I'd rather walk than drive a Lexus.

The fit and finish on my 2013 Panamera Turbo S is spectacular -- couldn't be happier with it.

 

Feel the same way about my wife's Macan. Flawless since delivery 6 months ago.

 

Mine's as close to all around "perfect" as I can imagine a car being right now. Much more impressed with it than any Panamera or Cayenne I've driven, especially when factoring all things considered and relativity; at its relative imo insanely bargain price.

 

I was a little disappointed with Porsche's choice in rear brakes as well. I haven't driven one yet but from what I hear its a great driving SUV.

 

I'm sorry for what the OP is feeling but I highly doubt that a brand like Porsche would use very different and much cheaper components for their entry level model. The reality is that cars are priced based on what the market would respond to. Just because Macan's base price is $50K and a Panamera is $78K it doesn't mean that it costs Porsche an extra $28K to build a Panamera. Has quality diminished overall for most brands? Yes. It's not isolated.

 

waveforce, what did you replace the Macan with? Are you driving your Panamera for your daily commute now? I've read the thread, and you own a number of Porsches, and it's unclear to me what you are using daily now. Just curious. Thanks for your posting, very interesting.

 

Seriously? I think the quality of car builds has improved greatly over the last 25+ yrs. even with all the superfluous crap we expect on our new cars is taken into account. We just have higher expectations for new cars, that and the prices have gone up substantially. But saying the quality of the product coming out of the factories has diminished overall is balderdash IMHO.

As for my Macan S I'm extreemly pleased with it so far, only issue I have is occasional hard downshift from 2 to 1 but that's a known issue resolved with a f/w update. Now a couple of the features don't work as I would like them to (backup camera doesn't come on unless radio is on) but that's typical Porsche, otherwise it's great. In addition, a big annoyance I had with both my Cayennes was the intermittent wipers (a fly spitting on the windshield sent them into warp drive) seems to have been resolved in the Macan.

 

Interesting observations - I've had a very different Macan T experience. Have had zero interior wear/tear issues, still looks like new and have had the car since July. My toddler has thrown up in it at least 10 times now and it still looks brand new. I use leather conditioner now and then but don't really take good care of it.

Haven't had any of the issues you list, including condensation etc. I've never used the Auto-start stop function, I think they're an abomination, so can't comment on that but my PDK has been perfect, my dealer did reprogram it after delivery though.

I agree on the Burmester and Glass option - but that's why I didn't order them my dealer also thought they would be a waste of money. The passenger row AC is ok, but comparing it to a Panny with vented seats etc it's pretty obvious which would come out ahead.

I agree on the brakes being disappointing, but they perform well enough. Did you get summer tires or all seasons? I don't feel the floating you're talking about. Brake dust is a common problem with any porsche brakes.

No regrets with the purchase, but I expected it to be the budget porsche. It's not even parked in the garage for us and just left in the driveway during ice and snow storms, so it's our beater car essentially and still looks new inside and out.

 

Perhaps that last part was a over-generalization and yes I do understand that engineering has reached wonders in the last couple of decades. However, in the past you used to see more durable components but nowadays everything is plastic and it's not always because it's better or lighter, but because it's cheaper to make.

 

Many of O/P's points sound like it would be from a totally opposite car from mine. I would even chalk it up to an early model total dud.

I come from a line of M-B S Class and E Classes, BMW 5 Series, and the Macan is one of the quietest cars I've ever experienced. So quiet matched with a level of visceral performance that I find it can do nearly everything I want it to (I have AS/PASM which is of especial help), not to mention picks up speed in a more deceiving way than any other car I've extensively driven. The match of serenity and power curve makes for many "Oh sh** is that how fast it's going?" moments when I gaze at the speedo.

Handling wise, I agree with O/P that it's one of the best handling on the market right now, simply stated.

Fit/Finish I feel is exemplary, granite tight and practically flawlessly finished. I've recently sat in a GT3 RS extensively and the cabin material and finish honestly feels nearly identical, that goes for most all Porsche models (some more spartan and sporty, some more utility, some more fluff, the Macan is sort of in between it all).

PDK I feel is one of the best implementations in the Macan. Many have said similar. In fact, the worst PDK I've felt was in a V6 Panamera I drove, almost felt like a slush box. PDK in my car is flawless, best trans I've extensively driven, just on point, smooth yet exciting.

Having driven a Panamera GTS on a track as well as a Macan (as well as all the other P Cars), I think the driving experience of the Macan is far ahead in terms of engaging dynamics and feeling like a close 4 door bloodline of the 2 door Sports Cars. The Panny is amazing for its size, but it feels like a boat in comparison, and really doesn't feel as fun pushing through turns. You feel like you have to "push" more with that wheelbase making it feel like you enter a turn more ponderously, until you realize Porsche clearly manages their mass second to none. The Macan namely with AS/PASM (as I drove it on the track and have it) just feels so agile and willing, immediately. The Panny has more of a luxurious interior and sense of occasion, Macan a bit more spartan though can be optioned up, but I feel they each serve their purpose. But as a "Porsche" and in a sporty sense, I feel the Macan is a much better basis, and feels more or less as well built, just less fluff.

Oh, and in regards to Auto Start/Stop, that's another odd thing that sounds like it's being spoken from a completely different car: I've tried most cars' versions and compared to my previous BMW 535i, the Macan's is much more intelligent, refined and intuitive. The BMW's would get "stuck" in either active or unactive mode while I'm at a stop, while Porsche's will eventually go active even if it doesn't turn off initially (for the various protective reasons it wouldn't). It's also cleaner, more refined and overall more dynamic in how it works.

 

Thanks for the informative post. You got me thinking harder about buying the 1st gen Macan. It was supposed to be an easy decision.

Can you tell me more about why you think the handling is bad? Below the Cayenne?

I find this unacceptable given it is marketed as a SUV. Would love to hear if others have similar or different experience.

How much better is the Burm vs. Bose on the Panamera?

It doesn't seem fair to say the Macan Turbo lacks grip when it's 60-0 stopping distance is just a few feet shy of the 911 Turbo S according to Motortrend and it's not exactly a sports car. What is rear brake float ? Did you experience that braking in a straight line or while cornering?

Would full leather make a difference?

 

He said that handling is what's great and over the Cayenne actually. He stated it as being better handling than most other cars on the market in fact. As for his other problems, they seem to be of extreme rarity, especially insulation and drivetrain. I'd guess it's just a very unlucky example. Early builds are a bit variable. Post September builds are so honed in and mended on the early annoyances that I think of them as new model years.

 

Not sure how you are drawing that magic line as September. Mine is a July build that has been flawless - zero defects since delivery.

 

Certainly not all. But October+ builds seem to be the ones that got defected parts that affected certain early batches updated, it was after the "vacation period", production times got quicker and more consistent, and nearly all common issues that *some* early models had have been resolved (drastically less issues being reported). Also I have an Email from PCNA informing me that starting in Sept or Oct, cars got various fixes applied that had affected some earlier models. But it's a good sign that early models also are well resolved in many cases as well.

 

I worked in a garage back in the days when bumpers were steel and we used a bumper jack that slid into 2 slots in the bumper when we wanted to lift the whole front or rear of a car, I much prefer the looks (and weight savings) of the plastic bumpers. However my brother ran into a telephone pole in our Olds Delta 88, it snapped the telephone pole but barely put a dent in the Olds. Now we complain about the excessive weight of these (newer) cars and how it affects performance, I don't want to go back to those old cars/materials.

There are cars you can buy if "money is no object", unfortunately for most of us money is an object. Many folks just want it both ways.