I called my dealership to ask a question I had about the Macan. While on the phone he explained that he has one right in front of him. It belongs to Porsche but is headed to a tennis event. I immediately went to see it .

My girlfriend met me there on her way home from work and we discussed this vehicle amongst ourselves as well. She is the primary driver our current Cayenne .

All along I have been curious about the Macan but wanted to wait to see it to decide. Keep in mind I was not able to drive the Macan . It did not belong to the dealership so driving it was off limits but starting it up as well as looking at the interior was fair game .

First impressions -
1) The car space is larger than what I anticipated . I was actually surprised by the amont of space in the trunk as well as rear seats . (see photo below of me sitting in rear seat --I am 5'9" 160)

2) The space sacrifice seems to come more from the actual driver and passenger area . The dash although similar to the Cayenne is not as spacious .This seems to be the location of the vehicle where space compromises became noticeable.

3) The exterior is hands down gorgeous !!! It is by far a better looking exterior than my Cayenne .

4) The interior agate gray on rhodium was a stunning combination . I happen to love my umber/creme so much though in the Cayenne and wish there were more interior choices .

5) The Macan clearly feels like a drivers vehicle . Those PDK paddles are begging to be driven with . It sits a bit lower , looks agressive, and feels like a very sport vehicle.

6) This car was a Macan S . I had never even considered anything but a Turbo but when the Macan S was started up the exhaust note sounded ferociously awesome . i even wondered if it had a sport exhaust and it did not .

7) We speced a Macan S for fun and facedone big question . The Turbo wheels seen on this car are not listed on the dealership order form even on the TURBO !! It's on the consumer website but not on the dealership site . They plan on calling to find out and were surprised as I was.

Conclusion -
I feel the vehicle is amazing . I feel that if one is hoping for comfort and space then the Cayenne has it but if one is looking for more sport and easy to park size then Macan is a home run . If saving money sounds appealing then the Macan S is a huge bargain which offers a great product. For those who only consider a Turbo I would not sneer at the Macan S . It is quite a vehicle.

Personal note -
We did not order one but have not dismissed it . If I were shopping the performance aspects I would want the smaller, lighter, lower PDK vehicle . However I already have a 911 turbo and a 13 Boxster S .

The choice is very tough . I do see a Macan as a very possible near future car .

 

Thanks for sharing, good write up. It's always good to read impressions from fellow board members.

The S seems like a great deal, priced really close to the base Cayenne (which I have now and still really enjoy) and gives quite the bang for the buck. My dealer "convinced" me to place an order, so I have a spec'd Turbo slated for June delivery. Assuming I like it more than my 958 after I'm able to see and drive it, I'll be making the switch. Can't wait to see it in the flesh.

 

Great write up. My big question about the Macan is driver comfort. I'm 6'3" and have a tough time finding cars where my head doesn't scrape the roof. No issues in the cayenne but it is an issue in many other cars. Hoping the Macan could work.

 

At 6'4", I feel similarly but garage space and having two cayenne's is not in the cards. Apparently the width of the macan is the same or nearly....


I am particularly interested in the H-point of the front seats. How much lower is the seat from an ingress and egress perspective compared to the cayenne which is obviously much better than my M3 which does not help my 50 y/o joints and spine.


any thoughts on the seat height and getting in and out yrralis1?

 

I feel like I could be trading my GTS in on a Macan Turbo in a year or two if the size is right. I don't want to lose too much space tho, so I'll have to see it in person. So far, looks good.

 

having sat in both the turbo and mecan S at the LA auto show

I will never trade in the cayenne GTS for those, totally different animals

 

Tex94 and X5B4 - Regarding body height and size - The salesperson was over 6 ft tall and he climbed in with ease to start it. I have a friend who is 60 years old and drives a 1 series BMW who stands at 6'4" also considering a Macan S .Everyones perspective is different . My girlfriend is only 5'5" and the first thing she noticed was the driver and pasenger cabin space reduction from her Cayenne .

The spaciousness of the Cayenne can not be denied .

