[Tahoe]

VW Touareg (V-8 ) vs. Porsche Cayenne S (V-8 )

There are so many similarities between these two cars it is almost funny. They surely have much more in common than not. I have driven 5,000 on the VW and 7,500 on the Cayenne.

The bought many more of the packages on the VW than on the Cayenne therefore it would be unfair to fairly compare the two. Anyway, here is what I have discovered thus far.
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Better in Cayenne S V-8:

Seats- much more supportive and sport car like. They really hold you in on the turns
Audio- Bose system much better than top of the line Touareg Nav audio. Cayenne features a subwoofer in the rear in place of a spare

Wheels
Tires
Engine- Much much more powerful in my experience. I pull a 22' wakeboard boat over a 10,000 mountain pass and it is much easier to do so in the Cayenne. The Cayenne jumps off the line, while the V-8 Touareg is a little slower and not quite the throwback that you would get in the Cayenne. Touarege still pretty quick.

Steering- Triptronic controls on both sides of wheel. Much harder and tighter feel to the wheel. It is much like the 911 Carerra that I had. No slop at all. Touareg takes less effort to turn the wheel and feels more like a luxury cars steering. MFI and Audio Controls on Touareg wheel are excellent.

More storage- much more room under the rear cargo area for trailer hitch and whatever else you want to put there. Extra storage on rear left of cargo area. The Touareg's is closed off there for the 4 zone AC I think.

Headlights- comparable to Touareg, except have extra light when turning to light up curbs and so on. This is a very nice feature to have when you are cornering hard at night.

More sex appeal- sorry the Cayenne looks sexier to me and I get a lot more looks in it than the Treg.

So far less TSB and recalls on the Cayenne vs. the Touareg.

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Better in the VW Touareg (V-8):

Keyless entry system (offered on Cayenne but opted not to get it)

Nav system (did not get it on the Cayenne)

MFI is much easier to navigate and easier to see

4 Zone AC (not sure if this is an option on the Cayenne) Separate fan speeds for driver and passengers while the Cayenne is the same speed for everyone

Spare tire (there isn't one on my Cayenne)

Onstar system

Compass display

Key range believe it or not is much better on the VW than the Cayenne (Toureg= 15ft. Cayenne= <10 ft.

Parking Distance sensor system (not sure if they offer it on the Cayenne)

Homelink Garage system (not and option on Cayenne)

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Overall: If you want a car with more gadgets, conveniences and better at offroading go with the Touareg.

If you value street performance, over all the gadgets, and less problems (so far) than get a Cayenne S.

Or if you want a little of both get the Cayenne S and the Touareg so that you can switch off.

P.S. Everything is subjective. These are just my opinions.

 

[Tahoe]

More Comparison Photos:

 

[Tahoe]

Yes, it has for corner air that rides very much like the Touareg. Sport, Auto and Comfort modes. I don't think the Xtra mode rides quite as high as the Touareg's but everything else looks identical.


Here are some photos of the front suspension struts:

 

[Tahoe]

From the wheel centerline to the top of the fender in normal mode I measured:

Rear= 21 1/8"= 536.575 mm

Front= 19 1/8"= 485.775 mm

I hope that helps you out.

-Jake

 

[Tahoe]

In my concrete garage. I would expect it to be fairly level.

 

[Tahoe]

Yep. I am sure I measured from the middle of the wheel to the center of the fender line. Perhaps the car lowers in the front when it is parked or something. Anyway, Porsche and VW engineers spent hundreds of hours working on the suspension so I see no reason to mess with it.

Here is a profile shot. Difficult to guage from a photo if the front is lower than the back.