Advice please

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BlueHorseshoe
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:09 pm

Post by BlueHorseshoe »

Hi guys, we are buying our first family car and have settled on the Macan. In case of interest, the spec we have so far can be seen below (please feel free to comment / recommend additions or removals):

http://www.porsche-code.com/PJHVMC10

Going through the forums, I can see that a lot of people rave about the Sports Design package. The description on the website sounds decent enough, but looking at the photos on the Porsche website I can barely tell the difference, so not sure what I would really be paying for. Has anyone seen/done a photo comparison of SD v. Regular?

I’ve also seen people comment that there is no point in paying for the SD on an S model with decent spec, when it is better value to just go for the GTS, but with little explanation. If anyone has done this comparison would you mind sharing your thoughts?

Many thanks,
Ed

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Ian.g
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Location: Worcestershire

Post by Ian.g »

Extras depreciate faster than standard spec. So an S that is specked like a GTS will lose value faster than the GTS. It depends how much of the GTS spec you have chosen as to whether you are better with an S spec or a GTS. Some say that the GTS is the sweet spot with Porsche and the depreciate more slowly. They might do although they cost a bit more to buy. If the GTS isn’t much more than the S with your preferred spec then it is probably a better buy
N13LXC
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Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:49 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by N13LXC »

Cant answer all of your questions, but a couple of things jump out from your spec...

Firstly, you’ve added c.20% in options. I’d be wary of that...the GTS may be the better choice due to things that are already included, however, if paying for full leather & wanting to avoid alcantara, then you’ll be adding a fair whack in options to the GTS too.

The spec looked good though...
Current: 991.2 GTS, Gtd
Previous: Macan TPP, C350e, B8 RS4 Nogaro, Tiguan, S3, A1, B8 RS4, A5 cab, Golf GTTDI x2, RS Clio 197, TT Cab 1.8T, RS Clio 182, Megane 1.5 dci, Clio 1.5 dci, Astra Merit 1.6 d
Col Lamb
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Location: Lancashire

Post by Col Lamb »

The base 2.0 litre and S are in reality stripped down cars with just the minimum of fitment inclusions. A test drive of a very basic Macan will still give the impression of a great performing and handling car, especially if you are not used to driving this type of car. That said with the inclusion of some basic fitments the Macan is transformed into the supreme SUV in its class.

Only you can answer what you want out of your Macan ownership, but please if you are limiting the budget what you are going to spec please spec wisely.

What follows is related to a Macan supplied to the UK, please note that a basic Macan supplied to other countries may well be configured differently with different combination of extras available when compared to the UK.

My suggestion of the minimum inclusions in the specification of any Macan that I would buy is these:-

14 or 18 way seats .
Basic non GTS 8 way seats have a flat back and are not as comfortable as the upgrades, GTS 8 way seem more comfortable than standard, however do test drive a Macan fitted with the 8 way seats if considering retaining them.

Xenon lights .
Basic halogens are questionable in their capabilities, most owners with halogens regret not upgrading. If funds allow LEDs are a quantum leap improvement over Xenons, they also include the adaptive headlight function.

PASM.
Gives adjustable suspension which results in a smoother ride and better handling capabilities, this really is the key inclusion to have to get the best ride and handling in a Macan.

20" wheels.
A personal choice, 20" gives a good compromise on looks, handling and kerb management.

PS+.
Lightens steering load at parking speeds then progressively reduces to zero assist at road speeds.

Spare wheel.
Plus two purchased cans of sealant / inflator gives options in the event of a flat and especially an unrepairable/damaged tyre/wheel.

Reversing camera.
Rear quarter vision is poor, to check out yourself in a test drive by parallel parking the demo car, if funds allow then Surround Camera is even better.

Interior light pack,
Replaces bulbs with LEDs for a more pleasing interior look and the all important illuminated mirrors.

The above are the key inclusions or extras that I recommend you specify.

