Cayenne diesel S (it’s a V8)
Discussion
So I used to have an E63 AMG estate and ran it for the last 3 years, I was chatting with somebody I worked with and I worked out I’d probably spent the best part of £10k in in that time on fuel (somewhere around 16-17mpg). I’m definitely glad that I had the car and I tuned it over the time that I had it resulting in 750hp and 900lbft in the end so there’s a very good chance it’s the quickest car I’m ever going to own and it sounded mega as well.
You can see the progress with that car here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
So I was thinking any other estate car was going to be a disappointment after the Merc and I was going to go for a complete change of pace with an L405 or an L494 SDV8 Range Rover / Range rover sport. In the process of looking for a suitable replacement I came across this video about the cayenne S diesel:
https://youtu.be/N5gq_-ErTQA
It’s fair to say that the video peaked my interest, not only is the cayenne a better handling and more engaging drive than the equivalent Range Rover but there are also far less horror stories! The main one that comes up is a problem with the transfer case that can occur but Porsche have recognised this is a design issue and extended the warranty on this part to 10 years.
I spotted the Cayenne that I ended up buying and when I enquired it had, had the new updated design of transfer case fitted so that was a tick in a box! It also has the PDLS+ LED headlights and the sort after burmester stereo as well as some other tasty options.
I organised to go and collect the car and made the 225mile journey from home to north London to see it, the car was as described so I went ahead with the purchase. The Merc had down 26mpg on the way down to london and on the way back the Porsche set at the same speed on cruise control did 41.5mpg until I hit standstill traffic on the M6 and lost a couple of mpg. The total for the journey home ended up at 39.8mpg.
The car is incredibly quiet on the motorway and feels genuinely quick when you floor it from a standstill. It’s supposed to make 385hp and 630lbft or thereabouts and it feels like every one of the torques is present.
I took a couple of pics of the car when I got home, I’ve still to properly clean it but it seems to be in good condition.
The car has a real V8 burble at tickover and almost doesn’t sound like a diesel at all!
I did notice that the rear screen wash didn’t work but when I popped the nozzle off there was water there so I order a new nozzle from Amazon for £5 and have fitted that, I have also fitted a boot liner and will be upgrading the PCM 3.1 by installing Apple CarPlay as I got used to that in the E class. I may visit darkside developments for a remap at some point, they nudge the car by upto 420-430hp and high 700lbft.
The air suspension seems to be really good and make a noticeable difference to the way the car drives and the change in height is noticeable when selecting different modes. I can’t believe how well the car handles and how nicely it steers and it even leans towards power oversteer on the way out of corners and definitely favours a slow in fast out approach.
I’ll get some more pictures this weekend after I give it a proper clean and I will document the Apple CarPlay install and remap if that happens in the future. I know it’s not the most pistonhead worthy car but I like it and hopefully I can get a weekend car at some point in the future.
You can see the progress with that car here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
So I was thinking any other estate car was going to be a disappointment after the Merc and I was going to go for a complete change of pace with an L405 or an L494 SDV8 Range Rover / Range rover sport. In the process of looking for a suitable replacement I came across this video about the cayenne S diesel:
https://youtu.be/N5gq_-ErTQA
It’s fair to say that the video peaked my interest, not only is the cayenne a better handling and more engaging drive than the equivalent Range Rover but there are also far less horror stories! The main one that comes up is a problem with the transfer case that can occur but Porsche have recognised this is a design issue and extended the warranty on this part to 10 years.
I spotted the Cayenne that I ended up buying and when I enquired it had, had the new updated design of transfer case fitted so that was a tick in a box! It also has the PDLS+ LED headlights and the sort after burmester stereo as well as some other tasty options.
I organised to go and collect the car and made the 225mile journey from home to north London to see it, the car was as described so I went ahead with the purchase. The Merc had down 26mpg on the way down to london and on the way back the Porsche set at the same speed on cruise control did 41.5mpg until I hit standstill traffic on the M6 and lost a couple of mpg. The total for the journey home ended up at 39.8mpg.
The car is incredibly quiet on the motorway and feels genuinely quick when you floor it from a standstill. It’s supposed to make 385hp and 630lbft or thereabouts and it feels like every one of the torques is present.
I took a couple of pics of the car when I got home, I’ve still to properly clean it but it seems to be in good condition.
The car has a real V8 burble at tickover and almost doesn’t sound like a diesel at all!
I did notice that the rear screen wash didn’t work but when I popped the nozzle off there was water there so I order a new nozzle from Amazon for £5 and have fitted that, I have also fitted a boot liner and will be upgrading the PCM 3.1 by installing Apple CarPlay as I got used to that in the E class. I may visit darkside developments for a remap at some point, they nudge the car by upto 420-430hp and high 700lbft.
The air suspension seems to be really good and make a noticeable difference to the way the car drives and the change in height is noticeable when selecting different modes. I can’t believe how well the car handles and how nicely it steers and it even leans towards power oversteer on the way out of corners and definitely favours a slow in fast out approach.
