I've been getting a lot of questions about the P250, so I figured I'd finally sit down and write a collection of my thoughts about the car after 6 weeks of ownership.
The Good:
The car looks fantastic, as I think we all know by now. This car is beautifully styled inside and out and I'm constantly turning back to look at it. I'll probably never stop. I've decided I don't love the two tone look with the gray lower valance (on a black car) and silver rear trim, so I have an appointment to have it all wrapped in black. I'll be sure to post new pictures once it's done. The car is a joy to drive. For those still wondering, I find the coil suspension to be close to perfect. The car is soft and coddling around town, but when pushed it handles impressively and is fun to drive. It's obviously not as sporty as the Macan, but it's not far off from the standard Cayenne imo.
The bad:
There's not much bad to speak of, but I have two complaints with the car. The first is the build quality doesn't seem quite as good as the German competition. The hard plastic in the interior is out of place for the price range. The doors also close with a feeling that's a bit lighter and more hollow than I'm used to with Mercedes and Porsche. This could be due to the aluminum body. I've never owned an aluminum car before so I can't say. The exterior window trim by the drivers side mirror also feels a bit loose and rubs/creaks when I open an close the door, but I know it's a simple fix. The second and larger complaint is the usb phone interface/incontrol apps. It's honestly the worst, least reliable system I've ever used in a vehicle and I've given up on it. I exclusively use bluetooth (which is less reliable since upgrading to iOS 11, but far more reliable than usb) and I have no choice but to live with it. I do want to note that the majority of the electronics in the car have been faultless. The virtual instrument cluster, and both of the center screens have been perfect and quick to operate. The navigation system is great as well. My issue is strictly with the usb/phone interface. It just doesn't work. It was bad from the start, but iOS 11 seems to have made it nearly inoperable. I still wonder if my dealer neglected to upgrade the software to the latest prior to delivery. I'll mention it at some point. I'm happy they've rolled this system out to the Sport and fullsize RR so quickly..hopefully that means quicker updates.
The P250 engine:
This engine has been one of the biggest surprises. Obviously it doesn't have a lot of power so my expectations were tempered. They've definitely been exceeded. The car has plenty of pep. I drive exclusively in Dynamic mode with the transmission in S, and I'm continually surprised by the sporty nature of the car. There's a tiny bit of throttle lag, but it's not bothersome. I live downtown so I do a lot of urban driving. There's plenty of power for that, which I had assumed would be the case, but it offers plenty of passing power at highway speeds as well. I literally have no complaints at all with the engine. Of course it's not fast, but it's more than adequate and extremely refined and quiet; maybe more so than the V6. The transmission is great as well. I'm someone that likes paddle shifters, but I find I rarely use them in this car because the transmission is so good. I've never felt like it was hunting for gears; it shifts very quickly. The paddles don't really match the car's personality either, but when I do use them I enjoy them.
Fuel Economy:
On my longer journeys (35 min drive to work, mostly highway but some city) I'm averaging about 25.5 mpg US (30.5 mpg imp) Like I mentioned before, I'm exclusively in Dynamic and S mode, and I have a heavy foot. On my short trips around downtown (1-5 miles) I'd say I'm averaging about 19mpg US (23 mpg imp), with a ton of stop and go and again a heavy foot/dynamic mode. I feel like others have reported much better efficiency...they must be slower drivers than me and/or don't stay in dynamic. I fuel with 93 octane, which is the highest I can typically find in my area.
In summary:
I really love the car. It has it's quirks, which I absolutely expected, but it has a big personality and is extremely pleasant to drive. The complaints I do have are things that can be fixed (loose trim and software update). The fact that it looks so sexy is the cherry on top.
The Good:
The car looks fantastic, as I think we all know by now. This car is beautifully styled inside and out and I'm constantly turning back to look at it. I'll probably never stop. I've decided I don't love the two tone look with the gray lower valance (on a black car) and silver rear trim, so I have an appointment to have it all wrapped in black. I'll be sure to post new pictures once it's done. The car is a joy to drive. For those still wondering, I find the coil suspension to be close to perfect. The car is soft and coddling around town, but when pushed it handles impressively and is fun to drive. It's obviously not as sporty as the Macan, but it's not far off from the standard Cayenne imo.
The bad:
There's not much bad to speak of, but I have two complaints with the car. The first is the build quality doesn't seem quite as good as the German competition. The hard plastic in the interior is out of place for the price range. The doors also close with a feeling that's a bit lighter and more hollow than I'm used to with Mercedes and Porsche. This could be due to the aluminum body. I've never owned an aluminum car before so I can't say. The exterior window trim by the drivers side mirror also feels a bit loose and rubs/creaks when I open an close the door, but I know it's a simple fix. The second and larger complaint is the usb phone interface/incontrol apps. It's honestly the worst, least reliable system I've ever used in a vehicle and I've given up on it. I exclusively use bluetooth (which is less reliable since upgrading to iOS 11, but far more reliable than usb) and I have no choice but to live with it. I do want to note that the majority of the electronics in the car have been faultless. The virtual instrument cluster, and both of the center screens have been perfect and quick to operate. The navigation system is great as well. My issue is strictly with the usb/phone interface. It just doesn't work. It was bad from the start, but iOS 11 seems to have made it nearly inoperable. I still wonder if my dealer neglected to upgrade the software to the latest prior to delivery. I'll mention it at some point. I'm happy they've rolled this system out to the Sport and fullsize RR so quickly..hopefully that means quicker updates.
The P250 engine:
This engine has been one of the biggest surprises. Obviously it doesn't have a lot of power so my expectations were tempered. They've definitely been exceeded. The car has plenty of pep. I drive exclusively in Dynamic mode with the transmission in S, and I'm continually surprised by the sporty nature of the car. There's a tiny bit of throttle lag, but it's not bothersome. I live downtown so I do a lot of urban driving. There's plenty of power for that, which I had assumed would be the case, but it offers plenty of passing power at highway speeds as well. I literally have no complaints at all with the engine. Of course it's not fast, but it's more than adequate and extremely refined and quiet; maybe more so than the V6. The transmission is great as well. I'm someone that likes paddle shifters, but I find I rarely use them in this car because the transmission is so good. I've never felt like it was hunting for gears; it shifts very quickly. The paddles don't really match the car's personality either, but when I do use them I enjoy them.
Fuel Economy:
On my longer journeys (35 min drive to work, mostly highway but some city) I'm averaging about 25.5 mpg US (30.5 mpg imp) Like I mentioned before, I'm exclusively in Dynamic and S mode, and I have a heavy foot. On my short trips around downtown (1-5 miles) I'd say I'm averaging about 19mpg US (23 mpg imp), with a ton of stop and go and again a heavy foot/dynamic mode. I feel like others have reported much better efficiency...they must be slower drivers than me and/or don't stay in dynamic. I fuel with 93 octane, which is the highest I can typically find in my area.
In summary:
I really love the car. It has it's quirks, which I absolutely expected, but it has a big personality and is extremely pleasant to drive. The complaints I do have are things that can be fixed (loose trim and software update). The fact that it looks so sexy is the cherry on top.
