6 month SD review

[goron59]

^^ harsh but fair

The outside size and kerb risk issues would have been solved by picking surround cameras after your test drive.

Inside space - well, they should have obvious in th test drive too.

Turbo lag . Yes, even with the GTS, it's there and a suck on immediacy, but good luck finding a NA car of this type. This is the world we live in now ( at least until we're all electrified)

I can empathise though:

I had a similar set of conclusions with Macan 1 after my R8, but I eventually got over them and on the second Macan, I went for surround cameras and really don't want rear seat passengers anyway. If nothing else, the car isn't powerful enough to lug the extra weight around

[Col Lamb]

You should not have bought the Macan.

No 4 seat car other than a top of the range Sport version (M, RS, GTiR, ETC) is ever going to match the driving fun of a out and out Sports Car but they can get very close.

If you wanted fun in a Macan you definately bought the wrong version, you should have gone with the GTS or TURBO PP.

Now if you read my report on a PEC Range Day you would have read that I driving a 911 Carerra 4 GTS as hard as I could, could not outpace and had to let pass a guy in a Macan Turbo PP so yes you did choose wrong, if you cannot have fun in one of the best handling cars on the planet then there is something wrong.

The driving dynamics of the SD are more or less as you describe, but if you keep it in Sport mode then the engine and gearbox response is transformed.

Maybe you need a different Porsche, why not try a Panemera?

[Deleted User 1874]

Honest review and quite useful in my own decision making.

I'm definitely not going for 21" wheels, even with a surround camera. I have to park close to kerbs on narrow roads during the daily school run and they would get kerbed sooner or later. Also prefer the ride over harsh potholes on smaller rims. So 18s or 19s for mine and a good cost saving too!

I've been on the fence between diesel and petrol S, but I'm starting to come round to my original instinct of choosing petrol for a more "sporty" experience. It seems like the real world running costs are not that much higher for a 12K annual mileage (around £700 from my calc), although might lose a bit more on depreciation. An extra 82 hp is worth having I think.

I realise I'm making a compromise on boot space and rear legroom in choosing a Macan over some of its less sporty competition. Can't have everything in one car!

[Paul]

Honest review and quite useful in my own decision making.

I'm definitely not going for 21" wheels, even with a surround camera. I have to park close to kerbs on narrow roads during the daily school run and they would get kerbed sooner or later. Also prefer the ride over harsh potholes on smaller rims. So 18s or 19s for mine and a good cost saving too!

I've been on the fence between diesel and petrol S, but I'm starting to come round to my original instinct of choosing petrol for a more "sporty" experience. It seems like the real world running costs are not that much higher for a 12K annual mileage (around £700 from my calc), although might lose a bit more on depreciation.

No way of knowing for sure, but with the initial cost of an SD vs a petrol S being the same (unlike most other manufacturers where the diesel is often up to £1K more) the petrol residual is likely to be higher on the Porsche. Take into account the supply situation too (diesels " from stock," petrol still 6 months or so) and the historic registrations so far where diesel outstrip petrol by at least 3 to 1 and the crystal ball looks rosier still for petrol.....

[Deleted User 1874]

No way of knowing for sure, but with the initial cost of an SD vs a petrol S being the same (unlike most other manufacturers where the diesel is often up to £1K more) the petrol residual is likely to be higher on the Porsche. Take into account the supply situation too (diesels " from stock," petrol still 6 months or so) and the historic registrations so far where diesel outstrip petrol by at least 3 to 1 and the crystal ball looks rosier still for petrol.....

Still not convinced on petrol residuals considering the current market, where I believe diesels hold their value better (correct me if wrong). Sure the gap may narrow in future and perhaps even swing the other way, but I'm certainly not going to count on it. But residuals for the Macan as a whole are better than pretty much anything else on the road, so I'll be happy enough regardless. Unless a test drive changes my mind, I think I'll choose the petrol S.

[Wing Commander]

You should not have bought the Macan...

...Maybe you need a different Porsche, why not try a Panemera?

Hey Col.

Even though the Panamera is an awesome car am not sure it is right for Trev either, as his first two negatives were 'It is a BIG car' and 'It is a BIG car'.

Oh, and even with Sport Design mirrors, the water still drips out of them after a wash & dry

[gasgas]

may be a Fiat Panda would fit the bill?

[v8trev]

Sorry it's not a criticism of the car - yes there are a few niggles I don't like but you're right I chose the wrong car. I should never have agreed with my wife to try working with one car - it was never going to work. I think I saw the chance to buy our first new Porsche (rather than 12-18 month old as in the past) with rose-tinted glasses and got sucked into it without thinking it through properly. We went to both the Macan & 718 Boxster launches and my heart was set on a new Boxster only to be convinced we could work with one car. It won't happen again!

[Deleted User 1874]

Sorry it's not a criticism of the car - yes there are a few niggles I don't like but you're right I chose the wrong car. I should never have agreed with my wife to try working with one car - it was never going to work. I think I saw the chance to buy our first new Porsche (rather than 12-18 month old as in the past) with rose-tinted glasses and got sucked into it without thinking it through properly. We went to both the Macan & 718 Boxster launches and my heart was set on a new Boxster only to be convinced we could work with one car. It won't happen again!

A Macan Turbo may possibly work as a single Porsche option. I've considered that route myself, but probably won't subject the rest of our family to the driving experience! But I have come round to the view that I need a petrol Macan to avoid boredom. But will always have some sort of 911 parked in the garage for real fun. Actually a Boxster may work for me as a second Porsche, but it's handy having rear seats in a 911 for the kids.

[goron59]

A couple of years ago there were discussions about how the Macan was a good car because it was pretty good at most things.
Since that time I've come to the conclusion that the Macan isn't a very good good car because it is pretty bad at most things.

It's just that over time, you notice the bad things more than the good things. The car hasn't change, just perceptions from experience.

But I think Macan is still a good single-car compromise. If I wasn't limited to a single vehicle, I would absolutely not have a Macan. I'd have something slow-but-practical-and-comfortable and still have my R8.