First issue: Lease is up in two months----thats a problem if you plan to order and have a replacement at the time of turn in. You can search dealers in your area for current inventory and stock allocations soon to be delivered to dealers that have not been spoken for but know you will not get your ordered unit in two months unless you have uncanny luck on your side.
grhymes has it correct about the difference in the options, I have a 2012 BMW X5d with Adaptive Drive and it blows away our Cayenne diesel that we have with PASM/Air in the body roll category. As already stated the Cayenne diesel will not be optioned with PDCC in the states which is the real anti/roll option to compete with BMW's Adaptive Drive option. Lucky to have and enjoy both, have yet to pick a clear winner between them overall. I have told the wife many times I wish I could squeeze them together to make a near perfect unit.

 

But you are in NY so less boat travel time is on your side.

 

+1 --This post is spot on (IMO) !!!

 

You dont need PDCC for normal everyday driving in the NY area. Its a dynamic chassis that is uneccesary unless you are really a "driver". PASM is what you are looking for...you have 3 choices for suspension stiffness which is what you were talking about I believe. We barely even put PDCC on 911's. While its an awesome option, its just not too practical for the price around here.

 

To the OP, I would like to say you're thinking in the right direction, but as a 958 GTS owner with PDCC I'm going to go against the advice you're being given here. I suspect that many of the replies you're getting are from people who may not actually have spent time in vehicle with and without PDCC. Most dealers don't spec the option on their GTS inventories, so it's hard to find a lot of examples to test.

Even if you do find one on a lot, there's only so much you can accomplish in a dealer test drive, but I do think if you can drive two otherwise similarly-specced cars with and without PDCC through a couple of cloverleafs on a freeway interchange you'll start to get a sense for it (GTS vs. GTS, or Turbo vs. Turbo, either way gives you the contrast). That may give you enough to go on, but my experience was that the real fun came when I took the car and was able to get it out on a coastal and back roads where it had the space and curves to really engage the PDCC to a fuller extent. It was then that I was shocked at just how capable the GTS with PDCC is. Throw it into sport mode and you have almost zero body roll and you even can feel the rear axle communicating with you. It hunkers down and turns into a different car. The lower weight, lower ride height, and wider track than other Cayenne models all helps too, of course, and the PDCC keeps it all together. You're much more aware of the tires' limitations than anything else, but it's just not like any 'SUV' you've ever been in. Even compared to the Turbo, it just feels lighter, lower, and more agile.

Consider this, though. If you were going to spec a chassis option that's designed to significantly reduce body roll, wouldn't you think it's most necessary on the tallest, heaviest vehicle type in the Porsche line-up? Also, have you read any reviews in the English car magazines (especially Evo) about the GTS? They all mention the uncanny lack of body roll, and they all state specifically that PDCC is a must-have option. They even prefer the GTS with PDCC to the Turbo S.

For some reason I got the same BS story over and over again from numerous dealer salesmen that PDCC isn't necessary on a Cayenne, despite everything available to read in the motoring press. Almost none of them had ever driven one with it, of course. However, when the salesman I worked with actually went out and drove the GTS I bought with PDCC he went back into the office and told his manager they need to start ordering more with it because it sells itself to anyone who actually buys a Cayenne for its relatively high dynamic abilities for a car its size. It's a dramatic difference and one that I think needs to be standard on the car. It transforms the feel and it's what makes the GTS with PDCC handle like nothing else in the class.


I also came from a long BMW history, including significant time in the X5. I think I know what you're looking for based on your questions, and if you're looking to do anything more than commute, run errands, and go in straight lines you'll thank yourself for holding out for PDCC as soon as you get the car out of the city for the break-in period and experience something that will shock you for its breadth of capabilities.

I think PDCC should be standard on any Cayenne, and that you'll never regret the extra $ or time to get one with it once you spend time behind the wheel.

Finally, a note on gas mileage. I'm currently have about 8,000 miles on the clock and on long freeway hauls I'm averaging near 22mpg for the trip. It's nothing to get excited about, but if there's any concern about range on longer trips the GTS does get decent range out of its tank.

Good luck with your decisions... I've only chimed in here because I had a lot of the same concerns, and because I've been so pleased with the car.

 

Thank you all for your input. NorCalGTS, coming from the adaptive drive I think I will need the PASM with Pddc. There are a lot of opinions that say I don't need it however I am very use to this type of handling and enjoy it. That leads me to a special order Cayenne. Don't kill me but I am test driving a GC SRT. Let you know how it goes.

 

Update * GCSRT - i test drove today and it performs well. Lots of HP and Torque, handling was good however coming from the BMW and looking at the Porsche, quality fit and finish is not there. Plus, the residual is very low on this vehicle, leases at $ 1575 per month, makes no sense unless you purchase. Going to order Cayenne S or Diesel. Going back to the dealer to drive both again. Another question, how do you prefer the steering wheel? Sport model or multifunction unit? I understand the sport model has an extra stalk to access the cluster screen? Does it work well?

 

I haven't used the Sport wheel, but if I had it to do again I'd go that route I think.

For a multi-function wheel they only give you one button that you can program to do one thing.

I've seen some people complain about not liking the paddles, but I think I'd prefer them over the buttons.

I think the best you can do is test them both. As far as I know the wheels are common across all the cars so if they don't have them in the Cayennes, check the other cars too.

 

It looks like i am going with the diesel. Drove the CS and CD back to back, both with out PASM and although the CS is quicker, the CD torque makes it equally as fun to drive. They are offering me 5% of MSRP for a 14 model, special order. Is this a fair discount? Lease price differance between the CS and CD is about $300 per month, residual on CD is much better. BTW, i did pick up the throttle vibration concerning the CD in the accelerator. Not an issue for me.

 

At the end of last year it seems 4% was pretty normal so 5% sounds good to me. Add a tuner to the diesel and I don't think you'll miss the faster S at all

 

Great choice .. we have had our diesel for about 3 months and it amazes us more each day.

I recently drove from Winnipeg to Saskatoon with 4 people at approximately 130km/hr. After 830 km the tank was still reading 230km of range. The machine is a beast.

 

But there are also volume, mode, info screen, etc. switches on the wheel. Whereas on the Sport wheel there is....nothing, besides paddles.

I would have gone sport wheel had I bought a gasser. But the amount of time I'll be self shifting a diesel is so small, I'd rather have the controls on the wheel for all the ancillary functions.

 

Good choice man Cayenne > X5

 

As i understand the sport wheel has another stalk that can navigate through the dash display, i am correct?

 

100% correct rocket.