worf928

I've been contemplating a Macan as a replacement winter DD.

I test drove an S and a Turbo a year ago. But the short test drives weren't quite enough and my memory has dimmed (slept since then...)

Got a Macan 2.0 Base as a service loaner this morning and did the combat commute into the bowels of Cambridge. A couple of items I noticed are deal-killers for me:

1) There's no PDK paddle neutral. As in: when you click both paddles simultaneously the gear box doesn't shift to neutral. As far as I knew, all PDK-equipped Porsches have this feature. Our 991 and 981 have this feature. I seem to recall that the S and the Turbo Macans I test drove had this feature.

Can any of yaw'll confirm the presence or absence of PDK paddle neutral on the S/GTS/Turbo and/or Base?

The Macan 2.0's transmission doesn't feel like PDK. It feels like a reasonably well-programmed viscous-coupled slush box. I don't get the mechanical feedback from it as on the 9[89]1's PDKs.

2) The side view mirrors cannot be tilted down far enough to see the rear wheels. This makes reversing with precision impossible. (Don't tell me about the rear-view camera; it doesn't get the job done to inch-precision.)

Are all the Macan side-view mirrors tilt-travel limited? What about the sport mirrors?

Positives:
- The Base with the totally passive suspension and 19" (or is it 18"?) is still damn good ride- and handling-wise. (It ain't a 991TT or 981S but it's still better than 99% of other automotive choices.)

- The 2.0 is not lacking in zip for around-town. The lump's power curve is well-matched with the gearing.

- The base seats are pretty good. Again: not 18-way Sport Seats Plus from a 9[89]1, but still better than the other 99% of seats out there.

- Bose stereo is the best Porsche Bose I've heard.

TIA for any feedback.

Todd B

Only driven the S, but the transmission feels like the pdk in my cayman. It is a dual clutch transmission.

Paddle neutral is not there on 17 S. It's in the manual. But the procedure to engage does nothing. Supposed to be the same procedure as the cayman.

skl2

Wow I tried that several times after loving the paddle neutral option in my brothers Ferrari and it never worked.

worf928

Yes. My recollection of the S was that it felt 'more-PDK' like.

Very Interesting. See below.

Does your S have Sport Chrono?

MY SA - who is not an idiot - has a Macan S w/o Sport Chrono and does not have paddle neutral.

I wonder if this was a feature removed in MY'16 or perhaps is only available with Sport Chrono but undocumented. These are the two theories consistent with the information so-far gathered.

Any more owners out there? Or do I have to reset my account on the Macan Forum

MovingChicane

I'll check in the morning on my 2017 Macan GTS w/sport chrono.....in different modes.

For what it's worth, my Ferrari has SFII with paddle neutral and it works just fabulous.

cviles

My '15 Turbo has the Sport Chrono option, and there is no paddle neutral. I've got a pdf of the owner's manual and a search there has no mention of this feature either.

The only other model I remember having it is the GT3, but I haven't driven very many pdk equipped cars so others could have it as well.

RFGGT3

My '17 GTS w/SC does not have paddle neutral.

BradB

Just curious, please don't be offended, but why is no neutral via paddles a "deal killer" for you? I have that in my 991S and I've never found a real reason to use it. And if it were gone I'd never miss it. Unless of course you like to rev your car at stop signs!

As for the mirror dip, the lower you sit in your seat (either by seat adjustment or by being shorter in stature) the less effective the mirror dip angle is. Raising your seat 1" gives you like a foot of extra view down to the back of the vehicle. Try that.

Neither of these should be deal killers!

MovingChicane

Checked this morning with my new 2017 Macan GTS w/Sport Chrono
Auto Start/Stop Enabled
Normal: No paddle neutral
Sport: No paddle neutral
Sport Plus: No paddle neutral

Auto Start/Stop Disabled
Normal: No paddle neutral
Sport: No paddle neutral
Sport Plus: No paddle neutral

My passenger side mirror does not "dip" either and I'm not sure it is supposed to. What does bother me is the passenger mirror doesn't seem to retain its position when it gets folded in and then back out again.

RFGGT3

Your mirror should lower in reverse if set properly.
Select vehicle settings, lights and visibility, reverse option, lower mirror. Adjust the passenger mirror to desired reverse setting with armrest control with the car in reverse and then press set & key button on door

Todd B

Ok, I finally checked our 17 S and discovered the manual is wrong and neutral is not present. Lawyers must have made them turn it off. Wonder if PWIS can turn it on?

worf928

This is what I began to suspect, today, as everyone else's responses arrived

And the "w/Sport Chrono" theory goes out the window.

981 and 991 w/Sport Chrono has paddle neutral. No doubt. I use the feature 50 times a day on my commute (yes, I have counted.)

Coffin? Meet nail.

All bases covered.

No soup for me.

worf928

Essentially, I'd prefer the precise control that comes with a manual gearbox. However, a clutch pedal is a PITA in daily commuter traffic. PDK w/paddle neutral provides 99% of the functionality of a manual. I can change gears when I want. I can use engine braking when I want. I can coast when I want. I can put it in neutral and take my foot off the brake peddle when I want.

Yes, I could play with the stick to do this. But, I don't have to in the 981 or 991. Functionally, I'm looking for the same user interface in a vehicle that's more practical in the winter.

The mechanics of that process, necessary to reverse, or parallel park, into a space with a high curb are tedious and annoying. I would have to stop. Raise my seat from driving position, adjust the mirror and then park.

The proximity alert system in the Macan is mostly false alarms. It's useless for what I want.

They are. For me. My existing DD - Audi TTS w/DSG - does not have paddle neutral. The mirrors can be tilted down to see the rear wheels. But, the driver's side-mirror cannot be yawed outward sufficiently to cover the blind spot of the sail plane. These and other characteristics annoy me and drive me toward a car that doesn't annoy me.

The 991TT has, apparently, spoiled me for every other car on the planet. The only thing that annoys me is the electric parking brake.

Speaking of which, the Macan 2.0's electric brake is even more intrusive than the 991/981. I found it - sometimes - automatically engaging at stop lights with no apparent pattern. So, sometimes, I could begin to roll away by taking my foot off the brake. But, sometimes, I'd just sit there wondering why I wasn't moving. Annoying.

The Macan's the best in its segment and better than most everything else. But, if I'm going to be constantly annoyed on my daily commute by my car, I can do it for a lot less money than a new Macan and do it in something that's essentially disposable.

cviles

If needing neutral on a moments notice is that important to how you use your cars, then by all means make your selection upon that point. For myself, the necessity of selecting neutral is rare enough and predictable enough that I can move the shift lever when the need rises.

I consider it a trivial thing, although it may not be to you.

From your replies it seems you may be happier purchasing something other than a Macan. I suggest you do that --- we're not talking about spending an inconsequential amount of money. And I know that tiny things to other people can nag you every day. I have them with my Macan. But for me other factors compensate enough that I don't mind my choice.

Thankfully, there are a lot of choices in the CUV segment right now.

MJones

Paddle Neutral is only on the PDK 'S' ala GT3, no others