Used 4CT Feedback Request -- Bellevue WA & Deerfield Beach FL

[snstevens]

Family consensus though that the Mamba Green would have been too much for New England.

Yep - no question...

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[Jonathan S.]

Yep - no question...

Although the remaining question is ... why is Ice Grey Metallic actually white? Or at least a light silver, and not even remotely grey? Also, does anyone at Porsche care that Ice Grey sure sounds like Grey Ice, which is really gross in a mountaineering context?

 

[Jonathan S.]

Here's the part where I spit in the face of "tone can't be conveyed over text" and make a leap of faith about how much news from the eastern half of the state filters out to you (and how old you are), so here goes nothing.

The state government can afford to splurge on a few little visitor centers, in light of the diligent way that they controlled costs on the I-93 arterial undergrounding project that came in so far ahead of schedule.

I lived in the Boston area (Cambridge) until 2006. I don’t think a single day went by then without a Boston Globe headline on Big Dig cost overruns. I even got to go on a cool tour with the Bechtel (iirc?) constructor manager. (I was surprised to learn that tunnelling almost never entails boring but is instead Cut & Cover.)

But at least the Ted Williams tunnel is a great addition, the central artery sure seems to work well during my occasional visits (especially compared to the elevated structure that would have required massively costly fixes anyway), and the tertiary sewer treatment plant apparently works (or at least I haven’t yet worked on a Clean Water Act lawsuit against it).

And yes, someone in Boston decided to toss $12m for a Greylock Glen visitor center to Adams MA, given its declining downtown, the rusting remnants of the never-opened 1970s Greylock Glen ski resort (chairlift towers, night skiing lights, and snowmaking hydrants all still in place), the remaining resentment over other blocked Greylock Glen developments, the location of the road portal far to the south, and the benefits accruing to neighboring North Adams from Mass MoCA.

But nobody ever so much as bothered to consult on the design with the trail maintenance club (of which I’m a member – perhaps a storage area for all our tools, please?), the backcountry ski patrol (ditto – perhaps a first-aid room, and we could volunteer to teach first-aid courses as part of the supposed outdoor education theme?), and the director of one of the only two organized events in Greylock Glen (that would be me).

And what was planned as campgrounds that we all thought would be … grounds … for … camping, is instead an upscale rental real estate development. The Town appears to be fixated on the revenue from the private equity group that will be the developer, owner, and operator, but the development has certain aspects that are likely to hollow out downtown even more. Which is really a shame, because some sort of trendy hotel in the highly walkable downtown would have truly revitalized the town.

 

[ERuss]

Hey Jonathan,
Wow, this is an amazing analysis - thanks for putting it together! And congrats on your purchase! I am in the market for a CT, and being that I live in Tahoe and the exterior of the car will get thrashed from gravel/snow/etc, am looking for a used CT, private party with warranty left or CPO. But, based on your description, you sound like a good person for my questions:
1) does a road bike fit in the back with the rear seats folded down, with the front tire on? Any chance you have a 29'er mountain bike too, and know if that fits with the tire on?
2) did you look into the rear rack? I often carry 4 bikes, and keep my rack on all summer and fall, so would need to go with the hitch modifier I've seen on this forum, so I can still use my 1up.
3) do you put your skis on top or inside? If so, what length fit comfortably w/o coming into the center console? We keep our skis at the mountain (Squaw Valley) but still travel to kids' races in the west and I do take my skis when I go backcountry.
4) sounds like you have used yours in the snow quite a bit. I'm still a bit concerned about the ground clearance for our driveway berms and driving the neighborhood streets, especially since lift mode is not available above 30kph. Plan to go with snow tires - snow here from Nov-April usually, big storms, and lotsa hills!
Thinking about this, 20+ years ago I bought one of the first WRX wagons in the US, but I took my road bike to the dealer to make sure it fit in the car. Did that with my A4 Avant way back then too. Not sure how a Porsche dealer would react to that!

