2019 Cayenne Hybrid must have options

[PrancingHorses]

Been looking to get one of these as a replacement for a now dated RRS. Plenty of choice on the nearly new market but not sure what the must have options are?

Is Air suspension a must?

[Cheib]

Air Suspension if car has 21” or 22” wheels is a must as in Panoramic Roof if you want to be able to sell it.

[PrancingHorses]

Thank you. Not many owners on here by the looks of it.

[Taffy66]

I currently own two Cayenne Hybrids which are configured very differently so it gives a different perspective..My older cayenne is a 64 plate on steels and 20'' wheels and my new Cayenne Coupe hybrid is on Air and 21'' wheels..For the best handling i feel the steel trumps the Air although as Cheib point out on larger than 20'' wheels Air is a must..
The new gen Cayenne with the much improve three chamber Air suspension handles a lot better than the previous gen Air S..
On the new Cayenne 21'' look much better and will aid resale although i strongly think its a much better car on 20'' especially on Steels..Problem with the 21'' wheels is that it substantially reduces the electric range which few people realise.I found this out as i owned two latest model Panamera Hybrids in succession..The first was on 20'' and the second on 21''..The first one had a range of 28-29 miles and the second was reduced to 24-25..This is quite significant in percentage terms.
Panoramic glass roof, full leather, LEDs and heated seats F/R are must haves IMO..Nice to have are Surround view, Adaptive cruise, Matrix lights, 4 way Climate and Ambient lights..Best seats by far are the 18 ways with the 14 ways the very minimum you should go for. RAS is a must have on 991/992s but not really beneficial on the Cayennes or Panameras..
I have Heads up display and Night vision assist on mine however i find both slightly distracting and not worth the money..Just thought the Ambient light are now a must have for me after experiencing them..
The Matrix lights once you develop faith in them are quite brilliant and i'd always spec them on any future cayenne..

[jh001]

I collected ours a couple of months ago, spec is;

Matalic Black
Pano roof
Aero wheels
Adaptive Air suspension (must have IMHO)
Adaptive cruise (standard I think)
14 way comfort seats
Sports tailpipes
Heated steering wheel and screen (essential in my book)
Seat heating front and rear + 4 zone climate
Auto dimming mirrors
Black LED headlamps matrix beam inc PDLS plus
Tinted taillights
Night view assist (not essential)
HUD (not essential but quite good)
Bose
Ambient lighting
Privacy glass
Tow bar (elec deploy)
Park assist with Surround view

It is actually better than I was expecting and quite a step up from my last 2016 3.0d Cayenne.

Edited by jh001 on Saturday 11th January 17:19

[Taffy66]

jh001 said:

I collected ours a couple of months ago, spec is;

Matalic Black
Pano roof
Aero wheels
Adaptive Air suspension (must have IMHO)
14 way comfort seats
Sports tailpipes
Heated steering wheel and screen (essential in my book)
Seat heating front and rear + 4 zone climate
Auto dimming mirrors
Black LED headlamps matrix beam inc PDLS plus
Tinted taillights
Night view assist (not essential)
HUD (not essential but quite good)
Bose
Ambient lighting
Privacy glass
Tow bar (elec deploy)
Park assist with Surround view

It is actually better than I was expecting and quite a step up from my last 2016 3.0d Cayenne.

It sounds like yours is identical to mine spec wise although mine is in Quarzite grey..BOSE i forgot to mention is a must have..I agree with you in that its a really quite superb car and much better than the competition IMO..

[jh001]

Taffy66 said:

It sounds like yours is identical to mine spec wise although mine is in Quarzite grey..BOSE i forgot to mention is a must have..I agree with you in that its a really quite superb car and much better than the competition IMO..

RS WP also...Great minds and all that (but mine is white)

Got a Q8 RS arriving at the end of March also which should be interesting.

[pete]

We’ve had our E3 Cayenne S since 2018 and I’d echo most of the points here.

Matrix LEDs are incredible and you get the benefit every time you drive at night. Rear axle steering I wouldn’t bother with again; you can feel it working at low speeds to artificially shorten the wheelbase, but the PASM air suspension is much more beneficial. Sport chrono is also an essential so you get the driving mode dial and “sport response” button on the steering wheel. Full leather is a must if you don’t like the sight of a plastic dashboard.

