TDI Shopping: Touareg vs Cayenne

I'm looking to replace the mighty little CR-V with something bigger, more capable off-road, and with better fuel economy, and I've found myself in a VAG corner.  Getting into 2011-2014 3.0 TDI vehicles with ground clearance has brought up the 7P Touareg and the 958 Cayenne.  Neither is easy to find with air suspension + diesel, but it appears that the Cayenne (left) might have more off-road modes vs the Touareg (on road and off road switch).
 

I may be mistaken, but I think the 958 still had a transfer case as well.  It definitely has the Porsche factor of comfort, amenities, and insurance rate but prices for equal examples are 2x the Touareg.  Is it twice the car?   The Touareg also has a better brown color available, so that's eventually a factor ;)

Dont forget ththe audi q7.  7 pass and can be had in tdi flavor

Haven't driven then cayenne but we have a 2011 3.0 lux TDI Touareg. If you're going to get an SUV I feel like this is the way to go. We looked at Q7s but didn't think the interior was as up to date as the VW. The Porsche was simply not worth the extra since it's %95 the same car.

We have a 958 diesel.  It does still have a transfer case but not like the older cayennes where it was mechanical and truly a low range.  This one is electronic and doesn't really do the same thing.

I drove it back to back with a touareg diesel and they drive very differently.  I like the exterior looks of the touareg better but the handling and transmission programming of the cayenne is much better, along with the interior. 

We have almost 60k miles on ours its been fairly good to us.  A few issues that warranty has taken care of like the catalytic convertor, EGT sensors, the manual clock on the dash and it's about to go in for the mirror control switch. 

A friend has one with 150k miles on it and it's been reliable for him.  Plan is to put around 100k miles on it and then decide whether we're going to keep it longer or get rid of it.

It's a special SUV as it can easily get 35mpg on the freeway at 80mph, has great torque, can tow almost 8000lbs and is very comfortable.  It's also a nice size, not huge like a tahoe but not tiny either.

We bought a 11' Touareg last September, had 71k on it, Lux package.  No off roading and no towing yet, but we have only put 10k on it since we bought it.  Zero issues uncovered so far.  It chews up the highway like nothing I've owned before, very comfortable on trips, back seat is huge, power lift gate is nice when shopping.  It's fast and pulls great, but not sports car fast.  It's good buy in my opinion.

Biggest model changes are 11' and 12' are 225HP and 410TQ, no cat, DPF and SCR only.   13' and newer are 240HP, have cat, DPF and SCR.  All are 8 speed auto, center locker only.

Biggest differences between Lux and Exec packages are Exec ( I think ) is air suspension and touch entry/touch start, and a better stereo. 

None of the V6 TDI Touaregs came with air suspension.  I don't think it was an option at all.  Very few of the Cayenne diesels have it, the dealers didn't order them with it.  So if you find one its a customer ordered car.

In reply to docwyte :

Ah, that makes sense I can stop scouring ads! I really like the Cayenne, and you're right, it does drive differently to the Touareg, though I think I like the slightly truckier feel and the panoramic roof. They're both fun, just different fun!  Wondering if the TCM from the 958 will move over to the 7P or if there's some kind of weird Porsche-bus it looks to...

I've found an inexpensive 2012 Touareg TDI Lux that I'm going to pick up on Thursday. I really wanted to find an Executive package, but they're consistently $4-6k more expensive than the Lux. It's got the stock calipers painted red and "Brembofied", with some B8 S5 wheels and a couple leaks between the head and turbo. Lucky part is that since it just had the emissions fix done 3k ago, Emich VW verified that the extended warranty is covering anything wrong from the cylinder head to the back of the SCR cat. 

In reply to sobe_death :

Emich is a good dealer, they're less than ten minutes from my office.  I haven't needed any warranty work done for my R but that's where I'll go if it does.

The extended warranty on these was a huge reason why I bought one.  We still have almost two years left on the bumper to bumper and the powertrain warranty is got 10 years/120k miles I think.  Gives a huge amount of peace of mind.

Adopted a 2011 Touareg Lux yesterday! The leather needs a good conditioning, but it's in otherwise great shape!  She's going in to have the exhaust and possibly EGR replaced under warranty, but first mod will be to add a dipstick (really, VW?) and a VCDS setup.

I added the dipstick to my Cayenne, one of the first things I did.  At least there's still a dipstick tube so we can retrofit the dipstick...

You know there is an oil level sensor on main infotainment screen?

Nofive_0 said:

You know there is an oil level sensor on main infotainment screen?

