New M5 versus my Macan GTS

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Philp
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:26 pm

Post by Philp »

Hi All

I mentioned I was having an M5 loaner this weekend and Simon aka Wing Commander asked for a write up against my 2017 Macan GTS so below are my thoughts.


INTERIOR
- Decent plastics and very little feels low rent. I would not be put off moving from the Porker (I have GTS leather option in my car) and it had leather in all the right places such as dash etc.
- Nice Alcantara roof lining but the trade off with saving some weight with a carbon roof is you get no panoramic roof and hence cabin is dark which I didn’t like. First and foremost this is an exec saloon rather than race car so I think they should offer panoramic roof. Who cares if it add 30 kg or whatever
- Driving position is good. Seats are comfy but not quite as good as the 18 way on my GTS. I got excited about the massage function but its a bit gimmicky. The massage seats in Panamera are better
- Rear leg room is generous and the boot is similar to GTS’ 500 litres although obviously not as practical given it’s a saloon

ENGINE
- Torque is monstrous and it just pulls and pulls in any gear. I took a few mates out for a blast over the weekend and some felt sick from acceleration – it is a rampant power plant. Performance is otherworldly and the torque is what sticks in my mind which is addictive and creamy smooth. The speed is quite shocking and even as a driver it surprises so full marks for its beast reputation. Felt quicker than 4WD 991.2 GTS I recently drove probably because of all that torque
- I was getting 28 mpg at motorway speeds of 85 to 90 mph, doing 56 mph in a restricted speed limit zone it was showing 37 mpg and crawling home on Friday in London traffic mixed in with some aggressive acceleration I saw 11 mpg. Overall I got 22 mpg from the weekend and a relatively big chunk of that being motorway but the rest of the time I was driving like a hooligan.
- For a 600 bhp monster I was very impressed. My GTS has 40% less power and in 14k miles of driving it has averaged 20 mpg so the M5 is seriously efficient in context. I thought the mpg would put me off a V8 like M5 so this was a genuine surprise and shows you how good and advanced the engine is. Maybe I can really justify buying a V8 with 600 bhp!
- Now on to the downside...the sound. I was expecting thunderous noise which would make my hair stand on end but it’s just not that visceral. The general reviews I have read say it’s not as emotive a car as the E63 AMG and I can believe it. A great engineering product, no doubt, but not a soul stirrer. - Perhaps a trade off with the excellent efficiency they have achieved from the engine is that they can’t get it to sound that good. It is disappointing and ultimately ends up being the main thing that can’t transcend the car from being an amazing piece of engineering to being something which really gets under your skin. I think the competition pack has a different exhaust so maybe this helps but if noise is important then go to your Merc garage instead. It really wasn’t that much of a game changer to my GTS and it didn’t have any of the bangs on upshift which I like about my car

HANDLING
- I am pretty sure it comes with run flats which make the ride crashy. On a section of the M25 somewhere around junction 8 to 14, from memory, it feels like someone is drilling your skull. They totally ruined the ride on the M135 I used to have and whilst it’s not so severe on the M5, the porker is so much more supple and BTW I have steel springs rather than air. There are a fair few speed bumps where I live and the wife was complaining about the hard ride in the M5 too which behind the fact its not a Porsche and then an SUV is the main reason she isn’t tempted to change
- On the positive side, the active dampers are voodoo like. Hammer it around a corner which has a camber and the car just stays flat as a pancake. Seriously impressive and confidence inspiring so the handling is top notch and makes you forget you are driving a long barge
- 4WD system is excellent and is a must with 600 bhp. Given recent temperatures in UK I think the thing would have been undriveable without it. Tyres are impressive as the traction was excellent despite it being around zero degrees at times.


TECH
- Aside from performance, this is the biggest game changer versus my GTS. The tech really is very clever and makes my car feel dated, which it is versus the M5. I particularly liked the auto park which is useful on such a boat of a car and is a nice sales tactic to use on mrs if I wanted to buy the car. Additionally, the gesture controls for changing things such as the track you are listening to is very neat and the head up display is great. Not sure if that is available on new Macan but it really should be
- Had updated HK stereo which was decent and similar to the Bose in my GTS
- Unfortunately the car was not specified with the radar cruise which essentially drives itself so I can’t comment on that
- I have never really got on with idrive and last used it on a M135i that I had. The system has moved on and its better but maybe its me in the sense that I don’t find it as intuitive as Porsche or Audi which I’ve had in the past

