My new Gen 2 2020 Macan Turbo

[Boomer_Zoomer]

Following an extended delivery schedule, my new individual spec Gen 2 2020 Macan Turbo has arrived at last. The order and deposit was placed with Porsche Centre Chester on March 5th. The car was delivered to my home address by enclosed transporter on August 5th. The exclusive transportation arrangements were organised by Porsche Chester who, very generously agreed to transport the car 400 miles north to my home near Inverness. This came about entirely due to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, which prevented me from collecting the car by the normal dealership handover process. High praise is due to Porsche Centre Chester for the diligent, flexible, and courteous manner with which they applied the highest standards of customer care in the face of such extremely challenging circumstances.

Having been a Porsche customer for more than 12 years, this is the first time I have experienced a new vehicle handover such as this. Everything from beginning to end was conducted online or by telephone. Never before have I purchased such a high value online product! Prior to the 4 month lockdown, I did not have the opportunity to view, or drive a Macan Turbo. I specced the car based upon my own experience of the Porsche brand, and to suit my own particular driving requirements.

The car arrived at my home address on time, safely encapsulated in a Brian James Race Car transporter towed by an L200 type pick-up truck. Andy, the driver was highly experienced in conducting the full handover rigmarole, including processing the essential documentation, and carefully explaining the various features and driver's controls applicable to the Macan model. He was in no rush. The handover in total took all of two hours including loading my remaining trade-in daily driver Abarth for the return journey to Chester. I was very impressed with the professionalism of the entire operation.

I am fortunate in having a car valeting professional living next door. Mike, my neighbour has prepared my previous Porsche Caymans with ceramic paint protection treatments. On this occasion he was able to start straight away on preparing my Macan as soon as it was unloaded from the transporter. Mike uses Gyeon products and because of the close proximity, he carries out the work in my own driveway and garage. The ceramic treatments will take two days to complete. The entire bodywork, including wheels, sunroof, and glass area are all treated with the Gyeon products. Following application the treatments need a day to cure properly before driving the car. So it will not be until Friday August 7th before I drive the car for the first time. My driving impressions will follow thereafter.

Meantime, the complete spec, and a few photos follow for your interest.

Brian

 

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Mike, starts the valeting process. (He uses a step ladder for reaching the roof!)

 

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Applying the first stage of the two part Gyeon ceramic coating.

 

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The full individualisation spec.
For those who may wonder why I chose the smokers pack, I am not a smoker, the cigarette lighter socket provides a useful power point for my dash cam and C-Tek battery conditioner. The smokers pack also has a nice damped lid to finish off the console.

Brian

 

[AndrewCS]

Welcome back to `Porsche world` Brian []

Look forward to a viewing and run out soon, the Highlands have been `put on notice`

Exemplary service from OPC Chester … !!!

 

[AndrewT]

Great news Brian, and well done for choosing the best colour! I’ll be following this thread, despite being a Cayman owner.

 

[dpoynton]

I'm clearly biased, but yes, a great colour choice in Sapphire Blue. It was, of course, the colour chosen by Porsche for the initial Macan launch a few years ago.

BTW, which company holds the Chester franchise, they deserve the plaudits.

Also; an interesting registration, any particular relevance?

ATB
David

 

[Lancerlot]

A great post Brian and thanks for sharing it with us. []
I'm looking forward to reading your initial driving impressions shortly.
Interestingly, a few members were talking last evening via Zoom and we discovered that none of us had actually driven the car model we have prior to purchase.
So I guess you could say, there is great faith in the product generally. []
Regards,

Clive

 

[dpoynton]

,..... we discovered that none of us had actually driven the car model we have prior to purchase.

I was able to do so at Silverstone, last October, not that it would have mattered one jot!

D

 

[Motorhead]

Good to see you back in print Brian, albeit on a different forum. Great colour and spec and interesting to see that your favoured Power Steering Plus has crept in there - you may need to explain your reason for that to the Macan fraternity [].

Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the new car after many years of Cayman ownership.

Jeff

 

[Boomer_Zoomer]

Valeting Prep Completed

The paintwork, alloy wheels, inner wheel arch covers, glass, and all carpets, have now been treated with proprietary products by my car valeting next door neighbour. The finished result is nothing short of superb. The paintwork is like silk to the touch, and any future assaults of fly squash and bird poo will wash off with ease. The car is now "curing" in the garage overnight with the first drive scheduled for tomorrow. My Nextbase Dash Cam is also installed and ready for action. I have also completed the basic configurations of the most important PCM settings. I'm ready to go.

