Hummer H2 Or Porsche Cayenne

[DiscoDancingRover]

Here is the articulation I was talking about. And the compenition was from best SUV/off-road vehicle. I don't think we should continue to argue about this since we both feel patinate about our sides and that won't get us anywhere now would it? And I know you didn't mean slap him.

1995 Land Rover Discovery, with light envy
2003 Acura 3.2TL
1998 Volvo V70 XC

[Steve R]

Chris,

That pic is unfair...that front tire would have to drop 16" to touch the ground and the rear would have to be sucked upto the roof-racks!

Ya know...Alec W. went wheeling with Brianfriend recently. He said Brians rig had it's tires up in the air all over the place: that thing looked like a dog marking its territory on a street with LOTS of trees!

[DiscoDancingRover]

This doesn't look like a lot of articulation to me. IMHO. And its the best SUV/off-road vehicle. I don't think we should argue really about this since we both feel patinate about our sides. And I know you didn't mean to slap him, I am not that retarded.

1995 Land Rover Discovery, with light envy
2003 Acura 3.2TL
1998 Volvo V70 XC

[Dan]

Exactly Brooklyn, it makes me uneasy too. An 'out of their element' feeling. I'm not much for "Lapdog SUVs" so I'll stick with the HUMMER.

- Dan

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SUT on order since 12/02 - ONE YEAR to go!
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[Big Z]

Looks like they got the style from a Mini Cooper.

[MAC]

Diane, first of all, I don't know if that was true in your case, secondly that info is useless to you now. The dealer makes whole world of difference, doesn't it? If the dealer is nice, I'd forgive them for almost everything, if not that brand loses its shine. I took the Jag to a nearby independent shop I known for years, but they could not fix the Jaguar after several tries in several weeks, finally I took it to the Jaguar dealer 20 miles away thinking this must be a $2000 repair bill, I usually can guess the worst case repair bills. But the nice professional told me the truth about this old recall which I filed away and never took care. It was free. He knew I didn't know, he could've charged me $1000 and I'd thought it was my lucky day. Honest man and honest Jaguar Redwood city dealership. This was my fault by not taking care the recall.

I saw a white Cayenne a few minutes ago when I went out to pick up my 14 yr old son. Nice white color, seems better looking than the blue and charcoal I've seen many times. Cayenne is good choice.

[DiscoDancingRover]

this is the picture that was supposed to go in there.

1995 Land Rover Discovery, with light envy
2003 Acura 3.2TL
1998 Volvo V70 XC

[DiscoDancingRover]

Thanks you steve, but you forgot to comment on the awesome articulation I had going there. I will see how it does, but from what I have seen it looks pretty cool. I will just wait to see how it does perform.

1995 Land Rover Discovery, with light envy
2003 Acura 3.2TL
1998 Volvo V70 XC

[DiscoDancingRover]

Man Steve you must really hate that thing. But I have to dissage with you tha it is just a minivan comment. It doesn't have much an influence IMHO. I think it is pretty Badass (MAC don't yell at me please). Also look at the VW Touage or something like that. It will sell more then the Porsche and it pretty much the same thing minus the bigger engine. I like how the Porsche looks and it seems pretty confident off-road, the footage I saw of it on Moab was pretty cool...

Rover owner, with light envy...

[argonaut]

I had a debate over this very issue with my girlfriend. She wanted the turbo Cayenne, and I wanted the H2. Good thing it's my money H2 it is. But seriously, the cayenne is nice, but only for on road people, or people concerned with image. The H2 is that way tgo go if you plan on heading off the pavement. Plus it is more macho than a suped up soccer mom vehicle (cayenne).

[MAC]

"2 days a week exploits" is a gross exaggeration. What kind of man would abandon his family and goes off into the mountains 2 days a week? I think Hummer offroaders are far more normal than that. Otto is very observant in noticing that some friends sounded like they are offroading every day of the week and they don’t have a life outside of offroad. I can assure you that they do have a life besides offroad, regardless of what they may say.

But if offroad capabilities is the only judgment of an automobile, then you need to look no further than those weekend rock climbing and offroad TV shows with highly modified ugly trucks with huge tires. Hummer is a sissy joke compare to those real mean offroad vehicles.

