PCA: Milwaukee

by Bev Jurkowski, PCA member since 1986

For all you manual transmission people, look away. This is about the automatic transmissions that Porsche offers. While I am not in the market for a different Porsche, I often check the classifieds in Panorama and online, the Mart at pca.org. I have owned four different models, and it is always interesting to see what’s on offer.

I am surprised when I see a Cayenne listed having a PDK transmission. I also recently saw one that said Sportomatic. I think the seller was just being funny. Listing a Cayenne as having PDK or Sportomatic are both inaccurate. The Cayenne, if not a manual, uses the Tiptronic trans. (The last model year you could get the manual was 2014.)

Perhaps the confusion lies in that the Macan model uses PDK.

The Macan is like a small Cayenne. So why the difference? It’s all about the torque converter.

The Tiptronic is most closely associated with a normal automatic transmission. While it’s easy to dismiss it as a “slush-box,” it has served Porsche very well. You can manually shift through the gears, but you cannot damage the engine by selecting a lower gear at the wrong rpm. What it shares with other automatic transmissions is the torque converter. The torque converter transfers the power from the engine to the transmission while doubling the amount of torque. Torque converters are key to towing heavy loads. This is primarily why the Macan has a lesser tow rating than the Cayenne. The Macan is rated for less than 5,000 lbs while the Cayenne is rated at 7700 lbs. 

The PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, or Porsche Double Clutch) transmission is kind of like two gearboxes in one, with one clutch actuating even gears and another clutch actuating odd gears. The software is so intelligent that it knows what gear you want to shift into next and has it ready to go. Sport and Sport Plus modes not only change the suspension damping and throttle response, but also the shift maps. Shifts become quicker and, if left in automatic, the engine will rev higher before upshifts. Many drivers have discovered that the fastest way around the curves is to let PDK do the shifting.

Which Porsches came with Tiptronic and which with PDK?

When shopping for new Porsches, you can find Tiptronic only in the Cayenne line up, which includes the very sporty Cayenne Turbo GT. All other Porsches, including the Panamera, have PDK as the only automatic option available.

Now, on the pre-owned market, the Tiptronic first appeared on the 964 in 1991 and then on the 968. The 928’s automatic transmission option was sourced from Mercedes-Benz. The Tiptronic option continued with the 993, 996, and 997.1 as well as the 986 and 987.1 Boxster models. In 2009, Porsche debuted the PDK transmission in the 987.2 Boxster/Cayman and 997.2 911, and it became the only automatic transmission option for the two-door sports car models. The Tiptronics have proven to be very reliable and long-lasting. Maintenance is simply changing fluid as per your owner’s manual. The PDK is equally reliable, but fluid changes should be done more frequently if you take your car to the track.

So for all of my fellow Cayenne owners, enjoy that Tiptronic and happy towing. You've got the torque to do it.

Source for much of this article came from a previously published PCA Tech Tips article.