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Cayenne Transmission v. BMW X5

By vcatena
January 14, 2004 in 9PA, 9PA1 (Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, Cayenne Turbo S)

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vcatena

Posted January 14, 2004

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Posted January 14, 2004

Coming from a BMW X5 4.4 which had very well placed shift points, the Cayenne seems to be having trouble trying to figure out which gear to be in. The transmission starts off in D2 and shifts very frequently when driving under normal conditions to D5 or 6 at 40 to 50mph. This is fine for gas milage reasons but this "overdrive" delays response and the overall feeling of connection with the motor and lacks the "geared up" feeling the X5 had. The delay in downshifting and response makes the car less fun to drive then the X5.

When I **** the car in tiptronic and start in M1 - then that I can feel the car for what it should be.

Is anyone else feeling the same way? Anyhting I can do to change this?

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bnewport

Posted January 14, 2004

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Posted January 14, 2004

My 996 tip is the same but if you drive it more aggressively or kick down then the tip goes in to sports mode and moves all the shift points and then it drives a lot better. Normally, the car feels pretty lethargic because of the low shift points.

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gm austin

Posted January 17, 2004

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Posted January 17, 2004

I still have an X-5, the 3.0, and I have a new Cayenne S. I completely agree with you about the shifting. The BMW does a much better job. Your descriptions are accurate. There is a DME update for the Cayenne but it is not yet a complete cure. I have read that VW handled the transmission development for the Cayenne/Touareg. Other VW products are reported to have similar shift patterns so this sounds plausible. Hoprfully Porsche will jave a complete fix soon.

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goplay

Posted January 21, 2004

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Posted January 21, 2004

I have an X5 4.6 and I think the shifting is terrible. It upshifts far too soon and too readily unless you stay on the throttle 100%.

I am considering a Cayenne Turbo and will make sure I check out its shifting.

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gm austin

Posted January 24, 2004

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Posted January 24, 2004

It's fascinating! The X-5 4.4 shifts well but the 4.6 does not. It's hard to get a theory going that's consistent with everyone's comments. I do think there is something to the idea that the high powered V8's will move to an economy shift mapping fairly rapidly to try and make their mileage figures as good as possible. I would concede that the Cayenne S would have an EPA mileage figure 2-3 mpg lower if it used the same shift mapping as my X-5 3.0.

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vcatena

Posted January 27, 2004

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Posted January 27, 2004

After some experimentation I have been able to create this "geared-up" feeling by shutting off the PSM (Porsche Stability Management) which starts the vehicle in D1 instead of D2, and in addition keeps the transmission in gear longer. This prevents the transmission from shifting into D4 and D5 at 30mph - avoiding this annoying lethargic feeling I have been trying to describe.

Although this is better then before, it now feels almost too "geared-up" and revs high and becomes much too sporty.

I'm pretty sure that the transmission in the X5 4.6 is the same as the 4.4.

I'm not saying that the X5 transmission was the absolute best, but I am saying that the X5 was much better then the Cayenne's transmission at shift points.

Just as a note to those of you who have mentioned that they are considering a Cayenne - this is my experience so far.

maybe some of you who have had a similar experience could elaborate.

Obviously I feel the X5 Shifted Better then the Cayenne.

The Cayenne does NOT feel 50Hp faster then X5. (not 04 X5)

The Cayenne brakes blow away the BMW.

The Cayenne handling is far more accurate and precise and outhandles the BMW.

The Cayenne ride is softer and more luxurious.

The overall quality felt better on the X5 - Door weight, interior parts, shifter, blinkers switches, light switches, etc.

Overall the cars are like a tie in my mind. But a Porsche is still a Porsche. Honestly, I don't think I'd buy the turbo until I drove the new X5 4.8iS.

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2 months later...

cvt535

Posted April 8, 2004

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Posted April 8, 2004

I have an '04 Cayenne S. My brother told me not to get the car, but I went against what he said. My brother is a serious car buff. He has a Jeep Cherokee V8 he uses for work, and he has a X5 4.4. We raced! From a light I beat the Cherokee, but only pulled away after 50mph. Now I have 340hp and he has 245hp. To only pull away slightly after 50mph with 100hp more...that is sad. I realize that the torque and the way the Cayenne was designed was not to have as much torque, but in my opinion it was not designed properly. I raced the X5 4.4 and lost. 50hp more and still lost, sad again I say. Anyway the shifting problem is very evident. I would love to have a more sporty feeling. The X5 has a sport mode when the shifter is pushed over which I think the Cayenne severely needs. I read about turning the PSM off to get a sporty feeling please tell me what exactly the PSM is? What is it for and what will it also affect if I shut it off. Other than the shifting problem, and the let down of the nonexistent low end torque, I love the car. Hard to believe coming from the prior statements, but I just dropped the car off at the dealer to look at the trans. so I'm all hyped up. They told me there was a transmission upgrade on the software. Also I sometimes, in stop and go street traffic, got the feeling like the car stalled, it feels like its searching which gear to go in and can't decide. The dealer said the upgrade should take care of this.