Porsche is a magical brand, a name to be respected by any car lovers. I can imagine it must be a joy to drive the Porsche Cayenne daily, as I do with my Hummer.

[MAC]

(08:30 July 07, 2003) 2003 Porsche Cayenne Turbo. By THE EDITORS OF AUTOWEEK

DATE IN FLEET: June 12-19 AS-TESTED PRICE: $94,130
POWERTRAIN: 4.5-liter twin-turbo V8; 4wd, six-speed automatic HP: 450 @ 6000 rpm TORQUE: 457 @ 2250-4750 rpm. CURB WEIGHT: 5192 pounds

WILSON: I know I should like this. It works, it’s bloody fast, and I’m way past my beef that “Porsche shouldn’t build an SUV.” I mean, yes, Porsche doesn’t need an answer to Lexus or Range Rover or even BMW—Porsches are what they are. But it does need a volume-generator to help dealers survive and upgrade their operations, because, as we’ve seen in several long-term experiences, much of the dealer network lacks luster. So, okay, I’ll give it to ’em.

Not a Porsche? Well, what the heck would it be, then? It’s not a VW. This sucker goes like blazes, and you can even stop it from speed without too much drama (maybe no drama—everything in your experience says “This is gonna be bad” so your pulse rate goes up, then the Cayenne just stops... not quite like a Turbo or even a Boxster, but a whole lot better than anything this big should do). It grips in a turn as much as I’m willing to risk in a thing that feels this tall. It doesn’t lean significantly, it goes where you point it, you can drive it on the throttle. It’s a big, tall front-engine Porsche (maybe people who don’t remember previous front-engine Porsches won’t make the connection).

However... no sale. This is too heavy, too tall and just plain too un-fun for my tastes. Yeah, I know, it’s my old “Why am I sitting up here and why’s it weigh this much” complaint about all SUVs. I put the suspension on its lowest setting, I turned off the PSM (intrusive bugger that it is) and went for a quick drive around the lake. It performed well, but I wasn’t happy afterward—it wasn’t something I’d choose to do for kicks. The Cayenne doesn’t have the lithe handling or nice steering you find in the X5 (another vehicle I know I should like but don’t much). It might make better numbers, but it doesn’t feel better, and driving fun is all about feel, not just numbers. All the controls feel heavy, like this was a 928 that has been eating Double Whoppers with cheese at Burger King for the past 20 years. That was a “man’s car” in the vernacular of the day and this one has that same hefty feel about it.

Of the X5, I once wrote that you can teach a pig to dance, but when you’re done, you find yourself dancing with a pig. Substitute hippo for pig and you’ve got my take on driving this. Besides which, I really dislike the way it looks. Those commercials with the people doing outrageous things to get a look at it are ridiculous—no one is going to look at this and exclaim “Jeepers H. Christmas, that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” It ain’t as ugly as an Element or Aztek, granted, but Mrs. Wilson gets credit for describing it: “It looks like it’s out of proPorsche...” Bottom line: I won’t complain about Porsche making an SUV anymore so long as no one makes me drive it again. Deal?

MANDEL: I believe we need to burn some incense around here. Think positive thoughts. Put your subconscious in a happy place and expand your mind. Now: Is there room to place emphasis on the sport portion of the sport/ute equation? (Let us please not debate the worthiness or value of such vehicles. They are here to stay, so just suck it up.) And if you agree said “sport” influence is a valued modifier, which company is better to inculcate sport in trucks than Porsche? I do not mind “high-effort” switchgear; it should be higher effort than that in the Boxster, because in so doing it imparts the notion of ruggedness.

Will this 5200-pound truck make it off-road? Only when it has to turn around on the polo fields of Palm Beach... The performance in the turbo Cayenne is pretty spectacular, as it should be. This kind of acceleration and cornering capabilities belie its girth. This is more nimble than even expected. And at $94,000, is it not at the pinnacle of truckdom? You bet.

Forget for a moment that this vehicle, derided by purist enthusiasts and Porschephiles, goes outside the lines of what is and is not a pure Porsche. That it has added sales in a weakened economy, that it has given the company independence through size, that it has redefined and solidified a niche, are all paramount to it and the industry.

