If the Macan were diesel here...no contest. A year or so away to my understanding.
I just bought a new X5d for my wife. I know not the Cayenne, she liked the Beemer better.

At any rate love the torque and sound and mileage(diesel fuel cost notwithstanding) of the
these new generation diesels. My last one was an 80 Mercedes SD...sounded, smelled and performed
like a greasy box of rocks.
Look forward, however to driving the Macan(gas) and I agree Porsche has nailed the driving
performance.

 

I'm waiting for the diesel.

 

Can someone please explain the attraction of an oil burner in North America, the land of subsidized ethanol-enriched gasoline?

It's not as though the Macan will be towing a plow. It has one of the finest gearboxes around, so you can always tap the power of your gasoline engine instantaneously. Why would you pay the weight penalty and engine cost penalty and fuel cost penalty of a diesel if you live in North America? I thought Porsche pilots liked to be engaged with their cars, shifting by themselves, and working through the full RPM range of their highly refined lightweight alloy engines. IMHO, even a modern diesel falls flat in terms of driver pleasure. If you want to drive a bus, then buy a bus. If you want a sporting small utility, then why not go with a sporting engine?

 

Even if Porsche claims it is "the sportscar" in its class, it remains just an SUV. Diesel engines are so much nicer in an SUV than petrol engines. Yes, Macan Turbo will also have a lot of torque, just like the deisel and it will be very fast, but with a much higher fuel consumption and without any real benefit for daily use. Wanna drive inspired, get a 981 or a 991. Those are sportscars... An SUV is and remains utillity vehicle.

Suzy (via iOS app)

 

Roule, you raise good points.
Why pay more for the engine and fuel and drive as you say an oil burner.
Now i'm comparing the diesel with the smaller gas engine offered.
The torquey pull from with acceleration is what I prefer over the gas engine.
I just like the sound and low to mid range torque and speed.
My new bimmer f14 at a steady 62mph for 20 miles averaged 37.1 mpg.
I would expect a
Macan would be faster and better on mileage.

 

If you buy your Macan for DD then yes, Diesel is the sensible choice, when/if it becomes available in US. I have two Diesels in my garage and I would have picked the same engines if I had to do it again. HOWEVER, I am getting the Macan as a weekend/vacation/fun car since I cannot get a real sports cars, yet. Thus it must have a gas powered engine that comes with associated benefits, plus it is a bi-turbo V6 from Porsche that starts at $50K...

 

I'm spending $7500 a year on gas. The Macan diesel will wind up being free. Oh yeah and it's a Porsche. Plus it looks awesome.

 

Suzy, your location is Switzerland. Diesel might make economic sense there. With rare exceptions, diesel makes no economic nor performance sense in North America. Diesel costs anywhere from 5-20% more than petrol, and the diesel engine adds significant weight & cost to the vehicle. "Instant torque" is easily negated by Porsche's excellent PDK. Again, why would anyone in NA want a diesel? The numbers are not compelling.

We all agree that inspired driving would require a proper sports car, but calling the Macan just another SUV doesn't change the calculations. Few SUVs are offered with diesel engines because few people want them. On this side of the Atlantic, it remains to be seen how diesel engine would make for a better Macan. Americans would be more impressed with a naturally aspirated 90 degree small-displacement petrol V-8.

 

I should too, but I'm so impatient. I wish there was one available right now, but in the meantime I'll have to slum it with the Macan S.

 

Diesel is also here in Switzerland more expensive than petrol... Doesn't take away that a diesel is way cheaper to drive. Fuel consumption makes all the difference. Of course I also like the Macan turbo, but I don't see any benefit compared to the diesel. Macan diesel is equally as much "fun" to drive. You're nit gonna drive a Macan like a sportscar, so I don't get why you would want a high revving engine in a car like that. The most pointless cars in the Porsche line-up are Cayenne GTS and Cayenne turbo(S). I simply don't get why anyone would want an SUV with that much power....

A naturally aspirated V8 will never come again. Porsche as a manufacturer has to meet EU environmental laws and without a turbocharged engine, that will become almost impossible.

Suzy (via iOS app)

 

Premium gasoline costs more then diesel where I am. I also drive 52k km a year. My dollars spend on fuel would be cut by over half.

 

unsure what all debate about gasoline vs diesel. its a simple Arithmetic.
when i did the caculation for my situation, the break even was about 2.5 yrs.

BTW lets stop calling the Macan an SUV. In reality its closer to a COV.

 

Pointless perhaps in terms of pure utility, but not when it comes to the driving experience. Indulgent, excessive, emotional, unnecessary perhaps, but not pointless. ...and i got a great deal on it.

 

Actually I think Diesels make more sense in NA where the top speed is very limited. Modern Diesels offer about the same acceleration as their Diesel counterparts. (difference is less than 0.1s for 0-60 in our A7). In the north east the price of Diesel is typically 5 -10% more at about 30+% better fuel economy (what really matter of course is range). If you are happy to drive below 4800RPM Diesels are way more "fun" as at these RPMs they have more power and torque than gas powered cars. Suggest you drive a modern Diesel one time and see what it feels like when you step on it at 1500 RPM! (with their modern turbos and piezo very high pressure injectors - that spray up to 10 times/stroke- they are perhaps more complex than their gasoline counterparts).

Overall real cost comparisons are difficult because of higher resale value, time saved with longer range, etc. Oil change intervals are the same and maintenance costs are probably lower.
Drive one and try it in S mode!!

 

+1 for higher resale on diesels.

Another plus, if you're going to pull something (it is an SUV after all) then diesel is the way to go.