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Review of the 2009 Porsche Cayenne GTS

2009 Porsche Cayenne

Price Range $44,600 to $123,600

suitable for: Diapers
School
Teens

11 to 14
City MPG

17 to 20
Hwy MPG

5 Seats
2 Rows
2 Latch Connectors
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Interior

Over the years, the majority of interiors in my test cars have been black. This makes me crazy because black-colored interiors show every scuff mark and crumb. When I looked through the Cayenne’s window and saw it was black, I let out an audible groan. I know I sound spoiled. However, when I opened the door and saw the suede interior I actually squealed in delight. It’s actually Alcantara, a simulated suede, but it sure fooled me. Unlike black leather, it looked so cozy and luxurious, and it behaved accordingly. It was even on the headliner, people. What happens when milk is spilled on suede? I’ll never know because beverages were banned from the backseat.

Beverages in the front seat were a little tricky, too, because the cupholders are too close together. If two lidded cups were put in the side-by-side cupholders, they didn’t fit quite right. Yep, spoiled.
The other things that didn’t fit correctly were the kid’s booster seats in the backseat. The rear seats were too bolstered for the boosters to fit properly. While this may not be an issue for parents with bigger kids, this perennial problem has my kids in fits of frustration from the beginning of the test drive to the end. They couldn’t embrace the romance of having booster problems in a Porsche quite the same way I could. However, all non-booster-using passengers who rode in the car were thrilled with its comfort and support.

What other passengers also embraced was the amount of space in the backseat. It was surprising because the Cayenne looks so compact. The cargo area is also surprisingly roomy. It’s not double-stroller roomy, but it is single-kid-stroller roomy. The same can be said for the front seats. They hug, comfort and pamper you with their suede-ness. Mmmm.

On a side note, I thought the interior had a masculine feel because it was nearly all black. For some people this isn’t a big deal, but for me I think I’d have to have a different color interior to counter all the black knobs and switches on the center stack. It’s petty, yes, but if I were buying this SUV I’d need to be completely happy with the fixtures because I’d likely request to be buried in it.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

shopping around: At cars.com

key interior: Features

    ● Alcantara simulated suede
    ● Information system
    ● Bolstered seats
    ● Cargo space
    ● Did I mention the suede?

available interior: Colors

  • Black
  • Havanna/Sand Beige
  • Sand Beige
  • Stone Gray/Steel Gray

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