Model X handling compare to Porsche Cayenne?

[diver110]

I have been posting a number of questions. I hope I have not worn out everyone's patience. What is driving the questions is what I am driving now, a 2009 Porsche Cayenne Turbo (not S). I spend a lot of time in CO, and while it performs quite nicely, it does lose a lot of power at altitude. Apparently, the X does not, and in some configurations is quicker 0-60 to begin with. Anyone have a sense of how the handling of the X would compare? The Cayenne is amazing in through the corners. I found this line comparing two 2016 models, X versus E Cayenne, which the X purportedly won, FWIW:

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/model-x-vs-cayenne-hybrid

 

[j-rho]

As with any car tires make a big difference. The X's OE options tend to focus on range and NVH. My X has the regular 20" Continentals and the handling is "okay". The low CG keeps ultimate body roll in check, and the AWD system is quite sophisticated - the X puts power down very well at corner exit and the traction control is only minimally invasive. Still, limit behavior is tuned well towards safe benign understeer, I suspect (having driven several Porsche cars in anger) the Porsche would be more neutral (aka, fun!) at entry and mid-corner. Also, the torsional rigidity of the X chassis is quite poor, which makes it kind of sloppy in transitional situations.
I have a friend that put Pirelli P-Zeros on his P100D, which livened up the response and added a lot of grip mid-corner.

 

[drewg123]

I have been posting a number of questions. I hope I have not worn out everyone's patience. What is driving the questions is what I am driving now, a 2009 Porsche Cayenne Turbo (not S). I spend a lot of time in CO, and while it performs quite nicely, it does lose a lot of power at altitude. Apparently, the X does not, and in some configurations is quicker 0-60 to begin with. Anyone have a sense of how the handling of the X would compare? The Cayenne is amazing in through the corners.

I have a Model X 100D (not performance). I recently did the Porsche Track Experience in Birmingham. I drove a 2019 Cayenne there in one of the off track exercises (trail braking and slalom). The Cayenne felt like it had a higher center of gravity and didn't seem as sure as my X. The lag of the ICE drivetrain was also apparent, especially since the Cayenne doesn't have the PDK. My X is slower to 60, but much quicker off the line and responds instantly to my right foot.

I will say that the Cayenne was amazing off road. The front camera was super helpful when picking a course up a very rutted hill. I wish my X had a low, front facing camera like that.

 

[Yinn]

I have been posting a number of questions. I hope I have not worn out everyone's patience. What is driving the questions is what I am driving now, a 2009 Porsche Cayenne Turbo (not S). I spend a lot of time in CO, and while it performs quite nicely, it does lose a lot of power at altitude. Apparently, the X does not, and in some configurations is quicker 0-60 to begin with. Anyone have a sense of how the handling of the X would compare? The Cayenne is amazing in through the corners. I found this line comparing two 2016 models, X versus E Cayenne, which the X purportedly won, FWIW:

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/model-x-vs-cayenne-hybrid

While the Cayenne is no lightweight, Porsche does an amazing job on chasis and suspension to hide the heft. The Cayenne is going to feel more nimble and composed.

The X is no slouch, but there is flex despite a rigid battery floor. It will feel better than a lot of boaty SUVs due to the lower center of gravity and distributed weight, but the cayenne still handles better.

Cayenne Skid pad: 0.88-.90g
Model X Skid lad: 0.86-0.88g

So they’re close in actual lateral grip, but the cayenne will feel better. Which may be subjective.

The advantage (and disadvantage) is that Tesla can tune your motors and torque vectoring at any time. That means if they felt the car was unmanageable, they could one day dial your car to have more understeer. On the flip side, they could wake up and decide to offer a track mode to allow the rear end to pivot easier, change brake modulation, etc as they did in the Model 3.

 

[diver110]

Well, today I drove the X so I can answer my own post. The X long range I drove was rated at 4.4 seconds 0-60, my Cayenne Turbo is around 4.9 seconds. And, indeed, I felt the X was a little quicker that my Cayenne. While I thought the X handled well, really better than I expected, as Yinn suggests, the Cayenne handles a bit better. My Cayenne has higher-end all season radials on it. If I put quality summer tires on the X, it might handle as well as the Cayenne does with all seasons, though I gather the X's take special tires.