 

[bsclywilly]

Hey Jonathan,
Wow, this is an amazing analysis - thanks for putting it together! And congrats on your purchase! I am in the market for a CT, and being that I live in Tahoe and the exterior of the car will get thrashed from gravel/snow/etc, am looking for a used CT, private party with warranty left or CPO. But, based on your description, you sound like a good person for my questions:
1) does a road bike fit in the back with the rear seats folded down, with the front tire on? Any chance you have a 29'er mountain bike too, and know if that fits with the tire on?
2) did you look into the rear rack? I often carry 4 bikes, and keep my rack on all summer and fall, so would need to go with the hitch modifier I've seen on this forum, so I can still use my 1up.
3) do you put your skis on top or inside? If so, what length fit comfortably w/o coming into the center console? We keep our skis at the mountain (Squaw Valley) but still travel to kids' races in the west and I do take my skis when I go backcountry.
4) sounds like you have used yours in the snow quite a bit. I'm still a bit concerned about the ground clearance for our driveway berms and driving the neighborhood streets, especially since lift mode is not available above 30kph. Plan to go with snow tires - snow here from Nov-April usually, big storms, and lotsa hills!
Thinking about this, 20+ years ago I bought one of the first WRX wagons in the US, but I took my road bike to the dealer to make sure it fit in the car. Did that with my A4 Avant way back then too. Not sure how a Porsche dealer would react to that!

Did someone say snow? At some point, ground clearance doesn’t matter anymore when you’re driving a 5200lb tank.

Every weekend was a snow adventure in Tahoe last season! And yes it gets thrashed by the gravel.

1) Yes
1b)No
2) Hit me up for a rear rack.
3) Inside. About 185cm from tailgate to back of front seats. I fit a ski bag with 3 pairs behind the passenger seat. Longest 180 but there’s still room. With 4 of us I’ll keep all the equipment in a bag out back.

4) I ran all seasons last winter but they were near full tread depth. The weight of the car definitely helps with traction. If I was back home in eastern Canada, with a lot of icy conditions, I’d recommend snow tires but in Tahoe it’s fine either way.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Hey Jonathan,
Wow, this is an amazing analysis - thanks for putting it together! And congrats on your purchase! I am in the market for a CT, and being that I live in Tahoe and the exterior of the car will get thrashed from gravel/snow/etc, am looking for a used CT, private party with warranty left or CPO. But, based on your description, you sound like a good person for my questions:
1) does a road bike fit in the back with the rear seats folded down, with the front tire on? Any chance you have a 29'er mountain bike too, and know if that fits with the tire on?
2) did you look into the rear rack? I often carry 4 bikes, and keep my rack on all summer and fall, so would need to go with the hitch modifier I've seen on this forum, so I can still use my 1up.
3) do you put your skis on top or inside? If so, what length fit comfortably w/o coming into the center console? We keep our skis at the mountain (Squaw Valley) but still travel to kids' races in the west and I do take my skis when I go backcountry.
4) sounds like you have used yours in the snow quite a bit. I'm still a bit concerned about the ground clearance for our driveway berms and driving the neighborhood streets, especially since lift mode is not available above 30kph. Plan to go with snow tires - snow here from Nov-April usually, big storms, and lotsa hills!
Thinking about this, 20+ years ago I bought one of the first WRX wagons in the US, but I took my road bike to the dealer to make sure it fit in the car. Did that with my A4 Avant way back then too. Not sure how a Porsche dealer would react to that!