OVERALL
- Deeply impressive car that is well put together. I couldn’t see myself dropping £100k on one, but something that is, say, 1 year + old starts to make more sense when the price is around mid £60k as depreciation is a killer. Ultimately I can appreciate it as a piece of engineering but it fails to excite in the same way as some other cars I have driven or owned
- Loved the tech and makes my GTS feel old. Engine is stonking and mpg is impressive too for supercar rivalling power
- Noise is muted and ultimately is what stood in the way of me really connecting with the car. Biggest disappointment for me as its the first V8 I have had for an extended period of time and I had been expected to be blown away
- The reason I took the loaner is I was toying with buying something with a little more space due to second child that is due in summer. M5 would tick that in rear legroom department but not really on the boot. I’ve decided to stick with GTS for time being and see how things work out. I can always get a roof box for occasional weekend breaks etc.
- The mrs wants an SUV and there is nothing out there at the moment which gets me excited so I will probably not change for another year. By then X3m and x5m will be out, used cayenne turbo a little cheaper or maybe even Velar SVR depending on what that looks like and drives once it arrives. Perhaps even GLC 63 if they sort out that annoying iPad after-thought interior and engine captures me enough so that I get my head around buying a merc. And obviously the upcoming Macan Turbo although I feel like I’m buying the same car which isn’t exciting. Maybe after driving it I will feel different and the annoying thing about having a Porsche is that moving to another brand invariably ends up being a downward step in engineering and badge kudos
- Good point is getting in my GTS after the M5, I don’t feel disappointed and like I must have more power now! GTS looks more special, porker badge is better, interior is well put together, do I really need the car to park itself and must I gesture in the air to turn up stereo rather than hit knob on steering wheel?, engine note is good enough and happy wife happy life
- Anyway, I had a good time this weekend hooning around with 600 bhp so do have a blast in one if you get a chance or, maybe even better, try the E63 AMG and tell us what that was like

Philp
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:26 pm

Post by Philp »

Here she is...

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pmg
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Post by pmg »

[quote
HANDLING
- I am pretty sure it comes with run flats which make the ride crashy. On a section of the M25 somewhere around junction 8 to 14, from memory, it feels like someone is drilling your skull. They totally ruined the ride on the M135 I used to have and whilst it’s not so severe on the M5, the porker is so much more supple and BTW I have steel springs rather than air. There are a fair few speed bumps where I live and the wife was complaining about the hard ride in the M5 too which behind the fact its not a Porsche and then an SUV is the main reason she isn’t tempted to change] quote


I would be very surprised if run-flats. BMW M division has to date avoided run-flats and now even where the rest of the range comes as run-flats as standard the MSport (rather than pure M) are being offered with non-run flats as an option. BMW as a brand has been moving from ride comfort having some influence in suspension settings as with the 1996 E39 five series to good handling being the dominant factor and they have generally got a more crashy ride. One of the reasons why after 5 BMW's I have a Macan S on order
2019 Macan S Porsche code PKW8WKI8
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Wing Commander
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Location: Wiltshire

Post by Wing Commander »

Hi Phlip

What a great write up! Thank you for taking the time & effort to share. :)

Sounds like keeping the Macan GTS for now is definitely the right decision.

Shame that the M5 didn't sound better, although I guess that an after-market exhaust could address that issue. Certainly not a car to buy new though, unless with something like 30% discount! ;)
Simon

Sold: 2016 Rhodium Silver Macan 2.0
Sold: 2013 Platinum Silver 911 (991.1) C2
Sold: 2017 Carmine Red Panamera 4
Mine: 991.2 Carrera T Racing Yellow 06/04/2018
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Post by Deleted User 1874 »

Being very much a "Q" car I'm not surprised they kept the sound relatively muted.
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VanB
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Post by VanB »

Great write up Philp. The M5 is, indeed, an executive rocket and it probably is faster in a straight line than a 911 but so much less involving to drive. I came from a long line of BMWs to Porsche and wouldn't dream of going back unless my circumstances were to change. Each of my Porsches has been night and day better than anything else I've driven.
Current - 991.2 GTS C4 GT Silver
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Philp
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:26 pm

Post by Philp »

I may well be wrong about the run flats and perhaps connected the wrong dots as ride in my previous beemer which had them was v.annoying.

Glad some of you enjoyed the write up. Also re the sound i forgot to say i think its crazy they need to pump artificial noise through speakers when its a 4.0 V8. Although conversely i did like the feature where you can make it quiet on start up so your neighbours don’t hate you if you need to leave early.

VanB - i had a 991.2 GTS for a bit and whilst the M5 maybe faster in a straight line its not a patch on the 911 perhaps obviously so given we are comparing sports car to exec saloon. 991 was an event to get in to and is such a good car so lucky you for having one ! Your post made me dig out a pic of the 991 i had which is attached. Love that car

B4E43B2F-C44C-452F-AA37-5B959F18BB99.jpeg

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VanB
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Post by VanB »

Beautiful car Philp (even though it's a convertible ;) ) They really are lovely cars to drive. Loved my Macan GTS too which really was an amazing car in so many ways.
Current - 991.2 GTS C4 GT Silver
Previous: Macan GTS Night Blue
Previous: 981 Cayman S Agate
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Pivot
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Post by Pivot »

Excellent overview and comparison Philp. M5 is an iconic car that I never considered because of the size, but I appreciate the engineering that has gone into it.
Myself, coming out of BMW, I feel that Macan could learn a trick or two from its countrymen in the central console design and usability of SatNav, should include HUD display.
Current: 911 Carrera T - PPM9RU51
On order: 911 Targa 4S - PPDV8NY4
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smithy37
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Post by smithy37 »

Great write up Phil, thanks.
I know it’s a Q car, but it lacks the visual appeal for me. M cars & AMG cars always looked special and had great road poise.

Your black GTS cab though.....😍
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Litchfield tuned Porsche Carrera 4 GTS (991.2)

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