In response to questions raised by David, the Porsche Centre Chester is owned by Rybrook Motors Limited. The significance of the personal registration is, it signifies By, Bye. Two purposes are therefore served. Firstly, when overtaking it's a case of "so long", I'm gone. The other is this car is likely to be my final Porsche, so Bye, Bye, is appropriate to my personal circumstances.

With regard to the exemplary standards of service I received from Porsche Centre Chester, I have always taken the view that any business transaction is a two-way thing. I am a straightforward individual who sets his mind on a goal and gets on with it. I don't mess people about. Personal integrity is important to me. I first encountered Porsche Centre Chester in 2017 when it was the chosen rendezvous point for PCGB members from north Scotland who were attending the "Porsches on the Prom" event at Llandudno. It was during that meeting that we met the Dealership Principal Carl Hazleton, who kindly treated our group to a tour of the workshops, including the preparation of his classic racing Boxster 986. As a fellow motorsport competitor, this was of particular interest to me. I had further encounters in the following years with Carl at Anglesey and Oulton Park track days, where we both enjoyed laps as a passenger in each others cars. As it subsequently turned out, I purchased my previous 718 Cayman GTS from Porsche Centre Chester. So, naturally I enquired first at Porsche Centre Chester when exploring the Macan idea. Over the 12 years I have been associated with the brand I have purchased cars from 3 different Porsche dealerships. Porsche Centre Chester is by some considerable margin, the most efficient, accommodating, and most importantly, competitive, of all I have encountered in my long experience.

As already intimated, the first drive of my Macan Turbo is tomorrow. I shall be reporting back with my first impressions of this new automotive experience in due course.

A few photos for illustration purpose.

A new era begins......

Brian

These are the products used to valet my car.

 

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The driver's cabin.

 

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My journey begins......

 

[AndrewCS]

Looking good Brian, the car also [] []

 

[Wollemi]

Great to see it has finally arrived, and looking forward to reading about it and how you find the change from your Cayman. Enjoy it.

 

[Lancerlot]

BTW - Did you decide against the 75 litre fuel tank or did you just omit to tick the box?
Regards,

Clive

 

[AndrewT]

Crikey Brian I expected your first driving report by now, I bet you’ll have done about 500 miles today! ??

 

[Motorhead]

BTW - Did you decide against the 75 litre fuel tank or did you just omit to tick the box?
Regards,

Clive

Unsurprisingly, it's standard on Brian's Macan Turbo [comparative] gas-guzzler Clive.! []

Jeff

 

[Boomer_Zoomer]

First Driving Impressions - Running-in


At last, after a patience testing wait, the day finally dawned for my very first drive of my new Gen 2 Macan Turbo. The drive had a specific purpose. For various reasons, Covid restrictions among them, I had not had the opportunity to visit a relative in west Aberdeenshire who had undergone a traumatic hospitalisation in March and April, and has now thankfully made a remarkable and successful recovery. Following this visit, I planned to return via the coastal route west along the Moray coast stopping at the fishing and boat-building town of Macduff, and also the dis-used and derelict art deco outdoor swimming pool at Tarlair where I enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Here it begins. Having already adjusted the driver's seat to my preferences and comfort, I carefully exited my driveway onto the road for the very first time. I quickly realised how far the pedals were offset to the right of the footwell. I had never previously been aware of any pedal offset in my previous Caymans, including the preceding 718 PDK models. My legs were distinctly skew-whiff to the right of the steering column central line. While a little disconcerting at first, I soon forgot about it when getting the journey underway.

The next most significant adjustment was getting accustomed to the sheer size of the thing. Coming from exclusively driving the Abarth 595 for 4 months, straight into the Macan was quite a culture shock. No more slotting into the left-hand lane in the line of stationary cars waiting at the traffic lights. No Siree! I just needed time to get used to the extra body width and wheel/kerb spacing judgements. This was my very first drive after all. I had already set the seating position near its lowest setting, and still had a commanding view of the road. All-round visibility is excellent. Seated at the small diameter Alcantara sports steering wheel and viewing console panel behind it, I could well have been in my 718 Caymans. The steering feel of the road is less tactile and sensitive to road surfaces compared to my 718 Cayman GTS, but that is understandable given the comparative weights of both vehicles. The Power Steering Plus option, whilst giving extra power assistance at low manoeuvring speeds, did not convey the expected increase in dynamic sensitivity as road speeds increased, on this first journey at least. That said, the steering is pleasantly direct and conveys to the driver a moderately acceptable feeling of the driven road surfaces. It is important to remember that this is my first encounter with a current model SUV. I have no previous bench mark experience for reference.

