Macan 2.0 T vs Macan S

[Deleted User 1874]

Interesting what you say about weight over the front end actually improving handling... the best handling Porsches, Cayman & 911 have zero engine weight over the front!! Granted these are completely different animals designed from the ground up as out and out sports cars, but the physics is similar!

As far as weight distribution goes, the best balance compromise for handling is somewhere around 45/55 front/rear i.e. most mid-engined cars. The 911 pushes that limit more toward 40/60 with some pros and cons.

One real measured data point I found for the Macan Turbo was a weight distribution of 57/43, which is far from ideal from a pure handling perspective. I'm not suggesting for a second that it should be competing against mid-engined sports cars, but it's fair to say that a lighter engine would benefit the handling balance in this case.

[Hawkeye]

Interestingly, I owned a Cayman S with absolutely no options and loved it for its sheer driving enjoyment.

I owned a Macan SD with £13k of options and loved the interior quality of it, but didn’t love the drive - clearly it wasn’t a petrol variant though.

I now have a Giulia Quadrifoglio. At first, I noticed that the interior quality wasn’t as good as the Macan, but quickly forgot about that and now just love the sense of occasion and sheer driving enjoyment of it, just like the Cayman.

I guess it just depends what your priorities are and where you personally see value.


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[Deleted User 1874]

Interestingly, I owned a Cayman S with absolutely no options and loved it for its sheer driving enjoyment.

I owned a Macan SD with £13k of options and loved the interior quality of it, but didn’t love the drive - clearly it wasn’t a petrol variant though.

I now have a Giulia Quadrifoglio. At first, I noticed that the interior quality wasn’t as good as the Macan, but quickly forgot about that and now just love the sense of occasion and sheer driving enjoyment of it, just like the Cayman.

I guess it just depends what your priorities are and where you personally see value.


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Exactly the point I was attempting to make with my old 2.4S. It even had the radio delete option from the factory! Obviously creature comforts are more important in a modern SUV, but if that was the main priority I very much doubt I would bother buying a Porsche. It's not like their interiors are anything special. Build quality is very good, but that should be consistent throughout the range.

That's not to say I would personally choose a 2.0 over the S, as there are obvious benefits to having the extra power and a better interior spec. I just find it a bit odd when some people suggest that a base model is not really a "proper" Porsche, even though it shares the exact same DNA minus all the bells and whistles. Or are we really suggesting that it's just the bells and whistles that make the car special? You can certainly make that argument about say a 3-series BMW, where the base model is truly awful while the top of the range M3 is pretty exciting. So maybe there is something in that.

[nozydog]

Its pros and cons, yes the lack of weight up front does give a slightly and I mean slightly sharper front end BUT in fact the extra weight up front of the V6 variants will improve the handling as a light front end will have more of a tendency to oversteer. The weight transfer of the V6’s to the front end when cornering will increase the grip on the tyres and thus improve handling.

So having a tight front end is not all it seems.

Good God! I would stick to your day job and leave vehicle dynamics to the pros.

Now since vehicle dynamics is my professional expertise I can tell you that adding extra weight on the front end (especially without reducing it somewhere else) is not good for handling performance. Extra weight up-front basically promotes more of an understeer balance in steady state cornering, plus a generally slower steering response. As you say this could potentially translate to oversteer with a lighter front end, but since when was oversteer a problem for a front engined AWD SUV?

The reality is that you would have less understeer and a sharper steering response with the lighter engine. Does it really matter on a large SUV? Probably not, but there's no need to invent some fantasy story that a heavier front end (and heavier total mass) will improve the handling!

Thanks for backing me up on this Peteski... Unlike you, I am not an expert, but what Col Lamb was saying made no sense whatsoever to me!

[Makanik]

That's not to say I would personally choose a 2.0 over the S, as there are obvious benefits to having the extra power and a better interior spec.

Engine aside, is there actually any difference in spec between the S and the (old) 2.0?

[Wing Commander]

That's not to say I would personally choose a 2.0 over the S, as there are obvious benefits to having the extra power and a better interior spec.

Engine aside, is there actually any difference in spec between the S and the (old) 2.0?

From memory, very little. Maybe slightly bigger brakes?

[Deleted User 1874]

That's not to say I would personally choose a 2.0 over the S, as there are obvious benefits to having the extra power and a better interior spec.

Engine aside, is there actually any difference in spec between the S and the (old) 2.0?

Sorry, I meant upgrading to an S and spending £10K on options!

[Deleted User 1874]

Its pros and cons, yes the lack of weight up front does give a slightly and I mean slightly sharper front end BUT in fact the extra weight up front of the V6 variants will improve the handling as a light front end will have more of a tendency to oversteer. The weight transfer of the V6’s to the front end when cornering will increase the grip on the tyres and thus improve handling.

So having a tight front end is not all it seems.

Good God! I would stick to your day job and leave vehicle dynamics to the pros.

Now since vehicle dynamics is my professional expertise I can tell you that adding extra weight on the front end (especially without reducing it somewhere else) is not good for handling performance. Extra weight up-front basically promotes more of an understeer balance in steady state cornering, plus a generally slower steering response. As you say this could potentially translate to oversteer with a lighter front end, but since when was oversteer a problem for a front engined AWD SUV?

The reality is that you would have less understeer and a sharper steering response with the lighter engine. Does it really matter on a large SUV? Probably not, but there's no need to invent some fantasy story that a heavier front end (and heavier total mass) will improve the handling!

Thanks for backing me up on this Peteski... Unlike you, I am not an expert, but what Col Lamb was saying made no sense whatsoever to me!

You're welcome! I know Col Lamb has a lot more experience than me when it comes to speccing options on a Macan and I can see his point, but he did lose the plot on vehicle dynamics! It is the one thing where the base 2.0 has an inherent advantage with its considerably lighter engine. Maybe not the most important thing when considering a large SUV, but still an advantage nonetheless!

[Miopyk]

2.0L Macan = Shopping Trolly
3.0L Macan = Fast Shopping Trolly that sounds good and goes even better (especially the GTS)
3.6L Macan = Pay the guy that owns the 2.0L Macan to get the shopping cause I'm too busy having fun

[Orangebulldog]

2.0L Macan = Shopping Trolly
3.0L Macan = Fast Shopping Trolly that sounds good and goes even better (especially the GTS)
3.6L Macan = Pay the guy that owns the 2.0L Macan to get the shopping cause I'm too busy having fun