Da Hapa

Full disclosure - I'm about as "anti-SUV" as a car guy can be. I don't tow, I don't go off-roading, and frankly I've struggled to understand why so many buyers love them when station wagons and vans drive better, offer more real world utility and are far more efficient.

Last week I took my GT4 in for it's first service and my dealer provided me with a 2017 Macan. I honestly almost asked to get another vehicle but I'm really glad I didn't.

The vehicle didn't have the owners manual or window sticker in it so I'm not sure of all the equipment but it had the 20" Spyder wheels, pano roof, heated front and rear seats, parking package, and some other goodies. All in all, very well equipped.

In the week I had the Macan, I put nearly 350 miles on it. My driving was roughly 70/30 freeway/side streets and freeway driving for us is usually at 75 mph or so.

Here are some of my impressions:
- Motor: The turbo 4 is adequate. It's peppy, torquey and if left in Sport mode you almost wouldn't know it's turbo charged. It is a little buzzy and frankly runs out of steam at highway speeds but I would think most people, in most conditions, would be very happy with this motor. For me, I'd need one of the turbo V6's.
- PDK: Should be PDG... as in Pretty Damned Good. Quick, smooth, responsive. The gears are well spaced, as noted above "sport" mode does its job and masks the turbo nature of the little 4 banger. My only gripes with the transmission (and this is nit picking) is that: (a) the paddles could be bigger and real metal vs. plastic and (b) the shift direction if you use the center mounted shifter is backward (should be push down, pull for upshift).
- Handling: Very, very good and perhaps my biggest surprise. I've driven both the Gen I and Gen II Cayenne's and while I was impressed (especially with the Gen I GTS I had on track) with them, I always felt they were good "for an SUV". Other than the slightly higher seating position, you'd almost not know you're in an SUV in the Macan. It understeers a bit, but the steering is good, handling is balanced and it's very easy to place on the road. I would guess that a better optioned car with PTV and air suspension would be amazing. This isn't fair, because our Audi is 7 years old with nearly 90,000 miles on the clock but honestly, the Macan handles better than our wagon with the factory sport suspension.
- Size: Just about right for my needs. We no longer need rear facing car seats and neither my wife and I are tall (I'm 5'6" tall). The car is easy to park, as stated above... easy to place on the road, and fits nicely in our garage.
- Looks. I personally don't care for the side blades (at least they weren't carbon fiber) and while I think Saphire Blue is a nice color (I nearly optioned that on my GT4), I still think this color won't age well. I loved the details in the tail lights and think the proportions are very well done. I wish the rear glass weren't so steeply raked (as it would improve visibility, cargo space and the looks a bit) but overall, it's a very nice car.
- Fit and finish, etc. Simply outstanding. I think we had the base seats although they had alcantera inserts and they were very comfortable and supportive. The LCA works great, the improved PCM is very, very good, and the vehicle felt, smelled and drove very much like the premium vehicle it is.
- Pano roof: Loved this. This goes against nearly everything I stand for (added weight at the worst possible place, less rigidity, greater complexity) and the other cars I've driven with these kinds of roofs left me unimpressed (more wind noise, a crappy sun shade, lots of buffeting when open) but this was a revelation. Very, very well done.
- Brakes: Again, very good. Porsche usually does a great job with their brakes and while the initial bite wasn't excellent, pedal feel was good and I have no complaints. Does anyone know if the S, GTS, or Turbo models have bigger, better brakes (without optioning PCCB's)?
- Stereo. Bose stereo and really the only disappointment. It is barely adequate. I am not a audiophile (I very nearly optioned my GT4 with radio delete) but the sound system in our Macan left A LOT to be desired.

- Other comments: I believe Porsche used their own AWD system rather than relying on the Quattro system in the Q5 and I have to be honest... it was very, very good in the rain. It bucketed twice when I had to do long commutes on the freeway and the Macan was rock steady. Every bit as good in the rain as our A6 Avant. It's very quiet and very, very easy to speed. The headlights are very good. I am not sure the very expensive LED's would be worth the extra cost over the HID's this vehicle had. I really liked the piano black interior trim. And finally... I still don't like electronic parking brakes.

Overall... I'm really impressed and see why so many of you love these vehicles. Our Audi wagon is getting long in the tooth and since our options for proper station wagons continue to diminish (the new MB E63 wagon might be tempting), I could actually see us considering a Turbo or Turbo with performance package Macan.

