I had a 2012 Q5 from new, and it was the best daily driver I've owned. At 105,000 it still drove like new (unlike the prior BMW X5, whose chassis and engine felt tired at 100k miles).

I traded the Q5 in for a 2018 Macan (both 2.0t's). The Q5 was awesome to drive and the Macan is even better. Ergonomically, there is a lot of stuff that I like a lot better in the Q5. Even just the key design, where you could pop off the key for a valet (I try to avoid valet, but sometimes forced in NYC) -- in the Macan it's a joke. The valet key is hidden inside the Macan key and it's difficult to remove the Macan key from the key ring. Small thing? Not to me -- I hate when functionality move backward for no reason -- and it's a pain to deal with. I bought a special keyring to allow removing only the Macan key, but this means I'm still giving them the full key instead of the limited access valet key (I'd have to disasemble the key for that, then it's very easy to lose and very difficult to use because it's so small).

My services with the Macan have been far worse then Audi -- really horrible and inflated prices (e.g. sunroof drains, $1715 for rear brakes only on a Base model, $1000 PDK oil change) - never had that issue with the Audi. I had one Porsche dealer experience, but they are in another state.

The switches on the console on the Macan are a drag -- they look cool, but you have to take your eyes off the road to press them. Newer models have moved those console buttons to touchscreen, making it even worse to try to operate by feel. It was far easier to control everything on the Q5. Also the newer Macans only have USBC ports which I find extremely annoying even as an iPhone user. I haven't tried a new Q5, so maybe some of the stuff I dislike about the Macan has migrated to the Q5.

Gas mileage is about 2 mpg better on the Macan than the Q5, probably due to efficiency of PDK over Tiptronic, and auto-shutoff.

When I bought the Q5, I tested both the 2.0t and the 6, and the 2.0t felt torquier off the line, so I bought the 2.0t (though it's wasn't as smooth as the 6 at idle). Very happy with the Macan Base 2.0t also for the same torqey response. I had an S as a loaner, and it's obviously faster when you rev it out, but in everyday driving, the 2.0t feels just as responsive. My wife didn't even notice we had an S loaner when she drove it. The S is definitely faster -- not criticizing it at all -- but the 2.0t in either the Q5 or Macan is very competent.

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And I’m waiting for a 911 owner to say that a Cayman isn’t a real Porsche….

 

I don’t have the comparison experience with the Q5 but can identify some of the complaints about the Macan.
Ours has an annoying rattle from the rear hatch as well, I think it might be the parcel tray.
The torque, or lack of (3.0 S model) has been remedied by installing a Cobb Stage One tune. It flat rips now!
I do wish the seats had a more snug feel to them (14-way on this car) for spirited driving.
As for body roll, It’s not bad for an SUV but I’ll be installing H&R lowering spring next week so should be a non-issue after that.
Servicing these cars can be expensive but I do my own work. Pretty much all of the fluids are expensive. Our Cayman S ran about $300, if I remember right, just for PDK and rear differential oil. I expect the Macan will be close to double that due to increased fluid capacity along with the added front diff and transfer case.

In all, we like the car. My wife misses the heated steering wheel and remote start the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport we traded had. I miss the adaptive cruise.

I had read the Macan shares it’s platform with the Audi Q5 but was surprised to see so many parts with the Audi symbol on them. No big deal, the parts I had to replace were all underneath the car so I can see that stuff crossing over.

 

Ha Ha… Well I’ve been a 911 fan for a long long time but “settled” for a 2014 Cayman S and first, it’s all Porsche. And second, so long as they keep making this car, I’ll never own a 911!!!

It’s THAT good!

 

bzzzzzztttt.......thank you for playing. Better luck next time.

 

Eh-um, I just got new directional vented 345MM front rotors for $158 each (new brakes all the way around.) Perhaps your mechanic is over charging you or it's been a while since you've had that kind of work done? Also what exactly do you mean by "frat dealer?"

Someone is stuck in 2012

 

“frat” was IPhone typo (now corrected). I know the actual brake parts costs. I’m dealing with the dealer as we speak. They are charging more than double Sumcoast cost for the same OEM parts, and charging considerably more than MSRP for those parts. They added $170 for “spring clips”, which I don’t know what they are (I’ve asked for the part number). They are charging 4 hours ($900) for just the rear brake and rotor replacement labor (probably takes them 30 minutes to an hour max). The $1715 quote is for rear brakes only, front brakes would be much more because both discs and pads (OEM) are a lot more than rear on Suncoast.

I’ve identified these issues to the dealer, ball in their court to respond. Didn’t have these insane prices with the Audi (even at the same dealer in one case).

My car has 27k miles and was in for 30k service. I won’t talk about what add-ones they suggested, you would fall out of your chair. The maintenance schedule for 30k is oil change only. They are doing the plugs also at $695 which is technically done at 40k in schedule for the Base model, but I’m OK with doing early since plugs aren’t included in their 40k.

 

You really need to drive a Macan rather than guess based upon parts or presumptions. I expected the Macan to drive very similar to the Q5, which would have been fine since I loved the Q5, but the Macan drives better and they feel like totally different cars. I’ve owned many 911s and the Macan feels like a proper Porsche, and I only have the Base model.

Porsche’s goal for the Macan was for it not to be a smaller Cayenne, but a bigger 911. It feels like that to me.

