Victor C3

I never drove a base Macan, I went right for the S. I always keep my S in sport mode, I never drive it in normal mode mostly for the lag reason (and it sounds more burbly too).

I don’t think the base is as underpowered as most of us think, it just seems that way when the rest of the Porsche vehicle lineup is much more performance oriented. People typically buy a Porsche to do Porsche things with them and I’d gander that the base Macan isn’t that peppy and doesn’t do Porsche things as well as most other Porsches do.

I say test drive a base Macan and see if it is really as underpowered as many say it is. If you and your partner like it, get it and ignore what others say.

Victor C3

In every car that I’m aware of, a solid check engine light is usually a minor issue, like a funky sensor or something and the engine isn’t really in danger. When the check engine light flashes or blinks at you constantly, you have a really bad issue and should stop immediately.

Im not sure how the APR tunes impact the check engine light on a Macan, but so long as it is solid and not flashing, I wouldn’t worry about it.

iammacey

With a move from the CRV it will be an absolute upgrade.

We owned it from Dec 2016 - June 2019. I traded it. No issues at all within that window. We did tires once and everything else was routine oil changes. There was an issue with the seatbelt sensor in the passenger seat. But that developed at the end and we didn't address it prior to trade.

I have no concerns picking up one used.

tk-porsche

Try both and see which you prefer and if the extra cost of the S is worth it. With gas prices as they are now, am happy I went with the base (though supposedly the S isn't too different - again, much depends also on one's driving style). Not as nice sounding or quite as responsive as the S, but adequate. Getting 20-23 mpg in the city, 29-31 mpg on the highway with a '19 base. Options will drive the price way up, so there is another tradeoff unless money is of less concern. Main thing is to drive away happy, with no buyer's remorse.

chuckbdc

When my Turbo was in for and oil change I got a base to use for a day. It had enough pep in traffic up to about 50 mph. After that not so much.

fliegenwulf

I had a 2017 Base, sold in in 2020. Compared to 2017 models, I felt 2019 Base has much more response at lower speeds. I felt Base 2019 would be good for me in most situations and a comfortable ride.

When I started looking for a new Macan, my option was to go with a basic version of Base or go GTS. Once I added options to Base or S, the price difference to GTS diminished quickly. I am going with GTS, but if my budget tightened I would have no problem getting another Base (with Sports Chrono for 20 sec sport response).

offagain

I had the base model as a loaner while my previous Cayenne was in for a recall - timed it perfectly as I had a long drive up and over the Sierra Nevada mountains to Carson City. I knew I was getting a loaner and hoped for a base Boxster or something and was disappointed to get a base Macan instead - white with the smaller wheels, about the cheapest you could possibly get.

But, I was pleasantly surprised to be honest. It wasnt fast, but had sufficient pep to get up and go and what really shone was the ride, handling and that gearbox! Ok, so its a mountain road and I wasnt going to go stupid speeds, so think 45-70 was the range that I was in. But it was surprisingly fleet footed and I wasnt upset by the lower power. I would imagine that 2 or three up with luggage will stunt the performance, but it did well. But that PDK did make up for things though - quick changes, excellent programming and fast response made sure I could use all of that 250BHP! Was actually very impressed.

When we were looking at getting something new, we did look at other 'premium small SUV's' and the Range Rover Evoque came up. Only available with a 2.0T engine with 250BHP in one spec. My wife drove that and hated how slow it was, certainly not what I found with the Macan. Ok, totally different cars I know, but Porsche knows how to optimize their performance and it doesnt feel like a 250BHP small SUV. I would say its adequate, not great, but its surprising. Is it better on fuel? Yeah, not so much. Small gains when you take it easy over the S model are harder to obtain because you are going to be working it harder.

After all of that, we bought the S model. Felt special, swift (not fast, but came from a C63S) and so much better on ride, feel and handling for what it is. Would love the Turbo, but couldnt stretch that far. The S is the sweet spot I believe. But I cant see anyone being totally disappointed with the base, its not that bad.

pkalhan

wow! Thank you very much for your post. This was very helpful. We have an appointment tomorrow to take a look at a base and will also look at a Q3 as well. Hoping the weather holds up. Thank you all for your responses!!

PJ Cayenne

Lets put things in perspective. The base Macan is a 6.3 sec to 60 car. That is pretty quick, but not blinding fast. We have the base Macan and it is enjoyeable to drive. At really high speeds it will seem to run out of breath, but how ofter do you run over 90mph?

Bill_76

My friend’s base Macan got APR tune, day and night, no more lag in throttle, we did test a stock Macan S and his APR tuned base 2.0T with dragy from 50-90mph and got the same time, under 50mph base tuned feels faster too, over 90mph there is no replacement for displacement

JDailey

This one has been beaten to death, but sure, I'll weigh in. It depends on what you're coming from and what you're expecting. I had a string of BMWs prior to my 2020 Macan base. My last BMW, a 2014 X1, had the "N55" twin-scroll turbo, three-liter, inline six cylinder good for 300hp and 300lb-ft. It was a beast. But mated to a six-speed, torque converter automatic it didn't really have the chance to shine. The Macan, despite having lower power and torque specs, can make the absolute most of it with the PDK transmission. If money were no object, I'd probably have gotten the S, but I sleep soundly at night knowing I could afford the base model comfortably without financing.
So, bottom line, go drive them both. There will always be more power out there, so find what's "enough" for you and be happy. Good luck!

-James
Denver, CO

JDailey

+1. This is spot on.

tk-porsche

Exactly. The base has never left me in a lurch when it comes to needed quick enough acceleration. As to 90+ mph,how many places do most people have around them (at least in the US) where this is even possible to do safely?

c1pher

I test drove a base Macan and while I wouldn’t say it was fast, it was decently quick and would have worked for me. The problem was, I saw a CPO two year old Macan Turbo for a couple grand more and decided to buy that instead. I’d say in almost all cases, a base Macan will do just fine. The 2.0t is a good motor that VAG has used and continually refined since about 2006. A simple APR tune will get you Macan S power.

Faust T.

I have the Gen 1 Macan S and got a like new base Macan as a loaner for a week, car has less than 600 miles when I pick it up,
and I absolutely hate how the base model drives, the power is alright in city driving, but really shows it's weakness at highway speed and/or under load,
and the engine is not smooth by any mean, the noise and vibration reminds you every time that it's a VW unit whenever you step on the gas.

I really wonder why would anyone bought a base model have they test drove both. If MPG is not a concern I would take a lightly used CPO S over the base model everytime.