Todd B

We skipped PTV on my wife's S, and don't regret it. The car handles very well out of the box. To the point she noticed how much better it is compared to her old Q5. We have some traffic circles near by that the S just fly's around, the Q5 would push if you tried any type of speed. A recent dusting of snow it did just fine, sending power to the different wheels that had traction.

CAlexio

at what speed then is PTV "felt" in the Macan? in real world (legal speeds) driving, is there any difference?

BradB

PTV is pretty seamless. It's almost more what you don't feel. The Macan tends to understeer as you move through corners. This means if you are going into a right hand bend the car tends to want to veer a bit left (or go straight) as the g-forces take hold of the car. PTV manipulates the brakes and the differential to literally rotate the car more to the right and help neutralize the force of the understeer. It literally turns easier and faster. PTV will do this at any situation where g-force takes hold of the car. This can be during everyday situations such as sharp corners at even low speeds, circles, or medium speeds such as freeway ramps. It's subtle but makes a difference. Is it a must-have? Not to everyone since the Macan probably outhandles every SUV and most cars to begin with. But it adds an extra degree sportiness, handling and safety for folks like me who want to maximize the Porsche experience.

CAlexio

I drove the Chyanne on the Handley course at the Porsche driving academy, my experience was that only and very extreme situations could I feel the PTV engage. I guess I'm very surprised to hear that you can tell and making a difference at normal speeds and driving situations. Most cars remain completely neutral on the road unless in mountain twisties or really hard driving.

BradB

I don't know the situation you were in when driving in extreme situations but I feel confident in suggesting what you felt was not PTV but in fact was PSM (Porsche Stability Management) intervening.

In a somewhat over-simplification think of PTV as being proactive and PSM as reactive. PTV works by braking on the inside wheel and adding torque to the outside wheel to rotate the car as you steer. This provides a sharper steering response and turn in. It's proactive in the sense that its helping you do what you are already starting...turning.

PSM, on the other hand uses sensors (direction, speed, yaw velocity and lateral acceleration) to detect what is happening to the car. If this gets outside preset parameters of under or oversteering it will then intervene (react) with braking right, left, front or rear wheels and modulate power to bring the car back inside those parameters. We tell our students at the track that PSM means "Please Save Me"! LOL!

As I mentioned, PTV is very subtle and you really don't "feel it working". You can feel the difference in produces in handling in back to back drives in a car that has it and one that doesn't.

PSM you can feel working. It works when the car gets pushed much closer to the limits, likely the scenario you mentioned.

And actually, by design, most every modern car chassis has understeer built in. It's a very good safety feature for 99% of the population who drive on the street. When cornering and braking, specifically in at-limit and panic situations, it is far safer for the car to keep going straight than it is to over rotate and spin. A car that understeers, coupled with ABS braking, is much easier for the novice to control.

Hope this helps.

Buckfever

I didn't get it, I don't miss it and yet I still wish I got it. LOL

pop.tremuloides

We got it on our MY17 S model.....couldn't tell you when it engages or not.

However, in the snow here in the mountains we bit the bullet and got it and our Macan S has never been an issue in some "dicey" situations.

If you have the money ....sure get it....if not then you "probably" won't notice it at all.

Just our opinion......

CarGuyNVA

My Cayenne Turbo has both PDCC and PTV+...the PDCC is a LOT more noticeable than the PTV+. But in some situations you can detect the PTV+ working, it's just not that pronounced. I guess the Macan doesn't offer PDCC because it's lighter, smaller, lower?


Lately I've been driving a '17 Macan GTS minus the PTV+ option and haven't missed it or ever thought "gee, sure wish this had PTV".


I suppose though that the PTV+ could be of benefit in some poor traction instances because of the locking diff? But I don't really see it on the Macan as a 'must have'.

ChicagoWhale

Porsche Torque Vectoring selectively applies the brake to the inside, rear wheel when going around a turn aggressively. When this happens, obviously the outside rear wheel turns faster than the inside wheel through that turn. This transfer of torque has a "pivot" effect, making the turn-in feel more precise and crisp.

