Macan Test Drive / Initial Impressions
12-10-2014, 04:01 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Macan Test Drive / Initial Impressions
Greetings RLs,
This past weekend, my dealer allowed me to take a Macan S home over the weekend. Some of my unbiased & sincere observations follow:
The doors were surprisingly a bit flimsy/thin, similar to my '13 BMW X3. This surprised me. I expected a bit more from Porsche; yet, I realize it's merely a disguised Audi Q3 under the flesh.
The dash and the center console are very similar to my 991, to include the Panamera and the Cayenne. It is apparent that Porsche is sharing interior parts with other cars in their line up. Not necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion. I'm not complaining here...
The sound on start up is simply awesome. Note, this car did not have the PSE.
The front windshield has a very sporty angle/degree, unlike most SUVs; I realize this car is more of a Cross-Over vehicle.
The brakes are fantastic. They have a very strong initial bite. I had to modulate my braking, to adjust to the Macan's superior brake performance.
The Macan revs quickly; however, I found that when I tried to punch the loud pedal, the Macan shifted too early in the rev range. I think I tried to quasi-floor it once, but the tranny shifted too quickly, and it did not approach redline. I had the Sport Button on, but I'm at a loss to explain what happened...
Handling is second to none. The Macan is in its own class, period!
Cargo Capacity: For what it is, its fine. No issues whatsoever.
The Bose Stereo upgrade is worth the price of admission. Not a fan of Bose, but it does the job in the Macan.
The suspension was perfect. For an SAV/SUV/Cross-Over, the Macan is in its own league!
Interior fit & finish is very good. I love the dash board. It's low enough to not cause you to feel confined/cramped. The overall interior exudes some sophistication, user friendliness and overall durability.
Frankly, for what the Macan will offer me, I think the stock 19" wheels with All Season tires will work for me. No need to upgrade for me...
So, long & short, I love everything about the Macan with two exceptions.
1. I still think the doors are too flimsy.
2. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something I will have to get over/used to is, how the Macan automatically downshifts while I'm braking for a traffic light or if braking abruptly. I can feel the PDK downshifting while I'm braking. I feel this in my 991, but I was surprised to feel this in an SAV/SUV/Cross-Over. I can adapt to this.
In conclusion, I'm in love with the Macan. I plan to replace my '13 X3 with a newly ordered Macan next spring.
Cheers/Best,
B
This past weekend, my dealer allowed me to take a Macan S home over the weekend. Some of my unbiased & sincere observations follow:
The doors were surprisingly a bit flimsy/thin, similar to my '13 BMW X3. This surprised me. I expected a bit more from Porsche; yet, I realize it's merely a disguised Audi Q3 under the flesh.
The dash and the center console are very similar to my 991, to include the Panamera and the Cayenne. It is apparent that Porsche is sharing interior parts with other cars in their line up. Not necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion. I'm not complaining here...
The sound on start up is simply awesome. Note, this car did not have the PSE.
The front windshield has a very sporty angle/degree, unlike most SUVs; I realize this car is more of a Cross-Over vehicle.
The brakes are fantastic. They have a very strong initial bite. I had to modulate my braking, to adjust to the Macan's superior brake performance.
The Macan revs quickly; however, I found that when I tried to punch the loud pedal, the Macan shifted too early in the rev range. I think I tried to quasi-floor it once, but the tranny shifted too quickly, and it did not approach redline. I had the Sport Button on, but I'm at a loss to explain what happened...
Handling is second to none. The Macan is in its own class, period!
Cargo Capacity: For what it is, its fine. No issues whatsoever.
The Bose Stereo upgrade is worth the price of admission. Not a fan of Bose, but it does the job in the Macan.
The suspension was perfect. For an SAV/SUV/Cross-Over, the Macan is in its own league!
Interior fit & finish is very good. I love the dash board. It's low enough to not cause you to feel confined/cramped. The overall interior exudes some sophistication, user friendliness and overall durability.
Frankly, for what the Macan will offer me, I think the stock 19" wheels with All Season tires will work for me. No need to upgrade for me...
