My Cayenne base EV finally arrived (first impressions, reviews, updates)

[CHP]

Traffic lights: that’s kind of a problem here in UK. Depending on traffic light placement (not always adhering to common sense) and seat position you may not be able to see any if you are in front row due to A pillars and massive upper console with rear mirror. Mercedes had automatic wide angle live feed view on centre console display which was very useful. You get a red traffic light signal in display but not sure if I want to trust it. Traffic light placement in UK can be very innovative so you can’t be sure which light he is recognising.

 

[Wivenhoe]

CHP - the roundabout and severe corner function is in the Macan - the car does slow after the icon appears in the HUD. it Is a function in the Macan you need to turn on so in your Macan it probably wasn’t.

 

[Wivenhoe]

7 years ago in my BMW you could set a location for the front cameras to turn on. So at a junction with limited sight lines, you could set that as a location and as you stopped at it, the cameras came on and you could see if any cars were approaching. A simple idea but very useful.

The same BMW used to put a warning up when turning off the car that you had left your mobile in the charger. Again, a simple function but really helpful - more so in the Cayenne if you close the charger cover !

 

[CHP]

Update after one week (base, 21 inch)
- Drive comfort is perfect, easy to handle in the city despite it’s size (RAS).
- You feel kind of disconnected from the busy streets during rush hour, it’s very relaxing to drive.
- Car feels slower than it actually is, needs some time to get used to and to appreciate. I had new 911 GTS yesterday for direct comparison. The electric turbo should provide torque at low rpm. In reality, base Cayenne has >800 Nm instantly and seems faster in the city in general.
- PCM. No real complaints. Some newer functionality like Mood modes may see some upgrades in the future as they seem a little restricted. Traffic light indicator seem to work but icon is very small and not integrated in HUD. Asked during Master class, some functionality maybe restricted in favour of stability.
- PCM architecture: Some of car’s functionality (like mood modes) can be seen as individual software on device manager. Maybe we will be able to purchase some through App Store in future.
- Passenger screen: Apple car play doesn’t extend (apparently due to apple) so you would need car‘s build in or downloaded software to change music. My girls use Amazon Music and this works better than on Apple car play. Those with Spotify should have a blast, fully integrated into car (mood modes).

I have been quite active on the Macan forum due to circumstances at the time, so far I have seen none of the problems described. Haven’t charged my car though .

 

[CHP]

Quick update:

Someone made a yoke about air conditioning in UK heatwave. I handed in my Macan EV more than 6 months ago so comparison is based on recent 911 loaners and recollection. The air conditioning is nearly instant, cooling down car via remote to very acceptable levels takes about 2-3 min, and driving with open roof and air conditioning really works well in heatwave (911 was struggling with same setting and felt uncomfortable). I was never a fan of controlling vents via display (Taycan and Panamera loaner), I preferred the manuals on Macan which however felt kind of cheapish. Like with many things, if your initial resentment passes (you know you have to live with it) you start appreciating it. Slight learning curve to operate safely while driving but so much easier to achieve preferred air flow.

In summery, air conditioning is simply the best (by a big margin) I have ever driven. Driving with open panorama roof and air conditioning during UK heatwave is absolutely amazing (not sure if this would work for Arizona). Bose sound seems better as well - I think the speaker position is different - but sound is so subjective that I might be wrong. The subwoofer for sure is better integrated in underfloor compartment - can’t get worse than Macan which looked like DIY project. Anyway, super happy with sound and that’s all what matters to me and my family.