Once on the move on the open road, I liked the way the 2.9 V6 twin turbo emits a satisfying growl when applying the power. This particular journey involved single carriageway A and B roads throughout. Overtaking was effortless due to the prodigious torque band of 550Nm from 1800 - 5600 rpm. As I shall be running-in the car for 1800 miles I'll keep the revs to a maximum of 4000rpm for the first 1000 miles, then extend the revs by 500 rpm each 250 miles thereafter, until 1800 miles are up. Even with that self-imposted 4k rev limit, overtaking was brisk and decisive. Owing to my previous motorsport experience and familiarity with the later evolutions of PDK and Sport Chrono, I have my own preferences when driving on the open road. I shun the Normal auto mode altogether. For starters, I dislike the stop-start feature, and detest the surging effect of auto down-shifts when squeezing the throttle for gathering speed or when overtaking. This is not conducive to smooth driving progress in my opinion. Also, in auto Normal mode, the PDK will hunt for, and select, the highest gear possible. This causes the engine to labour at ridiculously low revs, not ideal when running-in. My method, as successfully deployed on both my previous PDK 718 Caymans, is to select Sport mode as the default on the steering wheel selector dial. This stiffens the suspension, sets the height adjustable air suspension to its lowest setting, and engages the sports exhaust. In an A road traffic convoy doing say 50-55mph, Sport mode will engage 4th or 5th gear rather than 7th. This equates to 2000-2500 revs as against 1200-1300 revs in 7th when in Normal mode. My method results in smoother progress, less hunting of gears, and a better rev range for running in. For overtaking on A class roads, I watch for a safe, clear road ahead, when it appears, I override the auto box with the gear shift paddles to select the appropriate gear manually, mirror, signal, manoeuvre, and squeeze the throttle progressively, then manually short-shift up to a higher gear when the 4000 rpm threshold is reached. For my driving preferences, this is much preferable to the surging, lumpy downshifts and possibility of over-revving the running-in threshold when leaving it entirely to the auto box and ECU to decide the gear. I rely on my own experience of gear sense, and intuitive engine performance awareness to select the most appropriate gear for the circumstances. This is what works for me.

A brief word on the handling. In Normal mode the air suspension is verging on "floaty". While very smooth and luxurious, this wafting along is not to my particular taste. I prefer a more connected feel to the road and accordingly, have found Sport mode perfectly acceptable for everyday driving. I selected Sport Plus for a short distance for test purposes, and this gives a much firmer ride best suited for very smooth road surfaces or when on the race track. In this respect the Sport Plus mode is very similar to that provided on sports car Porsches. It is also worth mentioning that if driving in full auto mode and Sport Plus is dialled-in, the gearbox immediately downshifts 3 gears with a resulting soar in revs. When my car is fully run-in, I'll be using manual shifting only, on A and B roads with Sport or Sport Plus. That way I am in control of the gears, and not the ECU. Back to the road handling, the Macan Turbo whips along windy B roads with great poise and confidence-inspiring grip from the Michelin tyres. Naturally the Macan gets not have the planted agility of the Cayman I have been accustomed to, but of its type, the Macan drives more like a sports car than that expected from an SUV.

There a few nice touches I liked, the left hand door mirror automatically adjusts downwards when reversing to provide a clear view of kerbs and other obstructions. The load management option for the luggage compartment is well designed. It keeps bags and such like neatly anchored when cornering. I also liked the hook placed on the right-hand shelf for hanging bags upon. Very useful. Also handy is switch in the luggage compartment for lowering the rear suspension when loading bulky items.

It's a shame that the Generation 2 Macan did not get the updated cabin as applied to the Cayenne model. The Macan console is still very much a button-fest. There are more buttons here than on the Apollo Lunar Command Module. Even the roof console has a mass of buttons, particularly if the panoramic sun-roof is specified. Speaking of which, it being a warm sunny day I had the opportunity to test the sun roof on my journey today. It proved excellent with no wind buffeting at all. The automatic wind deflector did an efficient job of keeping turbulence and wind noise to comfortable levels inside the cabin.

It shall take me some time to get the hang of the new PCM screen functions. This has a different operational function from my previous 718 Caymans. Apple Car Play is also different in operation. With the Driver's handbook still awaited from Germany, I have to rely on the PCM loaded manual or the Porsche Good to Know app meantime.

That about covers my first driving impressions of the Macan Turbo. I shall look forward to gaining further experience in the coming months, and following completion of the running-in period, I shall then be free to explore the full performance of this most powerful version of the Macan model range. I may even be tempted to give it an outing on a PCGB track day. For evaluation purposes only.....

Thus far, I have the impression I may well end up rather liking this car.

I'll follow with a few photos from my trip today.

Brian

 

[Boomer_Zoomer]

Tarlair is a beautiful, quiet, beauty spot.

I like the rear end design of the Gen 2 Macan. The Two-plane roof spoiler also a nice touch.