Porsche Driving School Part I

Back in July, I was lucky enough to be invited to a Porsche driving school event.  Now, when they say "driving school event" what they mean is a tent where the marketing department can collect your email address and phone number, but because I knew they would have free drinks and I love cars, I gladly took a day off of work to join in.  At the Porsche event, I was given the keys to the new Cayenne, the Panamera, the 911, and the Boxster spider and told to take them for a few laps around the track. I was put into the Cayenne first.

Even though I don't wish to ever own a car as ugly as the Cayenne, I was eager to try it out.  My wife drives a Honda CRV; that car has never impressed me.  Its seats are too narrow for my shoulders and because the steering wheel cannot be moved closer to me, the only way to comfortably reach the wheel is to position the seat in a place that causes my legs to hurt when traveling anything more than short distances.  It is impossible to change the radio without the fing-longer.  Not to mention the fact that the car feels like it will fall over anytime it goes around a corner.

To my regret, the CRV is the only SUV that I have driven in the past ten years.  That being said, the CRV is clearly not trying to compete with the Cayenne.  Even knowing Porsche's reputation, I was stunned by the Cayenne's capabilities.  It hurts me to say it, but the new Cayenne handles as good as, if not better than my BMW 335i coupe.  For an  SUV, it is superb.  I never would have expected to go around corners in an SUV  the way the Cayenne does.  Even in the rain, the handling and the brakes were amazing.  Driving it is like riding an elephant with cheetah's legs.

If I had to pick a complaint, I guess it isn't the most spacious SUV available, even compared to others of a similar size.  The gearbox, when not in sport mode, can be slow too.  But, these really are minor inconveniences.

As your mom always told you, don't judge a book by its cover.  Beneath its Quazimodo looks, the Cayenne is a great car.  Especially when you consider that the Cayenne is the cheapest car that Porsche makes.  At $46,000, it is less expensive and much better than the Mercedes M class and Audi Q7.  If you have a family and want an SUV that drives properly, you really cannot do better.