The only big thing I regret missing off is a tow bar. It would have been handy for a bike rack, as a roof mounted bike rack is so high it’s a pain to fit heavy MTBs up there. When I ordered, the heated front screen wasn’t available, but I’d go for that if I was ordering another.

[PrancingHorses]

Thanks all - some really helpful info here!

There seem to be plenty of pre reg cars available at good discounts and some dealers are willing to offer quite decent discounts on a new order too. Anyone care to share what % they managed to knock off - PM me if you prefer

Thanks!

[PrancingHorses]

Taffy66 said:

I currently own two Cayenne Hybrids which are configured very differently so it gives a different perspective..My older cayenne is a 64 plate on steels and 20'' wheels and my new Cayenne Coupe hybrid is on Air and 21'' wheels..For the best handling i feel the steel trumps the Air although as Cheib point out on larger than 20'' wheels Air is a must..
The new gen Cayenne with the much improve three chamber Air suspension handles a lot better than the previous gen Air S..
On the new Cayenne 21'' look much better and will aid resale although i strongly think its a much better car on 20'' especially on Steels..Problem with the 21'' wheels is that it substantially reduces the electric range which few people realise.I found this out as i owned two latest model Panamera Hybrids in succession..The first was on 20'' and the second on 21''..The first one had a range of 28-29 miles and the second was reduced to 24-25..This is quite significant in percentage terms.
Panoramic glass roof, full leather, LEDs and heated seats F/R are must haves IMO..Nice to have are Surround view, Adaptive cruise, Matrix lights, 4 way Climate and Ambient lights..Best seats by far are the 18 ways with the 14 ways the very minimum you should go for. RAS is a must have on 991/992s but not really beneficial on the Cayennes or Panameras..
I have Heads up display and Night vision assist on mine however i find both slightly distracting and not worth the money..Just thought the Ambient light are now a must have for me after experiencing them..
The Matrix lights once you develop faith in them are quite brilliant and i'd always spec them on any future cayenne..

Thanks for the info on the wheels but I think I will have to have the 22s as I think the car looks much more poised with them!

[Taffy66]

PrancingHorses said:

Thanks for the info on the wheels but I think I will have to have the 22s as I think the car looks much more poised with them!

Yep i agree, the new Cayenne looks way better on 22'', just make sure its got Air which i suspect it'll have anyway..!
It takes a huge leap of faith nowadays to go with the smaller wheel option no matter what the car, however i think all wheels have got too big whatever the car.

[Mosdef]

While not one of the hybrids, we recently took delivery of a 2018 plate 3.0 Cayenne, which was pretty well specified (£20k on the configuration) but lacking a couple of key options.

Key options for me are:

Minimum of 14 way seats (we have 18s in this and our Panamera but don’t see much benefit in the bolsters unless you’re particularly skinny)
PASM is fantastic, worth every penny for me, as is sport Chrono.
Surround view is worthwhile.
Ambient lighting is ok, auto dimming mirrors are essential.
Pano roof
Bose at a minimum
Matrix headlights
Ventilated and heated seats up front (we have child seats in the back so less relevant) and heated steering wheel
4 zone A/C is great too - wish we had it in the Cayenne.
Full leather (we don’t have it and the dashboard looks cheap without it).
Soft close doors make the car feel more luxurious
Blinds in the rear are amazing if you have children
Privacy glass
Black window surrounds.
Minimum of 21 inch wheels but I found the ride on 22s somewhat worse.

[Blenheimorange]

Had mine delivered just before Christmas and loving it. Near fully specced (18K + spent) and not regretting any of the options yet. Like the electrically operated blinds rather than the tinted windows. The serenity from the noise insulation glass is really nice too. Have already scuffed the 22 inch wheels quite badly and wishing I'd assigned the quick access button on the steering wheel for the parking cameras sooner. Night vision is really a fun gimmick but amazing how it picks up the pedestrians and marks them on screen in moving yellow boxes. In general, feel really secure driving it and handles really well with blistering acceleration on tap. The battery does run down pretty quick on E power mode so if I was to change anything maybe smaller wheels. The sports body kit was not available at time of order so being fitted later. Have gone for a darker boy colour so not sure if it would stand out much however.

[Mosdef]

Forgot to say, I think Comfort Access is excellent. Our Cayenne doesn't have it but the Panamera does and the added convenience is highly noticeable.