Enjoy your cars folks. Stay safe out there.

extanker

i only had my loaner for 3 days and less than 100 miles ,brakes/handling were po.....typical. power wise po too .....a dawg . the sucker could burn some fuel for going nowhere. mine had the 4 banger too and the trans shuttered badly in traffic . i would not buy one.imho.see my macan loaner thread

Da Hapa

Interesting. I avg'd about 24 mpg during my week of driving and I'm not easy on the gas at all. The PDK in my loaner was very smooth.

I wonder... the shuddering you describe... was that the auto shut off feature that kills the engine at stoplights? I hate that and was glad Porsche lets you turn it off (and it stays off in your in sport mode).

richardbf

Fellow GT4 owner here. My DD was a E92 M3. It was hard for me to go a an CUV/SUV. But with V90 R design having a turbo 4 with low power and the E63 estate surely costing at least 130k the way I wanted I got my list down to the F80 M3 or the Macan GTS to replace my M. Figured I would try having an "adult" car for once in my life and break the habit of M cars since I was on my 4th. I think it's a fantastic CUV. I would however tell anyone else who was in the market for a luxury CUV to look at literally everything else on the market if they aren't an enthusiast. It's a smallish cabin, under normal driving is 90% rwd, very expensive, thirsty, and not that much room and cargo space. But for guys like us it's a hell of a CUV. It is no M car but it feels like a taller hot hatch.......I lowered mine. And sometimes I look out the window and I am at eye level with folks in typical sedans. It looks great and goes like hell for road duty. Car and Driver was able to get 0-60 in 4.4 and 13 in the quarter; more than enough poke for a DD for me. And the PDK is fun as well. That was something I was worried about since my M3 was mt. Just a damn shame we don't get the C63 estate here. Really hope Porsche brings a sub Panamera sedan/estate but doubtful it will ever happen.

Pokerhobo

If you liked the base with the 4-cyl, you'll love the MGTS with the lowered suspension, 360 hp turbo V6 and better brakes. Speaking of which the base and S I believe have the same brakes. The Turbo has bigger front and rear brakes. The GTS has the Turbo's front brakes and the S's rear brakes. There's also a Turbo Performance Pack available now (almost Turbo S without the badge), but lots more $$$ but has the bigger 3.6L turbo V6, more HP than Turbo, and suspension changes of the GTS.

extanker

it shuttered in stop and go traffic.....every time i lifted off the brake and before i got on the gas the car shuttered while just starting to move. very annoying and i told the dealer about it. imo there was something wrong and not a feature. gas wise i never got anything close to 24 mpg....i had to give it back filled ....almost 40 bucks. i did use sport alot because it was the best/safe way to pull out . too many bells and whistles imo......2 nav screens,3 heat levels to warm yur butt.......etc. i still look forward to another loaner.....maybe a pig next time

VoodooUomo

I know that the GTS gets bigger front brakes than the S (borrows them from the Turbo). I haven't looked at the 4 cylinder, but my guess would be that the S has bigger brakes than the base all around.

06C2s

picked up a GTS for my wife couple months ago and I am throughly impressed, power and brakes are very good, interior is comfortable and nice (full leather) size is perfect for what we wanted for this stage of our lives (kids HS and college) Mileage is fine after a Toyota Sequoia and this thing handles dam well especially considering it's a SUV. Also no plastic paddles in the GTS.

06C2s

And oh yea my 997 had 2 settings for the but heater and the panamera I just drove had 3 settings as well and the Nav screens are not meant to be both on at the same time, it's so u can Always have a visible Nav if desired while using the other screen for other information i.e. If the phone rings u dont lose ur Nav screen etc

Todd B

No, plastic paddles on any porsche. At least since the 991/981's can't say for previous years. But Macans have always been metal.

06C2s

Op stated his base macan loaner had plastic paddles I believe or maybe I misunderstood

Da Hapa

I am pretty sure the paddles in my loaner were plastic painted to look like metal. If not, they were the crappiest metal I've ever experienced.

dennywags

I'll answere the OP's first paragraph.

Because I am almost 6' 4" and I want a sporty DD that is easy to get in and out of.

Sven76

I am another GT4 owner who also has a Macan S (Diesel) as DD / company car. Love the Macan, though next time I might consider the Cayenne (baby requires a lot of space when travelling). While I love the torque of the engine, I will not get a diesel again after VW's diesel-gate, public opinion now very much against diesel and they might be banned from big cities here. Only other alternative would be a GLC43 AMG.

Cowboys5

Sven - what about Alfa Romeo Stelvio?