++ on @bsclywilly points. My take:
1. Not sure. But what’s the problem with removing the front wheel? I find that helps me better position the bike so it won’t move/touch doors etc.
2. No.
3. on top, in the roof box. It’s a tight fit inside, 2 pairs of boards max with rear seats up. Above that bindings become a puzzle. I’ve fit my buddys 192 but the tips would rest on the center console. My 177 fit just fine. A box is worlds better imo, and imposes a very slight 6% penalty on efficiency. (I keep mine on year round.)
4. 0 concerns. I too ran the new all seasons through a pretty decent mix of snow. Now that they’re worn out a bit, I’m switching to dedicated winters on 19”. Clearance is sufficient; I raise it to 2nd highest upon arriving at the resort, but even the end-of-season potholes aren’t a problem.

 

[ERuss]

Thanks @bsclywilly and @WasserGKuehlt , huge help.
- @bsclywilly, looks like you may be in TD? That’s where I live.
- @bsclywilly, will reach out to you re: a rack.
- I am coming from an e-tron and ran all-seasons as well, no problems ever but have quite a bit more ground clearance, 2.4” in the highest settings (1.5” vs “lift” height), 5700lbs, and narrower tires than the CT. Pacific German said they could lift it up to an inch with just the FST, so that’s an option. (I had them lower my e-tron). And the upcoming El Niño could be a good test.
- for family ski/road trips, we take my wife’s Touareg TDi with a rack and 750 miles of range! So given the input from you 2, this is helpful in planning if I should look for a CT with roof rails or not.
- touché! (dry road pic taken in May, and other pic is the end of Donner Pass Road in April after they figured they couldn’t keep up with the plowing.)

 

[Jonathan S.]

Hey, no fair, what’s with all the replies – this inquiry was specifically addressed to ME in MY thread! (jk of course)

Oh well, snooze I lose. Although I haven’t been snoozing, but rather driving my new-to-me 4CT a whole lot since Monday. (Love it! EA charging though, sigh…)

1. CT cargo area is too narrow to fit a bike with the front wheel on (even a Canyon Aeroad sz Small, although that’s more like a Medium in any other brand). The cargo area is even a bit narrower than my wife’s i4 (although it is a bit longer, even with the seats up, plus the CT has a frunk, which the i4 lacks given its shared ICE platform).
2. n/a
3. Inside, for which the 2+1 center pass-through is a big attraction. My longest skis in regular use are 172cm (La Sportiva Vapor Nano), although if necessary I could work up the strength to carry my old GS race skis into the garage to test the interior length, plus my xc skate skis are longer. (BTW, my brother’s three kids race in some confusing mix of Sugar Bowl alpine, Tahoe something-or-other nordic, and mountain bike something or other – I’m not sure how he and his wife keep track of all this. Plus soccer too IIRC.)
4. I bought mine this month, so thus far I have used it to travel to ski only twice – in New Jersey! (I was driving right by the indoor area at the Meadowlands Mall on my way to and from a friend’s beach house in Delaware, and the place is actually a hoot for arcing SL turns for a couple hours, plus who can resist the excuse to load up both skis and bike.) But I did use gravel mode for the first time this weekend, accompanying our 13 yr old daughter (so proud of her for being an active participant among a group of older adults!) to a Wilderness First Aid course. (“ […] our driveway, 1/3 mile long dirt/rock driveway uphill. If you are driving a small car give yourself an extra minute or so as you will want to drive slow.”) Clearance in the various height modes seems comparable to my Audi A6 Allroad, which is more than enough for New England, although Tahoe … well, for those of you not familiar with the truly epic storms there, here is a picture of my brother’s house in Soda Springs from March 2019. (Note that the driveway is perfectly level with the ground on either side, i.e., all that snow is … snow.)

BTW, love the bike test fit with your WRX and A4 Avant back in the day! I picked up my wife’s i4 this May by biking ~45 miles then driving home with “her” car (which I’d not told her about in advance). Had to take the front wheel off, but no big deal. Fun to load up my road & gravel bikes in my A6 Allroad without removing a front wheel, but that’s more of a neat party trick than anything else. (And love the Touareg reference -- that sounds like a legendary VW, with VW allowed to intrude on Audi territory, kind of the equivalent of my previous VW Arteon.)

