Q7 vs Touareg vs Cayenne

[Aggie88]

Being these are all based on the same platform, has anyone ever driven all three? Please share your experiences in the area of handling/ride characteristics and ride comfort. I have heard the early Touaregs are not as quiet as the Q.

[pagpc]

yes, i have. porsche is great, but too small for what i needed. biggest trouble with the toureg is that it is sold and serviced by vw dealers. not what anybody wants. porsche has more power, but not enough to warrant the price. q7 is by far the best package.

[Ted K]

on purchasing a 2008 Q7 as a replacement. Here's my thoughts:

Interior first:

The Touareg is more of a traditional german interior, with beatiful treatments comparable to the Q, but different in design. The seats are more firm and the design is more traditional (square wood inserts on doors versus organic and angular in the Q). Features are comparable, although the Q has some more high tech goodies. The interior is more up to date via the MMI, versus the Treg, which houses the Nav and Radio in one dash mounted unit, and the Computer via a driver's displacy(i.e., features menu, trip computer, feature activation/deactivation, tire pressure monitoring, etc.) via steering wheel controls. I do have to say that the steering wheel controls in the Touareg are far superior to those on the Q IMHO.

Drive: I feel the drive is pretty comparable. The Q has a bit more power from the V8 which is noticeable. I am comparing a bit of apples to oranges, as my Touareg has the air suspensions, and none of the Audi dealers near me have demos with this feature. However, I'm assuming it will be pretty close. The big difference is that the Touareg has a low spead transfer case with locking center and rear differentials. These have limited uses, but are important if you are doing heavy offroading, towing in sand or soft gravel, etc. I don't, so while it is a bit of a concern, it's not enough for me to shy away from the Q. The other is price. The Q is considerably more pricey for a comparably equipped model.

As for the Cayenne, I've never driven but the reports do say it has a different feel from the others and is more sporty. It's also in another league on price over the Q.

Overall, I think the Q has some more high tech goodies, such as Audi side Assist, rear camera, panoramic roof, Audi Lane Assist, shift paddles, etc. The interior is a very different look, although both are absolutely beatiful. Hope this helps.

[Ted K]

FAR superior to the Audi. I've owned 3 Audis and two VW's in the last 5 cars. The most difficult part of buying our Q is going to be finding the best of the worst out of the local audi dealers. If our VW dealer sold both lines, it would be a no brainer.

[pagpc]

and ours behave as they are still selling $1800 bugs.

[Ted K]

[MarkItZero]

Driven all three enough to draw some comparisons. First of all, they all drive about the same. Most the difference is ride stiffness , the Cayenne is the stiffest of the bunch and the Touareg the softest and they are all steel suspension models. I'm not a huge fan of the Cayenne as I think you are paying for the name (actually, I'm sure of it) and it's traditional "we're going to do things our way" Porsche engineering. The Touareg is the workhorse, tows 7700 lbs., isn't afraid to get dirty but as mentioned, suffers from a substandard dealer network for a $50k vehicle. The Q7 is more of a big station wagon to me.. which is fine, no low gear, lots of stuff to scratch to be considered a serious offroad machine.

Overall, I like them all a lot better than anything else out there so far. I've written a few comparisons on my Touareg and Q7 in the past on this forum..

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[Randy M]

I used to like Porsche. I've personally had 3 911's and my immediate family has had 6. They used to make great cars that were unique. Now I find them to be entirely too expensive. I mean who wants to pay a thousand bucks for a leather wrapped cigarette lighter? Joking aside they just don't do it for me anymore. Audis have really taken over as my favorite brand now. Especially when you consider what lies in the future.

[Stinky999]

If you want a larger vehicle with a third row seat, naturally the Q7 is it. If off-roading and/or maximum towing capacity is more important, go with the T-reg. If brand image is more important than value, get the Cayenne.

I've owned Porsches (sports cars!) for the better part of 20 years. I didn't seriously consider the Cayenne. Unless you can afford the Turbo, you're paying an awful lot just to have that crest on the hood.