already fitted.

What are the options with the Cayenne? Does it come with towbar prep as standard?

Thanks for any experience you can give.

[nutsytvr]

PGM
Electric towbar on Cayenne is an £825 option. I specced it on mine. Cost is comparable with what BMW charged me on my X5.

I will be towing an 1800kg caravan, and after my drive at the Porsche Experience yesterday, the V8 diesel will play with that weight.

My current X5, with half the torque and 75bhp less easily tows the van.

[nutsytvr]

Another thing. The GTS and Turbo are petrol. You need seriously deep pockets to tow with those. Think 10mpg.

I get 26mpg out of my X5 when towing. I expect about 20 out ofthe Cayenne, but below 20 is a big no no for me, as I regularly tow down to Provence and Spain. Big mileage.

[red997]

Hi Paul
I had the electric tower retrofitted on my hybrid KN - used to tow the 997Cup on a Brian James trailer Plus extra wheels tools etc - effortless

It is worth the money
the other option my KN had was the rear camera - made it a breeze to get the hitch lined up perfectly on my own

Thought about it on the Panamera - never had the need though.
Don't think you can get on for the GT3

[PGM]

Thanks everyone, not a regular towing with the horse box and it'll mainly be fairly short journeys, the bike racks are the main reason for it, hence I'd like to move to petrol if possible.

The retrofit is expensive if you don't have the preparation already in ie the wiring loom which I don't. As I won't be getting the next one new, I can't spec it.

David, towbar on the GT3, now that would be amusing! Kerry's horse would enjoy that!

[red997]

roof rack and bike carriers ?
I did that on the KN (not at the same time time as the GT3 on the trailer )

still have 2 x Porsche Bike carriers sitting in the garage that are surplus to requirements now ;-)

[PGM]

Already got a set of them but we have a towball rack for the Subaru and I've become very lazy about messing with the roof bars.

Two of our bikes are delicate Queens and the carbon flexes when clamping the roof ones on so they're not as secure as I'd like!

[Cheburator mk2]

nutsytvr said:

Another thing. The GTS and Turbo are petrol. You need seriously deep pockets to tow with those. Think 10mpg.

I get 26mpg out of my X5 when towing. I expect about 20 out ofthe Cayenne, but below 20 is a big no no for me, as I regularly tow down to Provence and Spain. Big mileage.

If I stick to the speed limits, towing my 944T/928 race cars or the GT3 on a BJ trailer, I get about 19 out of a 4.8 X5. Towing at 70+ though kills it and it drops to 15mpg...

[Cayenneand996]

There are good aftermarket suppliers for these a lot cheaper than Porsche, however it did seem to be a permanent tow bar on offer and a requirement to cut the rear panel for clearance.

There were also electronic Porsche modules available on eBay but I couldn't work out if my car had the wiring to support these

We keep a cheap disco for towing

[AndrewIC]

I'm looking at fitting a tow bar to a 2012 Cayenne Turbo and having spoken with Porsche both options can be retrofitted, manual and electronic. Price difference is pretty big, manual parts are around £750 or the electric is around £1500, plus 4-5 hours labour for both.

[ZeroH]

OPC can retrofit manual and electric towbars on the 958 Cayenne. Best car in the world imv and tows as much as full fat range rover (3.5t).

My cayenne turbo's electric towbar was specced by the original owner so that the rear-end bike rack could be fitted, but I just used it as protection from London's touch-parking mafia !!

Edited by ZeroH on Tuesday 19th July 22:02

[MickeyG]

Hi have an 955 Cayenne Turbo - got a Westfalia detachable towbar fitted for £240 and it is now the best tow car I have ever had. The air suspension is superb as it levels the car and it handles fantastic. Even when overtaking large trucks on the motorway (which you could really feel in my old Pathfinder which was much heavier/bigger) is hardly noticeable in the Cayenne. Also, what makes me laugh is just how fast you can accelerate too. Takes cars without caravans by surprise just how fast you can pull away....