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We just traded our 2013 Volvo XC70 T6 for a CPO Macan Base and I was a bit concerned the Mrs would miss the 300 hp, but she is quite happy with the 2.0. I'm considering a Cobb Accessport to get a little more out of it, but there's no hurry. We didn't get the Sport Edition, but managed to get a fairly well optioned car that suits her needs very well as a daily driver. The more I drive this car the more I like it and find the 2.0 to be adequate.
I really don't know why Porsche deviated from the traditional naming order for the Macan like going with a Turbo Performance Pack instead of Turbo S and Base Sport Edition instead of Macan T. Giving it a T moniker would have been perfectly appropriate and probably would have given the trim more respect and more sales.
The T is really a moniker that is used for the sports cars to denote "affordable, light and sports oriented". It's somewhere between 11 and 40lbs lighter than my base, and has some silly features to save weight, like door pull straps instead of handles, and some come with thinner rear window glass. The T offers sports options, like rear axle steer, PCCB brakes and standard Porsche Sport Exhaust and Sport Chrono. All that useless info was listed to say that the Macan SE is really not in a T oriented model. Base engine, yes, PSE and SC, yes, but no weight saving efforts or other performance options. We run our Macan SE locally around in a crowded suburb of NYC, it's perfect for the area.
The T is really a moniker that is used for the sports cars to denote "affordable, light and sports oriented". It's somewhere between 11 and 40lbs lighter than my base, and has some silly features to save weight, like door pull straps instead of handles, and some come with thinner rear window glass. The T offers sports options, like rear axle steer, PCCB brakes and standard Porsche Sport Exhaust and Sport Chrono. All that useless info was listed to say that the Macan SE is really not in a T oriented model. Base engine, yes, PSE and SC, yes, but no weight saving efforts or other performance options. We run our Macan SE locally around in a crowded suburb of NYC, it's perfect for the area.
I agree some and disagree with some. On the Cayman T, there is no standard PCCB or rear axle steer either. PCCB are still optional, rear axle steer is not available, but PTV is standard. I'm not sure about the lightened rear glass but there are no real weight savings efforts on the Cayman T other than option to delete AC and PCCM but US spec T models all have PCCM required anyways due to federal rear backup camera mandate. Standard SC is not on any other Macan other than the Turbo PP. Don't forget that your Macan SE comes standard with the key handling features of PASM and air suspension and it is lighter because of the 4 cylinder engine. Ts have nylon door pulls instead of handles which Porsche could have done on the Macan SE too. How cool would that have been to have nylon strap door pulls on all four doors?
My point is, Porsche doesn't follow some hard and fast rule about which moniker to assign which trim but instead of dipping into their classical conventions, they made up new trims for the Macan when they probably could have gotten a few more sales by giving the SE a few traditional T cosmetic bits and naming it a T. I personally believe it has enough factors to make it qualify as a T based on what they did with the 911 and 718 (lighter weight than the S, same power as the base trim, enhanced handling options (20" wheels, AS, PASM) as standard, SC as standard, PSE as standard; it's just missing the cosmetic bits and PTV).
We just traded our 2013 Volvo XC70 T6 for a CPO Macan Base and I was a bit concerned the Mrs would miss the 300 hp, but she is quite happy with the 2.0. I'm considering a Cobb Accessport to get a little more out of it, but there's no hurry. We didn't get the Sport Edition, but managed to get a fairly well optioned car that suits her needs very well as a daily driver. The more I drive this car the more I like it and find the 2.0 to be adequate.
Congrats, great color. It's a great car, you will love it.
I wouldn’t even look at the base. I think 4 cyl clearly is underpowered for this car. I had it as a loaner and didn’t like it. If the price difference is $5k I would go for the S. If you get the base and every time the S passes by you think I should’ve gotten the S then you’ve made a wrong decision.
I wouldn’t even look at the base. I think 4 cyl clearly is underpowered for this car. I had it as a loaner and didn’t like it. If the price difference is $5k I would go for the S. If you get the base and every time the S passes by you think I should’ve gotten the S then you’ve made a wrong decision.
Coming from the perspective of having bought two Panameras, I wasn't interested in getting a Porsche SUV. But I drove numerous loaner Cayennes and Macans when my Panameras were in for servicing, so got to know them pretty well. There are times and places where the Panamera just isn't the right vehicle to take, and that's why I decided to buy a Macan (I debated getting a Cayenne for a long time before getting a Macan, but feel that the Cayenne is just too large/truck-like, and too expensive for what you get). Then, I was only willing to look at the Macan S for the longest time as a possible purchase (not the base, which I considered only briefly but wanted a V6, and not the GTS and Turbo because I feel that they are way over-priced for what you get -- mind you, coming from Panameras, my 2018 Panamera having 462 hp and 512 lb-ft of torque). But having gotten the 2018 Panamera, I just could not get to liking that pre-2019 Macan infotainment screen, thinking it to be ancient, and so I delayed until I saw how good the 2019 Macan looked with the new infotainment screen. By that time, in doing lots of test drives, I kept feeling underwhelmed by power and acceleration of the Macan S, and I started driving test-driving numerous 4-liter Macans (both base and Sport Edition trims).