As for tires, tomorrow I’m swapping out the OEM 20” Michelin summers (for sale if anyone is interested, cheap!) for Michelin CrossClimate2, which I also have on my A6ar. This past winter, I had a great test of the CC2 while driving to a backcountry skimo race I was organizing. Roads were 100% snow covered. The only other drivers early that morning were the four Ps: Police vehicles, Plow trucks, Patrollers for my race, and Participants for my race. Sure felt like a snow tire to me. But I’m also not busting through deep unplowed snow (except on my driveway and short side street).

 

[ERuss]

Hey, no fair, what’s with all the replies – this inquiry was specifically addressed to ME in MY thread! (jk of course)

Oh well, snooze I lose. Although I haven’t been snoozing, but rather driving my new-to-me 4CT a whole lot since Monday. (Love it! EA charging though, sigh…)

1. CT cargo area is too narrow to fit a bike with the front wheel on (even a Canyon Aeroad sz Small, although that’s more like a Medium in any other brand). The cargo area is even a bit narrower than my wife’s i4 (although it is a bit longer, even with the seats up, plus the CT has a frunk, which the i4 lacks given its shared ICE platform).
2. n/a
3. Inside, for which the 2+1 center pass-through is a big attraction. My longest skis in regular use are 172cm (La Sportiva Vapor Nano), although if necessary I could work up the strength to carry my old GS race skis into the garage to test the interior length, plus my xc skate skis are longer. (BTW, my brother’s three kids race in some confusing mix of Sugar Bowl alpine, Tahoe something-or-other nordic, and mountain bike something or other – I’m not sure how he and his wife keep track of all this. Plus soccer too IIRC.)
4. I bought mine this month, so thus far I have used it to travel to ski only twice – in New Jersey! (I was driving right by the indoor area at the Meadowlands Mall on my way to and from a friend’s beach house in Delaware, and the place is actually a hoot for arcing SL turns for a couple hours, plus who can resist the excuse to load up both skis and bike.) But I did use gravel mode for the first time this weekend, accompanying our 13 yr old daughter (so proud of her for being an active participant among a group of older adults!) to a Wilderness First Aid course. (“ […] our driveway, 1/3 mile long dirt/rock driveway uphill. If you are driving a small car give yourself an extra minute or so as you will want to drive slow.”) Clearance in the various height modes seems comparable to my Audi A6 Allroad, which is more than enough for New England, although Tahoe … well, for those of you not familiar with the truly epic storms there, here is a picture of my brother’s house in Soda Springs from March 2019. (Note that the driveway is perfectly level with the ground on either side, i.e., all that snow is … snow.)

BTW, love the bike test fit with your WRX and A4 Avant back in the day! I picked up my wife’s i4 this May by biking ~45 miles then driving home with “her” car (which I’d not told her about in advance). Had to take the front wheel off, but no big deal. Fun to load up my road & gravel bikes in my A6 Allroad without removing a front wheel, but that’s more of a neat party trick than anything else. (And love the Touareg reference -- that sounds like a legendary VW, with VW allowed to intrude on Audi territory, kind of the equivalent of my previous VW Arteon.)

As for tires, tomorrow I’m swapping out the OEM 20” Michelin summers (for sale if anyone is interested, cheap!) for Michelin CrossClimate2, which I also have on my A6ar. This past winter, I had a great test of the CC2 while driving to a backcountry skimo race I was organizing. Roads were 100% snow covered. The only other drivers early that morning were the four Ps: Police vehicles, Plow trucks, Patrollers for my race, and Participants for my race. Sure felt like a snow tire to me. But I’m also not busting through deep unplowed snow (except on my driveway and short side street).

