I agree 100% with your analysis. Given that the difference in power between the S and the Turbo only results in about .4 sec improvement in 0-60 time, I expect the feel and responsiveness of the S would be fine for me. I'm not going to drag race with other people. In fact, a diesel with more torque but slower 0-60 could FEEL faster, which is why I'd love to try one.

 

Good discussion all around here, guys. A couple points of clarification:

- PASM is standard on the Turbo, AS is an option. Both are options on an S.
- the Turbo is .6 sec faster 0-60 than the S (4.6s vs 5.2s) according to the P USA specs. Still not sure the .2 makes it more worth it, but as yrralis1 mentioned, the Turbo leaves no doubt.

I really think the S is a relative bargain for the price

 

Thanks for noting the correct difference in 0-60. To me, the numbers mean less than how it feels with the butt dyno. As long as I feel a suitable responsiveness across a large range of RPMs, with a good exhaust note, it doesn't matter if I reach 60 in 4.6 sec or 5.2 sec. They both feel really good. Just not sure if the extra punch of the Turbo is worth $15-20k to me, unless I try it and find otherwise. Another reason to wait and test drive.

I agree with the relative bargain aspect of the S, especially when I see so many other cars and SUV's above that price point these days. Since I prefer a smaller SUV for maneuverability and sportiness, and I don't need a lot of storage space, the Macan is much more attractive to me than a SQ5 or Cayenne. I'm hoping it will adequately replace both my 06 C2S cab and my 01 RAV4 beater, and serve all my needs with one vehicle rather than 2. Not expecting it to behave like a 911 by any means, but still be more fun than most SUVs.

 

Ken -- I have ordered a car . I sat on the fence at first mostly because my 2012 Cayenne V6 is in perfect condition . When I saw the new Macan S in person and considered the Turbo I had to discuss it further . The dealership had two Turbo build slot available . One was for August and the other for September . I placed a deposit and speced a car for August delivery .

As for myself . i don't sell cars and have no affiliation with any car dealerships . I simply love cars and talk to a lot of guys like myself who also love cars in order to gain insight and ideas . Also I have always been able to follow the prices of the cars . That comes from years of buying Porsches and learning about resale . When younger I followed it closely mostly because I did not know if I would be able to afford my next Porsche .

I speculate the Macan at this moment is a new player in the game with huge potential at a very attractive price point .

 

Both are bargains in my opinion . Keep in mind the 0-60 times drop to 4.4 and 5.0 with sport chrono and i view it as a must have option in both cars . For starters in terms of PDK it a non sport chono car basically has an incomplete system on a very sophisticated and vital component .
Also keep in mind that on a Turbo car the sport chrono provides a brief overboost function . It's a huge enough difference to see a .2 benefit just to 60 MPH .

 

In my teen years (1970's) I recall overhearing a debate where two adults were discussing a 911 . One turned to the other and said " I can't see spending 17 thousand dollars on a supped up Volkswagon" .

Yep a Turbo is expensive if one considers it just a small SUV but I view the Macan Turbo as the next great Porsche and the first crop of buyers are the pioneers in capturing this moment in automotive history. Ok I am joking !! Somewhat !! But I am excited about the Macan !!!!

If you don't buy the car then at least you can live vicariously through whatever anyone posts about their experiences until you firmly decide yay or nay.

One last point .. if one buys a 73K macan S he will have a very nicely speced great vehicle . If he spends 87K the extra 14K goes a long way .

My logic is that if I am going in deep the extra stretch is what it takes to never second guess it . I do believe that a macan s owner might long for a Turbo but I am not so sure if the visa versa will be the case .

I had both choices .. picked the Turbo with that logic in mind.

 

I was allowed to start the Macan s and must say it sounded ferocious . It definitely is enough of a great vehicle . Perhaps I am just so bitten by the entire Macan vehicle that i am shamelessly a glutton for the Turbo !!

 

Thanks for your feedback and candor. Agree in whole with what you said. Certainly you are correct in the second-guessing game. I do not see many Turbo owners lamenting and pounding their head whether they should have picked the 'lesser' Macan S, and I can see many if not most S owners longing for the Turbo.

So with almost Porsche engineer-like obsession, I keep going back and forth as to possible scenarios. I wholeheartedly agree that a lightly optioned Turbo > than a highly optioned S. So I took out my trusty excel (I admit I am a geek) and ran some numbers. Thx to slw23's clarification on the PASM being included in the Turbo (vs. air suspension being optional, my initial misunderstanding was the vice versa), the numbers have changed somewhat, such that the delta between my as-desired build Macan S in post 1 vs. an equivalent Turbo has shrunk. What is a $22,400 base price difference, once optioned to my specific liking, results in a $12,535 apples-to-apples (from an equipment perspective) basis. In fact, if I were to be really strict about it, and 'add back' items that are in the base Turbo, such as Bose/Steering wheel heating, etc., that number is really $10K (though for me personally those options do not have value and I would not have paid for them, hence the 12.5K is the real/pragmatic number I should look at).