Do I like it? Yes. Would I buy this? If I were one of the 60 percent of Porsche owners who have a sport/ute in my garage anyway and could afford it, absolutely. Would I carry anything in it other than people and golf clubs? No way.

[H2Norcal]

I got a dual-bias thing going on here. I have owned and loved every one of my Porsche coupes (with the original body), but after they changed the body to look like a Ford Probe and introduced the Boxter which came with a million or so 23 year old yuppie.com drivers that thought they owned a real Porsche, I bailed on the company.

I was at Pismo Beach (a huge SVRA beach sand dune park in CA for the out-of-towners), and a Cayenne owner drove out on the beach looking to rent some ATVs. A Lexus GX was right next to it (with his air bags all raked up in the rear as in fear of getting a little sand on it). I am sorry but the drivers of both vehicles looked like they just stepped out of a summer dinner part in Newport Beach. Jewelry, preppy hair doos, loafers no socks...you get the picture...all this to drive around in the sand?

My point? A Hummer is truly like nothing else and I now realize I chose the right vehicle for me.

They can keep on thinking their Range Rovers, Disos, Cayennes, and GXs are rough and tough American off-road vehicles all day long. They're all great vehicles, don't get me wrong, but each have their own type of following and none represents me better than Hummer.

[MAC]

The MSRP of $54K is about the same, but turbo Cayenne is over $100K. My choice was and is Hummer. I used to think Cayenne is handsome, but I see more now, the more I look at that Cayenne the more ugly it looks.

Porsche owners are also very snobbish, 914, 928 and 944 were never accepted as "real Porsches". (928S4 is so beautiful!) I doubt Cayenne will ever be accepted, and that hatred lasts decades or forever among Porsche owners.

In Hummer's case, H2 has turned H1 into antique and their owners as antique collectors, in due time, by overwhelming quantity and by superior quality, H2 will be or is the Hummer standard bearer, H1 will be the respected beloved grandfather upstair.

[ticket2ride]

What kind of silly question is this? Why would anyone be torn between a HUMMER and a minivan?

[Grim_Smoker]

I'd buy the Cayenne and park it in the front yard, then climb the H2 on top of it in different poses, and park it. Get out take some pictures, and leave it as abstract art.

-Grim

2003 Sunset Metalic Orange H2 - Breathless Stage 2B, HID's, Gobi Rack & Ladder.

2003 Millenium Yellow Z06

[KenP]

I have a feeling most of us are biased with regard to the answer. But I chose the H2 over all others due to many factors. Bad Ass and different were among them. Of course I upgraded the performance. Can the Porsche Pepper spin tires on dry pavement ?

Seriously, I could have gotten the Pepper but just fell in love with the H2. Ride, comfort, performance and "Awe" factor made it the truck for me.

Black Lingenfelter Lux

[HOHOH2]

I'm in love with the H2 but I have to admit to being intrigued by the Cayenne. There is an offroad package and the approach/departure angles are better than most. I guess I'd be the craziest Cayenne owner on the planet for even thinking that I could keep up offroad but I am intrigued.

[DiscoDancingRover]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by H2Norcal:
I guess I see this the same as the Range Rover and the Disco.....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The disco wasn't cheap or anything like that. You are thinking of the freelander.

1995 Land Rover Discovery, with light envy
2003 Acura 3.2TL
1998 Volvo V70 XC

[Steve R]

Hey...I'm VERY happy that Chris in on the forum. While we may discuss and argue merits of various vehicles...he's still our buddy, and much like Mike....is very welcome here..and appreciated!

With that said...Chris, you're a fu&#^ing blindass moron!!! What the hell are you.....just kidding.

I think the pic of the H2 you show is rather peculiar. The front left wheel is under extreme compression and has the sway bar pulling up very strong on the right wheel. The rear doesn't look too impressive, but you have to remember there already exist a large gap between between the wheel & well.

Still, the H2 articulates significantly more then the H1. Trust me...it does very well offroad and one thing is very consistent: it continually surprises MANY people how well it actually does.

Chris...do you really believe/think the cayenne can compete against a Disco????? Seriosly?