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Old 12-28-2018, 10:38 AM   #3
lemming
Western Anomaly
 
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: White Orca
Posts: 16,583
Quote:
Originally Posted by equ View Post
All of those SUV's appeal to me, certainly over Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator.

The Cayenne diesel was a near miss for me, I got very close, got very specific with specs, found it but could not pull the trigger.

1. The engine felt wheezy not healthy at times (likely due to dieselgate fix). The JGC diesel may have been a touch slower but the wall of torque was smoother at lower rpm. There are diehard Cayenne diesel owners rejecting the fix (even against mucho $$$ incentives).

2. The handling was better than the JGC, but still not quite good enough. The Macan is much better to drive (but of course smaller). One additional reason to size may be the transfer case. One thing I'm noticing with the Macanurbo is how much of the power going to the rear, something like 75 to 80% in conditions that would generate push/understeer. I think the Cayenne diesel shares the not as rear-biased but indestructible case of Touaregs and Q7 Audis, that may be cutting the fun. Cayenne S's and Turbos use the Macan transfer case, I'm not sure if they are as rear-biased, but I expect they would be. I never minded the handling of my v6 loaners. It does have better weight distribution than the Macan, but in the real world, when you drive it, the Macanurbo shrinks around you and approximates the old RS4 (without the glorious noise, but with a lot more tech and practicality).

The RRS Td6 is an attractive vehicle. I've been in an RRS, but not driven it. Nice, not-fussy interior. If I were in the market again, I'd consider it.

I do miss the JGC at times. How it swalllowed a 72" mini-couch whole. 29mpg on the highway and smooth pairing of torque & ZF8. But I don't miss its handling, and I had the air springs. Also some interior bits and pieces, especially that foot parking brake, drove me nuts. Definitely a rational choice and you can extend warranties to the moon with Mopar.


Did you try the BMW diesel in the X5? I want to investigate that also.

The sad reality for me is that a CPO E350 wagon might do the trick. I don’t think the SUV capability is really needed. That’s just for fun.
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