My new Gen 2 2020 Macan Turbo

[Brian_Innes]

Following the successful downloading of an updated Europe Map on the PCM, I decided to put the newly configured sat nav mapping to the test with a day trip to the Dornoch Firth. This lies approximately 60 miles to the north from my home location. The traffic density on the A9 route north was moderate, with most of the traffic coming in the opposite southerly direction, presumably many being tourists returning from the NC500. Those of us "in the know" do the NC500 anti-clockwise from Inverness as it gets the boring A9 bit over first, leaving the scenic parts to come.

Turning left off the A9 a couple of miles south of Tain, the B9165 to fishing port of Portmahomak leads to the unclassified road to the Tarbet Ness lighthouse at the north end of the peninsula at the entry to the Firth. This delightful site is one of the best viewing points in the north of Scotland. The seascape panorama from the end of the peninsula is a joy to behold, with a prolific variety of seabird and marine life. It is also a popular location for rod and line sea anglers who cast their lines from the rocks. The car park at Tarbet Ness is long and narrow with only one line of vehicle spaces available. Manoevering the Macan in such confined spaces requires great care. The park assist alarm was beeping like mad. The narrow road accessing the car park also requires great care with only a few unmarked passing places. Stone walls either side of the road as you approach the car park also focus your attention should you encounter another vehicle. The harrowing last few miles are well worth the anxiety however.

My return journey was north on the A9 across the Dornoch Firth bridge beyond Tain, taking the A949 through Spinningdale westwards to Bonar Bridge. This is a wonderful driver's road, and on my particular journey, traffic was very light indeed. Bonar Bridge is a gateway to the north and west Highlands. Most tourists do not pass this way, using the main A9 instead. Again, those of us "in the know" take the Bonar Bridge route to Sutherland and Wester Ross. Magnificent roads to drive.

Heading back south towards Inverness, the B9176 Struie route is the best option, with superb views of both the Dornoch and Cromarty Firths along the way. With recorded mileage now approaching the 1500 mile mark, I have extended the self-imposed rev limit to 5000rpm. For the Struie route I selected Sport mode and chose manual gear shifting as opposed to the auto gearbox. The Macan Turbo made light work of the steep gradients and hairpin bends on this wonderful, scenic road. With Sport mode engaging the sports exhaust, the engine emits a very purposeful V6 growl when accelerating up the steep hills. The engine performance is reassuringly powerful, and on the steep downhill sections, the tungsten-carbide coated brakes are equally reassuring. I have driven this route many times in my Caymans, and I can honestly say that the Macan Turbo provides almost as thrilling a drive as that of the mid-engined sports car. It doesn't have the planted, chassis feel of the Cayman on the flowing corners, but for an SUV the Macan Turbo delivers a rewarding drive for the keen driver. The combination of direct steering feel, and excellent body control from the air suspension, provides the Macan Turbo with as near as you can get to a sports car experience when driving an SUV.

I have a few photos below of my day out to the Dornoch Firth.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

At the summit of the B9176 Struie route looking east towards the Moray Firth.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Traffic was light on the Struie route.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Today I enjoyed a wonderfully spirited drive on the A939 to Grantown, Tomintoul, and Corgarff, at the southern end of the Lecht pass. The weather was glorious, the traffic was less so with the proverbial camper vans and motor homes dilly-dallying on the hilly route south to Corgarff. The purpose of my trip was to meet up with Porsche friends from the Aberdeen area, whom I hadn't met since before the Covid lockdown in March. They recently traded-in their previous 718 Boxster 2.0t for a 2015 981 Boxster GTS. This was an ideal opportunity for me to inspect their newly acquired wheels at close quarters. And what a beauty it is. A joy to behold.

Today, I selected Sport mode for the entire trip across the hills. This is not an economy run. Steep 30% gradients, hairpin bends, narrow single file bridges with unyielding stone parapets, and short, sharp, descents are the definitive signature of this popular route. The round trip of 100 miles averaged 21.4mpg. This mpg figure will give an indication of the testing nature of the drive. It's a challenging, scenic, and enjoyable, keen driver's road.

The Macan is now being allowed to stretch its legs through the gears as the recorded mileage nears the 1800 mile running-in threshold. Using the manually chosen gears with the purpose of keeping the turbos spooling the optimum torque band between 2000 rpm and 5000 rpm revs, the Macan Turbo makes short work of the hills and dales on this particular route. The car impressively powers out of the tight corners with a reassuring growl from the twin turbo V6, and shoots through the gears in almost a sports car like manner. I say almost, because one thing I am becoming very conscious of is the weight of the Macan. At nearly 2000 kgs this is no lightweight sports car. The Macan Turbo is 500 kgs heavier and considerably taller than my previous 718 Cayman GTS. This is glaringly apparent when taking the many switchback undulations on this route. The air suspension does not cope particularly well with taking crests at higher speeds. This seems to confuse the self-levelling system somewhat. The result is a sort of "bunny-hop" effect when negotiating crests on a straight section of road. My mid-engined 718 Cayman GTS by comparison would take these same crests with aplomb. The weight of the Macan is also evident on corners, particularly those with a tightening radius. Again, the weight, mainly at the front, is the main problem. The Macan wants to go straight on rather than follow a tightening radius. This un-nerving characteristic may be amplified by incorrect wheel alignment geometry, something I have extensive experience of from my motorsport years. I have brought forward plans to have the wheel alignment checked at GT Tyres, of Forres, my local independent Michelin retailer, who deploys the same 4-wheel Hunter laser wheel alignment rig as supplied to Porsche Centre service workshops. I shall be arranging a geo check within the next few weeks and will publish may findings on this thread in due course.