[Mosdef]

Taffy66 said:

I currently own two Cayenne Hybrids which are configured very differently so it gives a different perspective..My older cayenne is a 64 plate on steels and 20'' wheels and my new Cayenne Coupe hybrid is on Air and 21'' wheels..For the best handling i feel the steel trumps the Air although as Cheib point out on larger than 20'' wheels Air is a must..
The new gen Cayenne with the much improve three chamber Air suspension handles a lot better than the previous gen Air S..
On the new Cayenne 21'' look much better and will aid resale although i strongly think its a much better car on 20'' especially on Steels..Problem with the 21'' wheels is that it substantially reduces the electric range which few people realise.I found this out as i owned two latest model Panamera Hybrids in succession..The first was on 20'' and the second on 21''..The first one had a range of 28-29 miles and the second was reduced to 24-25..This is quite significant in percentage terms.
Panoramic glass roof, full leather, LEDs and heated seats F/R are must haves IMO..Nice to have are Surround view, Adaptive cruise, Matrix lights, 4 way Climate and Ambient lights..Best seats by far are the 18 ways with the 14 ways the very minimum you should go for. RAS is a must have on 991/992s but not really beneficial on the Cayennes or Panameras..
I have Heads up display and Night vision assist on mine however i find both slightly distracting and not worth the money..Just thought the Ambient light are now a must have for me after experiencing them..
The Matrix lights once you develop faith in them are quite brilliant and i'd always spec them on any future cayenne..

Taffy66 - sorry to hijack the thread but what was your ownership experience like on the Panamera Hybrids? I have a fully specced previous model Turbo S but would quite like a more up to date car. I know the performance will be delivered differently but how was the Panamera Hybrid to live with? Did you move yours on because of faults, or did you just not like them very much? I'd really appreciate hearing your views as a former owner.

[DMC2]

I’m curious about Hybrid ownership as well. Looking at getting a Cayenne as my daily and can’t decide between the S and Hybrid.... going to test drive both, but would be good to get owners thoughts on everyday use.

[Taffy66]

Mosdef said:

Taffy66 - sorry to hijack the thread but what was your ownership experience like on the Panamera Hybrids? I have a fully specced previous model Turbo S but would quite like a more up to date car. I know the performance will be delivered differently but how was the Panamera Hybrid to live with? Did you move yours on because of faults, or did you just not like them very much? I'd really appreciate hearing your views as a former owner.

I had two new model Panameras and the first one was a White saloon with no glass roof which my family didn't like..I kept the White only five months as we fancied a stunning Jet Black Sport Turismo with Glass roof in the showroom of our OPC..Based on my ownership of both cars i think they're brilliant to drive in every way possible..The first one had a few gremlins, the most annoying was a stuck fuel flap which caused a few embarrassing episodes at petrol stations..The Black ST was 100% reliable in contrast..The Panameras build quality was a very high standard and much better than my recent 992.
Chris Harris has been driving a Panamera Turbo S Hybrid ST recently for a good while and said its the best daily driver he's driven and loved it.The three chamber Air suspension on them is miraculous in how it keeps the body under tight control over sharp undulations and crests.The 21'' rims are a must however at the expense of some electric range.
I had RAS on my first and non-RAS on the second and i don't feel its a 'must have' in contrast to the 991s..If i was buying one again it would only be the Sport Turismo(Not the saloon) and the Panoramic roof is an absolute 'must have'..

[Mosdef]

Thanks so much for the review Taffy66, I’m on my second Panamera (GTS and now Turbo S) but have yet to go for a newer model - I don’t think the change is far away.

[Philz4mc]

Does anyone have experience of the sports exhaust? Need to trade up from a Macan GTS but I really want something that still sounds sporty and a bit lairy when you want it to. Drove a Cayenne S without the PSE last week and it sounded v dull

[Cheib]

Philz4mc said:

Does anyone have experience of the sports exhaust? Need to trade up from a Macan GTS but I really want something that still sounds sporty and a bit lairy when you want it to. Drove a Cayenne S without the PSE last week and it sounded v dull

PSE on a car like this with GPF is a waste of money. The Cayenne S is a bit underwhelming I think....honestly prefer my 3yr old S Diesel. Just prefer how the diesel with the masses of low down torque drives in this kind of car. You won’t get a new Cayenne to sound like your Macan GTS or anything close to it....which is why our Macan Turbo PP isn’t going anywhere either.

I reckon you need to go for a Cayenne Turbo so you’ve got something that is closer to what you’ve got