I came to the conclusion that, for me, the Macan S was not enough of an upgrade over the base Macan in terms of engine to justify $8k or $9k higher starting MSRP, and in fact, I came to find that the base Macan is plenty peppy. So I special-ordered a 2019 base Macan, and I have never once thought that I made an incorrect decision when I see a Macan S or GTS or Turbo on the road -- I'm even more convinced that I made the right choice because I have lots more money in my pocket. My base Macan puts a figurative smile on my face every time I get in it, and I look forward to getting in it every day; it accelerates really well, and I think that the computer has adjusted to my fast accelerations (unlike some sluggish base Macans I've been in that I don't think have adjusted for this type of driving yet). And I get better gas mileage than if I had a Macan S. And the base Macan handles like the Macan S in terms of suspension and stability at high speed, and the interior is the same.
Personally, if I had a budget of, say, $60 or $70k to spend on a new Macan and fast acceleration was important (as it is to me), and I couldn't get past the narrow view that 4-cylinder Macans are extremely inferior driving machines, I'd probably take that money and buy a CPO Panamera instead (no Macan can compare to a really good Panamera in driving fun, sorry). But I think that the $53k (USD) that I paid for a brand-new, special-order base Macan last spring was an exceptionally good buy, and my feeling is that once you get above about $55k or $60k for a Macan, it just isn't worth that kind of money (again, this coming from a Panamera owner, remember). For that kind of money ($60k+), I'm just not going to get a Macan unless it's a plugin -- and that I *will* buy in a couple of years!
Just one Porsche owner's thoughts, for what it's worth :-)
Agreed with all points. I haven’t actually driven the base vs S enough to see the real difference. I am just not a big fan of four cylinder engines in general. I know Macan is a great car regardless and if the price difference is close to $10K it makes a lot of sense to get the base.
Anyway, this is just one person’s opinion.
I bought a base Macan for my wife a year ago. She loves it.
We debated, base vs. S - she's a car girl and really, on it's face - she wanted an S. Drove them back to back. Had several loaners, and a good friend with an S which we drove a lot. Sadly, the performance gains, S vs. base - just aren't there. I've always found the S's straight line performance underwhelming. It's smooth power but it doesn't knock your socks off. The only real time I could tell a SIGNIFICANT difference was on the highway. 70mph and go for a pass - that is where the S shines and the base feels a little "where's the beef??" But around town? Even getting away from a light? Base runs great. We couldn't justify the $7-10k price bump to get into an S. The car is otherwise optioned the same as any S we'd looked at - premium plus package, heated steering wheel, Bose, navigation, and CarPlay.
Added a Cobb tune to it for Christmas this year. HUGE difference. It's substantially more fun to drive than a stock S now.
I was in the market for a CPO'd S and stumbled across a 2018 base Macan that had every single option I was looking for with only 4k miles. For me it was the exact car I was looking for without the 6 cylinders. Premium Package plus, 20 inch Spyder wheels, Bose, heated seats and steering etc. The option missing was CarPlay and I didn't find out it was missing until I took delivery.
I would have had to put out probably at least an additional $5k for what I wanted in the S. In the end I am extremely happy with my base. The pickup is decent along with the gas mileage and it's hard to tell the difference from an S unless you look at the back emblem or the front brakes.
I was in the market for a CPO'd S and stumbled across a 2018 base Macan that had every single option I was looking for with only 4k miles. For me it was the exact car I was looking for without the 6 cylinders. Premium Package plus, 20 inch Spyder wheels, Bose, heated seats and steering etc. The option missing was CarPlay and I didn't find out it was missing until I took delivery.
I would have had to put out probably at least an additional $5k for what I wanted in the S. In the end I am extremely happy with my base. The pickup is decent along with the gas mileage and it's hard to tell the difference from an S unless you look at the back emblem or the front brakes.
Yes, the base is very peppy, especially when you put it in Sport mode...
My wife drove a 2017 base Macan and ended up with a 2017 Macan S. She like it so much she ordered a 2019 Macan S to her specs. She’s had it since July 2019 and loves it even more than the 2017 S. She’s also had a base Boxster and says she really appreciates the additional power and performance of the “S” models. So, I’d suggest you go with the Macan S.
12-31-2019, 08:50 PM
