My Macan took me for a drive this morning with two of his older, smaller buddies - a 996 Ruf Turbo and an '86 Cab (that used to be mine). He had no trouble keeping up with with these two pretty sweet rides.

 

i just read your post re the now "dis-allaocated 992 targa". what a car.

you are a porschephile and i'm querying everyone i can. would macan satisfy someone who is admittedly "slowing down a bit" but coming from a 996 turbo with every bolt on imaginable and converted to rwd?

i ask because i've had my eye on a macan for awhile but only have a "one porsche" garage where i'm headed soon.

 

I think if your new place only has a single car garage then the Macan would be the perfect vehicle for you. I would suggest driving a few different models at your local dealership and see which trim level feels right for you.

 

thank you for that. i'm less about trim packages than i am about the available power ( though i take it "trim packages" are synonomous with oem power level yes? ) as i'm coming of of 12+ years of twin turbo 911 ownership and would assume that a turbo macan would best suit me. but as i mentioned, my driving style has become a bit more ( ahem ) mature over the years. so contrarily, a base model might suit me at this stage. it would be helpful if i could test various iterations of macan's but given i'm buying "used", choices and opportunities to test drive are limited significantly.

i'm probably going to ( have to ) forgo the usual old school "visit dealers and test multiples". though as you suggest, that's definitive and optimal. but i'm not wearing a mask to test drive or "discuss" on a dealer lot.

helmet and goggles and harness, maybe.

thanks for your input.

 

k9turbo, I guess the question you will have to answer is: How fast is fast enough? Based on your "12+ years of twin turbo 911 ownership" I think you should be seriously focusing on the Turbo, and at a minimum the S model. You may find the GTS to hit the sweet spot.

Good luck!

 

thank you ^ i hope to frequent this sub forum as an owner of one as i relocate. first things first.

 

I also owned a 996 Turbo, five years in my case with no mods which I sold pre-COVID. After being Porsche-less (also only one garage spot) I picked up a 2015 Macan S a couple months ago and couldn't be happier. The two are not at all comparable beyond the badge. The twin turbo flat six with negligible sound deadening ripping behind you is no comparison for the luxury car accoutrements and burbling exhaust from the much heavier and much less powerful Macan S. If you enjoy sports cars, the Macan S is unlikely to scratch the itch, my prior vehicle was a 2002 BMW X5 4.6is so the Macan S replaced that slot, which it does nicely. About the same size, feels a bit lighter, more comfortable seats, more modern interior and can still rip and take a turn at speed. Neither SUV is/was/will be a comparison for a 996 Turbo let alone a tuned example.

All that noted, the Macan platform supposedly takes to a tune well and there are handling and brake upgrades. But no matter what, it's still a two ton SUV and not a 3,200 lb purpose built supercar. If you can appreciate each for its own merits, the Macan (I'd recommend skipping the base and look at S, GTS or Turbo with the Performance Pack) is a great, fun, tossable, SUV.

But it will never be a 911 Turbo.

 

understood, thanks. i wouldn't expect it to provide the same kind of visceral madness my 996tt is capable of delivering instantly.

but i've been in 911's for over 40 years. it "may" be time for a putter with some creature comfort that can still zip a bit. so, yes to the S or even the turbo would be best for me, and i would flash it to bump it 15/20% in hp.

though it certainly will never be a 475rwhp rwd 911 turbo.

thanks for that info.

 

Here's my experience with regard to the Macan/911 situation. I bought my first Macan, a '15 Turbo without many luxury options, in 2014 when I was driving a 2014 991.1 C2S Cab. Although I bought the Macan for bad weather driving, hauling stuff and business use (I'm a real estate agent), I often found that I'd grab the Macan even on those days when I could have taken the 911. I enjoyed driving it that much. In 2017 I traded the Macan for an Audi Allroad (It seemed like a good idea at the time) and by then had moved to a 2015 C4S Cab followed by a 2017 991.2 C4S Cab. For the two and a half years that I owned the Allroad, I really missed driving the Macan. Even driving a base loaner when my 911 was in for service was a treat. In November of last year I traded the 991.2 for my 2020 Macan S, which I loaded with comfort/luxury/appearance options. After driving it through four seasons and putting 10,000 miles on it, I have to say that I don't really miss my 911 (Of course, I can get my 911 fix by driving my wife's 997). It's fast, handles superbly and is very comfortable. I tend to drive it in either the sport+ setting or individual setting (sport+ throttle and gearbox response with normal suspension setting). Whether it's accelerating from a stop, attacking an on-ramp or a sporty drive on winding country roads, the car just performs incredibly well. My suggestion would be to buy an S, GTS or Turbo and make sure you get the air suspension so that you can drive it in as low a position as possible.

 

My sandwich:


Both vehicles have exceeded my wildest expectations.

 

Very nice. We're hoping to get to Hawaii next year for our 40th anniversary.

 

Its a great combo, and if you can have a 911 and a macan as your daily, you will be pretty happy.

 

There is a fair amount of "not this year" going around these days.

 

Isn't that the truth. Hopefully by next June we'll be vaccinated and ready to take the short hop from our new home in Pasadena to your fabulous state.

 

Ironic that you'd like to visit the islands and I would love, but for Covid, to be flogging my 997 GTS up Little Tujunga Canyon.
I store it in Chatsworth, and in normal times I would be storming the ACH:



Malibu Canyons:


Or Hwy 33 above Ojai:


It has been a year since turning a wheel in the 911. I miss it very much.

We did do a 1000-mile "bucket list" ski road-trip in our Macan GTS- which we store in Portland, OR.
Left PDX Jan 15, stopping in SEA, Vancouver, Whistler, then east on Hwy 99 through Kamloops, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse, Nelson, Fernie-pretty much the entire Powder Highway. Put a set of Michelin Alpin snow tires on in PDX prior to the trip. They are awesome tires, highly recommend 'em.

Don't know if you have driven your Macan in deep snow, slush, ice, standing water, gravel, mud (and every combination of them)- but it is the best chassis/drive-train I have ever experienced in winter mountain conditions. Really stellar traction, especially in OFF ROAD mode when off paved surfaces with deep contaminants. Glad we had PPF installed in Leipzig the day of Euro Delivery- the amount of gravel and sand on BC roads was ridiculous. Luckily, just one small star in the windshield, otherwise all self-healing XPel "flesh wounds".

Flew home PDX-HNL on Feb 17, both of us had intense flu-like symptoms- probably Covid, which was making the rounds back then in ski towns. Took 5 weeks to shed the cough. No testing here until mid-April, so never knew if we had it, or just a bad *** flu. May take the antibody test in the future, depending on the cost. Not sure how the results would alter our behavior, though. We're not getting on a plane for quite awhile. Our island, especially the ERs and ICUs are getting hammered right now by Covid cases. Until last week we had near zero cases per day, now it is exponentially growing and surpassing Cali, AZ, FL and TX infection rates.

You are blessed with awesome roads, and a climate to enjoy them year-round, far superior to more "famous" drives across the US.
I sold my '07 base Carrera that I had on Oahu- speed traps everywhere, no decent roads to wring out a sports car, just not worth the fines, points and insurance hikes.

I ache for a session in the mountains north of your home, followed by a fine Brunello and Osso Buco at Mia Piace.

Be well.