My winter wheel and tyre query has been now been considered by Porsche Germany T-equipment, with the reply received by Porsche Centre Chester. I am delighted to report that my request for Michelin Alpin 5 N0 winter tyres to be supplied with the 20" Turbo alloys has been agreed to. Michelin winter tyres can indeed be supplied by request. This proves the saying, "if you don't ask, you don't get". More info on this topic, and the subsequent delivery, at a later date.

Meantime a few photos from my drive day and meeting with Boxster GTS friends at Corgarff.

Brian

Photo: Looking south towards Corgarff, Aberdeenshire on the A939 Lecht pass.

 

[Brian_Innes]

A beautiful pair at rest on the A939 Lecht pass.

 

[Brian_Innes]

A nice line-up at the Corgarff cafe.

 

[Lancerlot]

Not stopping for a visit to the Whisky Castle, one of my very favourite roads in the UK is the stretch of A939 on the old military road between Tomintoul and Speybridge - a wonderful, testing drive! []
Regards,

Clive

 

[AndrewT]

Brian’s stopped off at The Whisky Castle before, in his Cayman days.....

 

[Brian_Innes]

Thanks Andrew.

You beat me to the draw there, I was just about to reply to Clive that I know most of the stopovers on the A939 route, and have visited the Whisky Castle on several occasions.

That photo makes me yearn for my much missed 718 Cayman GTS. On the roads that I love, such as the Old Military Road, nothing compares with its secure, planted chassis. A precision tool if ever there was one.

Brian

 

[AndrewT]

Brian, never mind the yearning, it’s the learning in the Macan Turbo that you can look forward too especially in winter with it’s four wheel drive benefits. ??

 

[Brian_Innes]

Yes Andrew, I'm trying very hard to come to terms with the benefits of my Macan Turbo.

It's a lovely car, and the cabin is a very nice place to be.....BUT, I do miss the dynamic appeal of the mid-engined Cayman. My early 987 Caymans including the "R" had the benefit of a second set of 18" wheels with Pirelli Sottozero winter tyres. I loved locking the LSD diff up and power-sliding it when no-one was looking. It was just so controllable, and I felt the complete master of the car. Not a statement I can relate to the Macan at present. Maybe given time that will change.

BTW, I am on the cusp of announcing a decision on the T-equipment 20" winter wheel and tyre set. More news later.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

The Bullet has been Bitten...

Following extensive communications via email with Porsche Centre Chester Parts Manager, Gareth Baker, my order has now been placed for a set of 20"x 9" x 10" Macan Turbo wheels finished in Platinum Satin Gloss fitted with Michelin Alpin 5 N0 winter tyres. Porsche T-equipment in Germany confirmed their acceptance of my special request for Michelin Alpin tyres to be fitted in place of the default Pirelli brand. This good news was gratefully received only yesterday, and I placed my order and paid the full price less PCGB discount, on the same day.

I must record my sincere thanks to Gareth at Porsche Chester, for his most helpful assistance with forwarding my emailed plea for Michelin winter tyres to the appropriate administrative contact in Germany. I prefer to conduct negotiations such as this in written form rather than by phone. This avoids any possible misunderstandings as to what has been agreed. The wheels with tyres already fitted, will be delivered to my home address by courier within the next 7-10 days. The winter wheel and tyre package also includes the TPM modules and Porsche Crest coloured centre caps. I have a wheel rack already in place in my garage for storage.

With the Brexit bust-up now gathering nuclear proportions, I wanted to get this order in before the Euro trading portcullis descends upon the UK. My Macan will now be all prepared and winter road ready.........when the now overdue hard winters return to the Highlands.

Brian

 

[Peter_Bull]

Good to hear you have got sorted Brian.

I am shortly taking delivery of a set of winter wheels / tyres for my forthcoming 992.

I have limited space in my garage and they need to be on the wall. I would be interested in what sort of rack you have for your set?

 

[Motorhead]

Good to hear that your persistence has paid off Brian. It’s a pity that you’re unable to spec the tyres from the options list when ordering a car, but I assume that you’re dealing with a different department in this case - Tequipment Accessories?

