Any thoughts on whether I should get a Macan S or an Audi S5 sportback? I’m looking to purchase either of these used.

I’ve had a 2017 Macan S for a while and hands down, it’s the best car I’ve ever owned. I’d happily jump into a newer Macan S, but I’m thinking about trying something a little different. My 16 year old thinks I should get the Audi while my 14 year old says I should get another Porsche. Honestly, I’m torn between the two.

I’ve also considered spending a little more and getting a Macan Turbo or an Audi RS5, but the performance of the Macan S rarely left me feeling like I needed more and I feel like 340 hp is plenty.

I really like the sport back design of the Audi and the all wheel drive. Otherwise, I’d also consider getting a BMW M car. For whatever reason I always associate Mercedes as a brand for old women (and I’m not an old woman) and I won’t look at them because of that.

Any thoughts or experiences with an S5?

 

Sounds like you are all over the map.

Do you want an SUV or not? Start there.

 

The Macan and the S5 drive vastly different. I drove a 2018 S5 Prestige for several years, and absolutely loved it. The only reason I got rid of it is because the sunroof developed a persistent creak while driving over bumpy roads (which is every road in Houston), and it drove me bonkers. Audi was unable to get it fixed. If that creak wasn't there, I would still be driving the S5 today. Very agile and light in steering. The Macan will of course deliver on performance, but it feels 'heavy' compared to the S5. So it depends on what you prefer. Take an S5 for a test drive and experience it for yourself.

 

I have both cars a MY22 S and a 2024 SQ5. Both are great cars, however the technology in the Audi is better as is the acceleration from stop (less turbo lag). However once the turbo kicks in they are equal. (Only goes to post MY22, my prior MY20 was slower ). Handling goes to the Porsche. As does the sports car feel and instrument cluster. Of course price is lower for an equally optioned Audi.

 

I presume you mean SQ5 sportback... If that's the case I came from a 2018 SQ5 into my current 20 Macan Turbo.

Audi SQ5 vs Macan Turbo/GTS:
1. SQ5 has a larger cabin, better rear seat area and cargo space
2. Macan driving experience is much more solid. Handling is far superior. And with PTV+ and air suspension it is really fun and agile. The SQ5 can't compete in this area. Steering feel of the Macan is much better. The SQ5 steering is too light and ratio is too wide in my opinion. Macan steering feels perfect for it's size.
3. SQ5 engine and exhaust is more lively than the Macan. You can hear more in the cabin, you get more burbles and pops in sport mode, etc. This is a pro and a con I guess but In some ways but I would say the SQ5 sounds better from the cabin. The Macan is almost too quiet!
4. SQ5 is fast, especially with a tune but it's a bit rough around the edges. The transmission can be slow to respond to downshifts and in general shifts can be pretty rough at times. The Macan Turbo is smooth and refined as it puts the power down. Macan wins this area hands down.
5. Safety tech is better in the Audi but both are pretty solid from a tech perspective.

​​​​​​I would definitely consider a Turbo/GTS. It's a very nice engine. And although some might disagree, I would say that air suspension and PTV+ are must have features. Those two features make this vehicle what it is in my opinion. I have driven a Macan with steel suspension and no PTV+ and it felt completely different and just lost a lot of what I like about my Turbo.

 

"My 16 year old thinks I should get the Audi while my 14 year old says I should get another Porsche."

As a parent it's important to know which of your kids is the smart one. Make the 14 year the will executor when he gets older.

 

Wife has a Q5 2022 I have a Macan S 2015 hands down the Macan beats the Q5 in all categories except interior room which I don’t care that much about as my Macan is very comfortable once you are in and situated. Macan has 120,000 more miles and is still quieter that the Q5. Don’t get me wrong the Q5 is a great vehicle and we are very fortunate to have it but if cost is an issue I would choose a CPO Macan over a brand new Audi all day long. Note our dealer has all 3 Porsche, Audi, and BMW she drove Porsche and Audi. BMW did not make the cut after seeing the huge grill aesthetically ugly. She liked the CPO Macan best but didn’t like the price.

 

I recently traded in my Audi RS5 for a Macan. 2 different animals. I loved everything about the RS5 except for the tiny gas tank and the cup holders. I ran that thing to where the computer said I had 5 miles to empty, in 3 years of ownership only twice I was able to get 14 gallons in, it was typically 12-13 so frequent gas stops. It wasn't the MPG so much considering the power, just the tiny tank. The cupholders are a joke, they sit under the dashboard and you have to angle cups to get it in. If its larger than a 12 ounce can, you may spill contents onto the lower dash, and the cup will mask lower controls. On the love side, POWER! That thing was a beast. Even my neighbor has commented, "Man, I miss your Audi, I could feel it in my house when you started it."

I traded it for the Macan as we needed more room for travel. Way down on power compared to the Audi obviously, but larger gas tank and convenient cup holders. Lots of room for the dog crate too. I drove the S model and the T I ended up with. While the S was peppier, I decided it wasn't a big enough difference for me to justify the extra cost. The GTS was out due to MPG, again, we wanted it for long trips.

If you did mean Audi SQ5, I had one of those too. Loved everything about it. power, features, everything. Only reason I didn't get one this time around is the current body style didn't do it for me, so figured I'd try something new. I seriously considered the SQ8, but couldn't keep the 993 if I did. If I ever sell the 993, the SQ8 will probably be next.

Good luck on your search, just pick whichever scratches your itch and needs best. That being said, I do miss the RS5, did I mention it was a beast?

 

This made me smile. Hard to justify it sometimes but man a properly tuned exhaust can be so pleasing to the ears. It makes me dread the inevitable move to electric, years down the road...