HA! Well, that's what you get for going on so many bike rides, but excused and totally worth it, right?! (I am doing the same.)
And your brother's family sounds like their kids are in all the same mix of activities and teams as mine.
1 & 2: no problem taking the front wheel off, just trying to figure out the overall cargo fit. It's less than my e-tron, but more than my previous A4 Avant. With the rear seats down, the CT cargo volume isn't that bad at all though. Narrower, but still quite large.
3: thanks!
4: I'd still go full winter tires since I transport kids to/from school, need to get to the airport before the roads are plowed, etc. Going with narrower and taller sidewall, if possible, helps too. Through driving other cars here, I noticed that when ground clearance is an issue, and the car is acting more like a snow plow, the incremental traction that snow tires provide make enough of a difference to keep me and the car moving, vs the car not moving and me moving by digging out the snow underneath HA!. Keep a snow shovel and other goodies in the back of our cars for that.

I have seen only one CT up here consistently during the winter, often in the Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) parking lot. If I pull the trigger, it'll be my daily-driver and will get a ton of proper winter miles, especially with us usually having some mega sloppy storms in El Nino years.

 

[Jonathan S.]

If you ever see a "Shefftz" on the start list or results sheet for a competition involving alpine skiing, nordic skiing, or mountain biking, then that's one of my brother's kids!

Tahoe is one of the few places where I would go back to running separate winter wheels/tires.
Sounds like you would want to spec your CT with the 20" all-season tires, then buy a separate set of 19" with either of the two winter models available in that staggered size (Pirelli P Zero Winter or Continental WinterContact TS 860 S).

 

[bsclywilly]

I have seen only one CT up here consistently during the winter, often in the Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) parking lot. If I pull the trigger, it'll be my daily-driver and will get a ton of proper winter miles, especially with us usually having some mega sloppy storms in El Nino years.

Was it silver? It was probably me!

Have a little MM there.

 

[Jonathan S.]

^NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rich_r]

Amazing thread. I just spent an hour reading the whole thing like a thriller novel. I’ve definitely fantasized about “surprising” my family with a Porsche so hats off to you Jonathan!

I live in the PNW and laughed at the “let me do my job“quote. Typical PNW customer service. Also surprised you found a good deal out here; whenever I search the most tempting deals tend to be in the East.

Speaking of which, this is one of the cheapest CTs I’ve seen. Kinda tempting but only 15k miles left if warranty. Be interesting to talk to the previous owner; 34k in about 2 years is impressive for an EV!

https://www.miniofknoxville.com/use...+Turismo-ac87517e0a0e0a9261a9bd6f931098dc.htm

 

[ERuss]

Thanks for the rec on the tires, @Jonathan S. I'm shooting to get my CT in Nov/Dec so will want to have my winter set lined up. And @bsclywilly, yep, that was probably you. I know that exact spot in your picture. Will come say hey next time I see you up here.

Just checked out the two CT's at Porsche Rocklin yesterday and my wife is worried about the ground clearance. We live at 6500ft and not on a major road, so it's a legit concern. But then again, we have the Tourage TDi with snow tires that is an absolute beast in the snow.

 

[ERuss]

Amazing thread. I just spent an hour reading the whole thing like a thriller novel. I’ve definitely fantasized about “surprising” my family with a Porsche so hats off to you Jonathan!

I live in the PNW and laughed at the “let me do my job“quote. Typical PNW customer service. Also surprised you found a good deal out here; whenever I search the most tempting deals tend to be in the East.

Speaking of which, this is one of the cheapest CTs I’ve seen. Kinda tempting but only 15k miles left if warranty. Be interesting to talk to the previous owner; 34k in about 2 years is impressive for an EV!

https://www.miniofknoxville.com/use...+Turismo-ac87517e0a0e0a9261a9bd6f931098dc.htm

Yes, super tempting, but that blue is a no-go for me personally. I saw that listing a while back in a search, so it's been on the lot a while. Sure you could negotiate it down a bit. My SA at a nearby Audi dealership said they are losing money on nearly every used EV. If it sits on the lot longer than a month, the market is tanking so much that they are guaranteed to lose money.

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