Whats good with the Land Rover?

[daRoverboii]

We're moving to toronto and my wife is insisting on a new car to move.
She wants a Land Rover or a Porsche Cayenne. I don't know that much
about either of these cars, but was hoping to get your opinion on how
they compare: My wife wants a new car!

[jmrivera]

Originally Posted by daRoverboii

We're moving to toronto and my wife is insisting on a new car to move.
She wants a Land Rover or a Porsche Cayenne. I don't know that much
about either of these cars, but was hoping to get your opinion on how
they compare: My wife wants a new car!

The Rover is going to enable you to do what other cars dream of doing, but it does come at a cost... I am not familiar with the Cayenne other than its fast, expensive and a Porsche...

Best advice, ask her why she wants a Rover or a Porsche and go drive them both is your real life situations (run to the grocery store, salon, etc.). See which you enjoy driving more and buy that one...

[petty]

I always considered Land Rover to be one of my options. Got owned a BMW X5 and yet, much more impressed with LR. Much more stunning on its style and performance.

____________________
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[tablets]

Being this is a Land Rover only forum, I'd be surprised to see anyone say go for the Porsche.


I'd definitely go for the Land Rover. I haven't driven or know a lot about the Cayenne, but I can't see it exceed the capabilities of a Land Rover.

[yieldsign2]

On-road handling will probably be a lot better in the Cayenne, which is probably what is more important to you. They are also very capable off the pavement, considering how good it is on-road.

If you want something bulkier, a little more creature-comfort savvy, then the land rover probably makes more sense.

[TerryS]

If those two vehicles have made your short list, and you've driven both to satisfy yourself they both perform well as any new vehicle should, then you need to look at facts a little further down from the surface.
We count owning no less than 20 different Land Rovers in our cummulative family ownership, six at present, four of which are on the road. In total I've owned one Porshe, and still have it ('87 911 Targa Carrera) and with cars of all sorts being my principal pastime, I feel mildly capable to answer your initial question.
Almost no currently offered vehicle today will depreciate faster than a new Land Rover, and give the new vehicle owner less overall satisfaction. Many of the features embodied that address high end appointments are first to fail. Seemingly simple electrical and electronic circuitry is often overcomplicated, difficult to diagnose, and plagued with repetitive failures. Try as they have, the marque simply can't improve on it's lifelong history of poor fuel economy on those models offered to the US market. On the otherhand, their newest diesel engines are above criticism, but there are none on our horizon.
It isn't a 'German vs British' thing so much, because Mercedes ranks barely better.
Porsche, on the otherhand, ranks consistantly at the top for initial, and overall long term owner satisfaction. I have spent less on my Porsche in almost 20 years than we spent on our Freelander in 3 years, or my Defender in 5 years. Only because of it's rarity do I know I can sell my Defender for more than I paid for it. I am confident that if I decided to sell the Porsche, I would get more than half what it cost in 1987. A Westminster Edition Range Rover, at $104K, based on auction prices of current Land Rovers, will be worth less than one third after 5 years.
If you could buy a new Defender today, you could do almost anything a Camel Trophy truck did 20 years ago. Simply being gentically related to those trucks will not impart the same capability to the current offering. They will, however, do almost anything that all but the most hardcore offroad, or expedition driver would want to do. Fact is, whether most Land Rover owners would admit, so will a Cayenne, and in equal comfort and with far less likelyhood of a failure.
Dedicated Land Rover owners are likely to always be just that. The trucks embody a rough-around-the-edge spirit of adventure. The new models exude an image of having made it, but the general implication is that the drivers cling to the perception they can, and are willing to pay the price to keep that image up. There's no denying that Land Rover owners believe their vehicles have more personality than almost everything else out there. I don't disagree either. It's a major reason why I have driven them for over 35 years, and it sure doesn't hurt that I can, and like working on the models we own (I couldn't say that about the Freelander, thankfully gone). If I were in the financial position to buy either a new Cayenne, or a new high end Land Rover, and I actually wanted a new car, I wouldn't expect to be able to do anything but the simplest maintainance. But likewise, I wouldn't expect a car costing that much to require anything more than routine maintainance. I believe a new Porsche would likely meet, or nearly meet that expectation. I'd be an idiot to think a new Land Rover would.

[XtremeMarine]

I worked for Porsche as a tech in the mid 90's. I have owned two. And driven more, including the new ones, than I can count. I still am friend's with the dealers owner, and go test drive every new model when it arrives (excluding the Carrera GT).
I went and test drove a base V8 model Cayenne, when I was having issues with my DII. I loved the on road handling, the interior feel, and the overall ergonomics of the Porsche much more than my DII. But it still did not have the feel of the DII. Between the feeling of "I can go wherever, whenever I want", and the command driving position, I personally felt more at home in the LR.
I also drove the VW Touareg. Which shares more than just the base platform with the Cayenne. They were designed, engineered, and produced side by side. Many parts are the same, not just the chassis. A high line (but not the highest) Touareg costs less than the Porsche base model. And the surprising thing was it was Better. Better ergonomics. Better onroad feel, if not high speed handling alone. Better interior quality. Better build quality. And better warranty and service programs. Not to mention a heck of a lot more dealers around to service it while under warranty.
You have to test drive them to know which one your wife, and you will like better. And not some 5 mile loop. A good 20-30 minute test drive. If you're serious enough, the dealers will give you a lender or service car for an hour or two. They are desperate for sales right now.
But in the long haul; if you like the Porsche better; I would have to recommend that you go test drive a top of the line, fully optioned out Touareg II. If se doesn't want it for the Keeping up with the Joneses look; she should be okay driving the VW; and it will be a very good value for the dollar for your family.

[TerryS]

Good point. I was also thinking of the Toureg, but didn't bring it up as it wasn't what he was trying to compare. When my wife was shopping (read: Get rid of Freelander) we saw a high end Toureg on the lot, 1 2005 I think. Jeez was I pushin for that one. Nope she wanted a NEW Forrester, and got an LL Beano.