In any Porsche, the difference between Torque Vectoring and Torque Vectoring Plus is simply mechanical versus electrical. Torque Vectoring Plus (electrical system) is available on PDK cars, while Torque Vectoring (mechanical) is available on manual transmission cars.

Unless you are driving your Macan very aggressively, there is absolutely no reason to order this option. Most Macans are used for casual daily driving and the system would never be felt. On a Macan, it's a waste of money.

A 911 with torque vectoring is an entirely different story, because 911's are normally driven differently than Macans. Somewhere on YouTube there is a video of 3 different 911 Turbos going around a track. One car has both TorqueVectoring Plus and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC)l. The 2nd Turbo has Torque Vectoring only. And the 3rd Turbo has neither. As expected, the 911 with neither was the slowest around the track. The 911 Turbo with PTV+ only was quicker. And the 911 Turbo with both PTV+ and PDCC was the quickest. There was about a second separating each one.

Around a track, these individual systems make a difference and those differences add up to better stability, better agility and, consequently, better lap times. On a Macan though, I would spend that money on other options more suited for daily driving, comfort and/or appearance options.

Hope this adds some clarity...

chaosoul

Exactly this. I had one Macan with and one Macan without.

LOUISSSSS

most PTV car owners don't even know if/when its on. likely you won't notice either, so why would you get it, lol.

my S doesn't have it, and I drove on the Porsche track and nurburgring just fine.

John Welch.

You don't NEED most of the options, but its a Porsche, why would you not want the optimal handling available?

Besides, in 7 years or so, when I can afford a used one, I will be only looking at cars with PDCC and PTV+ ;-)

LOUISSSSS

-because its an SUV, and 99.99% of us are daily driving these cars to run errands and from work and that same % will not be driving their macans aggressively. In OP's case, his wife will likely fall into this category
-most people (proven in this thread alone) don't even notice the PTV, hence, why?
-the macan is a depreciating asset. people don't buy cars like investments or houses, different trains of thought. Based on Porsche forums, cars with lightest options get the best resale percentage. I personally hope for the best, but resale value didn't cross my mind when buying this car, can't predict the market 5-15 years down the line...

for those reasons, why get PTV if you're not trying to beat an identical car at the track by 5 second?

BradB

Well luckily the PTV option exists for those unicorns like me that don't fall into the 99.99% group you suggest. Though I have no intention of tracking my GTS (I do so with my other Porsche's) it will, over its lifetime, see plenty of curvy backroad scenery. And I fully intend to maximize the fun out of running those daily errands, too.

PTV works not only when you are driving gonzo on a track. It works on virtually any tight or changing radius turn at even moderate speeds. You run into them everyday. During my (many) test drive comparison tests I drove all around where I live and experienced typical exit and entrance ramps, two lane road switchbacks, sweeping curves, etc. The GTS in stock form was a joy. But PTV reduces the understeer and sharpens the steering response. The nose points where you want it to go much quicker. That's why it's standard in my Carrera. It makes the sports car handle better. And that's certainly why I bought the Macan GTS...I want sporty and I want the big ole SUV to handle the best it can.

If you don't have the car control sensitivity to notice the difference in a car equipped with PTV then it's probably wasted money. Skip it. I thought about it long and hard, too. But I ended up passing on some aesthetic options I wanted so I could afford PTV. I chose it because I appreciate the extra handling response and since the price of admission for a GTS is so high to begin with, the PTV cost was a small percentage to pay to make the vehicle the most "Porsche" it could be.

So I'm "that guy". The one who bucks the 99.99% trend.

LOUISSSSS

^^ I thought you were the OP for a second and seemed to have made their decision before they even made this post.
also, my rationale is that your car would've been 99% as fun to drive without ptv to the grocery store, btw. you'd see better handling improvements with better tires