Other popular inclusions are:-
Pano sunroof, lightens a dark interior
Tinted glass, purely for looks and it enhances the stealth look with blacked out trim
SD mirrors, an aesthetic choice often fitted due to the questionable quality of standard mirror mount.
Colour matched side blades, enhances look and will aid cleaning.
Roof rails, its an SUV so kind of expected, but looks equally great without
Heated seats, useful.
Heated steering wheel, a favourite of mine that gets used more than the heated seats.
Sports Chrono, gives dial in top centre of dash plus launch control and more aggressive gearbox and throttle maps.
Porsche Sports Exhaust, do note that PSE is an aural performance addition only and has no power increase benefits.
Leather upgrades, an almost universal upgrade on non GTS Macans.
Smoking pack, covers the hole in front of drinks holders.
ACC, gives adaptive cruise control which is far better than standard, it also includes Porsche Active Safe braking system which is not fitted unless ACC is specified.

Ordering process:-
£3k deposit starts process, deposit fully refundable until lockdown of spec
Circa six weeks later Porsche at Silverstone PEC invite for 1/2 day driving on the circuits, check prior posts.
Six weeks prior to build is the lockdown date for the vehicle spec and signage to commit to the order
Build, 3 working days
Car enters compound awaiting delivery to OPC
Delivery 7-30 days with 20 days an average.
Then its PDI and pick up

Admin at the OPC can access the main Porsche intranet in Germany where they can see the codes, the main ones are:-
V250 Vehicle fixed (which is the final build code)
V260 Vehicle enters bodyshop
V270 Vehicle exits production
V300 Vehicle completion
V311 Vehicle enters compound
V312 Vehicle exits compound
V330 Vehicle enters (the Port of) Emden compound

***** The most important advice I can suggest is to test drive a Macan which has the same seats, wheel size, suspension and steering as you intend to specify *****
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
alxgb
Posts: 389
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:41 pm

Post by alxgb »

I’ve also seen people comment that there is no point in paying for the SD on an S model with decent spec, when it is better value to just go for the GTS, but with little explanation. If anyone has done this comparison would you mind sharing your thoughts?
The sport design package is an aesthetic consideration which is subjective in that my taste and priority on requirements for the car may be different to yours so the decision to go for an S versus GTS depends on how much those differences matter. Sport design packages generally allow you to paint specific components in body colour where they may normally exist as plastic. In some instances, this really does improve the aesthetic of the car - the side intakes painted on a Boxster/Cayman for example.

Image

This is from Stuttcars but this shows the difference in Sport Design package on the front across the model range. L > R. Base version, optional SportDesign/standard on GTS and Turbo 3.6 (the silver lower part is optional on all versions).

If the overall package of what you're buying puts you within spitting distance of the GTS, the GTS will be a better buy in terms of residuals and you will gain the sport design package as a standard feature of the GTS model variant. Annoyingly though, you have to spec sport design mirrors as an extra!

Looking at your spec options:

The sport design side blades and then painting them adds almost £1k. You won't see that back at sale and they don't visually distinguish the vehicle enough in my view. I don't think it's a great value option.

The storage package is something that I considered but I have always felt that the storage pockets on the back of the seats look untidy due to the gathering on the elasticated tops and always worry that they will lose their shape when stretched and will then sag. It also invites a passenger shoving something into them with sharp corners and damaging the leather. If you have children, I'd be nervous. The storage drawers under the front seats were a draw card (sic) for me but then I saw photographs of them on the US Macan Forum and they
don't appear to offer much space. They look a bit of an afterthought. I've got storage drawers in a Golf GTD and they work great and those were my expectations of the Macan but it's not the same thing at all.

Lane Change assist was something optioned on the test car I tried and it didn't impress me, the tyres and noise from cat eyes on the road I tried it on alerted me to lane drift before the system did. I struggled to see the value it offered. I may well not have been using it properly and I'm sure there will be advocates for it on the forum who can correct me but I'm personally not a fan of excessive assistive systems.

