ArvN

I put off buying a new car due to the pandemic and I am back in the market. I finally went to the dealership to test drive a 2015 Cayman Base and 2017 Macan Base. Both are reasonably well optioned, the Macan definitely had a few extra bells and whistles. But when driving, I was underwhelmed by the Cayman - looked absolutely gorgeous, but didn't accelerate as well as I thought. Kind of on par with my BMW 3 series, even in sport mode. Seats were uncomfortable - I'm not very tall, only about 5'8" and I could not find a way to set the seat back or adjust enough to get comfy. Lot of road noise (which I expected). Potholes on the road were felt rather prominently. Cornering was the best part of it, no body roll even in spirited turns.

The Macan had super comfortable seats, lovely interior, fantastic acceleration even in the base model, no highway noise, cornered brilliantly with minimal body roll (not as good as the Cayman but better than my 3 series), all the bells and whistles (panoramic moonroof, lane departure warning etc). Drive quality was supreme. I can only imagine the Macan S would be a better package, and also lighter on the wallet than the cayman?

Everything I've read and seen before the test drives told me the Cayman should have blown me away, but it just wasn't that good. Everything I read about the Macan on the other hand, was absolutely spot on, and in fact the Macan was a better puller and overall package, while being much lighter on the wallet. What did I miss? Or I guess I'm just not a driver's car kind of person...

digs

Macan is a usable vehicle with a soul , cayman is an impulse sports car . I could drive a macan full time , cayman is a thrill ride . I had both for a while (boxster) and Macan S . Just my 02.

ArvN

Yes indeed, I felt the same way..

ldamelio

Completely different cars and use cases. Both superb. Do you want an SUV or a sports car? Simple as that to start. Also, if you were underwhelmed by the Cayman's acceleration - did you wind it out? The flat sixes of the last generation come into their own above 5000 rpm. If you want more low end grunt for everyday driving, look at the current 718 generation.The turbocharged 4's pull hard from low rpm (about 1750 or so).

minoko

If you are cross shopping a base Cayman & base Macan, then you may want to consider also test driving a Golf GTI or Golf R. They share the same 4-cylinder engine (EA888) with the base Macan, are plenty of fun to drive in a way that is more accessible than the Cayman IMO (though, ultimately, once you get the hang of it, the Cayman is in a league of its own), are very practical, they have great interiors, and are much less costly than a Porsche.

ArvN

Thanks for the input! I wanted a sports car, honestly (I'm still young and don't have kids, so I thought this is the time...) but i truly enjoyed the Macan better. I probably didn't push the Cayman as much as I could have, but that totally makes sense - most of my test driving was in interior roads (I live in the PNW where we have a lot of one-lane, curving roads, except for the freeways). The cornering was fun, though. The 718 would unfortunately fall out of my budget so I didn't test drive it - felt like it would hurt more to know what I am missing lol. But I will definitely think about it.

ArvN

Thanks for the suggestion! I drove a GTI for a short while in 2015 and it was a blast. I will certainly check out a newer one. I guess the only thing I'd miss would be the interior of the Macan which just screamed class in every way. I also have an appointment to test drive a newer BMW 4 series Gran Coupe, which might be interesting.

Bxstr

If you're using the car everyday, the Macan will be better. If you're using it as a sports car on weekends, then Cayman.

The Cayman is going to need to be at higher RPM's to really feel quick. I'm guessing if you drove a 718 Cayman with the turbo 4 cylinder, that may be what you're looking for since it should feel quicker to you.

Luca84

SUV vs 2 seater middle engine car, I'm confused...

Alex K.

I have Base macan now as a loaner and I would not recommend this car for the price point. for 30k - maybe. but for 52k+ there are better options.

9eight7

We have both cars and greatly enjoy them, however they are very different cars with use cases as ldamelio mentioned above. Cross shopping these two cars is similar to asking which do you like better, "hiking boots or soccer cleats?" without giving any context. What do you intend to use the car for? What qualities are you looking for in your next car?

MrMarco

Why are you cross shopping these two in the first? I don't know what you all have for circumstances, but I need to load a four year old into a car seat.