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

Peter and Jeff,

I had the tyre rack made by my farming family relations in Aberdeenshire from old scrap metal lying around their workshop. My cousin and his dad fabricated it from drawings I had made after measuring the wheels on my 987 Cayman. It only cost a bottle of Gin and some beer. It served me well during my motorsport events with my Cayman R, which had a second set of wheels for track events. When I moved to my present house I asked the builders to reinforce the garage wall to take the weight of the tyre rack and wheels. I'm hoping the reinforcement is robust enough for the much heavier Macan wheels, especially the 21" variety.

The T-equipment division at Porsche Germany is clearly more flexible compared to the car production factory, when it comes to tyre brand requests from customers.

Brian

 

[turbo jonny]

Nice to catch up on your new Porsche journey Brian , i thought i better catch up before this thread mushrooms any more in size. Look forward to your winter exploits !

 

[Brian_Innes]

Running-in Completed.

The running-in period has now been completed, and at long last I can use the full range of revs, torque, and power from the growly 2.9 twin-turbo V6.

Yesterday I had a drive across country to meet up with friends at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl. Rather than use the boring A9 route south from Inverness, I took the A939 from Nairn to Ferness, then the B9007 and A938 to Carrbridge, and the B9153-A95 onto the A9 a couple of miles north of Aviemore. It was pure joy to drive this route.

This route is a keen driver's delight, with billiard table smooth surfaces and glorious flowing corners with long lines of sight ahead. Care is needed as there are some very narrow sections with blind corners and crests, and a large proportion of this route is on single track roads with frequent passing places. I would rate it as one of the most scenic and interesting routes heading south from the Moray Coast area of north Scotland.

With Sport mode selected on the steering wheel dial, and manual gear shifting via the steering wheel paddles my preferred option, the Turbo was all ready for action. First impression is that the intermediate gears, 1, 2, 3, and 4, are quite short now that I have access to the full rev range. Fourth gear is a superb gear for roads such as these, with useable revs from 2000 rpm to 6000 rpm providing strong acceleration. The 550Nm torque band is on full song at those revs and the Macan hustles along very nicely. Holding 4th gear on manual provides a great deal of satisfaction on roads like this, and because it's not a route tourists are generally aware of, traffic was light and the few vehicles I did encounter were either commercial or local travellers. I'm still having to take great care when meeting oncoming traffic or when overtaking due to the wider footprint of the Macan compared to what I have been accustomed to in the past. That said, I did enjoy my first encounter with the full performance available for the first time in my ownership.

Following a recent enquiry at Knockhill race circuit in Fife, I am delighted to announce that I have been granted a one hour exclusive track session with my Macan Turbo on September 28th. The date in question is set aside for a bike track day, and I have been given special access during the lunch break to assess the full performance potential of the Macan in a safe and controlled closed environment, away from the constraints of the public road. I am well practised at Knockhill, it is a circuit I know extremely well and I am very grateful to the Knockhill management for allowing me this opportunity to apprise the performance dynamics of the Macan Turbo without any other vehicles being on the track at the same time. A full report will follow in due course.

Finally, my winter wheels and tyres are scheduled to be delivered early next week. I'll also be reporting back on that topic later.

Brian

 

[Patrick Aschan]

Brian

I was interested to read that your OPC included centre caps with the wheels & tyres, I spoke to Brooklands who said they weren't included. They also wanted the better part of £90 to fit the wheels! They did however agree to the PCGB discount. I think I may have to ring round a bit. They also confirmed that only wheels for the Macan II will fit due to the offset being different.

I am glad that you are enjoying your car, we intend to come up to the west coast to visit dome old family haunts around Appin in October.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Patrick,

Responding to my request, OPC Chester quoted for the T-equipment Macan 2 Turbo 20" winter wheel and tyre set including, coloured centre caps, and TPM modules.

I understand this is the normal pack provided by T-equipment for the Gen2 Macan. Because my Turbo has the 21" wheel option fitted, the wheel arch extensions are already in place. Some Gen 2 Macans with smaller wheels will require the rear wheel arch extensions as an extra. It's all to do with wheel offsets as you correctly state.

I recognise this all seems complicated, and some OPC will be more experienced and knowledgable than others in this regard.

I cannot fault OPC Chester Parts Manager Gareth Baker for the way he conducted the investigations with Porsche T-equipment Germany on my behalf. So far, he has done a most excellent and efficient job. I am very much looking forward to seeing the wheels and tyres delivered here to my home address next week.

Enjoy your trip to Appin in October. So far the weather has generally been glorious this summer. October is a good month to visit the Highlands.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

My winter wheels and tyres order has been despatched from OPC Chester and are on their way north. I'm hoping for delivery on Friday September 25th. Photos will be posted in due course.

The Knockhill track test of my Macan Turbo is all set for Monday September 28th. I have been piggy-backed with a bike track day event for one hour's track time during the lunch break. I shall be the lunchtime entertainment......

I have also enlisted the services of the resident Knockhill photographer to provide photos of this, my final drive on a circuit I love. A report will follow.

Brian