 

[QUOTE=Victor C3;19689599]Any thoughts on whether I should get a Macan S or an Audi S5 sportback? I’m looking to purchase either of these used.
/QUOTE]

Personally I would try to focus on the 2022+ Macan S with the 2.9L V6 375 engine. It is sizeable step up from the 3.0L V6 335 HP EA839 Audi engine. The 2.9L engine is way underrated. I've driven the 2.9L 375 HP GTS (later used in the 2022+ Macan S) and the 434 HP Turbo and they not only felt the same, but they recorded the same 0 to 60 times on a Draggy.

But that also requires a step up in price and it would possibly eliminate the S5 Sportsback which also uses the 3.0L V6 335 HP engine which is a good engine, but how much does it cost to step up to the 2.9L 450 HP RS5 Sportsback?

If you're trying to keep the budget reasonable, then you should also consider the BMW X3 M40i with the B58 mild hybrid engine introduced in 2022. It's in the same price range as an older Macan S with the 3.0L V6 335 HP EA839 Audi engine, but the B58 engine which is severely underrated by the factory is more comparable with the 2.9L 450 HP engine. The B58 is rated at 382 HP, but there have been dyno test showing that it actually puts out close to 450 HP at the crank. It's also the reason why the X3 M40i has been timed at 0-60 MPH in 4.1 seconds and 12.8 seconds in the 1/4 mile.

The 2022+ X3 M40 also comes standard with an adaptive suspension and M-Sport differerntial (mechanical), far more advance tech and it's very price competitive with the Audi S5 Sportsback. It has 17 more cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seats than the Macan and 12 more cubic feet than the Audi. It also has way more legroom and head room in the rear seat.

And chances are greater that you'll find a CPO X3 M40i. Porsche thankfully still CPO's many of their vehicles, largely because the original owners religiously took care of their Porsches, but that's not true with Audi who rarely CPO's anything that doesn't start with the letter "A" in its model name.

I see why the attraction of the Audi S5 Sportsback. Lower center of gravity = better handling. Bigger cargo capacity compared to the Macan. But the EA839 3.0L engine is somewhat generic. IMO, it's not as special as the older version 3.0L V6 supercharged engine. And the fact that the turbo sits on top of the engine, if I'm not mistaken the oil pump and alternator replacements requires the downpipe and turbo removal, but I could be wrong.

Anyways, food for thought... If I'm going Macan or Audi Sportsback, I'm looking for a model with the 2.9L engine.

 

^great input^

B58 is the best in class inline 6 engine. BMW does the best in class job of ZF8HP powertrain integration.

EA839 2.9TT is an amazing engine. It has some quirks: water pump seems to be a weakness, and turbo wastegate levers seem to break (non-repairable, new turbo) around 100k miles. So far nothing worse. Cam roller followers are solved, no bore scoring yet, no rear main seal or other oil leaks yet.

Having driven X3MC, X3 M40i, X3 xDrive30i (base), base Macan, GLC, X6, GLE and 9Y0.1 Cayenne S: 2.9TT + air suspension are musts.

X3 platform does not offer air suspension. X3MC has a buckboard ride and M40i is not much better. These are comparable to Macan PASM steel suspension. Macan has air suspension available in 2022+ on all trim levels. Air suspension is a big deal.

The EA888 2.0 4-banger in the Macan is a dud performance-wise. If an owner cares one whit about acceleration, the EA888 will disappoint every time. Volkswagen has no excuse that the EA888 Evo4 from the Golf R is missing from the Macan lineup. A slight detune vs Golf R would be a perfect base Macan engine.

MB gets 200hp/liter from the M139 2.0 four banger in AMG tune. C'mon Volkswagen.

Interior space will always be a Macan weakness on the currrent platform. X3 and GLC are spacious in the rear seating area. Macan is not, and Macan does not have adjustable rear seats as X3 and GLC do.

 

Coincidentally the S5 Sportback is on my short list for a daily as well. I too am all over the map. GTI, S5, RS5, Macan S, GTS, T, Cayenne S, CX5 Turbo (yep) and even occasionally the X3. All. Over. The Map. Oh, I want a Land Cruiser too.

That said, the S5 is appealing for a few reasons, and the RS5 is right in there too. Lower weight and CG, decent cargo space, roughly the same dimensions as the Macan, and they have the ZF8 which I'd much prefer to the PDK. The RS5 Sportback would get me the better engine (same as the Macan GTS/S) with in my opinion a better transmission. On the downside I think the Macans are a bit better built. I hear a lot about rear structural creaks/rattles and such w/the S5/RS5 sportback.

We have another Macan in the garage btw, so the calc may be a bit different for us. FWIW my daughters prefer to ride in the back of their CX5 for family trips than ride in the back of the Macan. As others have said, not a lot of rear seat room.

I may do something very uncharacteristic and buy myself a CX5 Turbo to daily. I have way too much fun driving my daughter's n/a CX5 around town. Great size, and really fun to drive.

 

Audi's tuning of the ZF8 is awful... slow response, rough shifts, just generally bad. The tuning of the PDK is honestly light years better. If you want the ZF8 specifically, buy a BMW. They do an outstanding job tuning the ZF8.

 

Interesting that MB is not in the consideration set. Why not? Think of any of the GLC or C-Class variants, either base models or AMG-lite trim.

 

That's an interesting and broad statement.
I put a lot of miles on a stock and tuned '16 SQ5 with the SC and I preferred the transmission tuning in that to our Macan S by a fairly wide margin. It was an amazing combo.
I've also driven one of the new RS5s and found the transmission tuning to be great.
I have not spent much time in recent BMWs. Maybe they are wizard-level, OR maybe the tuning the ZF8 in the S5 is going to be garbage, but I wouldn't paint with a broad brush here.
Oh, and as you probably know the ZF can be tuned. I never saw the need, but it's worth noting that there are options out there.