I would personally add the LED headlights, it's an expensive option but I think the aesthetic on the front end is improved and functionally, they're brilliant. It depends on where you do most of your driving of course but you can see the difference to the front on the photograph above comparing the standard to the GTS in the middle which has the LED lights.

Hope this helps.


Alex
Last edited by alxgb on Sun Mar 11, 2018 2:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Guy
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Location: Warwickshire

Post by Guy »

^ I echo the comments above about the storage package, but on a similar subject the only item I regret not speccing is the Loadspace Management System. At £228 it's quite good value for what you get, and looks really useful if you like your boot to be both organised and safe! Plus I think you get a cargo net for under the parcel shelf, although some have mentioned that it is rather flimsy.
Col Lamb
Posts: 9323
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:38 pm
Location: Lancashire

Post by Col Lamb »

I had a Macan without the Storage option and there was just not enough cubby holes to put things. Without the Storage option the rear of the seats have a large plastic moulding, at least it does on a partial leather spec.

MybTurbo has the Storage option, I have small drawers under each of the front seats that now store a small umbrella in one and sunglasses in the other, the seat back storage may be a puckered pocket but they now store my paper maps since guess what its still easier to see a long route on a paper map than to mess about on a GPS screen. You also get a non flimsy cargo net under the parcel shelf, usefull for a brolley, gloves hat etc.

As for the SD pack it simply does not offer value for money it simply a vanity product. After all its something you rarely see frequently, if you want bling add internal bling or SD mirrors that you see (or at least you should) every few seconds when you check the rear views. One internal bligh I like is the Ally Gear Lever, its a sculptural work of art.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
On-Track
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Location: Staffordshire

Post by On-Track »

alxgb wrote: Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:44 am
Lane Change assist was something optioned on the test car I tried and it didn't impress me, the tyres and noise from cat eyes on the road I tried it on alerted me to lane drift before the system did. I struggled to see the value it offered. I may well not have been using it properly and I'm sure there will be advocates for it on the forum who can correct me but I'm personally not a fan of excessive assistive systems.
What you're describing above is the Lane Keeping function. Lane Change is the radar system with warning lights in the wing mirrors which detects approaching vehicles. I completely agree with your view of Lane Keeping but I've had the Lane Change on both my Porsche SUVs and I think it's a great system. I share you general view on assistance systems and can't remember when I last used Cruise Control. On the other hand, I use the speed limiter function through all average speed camera areas. The Speed Limiter is not available in conjunction with ACC just bog standard cruise control.
Peter

Current: 2020 Carmine Red GTS http://www.porsche-code.com/PMST9ZI9
Gone- 2015 Sapphire Blue Diesel
Gone -2013 Cayenne Diesel
alxgb
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Post by alxgb »

On-Track wrote: Mon Mar 12, 2018 7:01 pm
alxgb wrote: Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:44 am
Lane Change assist was something optioned on the test car I tried and it didn't impress me, the tyres and noise from cat eyes on the road I tried it on alerted me to lane drift before the system did. I struggled to see the value it offered. I may well not have been using it properly and I'm sure there will be advocates for it on the forum who can correct me but I'm personally not a fan of excessive assistive systems.
What you're describing above is the Lane Keeping function. Lane Change is the radar system with warning lights in the wing mirrors which detects approaching vehicles. I completely agree with your view of Lane Keeping but I've had the Lane Change on both my Porsche SUVs and I think it's a great system. I share you general view on assistance systems and can't remember when I last used Cruise Control. On the other hand, I use the speed limiter function through all average speed camera areas. The Speed Limiter is not available in conjunction with ACC just bog standard cruise control.
I stand corrected - I actually thought they were bundled as part of a package. I was actually put off 'lane' options due to the lane keeping function but the lane change I agree is helpful.

Adaptive cruise control is excellent and takes a little getting used to but it's more useful than standard cruise control. That said, it's an inordinate price for something that was standard on my Golf MKVII GTD!
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