gobble

My wife is the slowest driver I know. She currently has a Mercedes ML but likes the look of the red Macan because it sort of matches her 718 Boxster (which she drives very slow).

We have a Macan S home right now for an extended test drive and I can't say it feels all that fast to me, but I don't think anyone is really buying a Macan because they think it's a fast sports car. For a woman who drives slow and me who will use it to tow the boat 15 miles to the lake in the spring and 15 miles back in the fall, is there any reason not to buy just the base Macan? I've only driven the S. Does anyone here have experience with both?

ducktails

Lots of threads asking about reliability of base vs higher trims; the consensus seems to be that it isn't a platform with a whole ton of issues. Based on your description it doesn't sound like it will be a car that is kept longer than warranty period anyway?

In terms of performance I'm not sure if you're asking if a base will be too slow or not slow enough? The expectations you set are pretty low so I can confidently say based on loaners that I've driven, the vehicle is capable of merging into traffic safely...

The absolute poverty-spec ones (the types that dealers tend to have as loaners) aren't all that exceptional in terms of their interior and driving options, and will likely feel like a waste of money compared to an MB and Audi in the same price range. Porsche expects you to add options to get the good experience. My advice would be for base to look for a very well specced one - good seats, leather interior, good sound system, better wheels ... and you'll be perfectly satisfied for your use case. I got a loaded base "sport edition" while my GTS was being serviced, and so long as I wasn't doing any sporting driving (people DO sometimes cut loose on backroads in a Macan) honestly I could barely notice the difference.

OliverK68

Towing capacities of the base and S are almost the same. Base would probably do you just fine.

gobble

Thanks guys. The base I want to look at should be at the dealership today so I'll maybe try to take that for a couple day drive as well. I didn't realize the interiors were different and that they weren't all leather. The car we're interested in (mainly because of color) has a sticker of $65k and does have premium package plus and a few other nice options like lane change assist, upgraded 19" wheels, etc.. I actually like the look of the 19" wheels better.. This S has 21" wheels and for the life of me I don't understand why anyone would want such a large wheel that just adds extra rotating mass and looks a lot harder to clean. You think this car would have non-leather seats?.

OliverK68

Hard to say. Bare min is race-tex centre and partial leather. Should get the dealer to email you the build sheet.

n2cars

My wife is the opposite. She's a fast driver. Embarrassingly fast. I will just the say the Macan S is a very capable vehicle at triple digit speeds and leave it at that. Back to your question. I've had a ton of base Macan loaners. There is nothing wrong with a base Macan. Find the right spec for you and you will have a great car.

996AE

I looked at both and ended up with the GLC300 AMG model to replace wifeys 250k mi ML.

She loved the ML and refused to let me replace it. I finally surprised her at CHristmas with the AMG GLC300 and she is happy.

gobble

Ok cool. As long as the base engine isn't vastly undersized for the car I think we should be ok. I don't think Porsche would do that but you never know. The base ML has a larger engine but it's also a heavy vehicle.

yuval

I think your wife and mind can be friends. lol
I got her the base 3 months ago and she is supper happy. ( 2017)
she had the MB GLK 350 (2013) . one thing I can say on the base compere to the MB is the fuel consumption.
the GLK had to be fill every 10 days, the MACAN every 20 days. big difference.
( personally not crazy on SUV , but the base drivers very nice, you can not compere to MB )
good luck.

gobble

I'm with you. I don't like SUV's. I don't like driving her ML. The Macan is a bit more tolerable. It doesn't have quite the big mushy feel of the ML Good to hear about the fuel mileage. The ML really sucks down the gas.

nesposito

If it helps at all I own a base Macan that my wife drives. We traded in a Cayenne GTS to buy the Macan. We both prefer the base Macan to the Cayenne GTS. It's a much sportier feel and is by no means a slow car. I think it's like the hot hatch of the SUV world.

drcollie

My wife says her Macan S is too slow, and that her next one will be the Turbo.

The 4 Cyl base wouldn't last two weeks in our household. I find it anemic and would rather have an Audi SQ5 for about same money as a base Macan.

gobble

I guess my view is a Macan serves as utility and you have other no compromise cars for fun. She has a 718 if she wants to go fast. I have a 458 and a Radical for the track, but my daily driver is a Chevy Volt (utility but I actually love it and am on #4)..

PJ Cayenne

Bought an 18' Macan SE, new, two years ago. We love it. Starts to run out of breath at really high speeds, which is fine. Plenty of power around town and easy to merge onto the highway. You will tootle along easily in 80s, and enjoy the handling. Ours has the air suspension and ride is more comfortable then our sold Cayenne Diesel. Ne issues at all with the car. Good long term car we should have for a long time.

RED HORSE

Mirrors my experience. Wife bitched about our new LX 570 a couple of years ago. Traded for a Macan SE she loves it and I got a check back from the dealer.