2019/20 Porsche Macan S - thoughts/experiences

[tturedraider]

So, I’m intrigued with the Macan S. It’s the only one under consideration.

Curious to hear your thoughts and experiences. I’m going to drive the red one in the morning. I’m very curious to see how I feel about the V6 considering my I6 snobbery. The driving experience I read about is what has piqued my interest/curiosity.

[M3WC]

Get a CPO.

[gameson]

are you used to drive a small SUV? macan is very small for typical americans who like big SUV. backseat is small for typical american adult size. if you are a small person and only you use the car, then it's okay.

driving experience is phenomenal, best in class, very agile.

[murderspice]

Thats the year to get. The next gen went to all haptic buttons and black plastic on the center console. We have the 4 banger macan and love it; you lose none of the porsche quality just because its an suv.

[chassis]

The EA837 3.0TT cold vee engine is known for oil leaks. The replacement EA839 3.0TT hot vee engine is solid. I am not sure which year was the last one for EA837 and which is the first year for EA839.

Macan is well known for small rear seating area.

Overall it’s a nice entry in the segment. But the X3M40i is a good one also, with a lower price and more interior space.

If you buy any Porsche, buy a CPO unit. Porsche stands behind the CPO warranty in nearly all cases.

[Llarry]

And you need to mentally prepare yourself for high maintenance and repair costs. The dealerships really rake it in. Finding a good independent would be a wise move.

That said, we love our '21 GTS but it's got the 375 hp "hot vee" engine.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by chassis

The EA837 3.0TT cold vee engine is known for oil leaks. The replacement EA839 3.0TT hot vee engine is solid. I am not sure which year was the last one for EA837 and which is the first year for EA839.

Macan is well known for small rear seating area.

Overall it’s a nice entry in the segment. But the X3M40i is a good one also, with a lower price and more interior space.

If you buy any Porsche, buy a CPO unit. Porsche stands behind the CPO warranty in nearly all cases.

The EA839 started in 2019. That’s why I’m looking at these two. I’ve heard about the oil leaks. I’m not actually interested in an SUV and I want to drive the Macan, because everyone says it doesn’t drive like an SUV. The X3 is a good SUV, but that’s what it drives like. It will be interesting to see how I feel about how the Macan drives.

Originally Posted by Llarry

And you need to mentally prepare yourself for high maintenance and repair costs. The dealerships really rake it in. Finding a good independent would be a wise move.

That said, we love our '21 GTS but it's got the 375 hp "hot vee" engine.

I forgot you had a Macan. How will the maintenance and particularly the repairs needed compare to a B58 do you think?

[BlkGS]

Macan is basically what happens when you take a small crossover and turn it into a large hatchback. Its more like a really porky Golf R than it is an X3 M40i. To some, that's a good thing, to others, it's just way compromised. Macan also has the stigma of being "the one that people who can't afford a more expensive one buy to say they drove a Porsche". That wouldn't matter to me, but it does matter to some people.

If you want to drive something that doesn't drive like an SUV, drive a Stelvio.

[dgoldenz]

Had a Macan GTS and it was great for a daily. Would buy again.

[Alfisti]

If you have an Alfa dealer nearby you need to drive a Stelvio. Porsche servicing, repairs and engine issues are properly concerning. The Stelvio is pretty solid and almost handles as well as the Macan with a touch more practicality. The 4 banger really does get up and go. A CPO Stelvio will save you serious dollars on a CPO Macan too.

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

If you have an Alfa dealer nearby you need to drive a Stelvio. Porsche servicing, repairs and engine issues are properly concerning. The Stelvio is pretty solid and almost handles as well as the Macan with a touch more practicality. The 4 banger really does get up and go. A CPO Stelvio will save you serious dollars on a CPO Macan too.

You're suggesting an Alfa over a Porsche because the dealership experience and engine will be better/more reliable than Porsche? lol. I hated the 4-cylinder Stelvio's turbo lag, it was awful. The Stelvio Quad is fun though, much more expensive to repair/maintain than the 4-cylinder. The interior of the Macan is much higher quality, especially with full leather dash.

[335i54n]

base for base i would get bmw over the macan. the fully spec version is a lot different but i cant get how they screwed up the rockers on the early motor version and how the engine sit completely forward of the struts but with enough tire, software and torque vectoring it feels good.

[pbonsalb]

I think the Macan with the twin turbo 2.9 is a great small SUV. We needed more space so we bought a 21 Cayenne S (2.9 twin turbo) and really like it and have had zero issues in 3.5 years and 40k miles. We tried to like an X5 40i MPerformance but thought it drove like a truck in comparison. Did not drive the X3. The Alfa gets good reviews but I would not buy one unless I lived near a dealership and did not keep it past the warranty.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by dgoldenz

You're suggesting an Alfa over a Porsche because the dealership experience and engine will be better/more reliable than Porsche? lol. I hated the 4-cylinder Stelvio's turbo lag, it was awful. The Stelvio Quad is fun though, much more expensive to repair/maintain than the 4-cylinder. The interior of the Macan is much higher quality, especially with full leather dash.

Reminder, I own both marques so have no biases.

The Macan engine is notorious for shitting itself and there's another very expensive drivetrain issue, forgot what it is but it's massive dollars. Porsche SUV are notorious wallet drainers, it is cheaper to maintain a 911. The 2T Alfa engine in the Giulia/Stelvio has been rock solid.

