2004 Porsche Cayenne review from North America

The dealer did not inform me that I needed winter tires.

The steering makes funny noises.

The air conditioning is inconsistent.

The car shifts at the wrong times.

The engine is too small for a 4800 pound vehicle.

The V6 engine is too small for this heavy vehicle. If you go uphill in hot weather, often you have to manually shift to a lower gear to get enough power. Passing speed should be better. With the next model up, the 'S', you get great power, but you cannot modulate pedal effort, so the vehicle tends to lurch from a standstill.

The salesperson did not talk about the tires needing to be switched in the winter. Thus, you need to alternate tires (and expensive rims) because the manufacturer puts high performance tires on this all wheel drive SUV.

There is no separate zone setting for the air conditioning, even though you have passenger settings. The is only one overall setting.

The looks of the vehicle are marvelous, the braking is exact, and the steering is precise. These features are overshadowed by some other glaring flaws.

The dealer was not consistent on how frequent oil changes are necessary.

There is no garage door opener option available on the base model, which is still expensive.

There is no full size spare, only an inflatable mini tire with its own compressor in the trunk.

I have replaced the radio in the first 8 months of ownership.

There are so many factory recalls that I don't know how many items have been altered.

Do not expect to get a Porsche loaner if you are getting service.