Shuga

I'm looking at a 22 Base. Is it enough of a car? I'm looking for it as my daily. I have my Panny GTS. But I'm wondering if I'm going to be dulled by driving it.

DSC48

Test drive it. If still not sure, grab one on Turo.com for a day or two.

#1SomeGuy

Not anywhere near enough power in the base...it's for the wife who wants the badge.

Nickshu

From a V8 Panamera you will be disappointed. You need at least an S with the V6. A Cayenne will be much closer in trim/fit/finish/quality to a Panamera. The Macan is a big step down from the Cayenne/Panamera level of luxury and quality, but of course the cost is much less too.
We love our Macan GTS, but it's nowhere near as nice as the friends' Cayennes or our Panamera Turbo ST.

drcollie

Even my wife didn't like the base, and I hated it. What a dud. She wanted the Turbo they had (this was 2020) but settled for an S, because she got a case of the cheaps at the last minute. Now all I hear from her about her Macan is "I should have bought the Turbo".

Once in a while I get a base Macan as a Loaner when my 992S or Cayenne GTS is in the shop - I can't wait to give it back. I'd rather have an Audi SQ5 than a base Macan for about the same money.

If you can swing it, the Cayenne is much nicer.....

BMinSFL

I bought a '21 a month ago and I like it very much. I use it to commute to work in a suburban setting and with a pedal commander and JB1 adding 4psi, it has more than enough power.

I had a loaner '23 Cayenne for a bit and couldn't wait to get back in the Macan, it was much more fun to drive than the larger SUV, even though it had more power and more features.

I do notice it doesn't perform as well above 70-80mph in terms of pure acceleration but it feels fast on the streets less than 70mph where I spend 95% of my time and the handing, steering feel and the overall driving experience is fantastic.

If you drive on the highway and need to pull quickly past 80-100mph, race people or show off, then it's not the car for you but it provides a very pleasant and fun experience.

Granted I spent less than $50k for a practically new to me car so that value for the money definitely factors in. The two performance mods do help a lot and they are warranty friendly (removable and not detectable).

dak911

Not every vehicle needs to be a "race car" it depends on the driver, the use and the "head"!

scottiemac

FWIW I bought a 2021 Base model 2 months ago and like it a lot. It's solid, handles well, gets great gas mileage (it's replacing an Escalade ESV that I didn't really need anymore). I bought it CPO'd and it is under warranty until the end of 2027. It's a low option car which appeals to me and I also think the base models will be less expensive to maintain. As others have said here, you're not buying a race car and it depends on your needs. I have a 2018 911 if I feel the need for speed.

Shuga

I want to order the 2024 Cayenne S when it comes, I'm looking for something till that comes as it could be another year. I was thinking about getting a Macan and then giving it to my Mother to drive when the Cayenne comes in.

Phil T

Just picked up a 21 Base with 3600 miles on the clock this week for the wife. Car has plenty of power for a daily driver. Got out of Q3 so I'm very familiar with the 2.0 engine platform. I would say the Base car has plenty to offer as a daily driver. The ride is comfortable with some nice creature comforts. If you have the sports car for weekends this a great way to take it easy while still enjoying the Porsche feel. It definitely has me wanted to leave the GT4 and hop in it for a weekend drive.......Phil

manifold danger

I think there's a lot of variables that factor in to whether or not the base Macan would be an ideal choice. We don't really have much to work with here.

At least if you're considering a base Macan, the SQ5 is worth a look. Probably a few extra features- better tech/infotainment, better engine- at the cost of the more refined chassis and arguably "better materials" you'd get in a Macan.

BMinSFL

Even what you said has a lot of variables. Better engine is subjective. Is it better on gas, better on weight, better on maintenance cost and overall reliability? Depends what's more important for the end user.

Compared to the SQ5, the infotainment screen sticks out of the dash, which was an immediate killer for me in my comparison. Also, the base Macan still gets the 7 speed, which to me is something that makes the car unique over the ubiquitous 8 speed.

I see this same discussion among various makes and models and there are always a lot of biases involved. Those who have the pricier models tried out the base and feel that without those extra features and power, the car isn't worth it at any price.

Then there are those who actually own the cars and enjoy them but are also biased since they invested their cash in it. We all want to feel good about our decisions on where we spent our money, whether it's on the top end or bottom end of the lineup.

I think the best way to approach these base models are a 1-2 year old CPO example that seems new, with plenty of warranty and bought at a 40% discount off new. That's what I did at least.

My decision was simple: AWD, PDK, turbo engine, nice interior and it's a Porsche with 5 years of warranty for less than $50k, where do I sign?

At some point, a base doesn't make sense. For the $80k that I see my local dealer asking for some new base models, you would have a hard time convincing me it's a good buy.

ByByBMW

I am done with having to have a performance vehicle as my daily driver so I just bought a 2023 base Macan. It's fine for a daily driver. It still feels "Porsche like" if you aren't driving fast yet still has enough umph to make you feel like you aren't under powered. I'm still in the break in phase yet my gas mileage is well above what the ratings say it should get. Creature comforts are just fine for me. My take is this, if you are worried it isn't sporty enough, don't get the base, but if you want a true "daily driver" it will give you everything you "need".

LaurenceG

Are your sure that the Cayenne is of higher quality than the Macan. I am the original owner of a 12,500 mile 2018 Macan Turbo and find the build quality, quality of materials and driving characteristics to be exceptional.

DrewM

There are 2 sides to this, almost all tunes these days are quite safe - even more so from bigger/well known companies and then 'base tunes' adds to that. So I wouldn't really be worried about it.

But the 'undetectable' part is very questionable, yes tuners can wipe various aspects of pushing a tune to a car or returning the car back to stock tune...but a lot of cars will save 'metrics' as part of a reported code - I don't know if the Macan does or not - but if they pull a code and see more boost, more fuel, more ignition advance, etc than what is in the stock tune it won't take long to figure it out.

It's not so much those things, but the Cayenne/Panny level cars just have that next level of luxury appointments in them that the 'lower end' cars don't have - sometimes those differences are easy to note (like various options the Macan doesn't offer) to just little touches around the car that sound silly to talk about but make a difference.

I'm with some of the others, you just need to drive one. I don't have a problem with the base model, it's plenty quick enough in day to day driving - but it does run out of steam when you start getting to higher highway speeds - but honestly even a GTS Macan isn't going to compare to your V8 Panny, so it's all relative and what you want/expect. The Macan is not very big considering it's an SUV, but it's remarkably fun to drive given that it is an SUV.