 

I hear you . I also own a Cayenne .
It's my opinion that the Cayenne is an SUV . The Macan Turbo is more like a sports car .Most SUV shoppers do want a larger vehicle . Space and comfort is a priority where the Cayenne wins.

However -- if one blended all the Porsche models into one car it might just be the Macan turbo .
1) It has 4 doors and a trunk (like Cayenne and Panamera)
2) It's fast . (as fast as a base 991 in a straight line) Faster than a Cayenne GTS . Faster than a Boxster S or Cayman S .
3) It handles . Looking at nurburgring numbers -- This review places it in the "low 8 minute bracket" range http://www.autoweek.com/article/2013...news/131119954
In contrast the GTS timed at 8.27 http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor...625-20x25.html
4) It costs as much as a Cayman (Macan S ) and Cayman S (Macan turbo)

The Macan really is
1) Not a 911
2) Not a Cayman
3) Not a Panamera
4) Not a Cayenne

BUT .. It's the vehicle which has the most in common with all the above at an attractive price !!

 

Thanks so much for sharing your first hand thoughts and impressions! Superb summation. I have a Macan S on order and you've described exactly what I hoped I ordered.

 

I absolutely love the look of the Macan and I think it will be an awesome seller for Porsche however, I can't fathom an SUV with less space then the Cayenne. The Cayenne is already short on utility space as it is when I have my 2 Golden Retrievers in the car going to an early morning hike or be it the Costco run on Sundays.

As much as I love the PDK, I wonder if it is the right transmission for this SAV. There are so many advantages of having PDK over a Tiptronic(Cayenne trans) but the tip has some advantages as well. The reason the Cayenne did not come with PDK during the redesign is because the PDK is not a loud bearing trans or it will burn through the clutch pack (it will eventually anyway). Even though the tip lags, surges and loses boost in turbos, it is a very robust transmission with a torque convertor that can haul, pull and have better offroad/winter capabilities....

I believe most Macan owners probably won't have their vehicles long enough to go through the clutch pack or worry about load but for me it would weigh on my decision buying the vehicle...

 

Great review. My Macan Turbo will be here late May and I'll be trading in my Cayenne GTS for it. I have the 21" Turbo wheels ordered for mine, as well as a pretty full list of other options. I'm very excited about this vehicle.

 

What color?

 

White on Black extended leather with carbon fiber side blades.

 

These are all good points and I'll address some of them .

1) Much as you state space is an issue . The Cayenne is a sport SUV wheras the Macan is more of a crossover . As impractical as the space reduction might sound it also can benefit when parking in a small space too . In short .. neither vehicle can be 100 percent useful without some drawback . I suppose the key is up to the individual to decide.

2) PDK -- At this time nothing official places PDK in the refresh Cayenne but would you be surprised if it was ? I would not . Porsche has had years to figure out PDK improvements . It is a top selling component .
That's not to say there might not be a hiccup in the process or even a rapid evolution over time but overall this sounds positive . Porsche is standing behind the product with 4 year 50K warranty so my guess is they expect it to work out.

 

There are a few points not mentioned which i feel are worth considering .

1) Porsche never took a chance by bulding a Cayman faster than a 911 but they did it with the Macan . One can only speculate that the expectation is that the SUV owner will want to retain the space . In my opinion . they took some risk unless they have a refresh Cayenne which is so much improved to count on.

2) If the refresh Cayenne is amazing then the current Cayenne car which I have might begin to seem dated so trading in the car might just be in the cards .

3) Since this high peformance Macan Turbo exists at 85K speced nicely it is my opinion that spending 160K for a Cayenne turbo S with a tiptronic means that the car has to be twice as good . It isn't . It's showing in lackluster sales and will show even more in resale .

4) I am convinced that if I really need an SUV to replace my current Cayenne then it will be a base Cayenne . However if I am reaching for performance then I will buy the Macan turbo .

I won't buy a high performance Cayenne but had Porsche had not made the Macan turbo I might have.