What we have here are two vehicles not particularly high on the Sierra Club's Christmas-card list. The Infiniti FX and the Porsche Cayenne, both hatched in 2003, are the original hardcore performance utes — no third rows of seats here, no hybrid drivetrains (yet), no cute little puffs of water-vapor tailpipe emissions through which cartoon bunnies may frolic. Their social acceptability has fallen as gas prices have risen, and they're probably in danger of becoming an agenda item on the next round of Kyoto protocols.
But here's the thing: As much as we're down on the profligate consumption of oil, these sub-20-mpg'ers are among the only big-n-tall vehicles we really want to drive hard, two of the few that don't handle like cardboard boxes. The FX50 ($55,000, est.) and the Cayenne S ($57,900) are sports cars with a bad case of gigantism, under whose elephantine husks pulse the reflexes of mice. And though painted with the same brush by SUV-haters, these two vehicles present two distinct takes on the performance bruiser...
I've always loved the FX. Such a great looking vehicle...I actually like it more than the Cayenne. Serious numbers, too. I'm surprised that it not only beats the Cayenne in the typical stoplight racing benchmarks, but it does so by a long shot.
As if the front shot doesn't make it look akward enough...
then you get to the profile...
To me the FX looks like a sedan and a wagon made love, had a baby together, and when it grew up it hit the weight bench and got all wheel drive and a jacked up suspension. Get it?
i dont know the front end makes it look like its got down syndrome ... 1st gen looks much more appealing to me
Quote, originally posted by dub_IN »
dude shouldn't have been walking on the highway, but he shouldn't have been hit by 20 cars...that's a lot. I mean, I try to avoid dead squirrels in the road, never mind dead people.
I took the Cayenne out on the track as well. Its nothing like an SUV.
Oh and can FX go offroad while being a great, sporty, fast SUV?
Thought so
To me the point of a Sport SUV is not to be focused on both pavement and offroad performance. Hate to tell you that's what many think Porsche should have done, focused on just Sport.
Personally if I really cared about offroad performance, I wouldn't have bought the vehicle I'm currently driving.
And as said, how many Cayenne owners really take their vehicles offroad? 1-2%?
And a Honda or Infiniti owner wanted the Honda or Infiniti, what's your point?
Point is that i stated the fact that its my opinion. No matter what you say it will remain the same. I wasnt asking what you think of it, i was providing my personal though which will not be changed by anyone but me.
BUY OR TRADE MY 17" Visions and full Votex kit for GLI kit and 16" steelies
Point is that i stated the fact that its my opinion. No matter what you say it will remain the same. I wasnt asking what you think of it, i was providing my personal though which will not be changed by anyone but me.
That is fine if that is your opinion but you can't use that as a basis to tell everyone which vehicle is better, which is the way you used it.
By your example I could say that I wanted a Kia so therefore it is a better car. I think you will agree that this does not work as a valid argument. However if I said it was a better car for me then it is fine.
Saying that I happen to like the way the Cayenne looks more so then the Infiniti and if the Cayenne didn't have so many problems that my parents heard about in its first year out they might have purchased one instead of the FX.
Please tell me we aren't already bickering about the "offroad prowess" of either car?! They're both lifted, AWD, station wagons. I'm not sure anyone said they were for rock climbing. Oh, are we talking about the amazing soul from that VW? I mean Porsche? Really?
The current FX45 is a phenomenal buy right now. You can find plenty of <40K mi rigs for under $30K. I'm closet shopping an FX45 right now, trying to convince myself that the gas mileage isn't really any worse than my G35 (which it isn't), but that the utility makes up for it.
I'm sure the Porsche is a fun rig, but I tend to be less afraid of the maintenance of an Infiniti after 100K miles than a VW/Porsche.
Please tell me we aren't already bickering about the "offroad prowess" of either car?! They're both lifted, AWD, station wagons. I'm not sure anyone said they were for rock climbing. Oh, are we talking about the amazing soul from that VW? I mean Porsche? Really?
The current FX45 is a phenomenal buy right now. You can find plenty of <40K mi rigs for under $30K. I'm closet shopping an FX45 right now, trying to convince myself that the gas mileage isn't really any worse than my G35 (which it isn't), but that the utility makes up for it.
I'm sure the Porsche is a fun rig, but I tend to be less afraid of the maintenance of an Infiniti after 100K miles than a VW/Porsche.
While the FX might be a little better for utility then the G35 my parents constantly borrow my Xterra due to how little the FX holds.
Not to mention they have an FX35 and they average 19MPG on the highway going between 65-75MPH. I'm not sure what the G does for MPG but I can't imagine the FX45 gets better mileage then the FX35.
Please tell me we aren't already bickering about the "offroad prowess" of either car?! They're both lifted, AWD, station wagons. I'm not sure anyone said they were for rock climbing. Oh, are we talking about the amazing soul from that VW? I mean Porsche? Really?
I no can has Porsche rock crawlers?
Quote, originally posted by VarianceVQ »
More and more evidence is piling up that Europeans are nothing more than Americans with more colorful money and funny accents.
Don't like the styling that much and would hav eliked to see them on a track with some times from that but wow is that thing fast. Still would have to go with the Porsche just becuase of the styling, its just not for me.
"I know what I want to accomplish and I know how to get there. The ultimate goal is to be the best. Whether that’s the best ever, who knows? I hope so." - Eldrick Tiger Woods
Sorry Motive, but this article isn't it. Despite your nomenclature, the Cayenne is a real off road machine, not a "crossover". Next time, bang the FX50 against the BMW, SRX, or similar. Run the Cayenne up against the LR...
And to the inevitable "who takes it offroad" - well I do... and I'll go out on not much of a limb here and say that just as many Cayennes go offroading as the other models go on the track...
This thread went to the crapper fast, even for car lounge standards.
I love the FX50. It does everything well (except go offroad, which is useless for me and 99% of its buyers) and is priced better than the competition. And my God it's fast.
"What you are, is by accident of birth. What I am, I created myself. There are, and have been, thousands of princes; there is only one Beethoven." -- Beethoven
Sorry Motive, but this article isn't it. Despite your nomenclature, the Cayenne is a real off road machine, not a "crossover". Next time, bang the FX50 against the BMW, SRX, or similar. Run the Cayenne up against the LR...
And to the inevitable "who takes it offroad" - well I do... and I'll go out on not much of a limb here and say that just as many Cayennes go offroading as the other models go on the track...
on this "comparo".
J
haha i'd like to see you take a cayenne off road with some pictures to boot
I drove both of those (well not the FX50 but FX45). Porsche is a much better car and it has a soul. Dont't care about results. They are pretty close.
Just like Clarkson said in the "GTI vs. Civic SI". "If you buy a Honda, you end up with the Honda". I tend to think the same about Infinity.
My opinion is not biased. Its only personal driving experience.
Also the look of FX50 is big for me
Modified by EUROBORA8V at 8:13 AM 4-23-2008
no car has any more soul than the blow up doll you have sitting next to your bed buddy. when clarkson says "If you buy a Honda, you end up with the Honda" he means that in a good way.
i already know cayennes can go offroad, i want to see you go offroad.
Point i'm tryign to make is, most people who will buy the cayenne will probably not take their precious porsche off road. That is why, statistics like 0-60 and 1/4 mile times matter more to the general public. And that is why motive picked the fx over the porsche this time.
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for me 
And if you buy a VW, you end up with a VW.
But its a VW/BMW