So, long & short, I love everything about the Macan with two exceptions.
1. I still think the doors are too flimsy.
2. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something I will have to get over/used to is, how the Macan automatically downshifts while I'm braking for a traffic light or if braking abruptly. I can feel the PDK downshifting while I'm braking. I feel this in my 991, but I was surprised to feel this in an SAV/SUV/Cross-Over. I can adapt to this.
In conclusion, I'm in love with the Macan. I plan to replace my '13 X3 with a newly ordered Macan next spring.
Cheers/Best,
B
12-11-2014, 09:28 AM
#3
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
What suspension did it have? Also, seats? 14 way or 18 way? and how did you find them?
Thanks. I lock on Monday.
Thanks. I lock on Monday.
12-11-2014, 12:24 PM
#4
Race Director
I've had mine for about 1400 mi. so far (not my daily), I'll add my 2 cents.
1) I've not noticed any door issues, door not as heavy as the Cayenne's but I wouldn't expect it to be.
2) try the sound with PSE!!
(Porsche Sport Exhaust for those that don't know) I got mine with black sport tips but if I was ordering again I would most likely go with the chrome sport tips.
3) I haven't done any super aggressive driving yet but had no problem getting over 100 passing a line of cars on a 2 lane road, and it got to that speed very quickly. This car is very stable/planted/tight in the 80 - 100 mph range, you (I do at least) need a radar detector in this car as you don't feel the speed creep up on you like I did in the Cayenne (and I won't even talk about the Tacoma!).
4) yes, I do occasionally notice the PDK downshifting coming to a stop, not nearly as noticeable as on the Cayenne but it is noticeable. Haven't done an A/B comp w/ sport vs non-sport yet.
5) Some have noted the size of the rear brakes (smallish), while I haven't towed anything w/ the Macan I have zero issues with the stopping power of the brakes (brake dust produced is another issue entirely!).
Nits to pick
1) lack of small storage space (cell phone, coins etc). Pretty much limited to the under armrest storage (and that's quite small) and the door pockets and the small/thin storage in front of the seat. This may be a good thing as it forced me to remove a lot of the crap I kept in the Cayenne!
On the other hand the available storage in the spare tire area is much greater than in the Cayenne. Extra tools, emergency glow sticks, gloves etc. fit in with plenty of room to spare.
2) Nanny emergency brake - open the door with the engine running and it automatically activates the E brake (why do we need this??)
3) Steering wheel controls: can't switch station or skip song from steering wheel, have to do it from the PCM itself.
4) Reverse camera only comes on if PCM is on (on my Tacoma it comes on regardless of the radio status).
5) Cruse control layout backwards from the Cayenne (just need to re-learn)
None of these is a major issue to me, overall I'm exceptionally pleased with the Macan and the ride is superb!
My dealership gives buyers a track day with purchase (Hurley Haywood is chief instructor!) and I am looking forward to pushing the Macan a little harder on the track, just want to put a few more miles on it first.
FYI, my Macan is an "S" w/ PASM w/AS; Sport Chrono (would not get again); 14 way seats (love them); Prem. Pkg. Plus; smoker's pkg (makes for 1 less cubby hole) and a few other options....
Since I'm no longer a RL "member" my signature with previous vehicles no longer is displayed. I traded in a '10 Cayenne GTS on this Macan and for my needs I much prefer the Macan.
1) I've not noticed any door issues, door not as heavy as the Cayenne's but I wouldn't expect it to be.
2) try the sound with PSE!!
(Porsche Sport Exhaust for those that don't know) I got mine with black sport tips but if I was ordering again I would most likely go with the chrome sport tips.3) I haven't done any super aggressive driving yet but had no problem getting over 100 passing a line of cars on a 2 lane road, and it got to that speed very quickly. This car is very stable/planted/tight in the 80 - 100 mph range, you (I do at least) need a radar detector in this car as you don't feel the speed creep up on you like I did in the Cayenne (and I won't even talk about the Tacoma!).
4) yes, I do occasionally notice the PDK downshifting coming to a stop, not nearly as noticeable as on the Cayenne but it is noticeable. Haven't done an A/B comp w/ sport vs non-sport yet.
