NoSubstitute981

I’m sure this has been covered before but my findings, after doing some work on this car, is it’s an Audi Q5 in wolfs clothing!!!
Great for the wifey but certainly NOT a Porsche. Just saying…

Having said that, still enjoyable to drive but just not Porsche-esque.

sorry, had to get that off my chest.

Jon D

It’s the base chassis but that’s about it. Wife has an SQ5 and it’s not equal to a well options S or above.

NoSubstitute981

You could be right, and I hope you are but I just installed seven parts, all underpinnings, but the parts removed and the new ones all had Audi part numbers on them.
Just sayin.
Engine, suspension, interior and the like I’m sure are Porsche, but at heart, I’m thinking it’s an Audi geometry Q5.
Wishing Porsche would have bought VW rather than the other way around.

spraguedawley

Porsche owns majority shares of VW. what is the point of your post? Just sayin?

MrMarco

I just can't do Audi but it's because it reminds me of DB neighbor with S4, otherwise I would be open to a test drive. But I have also eaten cicada.

NoSubstitute981

Me either! Soooo… cicada? Are we talkin those bugs that come up every seven years or so? If so, might need to see someone about that?!?

To the other person… no point really, just an observation really, thanks for chiming in though.
Dont get me wrong, I/we love the car, it’s just not a thoroughbred.

georgej

"Porsche, there is no substitute". I have two Porsche's and one is a Macan. For me it is the perfect daily car. It has the utility I need when I need it and it is a total hoot to drive. It is a fantastic car for long trips, it eats miles for lunch. Porsche took the Q5 and applied their secret sauce that makes this the best small on the planet, and by a huge margin.

NoSubstitute981

Don’t get me wrong, like I said we love the car and are traveling to Lake Havasu here in about 9 weeks with it. It’ll tow our Jetski, dogs (dogs inside of course) luggage and wife, eh, we’ll see, lol. Should be a great road tripper. I was just taken back a bit when all the parts I replaced were Audi PN’s. heck, we’ve got H&R lowering springs here I’ll install next week along with a Cobb AP coming tomorrow so it’ll definitely be enjoyed…

Our “true” Porsche is a 981 Cayman… that car is the real deal!

MrMarco

Lived in the Midwest and worked in the South. I am not as bad as Zimmern (TV's Bizarre Foods) but brave enough to try most things.

NoSubstitute981

I’d need to smother them in something super spicy and close my eyes… Brave soul you are!

Terry Adams

Top of my Macan options list was air suspension. I could find other features the Macan excels with, e.g. PDK>S-tronic.

Have ridden in a neighbor's Audi. Nice, luxurious, but not the performance. Heads up display in Audi $56K Prestige was awesome.

chuckbdc

Many of the "performance" small SUVs chasing the Macan excel at something, but driven back to back with a Macan (of equal spec) and its clear why Macan is their target. Kind of like the 911. In a word- Porsche!

DBH

Ok NoSubstitute, thanks for your opinion. BTW, have you driven a Q5 and a Macan back-to-back? "There is no substitute."

drcollie

We have an SQ5 Audi and a Macan S, they are not the same, nor does one drive like the other. Sure, they share some platform parts, just as 356's did with VW's. Some noticeable differences.

Audi is Front Wheel Drive biased. Porsche is Read Wheel Drive biased.
Audi is a conventional automatic transmission, Porsche is PDK.
Audi is Superchraged, Porsche is Turbocharged.
Audi has squared tire sized, Porsche is staggered.
Chassis dynamics are far better on the Macan, it has actual road feel, Audi is numb

VAGfan

I have a 2019 Macan Base, and a 2017 B8.5 Audi SQ5. Note that I am not comparing the Macan to the newer SQ5 B9 generation, I am not overly impressed with that current newer version.
I don't find that they drive, or "feel" that much different, other than the much better and immediate torque of the Audi supercharged 3.0 V6.
The ZF 8-speed transmission in the Audi is pretty nice...not that different than the "PDK", and probably a more troublefree transmission.
The Torsen (Quattro) center diff is also bulletproof compared with the Macan Transfer case.
And they share many more parts than Porsche cares to admit...which isn't a bad thing.
The interior material quality and fit/finish of the Porsche is a 10, the Audi is a 9.2.
The B&O in the Audi easily beats the Macan Bose.
The Audi sport seats have better lateral support than the Macan 14-way, probably less than the Porsche 18-way.
The Audi flat bottom steering wheel is nice and fat...the Macan is thin, not as nice to hold.
Audi steering (with the Dynamic Steering option) has less feedback than the Macan, but not by much.
The Audi MMI control falls right at hand, the Macan needs an awkward reach, and glance, to the touchscreen.
The Audi handles about as a 7.5, the Macan an 8, but the Macan (steel springs, no PASM) has significantly better ride comfort. Body roll control seems better in the Audi.
I find the brakes equal.
The Pano roof rattles in the Audi, not in the Macan. (But I have a rattle from the Macan rear hatch)
Road and wind noise is the same, both feel like they are carved out of a block of steel.
Nice exhaust sound on the SQ5 (active muffler valves), not so nice on the 4 cylinder Macan.

If I had my way, I would put the Audi supercharged V6 into the Macan, with the PDK.

For less money, I would have rather bought another B8.5 SQ5, rather than the Base Macan, had I found one with low enough miles.