First drive

[dereksharpuk]

Had my first extended drive today. Here are my initial impressions of the Diesel on 21" wheels, PASM and no air.

1. It is big, nearly as big as the Cayenne. The view over the huge bonnet is imposing. I wish there had been some differential between the two.
2. The ride, even on 21" wheels is good.
3. Economy not that good. I got only 38 mpg and my Q3 gives me 50 mpg. However, the Macan is bigger and more powerful.
4. Very glitzy inside.
5. Not sure the panorama roof is worth the money. It cannot be seen by the front seaters and is dark. Looks urge from the outside when open.
6. Roadholding very good.
7. Brakes, particularly at low speed, very 'grabby'.
8. Quiet and comfortable.
9. Rear parking camera not much use. I would rather have the pictogram.
10. Lots of low down torque.
11. Coasting facility appeared to be intermittent on my vehicle. Yes, I do have previous experience and know how it should work.
12. Finish top notch.

 

[turbo jonny]

I drove the turbo on saturday , and agree with the above .
Ok it was faster , but still very refined and deceptively quick .
Easy to lose licence without really having much fun .
Overall , nice if you need a vehicle like this . I was disappointed with the large
Size . Too similar to the Cayenne for me .

 

[Dylan1]

at the launch at hatfield they had 3 macans next to each other and they looked pretty big imo
i walked across to the far side of the showroom to see what i thought was a cayenne-but which also turned out to be a macan-much bigger than I thought it would be
also the four modesl they had varied in price between £59k and £75k so not inexpensive either !![]

 

[dereksharpuk]

Yes, vehicles at launch are always mega over-specced. I'm still not sure if I want anything other than 18" wheels and steel springs. Don't like the sunroof and white is ok for me. I wonder if basic trim is ok too. My reasonable spec will top out at not more than £48K and that will include PCM, heated seats, compass, cruise & Bluetooth

 

[BigCat]

I drive a Q5 170 TDi and have now had a test drive in the Macan S (Petrol), although it's 25mm wider and 52mm longer than a Q5 it feels much more compact from within the car and looking at it from the outside it looks smaller than the Q5, obviously it isn't, but the low roof line probably does that. I think compared to a Q3 it would feel a lot bigger as I have also driven a Q3 which is definately a lot smaller than a Q5. more like a VW Golf so it's all relative to what you are used to. As for my test drive I thought the car was brilliant, I had heard reports of not much rear legroom but as far as I was concerned there was plenty behind my seat but overall I would say the interior space is a liitle less than a Q5, not by much but it's noticeable and visibility from within the car is not as good due to the lower roofline and smaller windows but for me these are not negative points just differences. Looking at the detailed specifications the Q5 can handle flooded roads better with a water wading depth of up to 500mm, the Macan with standard suspension is limited to 198mm which increases to 230mm with the Air Suspension so that's not too good if you live in Somerset.

The engine performance and handling were outstanding and I didn't find the brakes any more sensitive than what I'm used to in my Q5 or 911, what was interesting is that the front brake calipers are huge compare to the rear brake calipers.

The Q5 is a nice car with a high quality interior, the Macan is better in every aspect of performance and cabin quality but it does come at a premium price compared to a similar specs Q5 and is likely to be more costly to run but I'm talking about the petrol versions here, the Diesel may well be a better car for fuel costs but it uses the AdBlue additive to keep emissions low and having experienced it with my Q5 I don't want it again.

 

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Still in the US and the publicity is pretty much Mecan focused around the dealerships with launch events etc. Actually talking to people get the impression that there is a real 'why another SUV' kind of feeling - maybe this is related to the earlier comments about it being very Cayenne like?

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

Had my first extended drive today. Here are my initial impressions of the Diesel on 21" wheels, PASM and no air.

3. Economy not that good. I got only 38 mpg and my Q3 gives me 50 mpg. However, the Macan is bigger and more powerful.

So is it worth the premium required over the Q3 and the interior plastics are not in the same league as the Audi IMO[&o]
but at least it won't suffer the over assisted steering[]

 

[BigCat]

Q3 is the wrong car to compare it with as that car is a similar size to a Golf MK7 but with a shorter wheelbase, Macan has the same wheelbase as a Q5 but is slightly longer by 52mm and just 10mm wider with the mirrors extended. As for the quality inside, I thought the Macan was far better all round than my Q5 S Line, but the cars I looked at all had the partial leather option. As for the price premium yes of course it costs more than a Q3 (wrong car to compare) but so does a Q5, the 3 Litre Q5 starts at £42.3K £1K less than the Diesel Macan, spec both of them up with as near as possible the same options and you get a £48.5K Q5 and a £53K Macan. So yes it costs more than a Q5 with similar options/equipmernt and it's an individual's opinion on whether or not to pay that premium. Certainly from it's handling, performance, ride and overall quality the Macan IMHO beats the Q5 in every aspect and I would pay that premium because I think it's a better car.