5) Some have noted the size of the rear brakes (smallish), while I haven't towed anything w/ the Macan I have zero issues with the stopping power of the brakes (brake dust produced is another issue entirely!).
Nits to pick
1) lack of small storage space (cell phone, coins etc). Pretty much limited to the under armrest storage (and that's quite small) and the door pockets and the small/thin storage in front of the seat. This may be a good thing as it forced me to remove a lot of the crap I kept in the Cayenne!
On the other hand the available storage in the spare tire area is much greater than in the Cayenne. Extra tools, emergency glow sticks, gloves etc. fit in with plenty of room to spare.
2) Nanny emergency brake - open the door with the engine running and it automatically activates the E brake (why do we need this??)
3) Steering wheel controls: can't switch station or skip song from steering wheel, have to do it from the PCM itself.
4) Reverse camera only comes on if PCM is on (on my Tacoma it comes on regardless of the radio status).
5) Cruse control layout backwards from the Cayenne (just need to re-learn)
None of these is a major issue to me, overall I'm exceptionally pleased with the Macan and the ride is superb!
My dealership gives buyers a track day with purchase (Hurley Haywood is chief instructor!) and I am looking forward to pushing the Macan a little harder on the track, just want to put a few more miles on it first.
FYI, my Macan is an "S" w/ PASM w/AS; Sport Chrono (would not get again); 14 way seats (love them); Prem. Pkg. Plus; smoker's pkg (makes for 1 less cubby hole) and a few other options....
Since I'm no longer a RL "member" my signature with previous vehicles no longer is displayed. I traded in a '10 Cayenne GTS on this Macan and for my needs I much prefer the Macan.
Last edited by Slow Guy; 12-11-2014 at 02:00 PM.
12-11-2014, 01:42 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
You'll love it!
Best/Cheers,
BB
12-11-2014, 03:33 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
993billw: You can assign the <> button on the steering wheel to be track skip. It's done via the MFD. I was pissed about that until I found the function.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.
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12-11-2014, 04:18 PM
#8
Race Director
993billw: You can assign the <> button on the steering wheel to be track skip. It's done via the MFD. I was pissed about that until I found the function.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.
Thx again.
12-13-2014, 07:49 PM
#10
Race Director
993billw: You can assign the <> button on the steering wheel to be track skip. It's done via the MFD. I was pissed about that until I found the function.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.
12-15-2014, 12:29 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
Thanks for sharing, but since when is the Macan a disguised Q3 under the flesh?
12-15-2014, 01:22 PM
#12
Race Director
Just to add another Pick to my Picks & Pans posted above..
- On both my '06 & '10 Cayennes the seatbelt warning chime would drive me nuts until you put it on, so much so that I used the Durametric to change the country setting to Great Britain so I wouldn't have to listen to it. The Macan is not that way, nice occasional individual dings to remind you the seatbelt is not on, a great improvement over the 955/957 settings.
** I DO use my seatbelts when I'm on the road, I just don't put it on before moving the car and occasionally put it on/off while I'm driving in or out of the development, a seatbelt is not going to do much while I'm driving at 20-25 mph.
12-16-2014, 01:00 PM
#14
Burning Brakes
You may want to take a look at NHTSA crash data on occupants experiencing collisions at 20 to 25 MPH.
Especially if you consider the other guy is going 25 so a combined speed would be close to 50 MPH.
Just looking out for you safety - spent way too many nights at accident scenes as a first responder.
We want you around here for a long time Bill!
Especially if you consider the other guy is going 25 so a combined speed would be close to 50 MPH.
Just looking out for you safety - spent way too many nights at accident scenes as a first responder.
We want you around here for a long time Bill!
12-18-2014, 05:19 PM
#15
993billw: You can assign the <> button on the steering wheel to be track skip. It's done via the MFD. I was pissed about that until I found the function.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.
2k miles on ours already. Love it, particularly the PASM and 18 way seats. Not a huge fan of the brakes though. Might just need more aggressive pads but they stock setup just feels a little anemic to me.