There is turbo lag but sticking the thing in Dynamic mode helps a lot, "Normal" adds a healthy dose of throttle lag to make things worse.

I'll never understand the criticism of the Alfa interior on a forum where we all complain about the intrusion of tech and touch screens etc. It's a bit old school but fit, finish and reliability has been excellent though we did opt for the "leather everything" package I suspect most do not have (Lusso Trim).

In saying that, OP wants less SUV/more sporty hatch so the Macan may be a better fit. TBH I'd save 50 grand and find the absolute best 35i original X1 I could find and run that thing in all it's analog glory. Newer cars are generally hateful things to drive with the beeping and screaming and warnings etc.

[Germanauto]

I have a family member with a 2019 Macan S

It's a great family car...key word: family. While it has a ton of grip and good steering feel, it still feels nose heavy and understeers anytime you turn. Great car for shuttling the family around, but won't deliver the balance and darty nature a lighter and lower sport sedan will.

Ours is low mileage so can't speak to reliability. Routine maintenance is costly. Gearing is tall. Interior feels dated, tech/ergonomics aren't great. Seating position is a bit awkward and seats aren't the most comfortable. I'd argue BMW is way ahead in the interior/tech/ergonomics side, but you'll sacrifice some driving enjoyment.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

The Macan engine is notorious for shitting itself and there's another very expensive drivetrain issue, forgot what it is but it's massive dollars.

No it's not. Not the model and year he's looking at.

[NickyC]

Meh, I'd rather have an X3M.

[Arcades]

As long as you stay away from 2017 models (the one with all the darn recalls), then you will be fine.

Do not expect the VW corporate V6 to be anything close to BMW's I6. They work and function just fine in Sport mode but in Normal/Regular mode they have a pretty annoying turbo lag. I personally suggest you look at 2021 model year and up. If you worry about costs, avoid the car with bags aka Porsche Air Suspension because fixing them would cost you a pretty penny. Though, I have had 3 Macans (1 Macan S, 2 Macan GTSs) and never had issues stretching back to 2016.

These Macans with the current Q5 chassis have been around for a decade at this point, everything that can be said about them have been said. As always with Porsche, they keep slowly updating it over the years but the basics are still the same. Aside from 2017 model year (which you should stay away from), all the rest of the model year for the Macan have been solid without much problems. If you are concerned for future costs, then try to avoid Macan with bags (even though I never had any issues) and go with Macans with regular springs. Macans even the GTS trim, aren't as quick as the X3M counterpart but it is far more than good enough for most things (especially if you put it in Sport mode). If you care about fuel efficiency then the VW V6 doesn't do it all that well, BMW's I6 is above that very easily. But you get the Macan because it is a Porsche and Porsche knows how to do their driving dynamics and suspension.

X3 is bigger interior wise and have more room. Macan, due to its exterior design is smaller interior wise, with a smaller cargo. Macan is basically a lifted Golf GTI/R. If you go to 3rd party for maintenance, it will bring the costs down by a lot as Porsche Maintenance sends like... 50% of what you are paying to the tech that is doing the work.

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by Arcades

As long as you stay away from 2017 models (the one with all the darn recalls), then you will be fine.

Do not expect the VW corporate V6 to be anything close to BMW's I6. They work and function just fine in Sport mode but in Normal/Regular mode they have a pretty annoying turbo lag. I personally suggest you look at 2021 model year and up. If you worry about costs, avoid the car with bags aka Porsche Air Suspension because fixing them would cost you a pretty penny. Though, I have had 3 Macans (1 Macan S, 2 Macan GTSs) and never had issues stretching back to 2016.

These Macans with the current Q5 chassis have been around for a decade at this point, everything that can be said about them have been said. As always with Porsche, they keep slowly updating it over the years but the basics are still the same. Aside from 2017 model year (which you should stay away from), all the rest of the model year for the Macan have been solid without much problems. If you are concerned for future costs, then try to avoid Macan with bags (even though I never had any issues) and go with Macans with regular springs. Macans even the GTS trim, aren't as quick as the X3M counterpart but it is far more than good enough for most things (especially if you put it in Sport mode). If you care about fuel efficiency then the VW V6 doesn't do it all that well, BMW's I6 is above that very easily. But you get the Macan because it is a Porsche and Porsche knows how to do their driving dynamics and suspension.

X3 is bigger interior wise and have more room. Macan, due to its exterior design is smaller interior wise, with a smaller cargo. Macan is basically a lifted Golf GTI/R. If you go to 3rd party for maintenance, it will bring the costs down by a lot as Porsche Maintenance sends like... 50% of what you are paying to the tech that is doing the work.

The air suspension is a must have, major difference in ride quality IMO.

[tturedraider]

I’ll post more later. Just a quick update. The I6 won.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by NickyC

Meh, I'd rather have an X3M.

Smooth ride on typical USA roads…. No thanks. But for a young single guy with a mountain bike who also wants to hotrod around, it works.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by dgoldenz

The air suspension is a must have, major difference in ride quality IMO.

Air suspension is a pleasant luxury but not critical and could bump the Porsche price beyond consideration. Steel suspension compared favorably to BMW steel suspension, if not better.