SENIOR EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: As much as I like performance SUVs, I don’t quite understand this Cayenne. It’s certainly deluxe, given its $90,000 price, leather and Alcantara interior, trick headlights and Bose sound. That all makes the manual transmission seem completely out of place. It would be far more appropriate to outfit this ute with a good Tiptronic automatic and be done.

This isn’t just a rant about an unsuccessful effort to make a sports car out of an SUV. That’s not the issue. The problem is that, unlike every other Porsche in the stable, this one has a clutch and shifter that are often balky and hard to manage, as though you’re driving a big pickup with a long-throw shifter and long-travel clutch rather than state-of-the-art Porsche equipment.

I can put up with just about anything Porsche puts out there--from odd audio interfaces to unusable cupholders to having to turn on the sport mode every time you start the car--just to get a few more minutes of the Porsche driving experience. But this Cayenne doesn’t deliver--at least, not with this powertrain setup.

No matter what Porsche tries to do or say, this remains a big honkin’ SUV--especially compared with everything else in the showroom. There are places for manual trannies--this isn’t one of them.

MOTORSPORTS EDIOTR MAC MORRISON: I’ll admit it, I love this Cayenne, as much as I could love any SUV. Good looks, sweet rims, perception-altering handling and a great engine.

Driving this is as close to driving a sports car as I can imagine experiencing in an SUV. And while the shift action is not what you normally get with a Porsche, it isn’t the worst out there. Unlike Gritzinger, I’d much rather have a decent manual than a great automatic. Perhaps Porsche’s new PDK double-clutch system is the ideal answer here.


2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS
IN FLEET: July 17-25
AS-TESTED PRICE: $90,190
DRIVETRAIN: 405 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 369 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm
OUTPUT: 4.8-liter V8; AWD, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 4,905 lb
FUEL ECONOMY (EPA/AW): 13/11.3 mpg



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