 

[tiskev]

Having now seen it at my OPC post Geneva my opinion
Has not changed Too low (even pumped up) Too big and too much like my Cayenne .

 

[tscaptain]

Btw, how is "Macan" pronounced? I have heard both "Ma-can" (as in the tin) and Ma-carn (as in carnival). I suspect the yanks will call it Ma-carn in the same way that they refer to the Nis-sarn GTR[]

 

[dpoynton]

I'm buying a Macan (can-can).

I'm not buying a Ma-carn (barn door).

D

 

[garyw]

ORIGINAL: tscaptain

Btw, how is "Macan" pronounced? I have heard both "Ma-can" (as in the tin) and Ma-carn (as in carnival). I suspect the yanks will call it Ma-carn in the same way that they refer to the Nis-sarn GTR[]

The DP made an announcement about this during the launch, its Macarn as it is also Porsche with an er
He did go on to say though that from the next day it would be Macan and Porsche as per normal []

 

[dereksharpuk]

ORIGINAL: tscaptain

Btw, how is "Macan" pronounced? I have heard both "Ma-can" (as in the tin) and Ma-carn (as in carnival). I suspect the yanks will call it Ma-carn in the same way that they refer to the Nis-sarn GTR[]

I'm told by Porsche it is pronounced Ma-carn !!!!!!

 

[tscaptain]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/20/porsche-macan-suv-audi-q5-new-buyers/3648745/

The name, Porsche says, is derived from an Indonesian word, spelled the same, for "tiger." The automaker says the correct pronunciation is ma-CAN.[]

Also from Rennlist

According to Porsche:

"The new sports car will have the name Macan, pronunciation (mah"¢chahn). The name is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger. It stands for power, litheness, fascination and dynamics."

Great. Another name no one will be able to pronounce.
[]

 

[fbr]

Tested the petrol V6 S version with PDK, PASM & Sport Chrono. Handled surprisingly well. but needed some urge to get it moving along. Seemed to lack torque in the lower rev ranges. Worked best in Sports Plus for optimal progress. Progress assisted by high driving position. Brakes very good, personally didn't notice grab but the slower driver did make this complaint. The PASM is still comfortable on the 'sport' setting. Soaked up rough road surfaces and irregularities with ease. Fuel consumption high. Steering direct, accurate and close to neutral, I suspect this was helped by the four wheel drive's ability to dynamically proportion the drive. There was a nifty display of the drive share, fore and 'aft, that you could call up on the right hand LCD instrument panel. Much better drive than the BMW X series, size somewhere close to X3.

Much better proportioned than the Cayenne, didn't really find it bulky and on the road it's nimbleness made it seem quite compact.

FBR

PS Steering wheel over complicated & fussy, but did have paddles. Liked the thumb wheel selection for the LCD display

 

[Chris_in_the_UK]

In Porsche Beverly Hills it's 'Mah-carn'

 

[spook]

Had a brief test drive of the diesel Macan yesterday- my immediate impression was how sharp and positive the steering is compared to my Cayenne.
Agree the car is not much smaller either but feels lighter and has great throttle response. Cannot see why you'd bother to pay a load more for the turbo?
Looking forward to getting my car soon!!

Cayenne Gen Diesel - gone
991 GT3- awaited
Macan S Diesel - not long now! []

 

[dpoynton]

We had a test drive in a Macan S petrol yesterday.

Didn't feel particularly big, it was quiet and felt effortless having plenty of poke for us (our Cayman is our sports car) and I can see that for some people, one car (a Macan Turbo) could be all the Porsche that you need.

D

 

[Nicks]

Out enjoying the Macan S with £14 K of extras including PDK. I would not spec the panorama roof but the rest - PASM,PCM,Zenons,cruise etc should be standard fit.

Not much longer and just a bit wider than a Ford Focus, I do like it and it is responsive in sports mode.

[]

Nick

 

[spook]

After three weeks ownership and 1600 miles, I'm really pleased with my Macan S Diesel- looks great in white btw.[]
Progress is effortless with the super smooth PDK, whilst the optional PASM aids great handling in sport/sport plus mode.
Currently averaging actual 35mpg (computer is optimistic) but should improve a bit with mileage. Still trying to get used to coasting
on overrun, not sure if this feature can be dialled out? Only glitch so far is sometimes the wipers come on for two wipes when I start up
even though its dry!!
Mike

2014 Macan S Diesel White
2014 991 GT3Guards Red - no long now!