 

Sorry PeterP, but you are literally being taken to the cleaners. Here's Spring Clips for a Macan aftermarket for $ 10. The thing is you don't even need new spring clips with every brake job.

https://www.carid.com/porsche-macan-...MaAjhVEALw_wcB

Suncoast is not inexpensive in parts, either. You can get aftermarket parts for less than Porsche OEM and they are of the same quality. I have done over 100 brake jobs in my own garage, being an ex-track junkie I used to swap in track rotors and pads every track weekend. I can do all four corners, pads and rotors in under one hour once the vehicle is off the ground, so that gives you an idea of time. You do have to back off the electronic emergency brake on the rears of a Macan, but that's easy with a simple 9V battery and a set of pigtails. Using high quality OME spec rotors and pad (aftermarket) you can do all four corners for about $ 1,500 in parts.

You probably do NOT need rear rotors unless they are under spec, Fronts wear out much quicker as that's where the stopping power is. Read pads wear out quickly as Porsche (and Audi) use the rear brakes as part of the stability management and traction control. Usually drop a set of pads in the rears and you're good to go. Rotors should go to 50K miles or so on average.

I get that you may not want to do your own brake job, but an Indy can do that for you for far less, its not a complicated maintenance item. Good luck . .

 

I'm with you on everything. I've rebuilt engines, restored many vintage cars, I have best of show concours awards, I do all of the maintenance on our 996, but for a DD under warranty, I just want the dealer to service it. Even after the warranty I'd use dealer if it's possible. On the Audi, dealer service wasn't bad -- it's a premium over an independent and way over doing it yourself, but they were fair enough on prices that I was ok with it.

On the Macan, it's been a nightmare. The original purchase dealer was great, but they are in a different state. Good luck with those $10 clips -- you're going to need $170 clips if you don't want your car to self-destruct (hopefully clear this is sarcasm). I picked Suncoast because it is "apples to apples" with the OEM parts the dealer has quoted. For the rear discs for a Base model, they quoted $396.06, Suncoast is $185, and even MSRP is only $274.42 -- so they are 214% the Suncoast price and 143% of MSRP. The spring clips quote I suspect they just pulled out of thin air. The first quote was a flat number of $1715, even though I requested parts/labor breakdown (so there was no way to evaluate what they were charging). The updated quote had labor (4 hours), but parts were listed only by name, not part number, making it a hassle to look up. I'm pretty sure there are no part numbers corresponding to anything close to $170 spring clips. I've never received a quote that didn't have part numbers and hours specified in many years of Audi and Porsche ownership, so it's pretty clear what they are trying to do. I gave them all the costs differences and pointed out the insanity of a 4 hour rear only quote -- so the ball is in their court.

The rotor is at 21.3mm, versus 22 new and 20 minimum spec, so it's at 65%, but they only recommended rotors and pads. I've requested a "pads only" quote and competitive rotor+pads quote. No response yet since I identified these issues yesterday.

I honestly won't buy new/newer Porsche ever again if I have to put up with this crap every service. I guess people just take it. They shouldn't.


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Why bother with this dealer? Go to a different one.

 

For me, there was no other vehicle that scratched this itch.

1) I drove my friend's X3 M40i: The power was amazing, but the overall design seemed a little disjointed, especially on the interior. And the run-flat tires made the handling a little choppy and less composed. It just didn't feel as solid or coherent.
2) I owned a 2019 Audi Q5 for six months before Audi bought it back under the Lemon Law. The air conditioning never worked properly during my 3K miles of ownership. Aside from that, it's a great vehicle, but it just didn't feel as sporty or fun as the Macan. Sure, the electronics were more current and the B&O stereo was amazing for far less than the Burmester option on the Macan. But that alone wasn't enough. The Q5 with "Quattro Ultra" emphasized front-wheel drive and fuel economy, where the Macan just has this sporty, rear-wheel-drive feel.

So I ended up with a 2020 Macan (base) well optioned at MSRP of $64K (I negotiated it down a bit at purchase). It checks all of my boxes. It's really fun to drive, handles well, fits my gear and my friends, is flashy without being too flashy, etc.




Outside of Taos, NM

SoCal

 

I’m sorry if I offend but you’ve rebuilt engines and cars with awards? Brakes are basic service items. Why not do the work yourself?
Your concern is a warrantee? Of what? Obviously the warrantee doesn’t cover wear items so what’s the big deal?
They’ll deny service to you because you did a brake service? I highly doubt it.

if you’re long in the tooth, age-wise, I get it. I’m getting close myself. You made a judgment call and paid for service. I truly wish you luck.
Perhaps next time, you supply the parts?…

 

This is the second local dealer, first one was also bad (in a different way, but just as bad). The original dealer was great, they even picked up and dropped off my car out of state, 2 hours away for the 20k (long after the sale) and it was great, but I feel like I should establish a relationship with a local dealer.

I don’t have time to pick up the car and take somewhere else, and they’ve already done 30k and spark plugs, it also took almost one month to get this appointment (that may not be that unusual given the general shortage of rental cars dealers use for loaners).

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i just don’t want to for new cars. That’s my preference, I like OEM fluids/parts/service for my wife’s DD. Im okay with the premium for dealer service when it’s fair.

I haven’t yet agreed to or paid for the brake service, I’ve pointed out the massive quote issues and am waiting for their response.

The other local dealer tried to deny a warranty claim on a false basis. That also was taken care of no problem with out-of-state dealer (they picked up and dropped off my car).

I don't think I'd own a Macan without a warranty or extended warranty for PDK alone (I think something like $15k replacement cost, hope to be corrected if wrong).

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