benster

I have seen alot of videos and sites with people that have kitted out their Cayennes to go overlanding. Curious if anyone has done anything similar with the Macan? Or is it that the platform just isnt as robust or capable?

#1SomeGuy

Dual Clutch (PDK) in the Macan vs Torque Converter Auto in the Cayenne. Plus the older Cayenne's had transfer cases with an actual low range.

offagain

Was watching some videos on YouTube on 'Rufford Ford' in the UK - basically a road that goes through a stream that floods at times. Surprising to see a lot of cars fail. So checked the manual for wading depth on our Macan. Manual says 12 inches on standard springs! Thats really not good. Air suspension should be better, but its really no where near good enough for what you might find overlanding. I would be very cautious crossing streams as a result. And The Grand Tour a few years ago had a Turbo off road and it overheated the transmission. Its a great car, but has limits......

Chris M.

Macan in Alcan 5000 Rally

JDailey

For "light" off roading, the Macan is great. Dirt and gravel roads, no problem. But having done some serious off roading here in Colorado with friends recently, it's just night and day. Four issues going on:

1) When you're working to get over an obstacle and barely moving it can damage the PDK. There's no "slip" in a PDK the way there is with a torque converter. Even a manual transmission is suboptimal, because you often have to slip the clutch to finesse a maneuver and that will seriously shorten the life of the clutch.
2) It also helps to have locking differentials. Again, I've been in my buddy's FJ (photos below) where the right move was to lock the diffs and force all four wheels to move together.
3) Low-range gears. As the post above said, the original Cayenne had a low range transfer case like the FJ, the Wrangler, etc.
4) Wheels and tires would need a massive overhaul. Sure, ground clearance matters, but you also need serious off-road tires with strong sidewalls. Look at all of the sidewall scuff in the photos below. Then look at how big the FJ is vs. my Macan and it tells you how large these boulders were. No street tire would get you there. And if you truly put the proper wheels/tires on the Macan for off roading, you've compromised the Macan's handling on road. Is it worth it?

My two cents is to enjoy your Macan and go buy a used Wrangler Rubicon to thrash in the wilderness. Remember, there is no perfect set of shoes for everything. What you wear to the office you wouldn't wear to run a marathon or to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Alas, there is no perfect vehicle for everything...

-James
Denver, CO

The Macan is fine for this kind of stuff:




And then for some things you need a "truck". Seriously, my buddy was checking the gimbals for a good stretch of this ascent to see how close we were to tipping (to our deaths). The hood of the FJ is practically in line with the roof of the Macan. It's a totally different ballgame. To make the Macan capable for this kind of action, you'd totally destroy what makes the Macan such a fun package. IMHO, it's not worth it.



Below is the ridge walk between Castle and Conundrum peaks, both 14Kft+

JDailey

I decided to take my own advice. It is far cheaper to pick up a used Wrangler Rubicon than it is to trick out a Macan for real over landing. This is a 2019, two door, well optioned and with a six-speed manual. It had only 10,000 miles on it, so I jumped on it! The two vehicles could not be more different, but then I will be using them for a very different things. I plan to do lots of back-country camping in Colorado, off roading in Utah, etc. with the Wrangler.

James
Denver, CO

siberian

For serious near arctic and off road I have my 2008 V8 air suspension Touareg. If I could only swap the 6 speed Tiptronic for a DSG or PDK it would IMHO be the best car ever made for my needs. The wife has a Macan S but I would never consider it an "off road" vehicle.

siberian

wwahl

Only when it is the garage.