Yea but it takes a few minutes to get a reading.  At least on my Audi it does

I have not much to add other than.....

https://www.prgproducts.com/product-page/cayenne-5inch-lift-kit
 

Heck it looks like we talked about this and I never saw it....
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/cayenne-turbo-lift-kit/160184/page1

Thats all.....

In reply to docwyte :

I ordered one too, and a VCDS/hex cable. 

Took it out on Buffalo Pass this weekend and holy hell, even without lockers this truck just wants to eat up terrain! 

Necro lift!  Posting to say that I liked the Cayenne diesel enough that I just bought a Touareg TDI R line as my "new" daily.  

Our cayenne now has 112k miles on it and is still running strong.  No real issues, it's under warranty until January of 2025 or 120k miles.  The Touareg I just bought is probably out of warranty, I need to check...

Thinkkker said:

I have not much to add other than.....

https://www.prgproducts.com/product-page/cayenne-5inch-lift-kit
 

Before ordering anything from there I would recommend doing a search for reviews of the business, and if you still feel comfortable proceeding make sure to talk to him by phone or email before paying for anything.  That's a mistake I will not make again.

In reply to docwyte :

Nice! What year R-line?

 My Touareg just went out of the TDI warranty at 166k miles, so it's likely to have the DPF deleted at the end of summer.

BTW, I did end up adding a dipstick back in 2020, part number 059115611AA. 

In reply to Parker with too many Projects :

Not sure they have emission testing where you are, but if so, will DPF delete be a problem? 

As much as I hate deleting emission related stuff, sometimes I wonder if it would be best on my wife's car. But then I wonder about resale value. 

In reply to Slippery :

There is diesel emissions testing in Denver/Front range Colorado, but it's an exhaust opacity test. I've seen F250's roll coal on the dyno during the test and receive a passing result, so it's seemingly toothless. The 3.0 TDI doesn't generate much soot (if you have a decent tune!), and the increase in fuel economy and power is well worth it! I'd also be keeping the primary and NOX catalysts installed.

What is your wife's vehicle? On some, a delete might actually raise resale.

In reply to Parker with too many Projects :

2014 BMW 328xd wagon.

We don't really have any emissions here in Fl, but I was thinking more of when the time comes to move on from it. Not sure how potential buyers will see this.

Coworker bought a diesel Cayenne last fall and we've already used it to tow a 20' trailer with a Miata and a bunch of stuff across the mountains to CA. It performed quite well - didn't struggle much with the passes and came back with pretty good fuel economy. He's loving it (although it replaced a 1998 Grand Cherokee with a quarter million miles on it and a howling rear end, so anything would have been better). He's also had a turbo replaced under the warranty. I suspect the resale value of these is highly influenced by the remaining time left on the warranty.

Even if emissions aren't a problem where you live, they might be a problem where a potential future owner lives. I'd keep the take-off parts at a minimum.

I still have mine. It's still my go-to heavy tow vehicle. It's also decent off-road but more fragile than I want my primary off-road machine to be. 

I am still liking my high mileage 958 Diesel. I can't say I loved doing the intake coolant leak repair recently but the parts were at least cheap. Just how much crap can one company jamb in the intake valley. No real issues towing a 20' enclosed with the vintage FF. Mine is still stock in terms of tune and emissions. I am debating on installing a tune before the delete or just waiting until the Ad-blue or DPF dies and doing it all at once then. I am oozing a bit of oil, 1-2 ticks on the electronic gauge every 5000 miles but at that rate I am not concerned. It doesn't look like a vehicle that is 10 years old and has 150k miles on it. I overpaid a bit but it was a one owner vehicle with full dealer history. It will not see another $1200 dealer oil change under  my ownership :-) 

In reply to wake74 :

My Touareg is the same age as your 958. It has fewer miles, but not by much.

I bought all the parts and the tune to delete mine and put them on a shelf. If the DPF, EGR, or Adblue systems ever die, I'll decide on repair or delete. 

I do have a stage 2 Malone tune that bumps the HP to 305 and the TQ to 490. It is noticeable. Like spin all 4 tires on concrete noticeable. 

The coolant leak under the intake, I paid a shop to take care of. Mine was the oil cooler O-ring. While they had the intake off, I had them replace every soft part and O-ring under it. At $1700, I consider it money well spent. 

In reply to Parker with too many Projects :

I've got a 2014.  I need to check when it goes out of dieselgate warranty, but it's usually 10 years and 120k miles, so I suspect it's out of warranty already.

That part number is for the earlier CATA engine code, I've got the CNRB code and need the part number ending in "AM"