I’ll get some more pictures this weekend after I give it a proper clean and I will document the Apple CarPlay install and remap if that happens in the future. I know it’s not the most pistonhead worthy car but I like it and hopefully I can get a weekend car at some point in the future.
m3jappa said:
They are really good cars, even the handling is pretty bloody good for something of such weight.
Although i have never seen 41 mpg from mine
i think i have seen 37 before.
I’ve definitely been surprised by the handling given the size and height of the thing, the air suspension definitely helps with that. The turn in is really good and the steering feel is better than the Mercedes I think. Although i have never seen 41 mpg from mine
i think i have seen 37 before. The Cayenne genuinely handles a lot better than most normal cars I’ve driven, I still think fast estates pip SUV’s but then the cayenne doesn’t handle like most SUV’s as it doesn’t wallow and lean (on the air suspension at least) the other bonus is my insurance is £100 cheaper and the road tax is £200 less a year haha
Welcome to the club... I've had mine for a year (and 13k miles) now.
Don't get used to that MPG if you use the performance at all, my ownership average (tracked by fuelly) is just under 30mpg.
If you have the panoramic roof then, If you've not got proof of them being done, have the 4 sunroof drains modified otherwise they will get blocked and flood the very expensive electrics in the passenger footwell.
Make sure you keep the battery well charged, these cars throw really weird errors if the battery is even slightly less than optimal.
Other than that, fill with diesel and enjoy - they really are great cars.
Don't get used to that MPG if you use the performance at all, my ownership average (tracked by fuelly) is just under 30mpg.
If you have the panoramic roof then, If you've not got proof of them being done, have the 4 sunroof drains modified otherwise they will get blocked and flood the very expensive electrics in the passenger footwell.
Make sure you keep the battery well charged, these cars throw really weird errors if the battery is even slightly less than optimal.
Other than that, fill with diesel and enjoy - they really are great cars.
Ah ok that’s good info I wasn’t aware of the pano roof drain issue, what’s the work that gets done? I am going to give the battery a boost charge at somepoint as I think it’s a little below optimum as the start is slightly sluggish… I’ve just ordered the CarPlay stuff so should be fitting that soon.
One thing I have noticed is that the PDLS+ LED headlights seem to default to not being on the auto setting, I have to turn it on every time the lights come on. In the Mercedes I just put it on and then it stayed on unless I turned it regardless of the car being turned off etc.
One thing I have noticed is that the PDLS+ LED headlights seem to default to not being on the auto setting, I have to turn it on every time the lights come on. In the Mercedes I just put it on and then it stayed on unless I turned it regardless of the car being turned off etc.
The sunroof drain tubes have a weird rubber arrangement on the ends that, in effect, makes it easy for them to get blocked with dirt, the mod is generally just to cut the rubber arrangement off which makes for a wider drain opening and no blockages.
I've not got those lights on mine but that behaviour does sound odd, the headlight switch should just be able to be left in the auto position (little red light on) and the car takes care of the rest.
I've not got those lights on mine but that behaviour does sound odd, the headlight switch should just be able to be left in the auto position (little red light on) and the car takes care of the rest.
Yeah the auto lights work fine, it’s just the auto high beam etc that seems to have to be put on each time by pushing forward on the high beam stalk. I will get the manual out and have a read, I’ve tried saving the setting to the key and also on the memory setting for the car but it still seems to default to the auto high beam being off. I will have a look in the history folder and then have a look at the drains and try and work it out then thanks for that.
bumskins said:
Willber said:
Cool car! I didn't know they did a V8 diesel, thought they were all V6's. Bet it goes well
Same engine as was available in the Touareg, there was a Readers Rides thread about it on here but chap sold up now I believe.O/P, thanks for sharing your ownership so far, looking forward to following your journey. Did you ever consider any of the petrol versions of these, having come from the petrol AMG? If so, did you test drive any and how did they compare? Are the petrol more of a liability with regards to reliability or are they fairly robust?
normalbloke said:
bumskins said:
Willber said:
Cool car! I didn't know they did a V8 diesel, thought they were all V6's. Bet it goes well
Same engine as was available in the Touareg, there was a Readers Rides thread about it on here but chap sold up now I believe.https://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/261...
normalbloke said:
Did the Toureg ever have the V8 diesel? I thought it had the chocolate V10? I stand to be educated though.
O/P, thanks for sharing your ownership so far, looking forward to following your journey. Did you ever consider any of the petrol versions of these, having come from the petrol AMG? If so, did you test drive any and how did they compare? Are the petrol more of a liability with regards to reliability or are they fairly robust?
They did do the V8 in the Touareg, from what I understand Porsche took the engine and changed/improved bits. If you have a look on darkside developments YouTube channel they have some good videos around upgrading them etc, I know the cayenne has better intercoolers for example and makes more power and torque as standard than the Touareg.O/P, thanks for sharing your ownership so far, looking forward to following your journey. Did you ever consider any of the petrol versions of these, having come from the petrol AMG? If so, did you test drive any and how did they compare? Are the petrol more of a liability with regards to reliability or are they fairly robust?
I did have a look at a cayenne S petrol with the 3.6 turbo engine(same engine as the macan turbo) and it was good but it didn’t get me fizzing. It didn’t sound amazing but it went ok, the car felt a bit more laboured than the S diesel if that makes sense… it felt a bit more it’s weight and I think that’s down to the torque.
