Macan - a sports car, a hot hatch, a luxury cruiser or ???

[PJV997]

I thought a lot about how to start this thread, I see lots of negative comments about what the Macan isn’t and what a waste of money some of the sporty leaning options are. I could easily have had a bit of a rant but I wanted to be more positive (perhaps the rant is for a separate thread).

And some contextualisation, the Macan isn’t built as a sports car, it’s a medium sized family car. But it has a Porsche badge and sporting aspirations.

I was lucky enough to do my PEC experience for my Macan at the same time as our Boxster and my wife and I shared the experience for both of the cars. No the Macan isn’t a sports car, but my word, it’s very impressive around the track and has the ability to hustle along at a speed far beyond what can be used on the public road.

IMO the Macan is great, possibly the best sporting family car available at a sensible price point. The PDK is a great gearbox and combines so well with the whole drivetrain. I love the ability to modify the cars character through the sports chrono to sharpen response and the ability to use the paddles to change gear manually. I use both regularly on most journeys.

We all want something different from our Macan. For me, I want an enjoyable drive, a car that can be driven at pace on any road type and also a car that is comfortable for longer journeys. My Macan is ticking those boxes for me and I can’t think of another car with a similar level of practicality and price that I would rather have.

I wouldn’t describe the Macan as a ‘2 tonne SUV’ - it might not be far off, but then so is most of its competition.

I would describe the Macan as a Super Hot Hatch.

[Scooby_Doo]

Never been in a “Hot hatch” as comfy as a Macan.

[FirstSeaLord]

Interesting pov. Agree - they often do feel like big hot hatches. Not as fun to drive but pretty good all things considered. Plus no hot hatch will (i) do a 200 mile trip on air suspension so you feel refreshed when you arrive, (ii) hold a ton of people and stuff, (iii) ride over speed bumps without requiring you to slow down

I keep looking at BMW M3 or 340i Tourings but think that although they'll be even better to drive, I won't need the extra performance - and they won't be nearly as comfortable to do long distances / in-town stuff

We don't often need to carry tons of stuff so I'd like a four seater Dakar most of all, but that's a different discussion

[PJV997]

I keep looking at BMW M3 or 340i Tourings but think that although they'll be even better to drive, I won't need the extra performance - and they won't be nearly as comfortable to do long distances / in-town stuff

Having had sporty BMWs for the past 25 years including an M3, M5 and M6, I can say with some conviction that the BMW ride quality will be worse.

And I don’t think the BMWs would be much more ‘sporty’ to drive which is kinda the point of my original post.

My possible rant might have said there are too many forum contributors who (perm any number of the following) wax lyrical about the torque of the 3 litre engine, think sports chrono and PTV is a waste of time, just use PDK in auto mode and IMO don’t appreciate how good a drivers car the Macan can be.

[andreas]

The Macan is a fabulous compromise, comfortably floaty when you need it, engagingly involving when you feel like it. Certainly not a sports car, but it has admirable aspirations. I can't think of anything else in the price range I'd rather have.

[Col Lamb]

Almost a fair summary.

A neigh on two tonne SUV, it is.

A super hot hatch it is not, it is far to comfortable to be considered what is essentially a boy racer category.

In the right hands around the PEC a Macan can leave the 911 and Boxsters in its wake, been there seen that, in fact I was in the Carrera C4 GTS and could not keep pace with the Instructor in a Macan Turbo PP.

M3 v Macan Turbo, no contest the Macan is my choice every day, all day.

Comfort and ride quality are paramount for me.

Play hooligan out in the country roads and its high stance and weight makes its class of vehicle felt.

[FirstSeaLord]

I keep looking at BMW M3 or 340i Tourings but think that although they'll be even better to drive, I won't need the extra performance - and they won't be nearly as comfortable to do long distances / in-town stuff

Having had sporty BMWs for the past 25 years including an M3, M5 and M6, I can say with some conviction that the BMW ride quality will be worse.

And I don’t think the BMWs would be much more ‘sporty’ to drive which is kinda the point of my original post.

My possible rant might have said there are too many forum contributors who (perm any number of the following) wax lyrical about the torque of the 3 litre engine, think sports chrono and PTV is a waste of time, just use PDK in auto mode and IMO don’t appreciate how good a drivers car the Macan can be.

I specced PTV on my GTS as I wanted it to be as fun to drive as possible, but haven't had the chance to try with / without back to back. You're noticing it on yours then?

[Jon A]

I found my Macan to be a great cruising car with super build quality and a badge to be proud of. I liked its looks but not its running costs and I thought it wasn’t particularly spacious or even overly practical.
I liked it but never loved it. This was mostly because I found it a little disappointing as a sporty driving experience. It was fine but compromised, not super enjoyable as a chuckable sporty drive and not super practical either - BUT a good car.
I changed for a 911 to get the enjoyable sports car bit because practicality doesn’t float my boat anyway.
In conclusion, if I’m going to get involved with silly running costs and all the warranty nonsense, I wanted something properly fast and with some “presence” to show for it.
I must reiterate though that I do like Macans and they are very good cars

[PJV997]

I specced PTV on my GTS as I wanted it to be as fun to drive as possible, but haven't had the chance to try with / without back to back. You're noticing it on yours then?

I don’t have PTV but sure it will make a difference. Likewise, I haven’t driven a 2 litre Macan, but I’m sure that it can be a great car when driven to exploit its strengths.

I do play with all the other toys on my car, the sports chrono has similar adjustability to the driver settings on the BMW M cars.

Before I got into BMWs I had a string of highly rated hot hatches from the late 80’s to mid 90’s (2 x R5 Turbo, Peugeot 205 1.9gti and R19 16v) that I would drive ‘enthusiastically’ around the back roads near where I still live. When in Sports mode, my Macan feels to me like a grown up and very fast hot hatch and I think it’s great fun to drive.

[PorscheMack]

I found my Macan to be a great cruising car with super build quality and a badge to be proud of. I liked its looks but not its running costs and I thought it wasn’t particularly spacious or even overly practical.
I liked it but never loved it. This was mostly because I found it a little disappointing as a sporty driving experience. It was fine but compromised, not super enjoyable as a chuckable sporty drive and not super practical either - BUT a good car.
I changed for a 911 to get the enjoyable sports car bit because practicality doesn’t float my boat anyway.
In conclusion, if I’m going to get involved with silly running costs and all the warranty nonsense, I wanted something properly fast and with some “presence” to show for it.
I must reiterate though that I do like Macans and they are very good cars

Puzzled by your decision to order another one