I can reasonably assume that the relative level of depreciation of the Turbos will be no less than the Ss (in fact, perhaps an argument can be made they will depreciate less as they will undoubtedly be more desirable in the secondary market). With that 'fair' assumption, the way I look at it - the premium one pays at inception, is more or less returned upon resale (so following the example I gave above, in 2/3/...x yrs from now, a Turbo would likely sell at a $10K premium to an equivalent S).

If it seems like I am leading/convincing myself to jump on the Turbo, you are probably correct However, what that has also made me do is go back and consider which options are really 'essential' in a potential Macan ownership. For example, dropping the garnet red full leather and alcantara roof liner makes a pretty big difference on the S (over $5.5K reduction), but rather little on the Turbo ($2K, as it comes standard with leather and alcantara roofliner). So while I am no where closer to a firm decision than I was when I started this thread, at least I feel the options now in front of me are: Lightly optioned S vs lightly optioned Turbo. Which only reinforces your thoughts/logic above as far as going in deep down the stretch ('lite' Turbo >>> 'heavily optioned' S)

At least I have the benefit of time to agonize over before ultimately deciding. There is a delay for panorama spec'ed Macans (Porsche didn't expect such a high take rate), Saphire Blue continues to remain an unknown, and with dealers seemingly sticking to MSRP, perhaps time is an 'ally'...

 

I enjoyed reading the above .

I do agree on all the price configurations expressed in your post . It's somewhat amusing to see the wheels of thought processing the various mathematical combinations. You are not alone !!

I do not believe that time is an ally . The cool colors ,facelifted and improved Cayenne , and refreshed 2015 991 all point to more choices accross the Porsche board and my guess is that prices on everything will go upward . I also feel that whatever car is being traded in will be worth less too .

Two questions -
1) Do you want to guess the 1/4 mile time of a Macan Turbo ? It's not on the Porsche website .
2) Do you want to guess the Nurburgring lap time ? It also is not on the Porsche website .

I wonder if the numbers are so good that if they were available as official then how would Porsche sell the cars still sitting in inventory as quickly ?

I realize the colors are somewhat plain vanillla . I'll take my vanillla Macan Turbo sight unseen nor test driven because I truly hope and speculate that these are the ground floor prices to own a spectacular vehicle .

 

I'm so relieved that you guys are so much like I am in all this data analysis, and that I'm not the only one who thinks this way. Of course, I think we all pretend this type of analysis generates a logical answer to a question that ultimately our emotional side will answer LOL. We'll each buy the one we want, because nobody can precisely predict the cost of depreciation in a fluctuating market environment.

I'm not clear about your final questions yrralis1, regarding how would Porsche sell their cars sitting in inventory if we knew the 1/4 mile and Nurburgring times. Are you suggesting the times would be disappointing and therefore hurt sales?

Keep it up guys. I'm lovin' it.

 

On the contrary I feel that if Porsche paraded the numbers they might have a bit of trouble selling all those Cayenne GTS, Turbo , Turbo S and even a few 991 cars that are still in the dealerships .

Imagine a car with :
1) nearly as much space as a Cayenne
2) nearly as fast as a 911
3) and priced like a Cayman S

If this car pulls the upper 12's/low 13's in the 1/4 mi.
If this car produces the fastest Porsche SUV Nurburgring time

Then
Everyone will want to at least wait and see it while some of the other cars sit unsold .

 

Thanks for the clarification yrralis1. I'm sure somebody will post these times soon after its European release next month.

 

This thread is great! Thank you for the great insights! What about the MPG difference between the S and the Turbo? Does anyone think it will be a big difference?

 

I doubt there will be much difference. Looking at the current cars:
Panamera S: 17/27
Panamera Turbo: 15/24
Panamera Turbo S: 15/24
Cayenne 3.6 V6: 17/23
Cayenne S (4.8 V8): 16/22
Cayenne Turbo: 15/22

I think anyone thinking they want a turbo won't be put off by a loss of a couple of miles per gallon. I know I wouldn't. The delta in the avg fuel cost per year in the above examples is in the order of $150-$200 per year! I finally figured out a while back that, due to my fairly low miles per year (likely about half of normal) my fuel cost is the least important issue compared to tires, insurance, service, and of course depreciation. So my decision for a S or Turbo will be based on my needs and desires, and how important the extra $12-20k purchase cost is to me.

 

Thanks to this thread and the info I gained here, I decided to go Turbo. Only could get a couple options. After configuring a S to near $73k I'll admit it was hard to let go of some of the flashy options I'd selected and go a rather plain Turbo build....but I'd have always wondered about the 3.6. Biggest option I had to settle was wheels. Thinking of running 2 sets later on when the budget will allow. Bound to be some awesome choices soon aftermarket.