Once I drove the diesel I was completely sold, it’s almost S class quiet on the motorway in comfort mode and then when you put the suspension in sport plus and select the sport mode on the engine it’s unsettling how quick it is for something so high and large.
Thanks for both of your replies re the V8 Touareg, I wasn’t ever aware and I’m guessing very few out there. Apologies for the typo too! Interesting feedback on your petrol experience, and I agree with your comments about the lack of torque making it feel it’s weight. The V8 diesel is something I may consider in about 12 months time, so I’m looking forward to following your ownership. Enjoy.
normalbloke said:
Did the Toureg ever have the V8 diesel? I thought it had the chocolate V10? I stand to be educated though.
O/P, thanks for sharing your ownership so far, looking forward to following your journey. Did you ever consider any of the petrol versions of these, having come from the petrol AMG? If so, did you test drive any and how did they compare? Are the petrol more of a liability with regards to reliability or are they fairly robust?
The petrol N/A V8s are more powerful but with less torque. Less to go wrong with the petrol engines (no turbos etc) and less torque killing the transfer cases. ~50% more MPG with the Diesel but obviously depends how you drive and diesel costs more. 10k annual mileage of mixed driving saves ~£1k in fuel costs over petrol. But equivalent Diesel costs more to buy...but depreciates less...O/P, thanks for sharing your ownership so far, looking forward to following your journey. Did you ever consider any of the petrol versions of these, having come from the petrol AMG? If so, did you test drive any and how did they compare? Are the petrol more of a liability with regards to reliability or are they fairly robust?
So this morning I fitted my CarPlay kit from MAK coding, I will say if you aren’t very tech savvy or used to doing things like this then get it fitted. The kit cost £300 which is very reasonable compared to other kits out there and the price fitted by them is £500.
You have to pop the vents out with 4 little clips inside them and then undo the 4 torques bits either side of the radio to slip it out. I took a picture of the back of the stereo at this point just incase I needed to make a note of the connections but they are all self explanatory really.
Then you disconnect everything and take the stereo inside to split the case and install the circuit board for the CarPlay. All of the kits seem to have a circuit board but some of them also have an extra box to install as well, this kit is just the board.
The above gives you an idea of how the job looks inside the stereo.
You basically have to install an extra board which goes above the others in there and then send the video signal through this board before it goes to the screen, the CarPlay then operates between the original stereo and the screen meaning you can switch between the two.
A couple of pics of the install:
Now the first time I put this back I was greeted with a blank screen and total panic wondering if I had just FUBAR. I took the unit back inside and found that I had a bad connection on the rear of the screen that was totally my fault *phew*.
Getting the unit back in its slot with the extra wiring and connections wasn’t the easiest but with a bit of wriggling and jiggling it worked!
I retain all the standard features of the Porsche PCM system but now have CarPlay additionally and in reality it’s all I will need now. When selecting reverse the car still brings up the reverse camera as it did and then goes back to CarPlay afterwards and the whole thing works nicely with the touch screen. My previous car I installed CarPlay but the screen wasn’t touchscreen and that definitely was an extra barrier to using it smoothly.
Anyways the finished install looks like this:
I wanted to get it done before I go to liverpool tomorrow as I can use Waze now.
Hope this wasn’t too boring! I know this will apply to all Porsche that ran this same era of PCM 3.1 so thought it may be of use to someone with a 911 or panamera or macan this age.
You have to pop the vents out with 4 little clips inside them and then undo the 4 torques bits either side of the radio to slip it out. I took a picture of the back of the stereo at this point just incase I needed to make a note of the connections but they are all self explanatory really.
Then you disconnect everything and take the stereo inside to split the case and install the circuit board for the CarPlay. All of the kits seem to have a circuit board but some of them also have an extra box to install as well, this kit is just the board.
The above gives you an idea of how the job looks inside the stereo.
You basically have to install an extra board which goes above the others in there and then send the video signal through this board before it goes to the screen, the CarPlay then operates between the original stereo and the screen meaning you can switch between the two.
A couple of pics of the install:
Now the first time I put this back I was greeted with a blank screen and total panic wondering if I had just FUBAR. I took the unit back inside and found that I had a bad connection on the rear of the screen that was totally my fault *phew*.
Getting the unit back in its slot with the extra wiring and connections wasn’t the easiest but with a bit of wriggling and jiggling it worked!
I retain all the standard features of the Porsche PCM system but now have CarPlay additionally and in reality it’s all I will need now. When selecting reverse the car still brings up the reverse camera as it did and then goes back to CarPlay afterwards and the whole thing works nicely with the touch screen. My previous car I installed CarPlay but the screen wasn’t touchscreen and that definitely was an extra barrier to using it smoothly.
Anyways the finished install looks like this:
I wanted to get it done before I go to liverpool tomorrow as I can use Waze now.
Hope this wasn’t too boring! I know this will apply to all Porsche that ran this same era of PCM 3.1 so thought it may be of use to someone with a 911 or panamera or macan this age.
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