Bxstr

I have quite a bit of seat time in base Macan's when my 911's have been in for service. For a daily driver, no complaints with power the majority of the time. It's very solid. Interior feels like a Porsche (because it is), handles well etc.

I ended up buying an X3 vs the Macan, only for cost, both on initial purchase price and on maintenance. The bigger driver is maintenance/repair cost though vs initial purchase price. My local BMW dealer offers incredibly good service pricing. $99 oil changes on 4 cylinder models. Brakes are $300-600 an axle depending on the model. I also wanted a ZF8 transmission vs PDK. I plan to keep my daily drivers for ten years. Having owned an S4 with a dual clutch prior to this and needing it to be replaced, I didn't want to deal with that this time around. Is PDK likely to fail? No. I just didn't want the risk.

If I had one car, I'd definitely take the Macan in whatever trim I could afford. But I'd rather allocate my servicing dollars to my sports car.

My X3, although a 4 cylinder, has the m sport package, has all the features I wanted (keyless entry, CarPlay, heated seats and steering wheel) and was priced well, even during the pandemic. But I can almost guarantee it has depreciated more than a similar Macan.

WillinEvergreen

One thing that puts the Macan ahead of the others is the integrated head unit. Audi and BMW still have the tacked-on-looking iPad, and it is a major negative. That being said, my 2018 Q5 had buttons the the steering wheel dedicated to advancing favorite channels, on XM and regular FM, which Porsche still does not do. Not a deal breaker but still a head-scratcher.

Russian Mafia

For those who consider a Base Macan as opposed to other variants due to cost, I'd encourage you to check into maintenance costs versus other brands. They're pretty high. I'm ok with that as to my GTS but if $ was keeping me at the Base level, I'd go Beemer or Audi.

WillinEvergreen

Pet peeve: Beemers are motorcycles; Bimmers are cars.

Guards Red Car

I too am looking into Macan CPO -

For the 2022 model year, The BASE got a horsepower and torque Bump (261 horsepower and 295 ft-lbs torque vs. 2021 248 hp and 273 ft-lbs) And some appearance tweaks and new screen/electronic interface

Can anyone comment on the performance and content improvements for 2022 for the Base Macan (as compared with the 2021/pre 2021)

Thanks

VAGfan

A later Base Macan with the 261 HP engine does 0-60 in 5.8 seconds (NOT using Launch Control).
An earlier Base with the 252/248HP engine does 0-60 in 6.2 seconds (NOT using Launch Control).

Content improvement is mainly the change to the center console, and I think Porsche Active Safe (PAS) became standard around 2020 or 2021. PAS is front automatic emergency braking.
2021 and onward Base Macans got bigger front brake calipers (and perhaps? bigger front brake discs).

Penstamin

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Penstamin

@WillinEvergreen Thank you for this! I share your peeve. Having owned a few BMWs, and being a lover of trivia, I frequently offer this distinction to (mostly) friends. I never miss a chance to provide this clarity to others if I'm watching "Grosse Pointe Blank," wherein one of the characters, who sells BMWs, is referred to as "Bobby Beamer."

Nickshu

If I were buying a Macan base I would go for the Macan T. Best of both worlds. I have a GTS but have driven a base Macan and definitely noticed the weight balance advantage of the lighter weight base 4 cyl engine. Driving dynamics are good. I think the T adds the things you want.

isugoo

adding one things, people who was looking for Macan but went for BMW/Audi, I believe it's mainly maintanance cost. Just like other member said, $100 oil changes vs. $600 oil change. While it's fun and you can find either base of T for under 70k new, your maintenance costs will be much higher.

john981

Therefore, if you really want a Porsche, go all in and the V6 version. Your initial cost might be little higher (if you do it correctly, it will be less than little) but your maintenance cost will be the same and with a S model you get so much more car for your money. I think I only test drove the base Macan few years ago for few minutes and it was super dull. The Macan S though, feel like a real Porsche. People are talking about how fast the base model is and so on. Driving a Porsche is primarily not about how fast the car is (unless you live in Germany and can go full speed). It is mainly about handling and sound. 0-60 is secondary. Test drive a V4 and V6 back to back and you will understand what I mean.

scottiemac

I bought a 2021 CPO Base Macan. I also have a 991.2. The Macan is a great little car (after owning 4 GM full size long wheelbase SUV's). We just didn't need the huge carrying capacity.
It's economical, very comfortable, very capable in inclement weather (with Blizzak DM V2's).
The brakes are very good, acceleration is also more than you need for most every situation.
My only beef is I find the brakes and the throttle very touchy. With the 911 both have a very linear feel, the Macan I find myself having to be more tentative particularly at low speeds.

DSC48

I have driven both a 2018 and a 2022+ and own a 2023 base. I also tracked a 2023 Macan T demo. I couldn't tell there was extra power and the suspension tuning on the T was a little more GTS-que, but not by much. I ended up with a CPO base with PASM and air suspension and the 265/295 tire option and it's 80% a Macan T.

OldJedi

Let me toss this out for thought. We had driven base Macans as loaner cars from our Porsche dealership whenever we brought in either our Boxster or Cayman in for service. When it came time for us to get an SUV we made a list of twelve different models and took them for test drives. After driving them all, our first impression was that none of them drove as good as a Macan. We spoke with our Service Advisor about Macans and he suggested to stay with the base model. He said that it is virtually bulletproof with very few problems. He said that he sees problems with the V6 models and leaking timing chain covers. We waited for the 2019 Macan to be released because it was going to get the updated interior PCM and LED headlights. After the 2019’s came in and they were using them as loaners we were lucky enough to get a loaner in Sapphire Blue and almost every option that we wanted. We talked with our Sales Advisor and he said that buying a loaner car that comes off the loaner fleet is a good deal. They are CPO certified which gives an extra two years of warranty. The cost is set at 15% off of MSRP (2019 rules) and cars are pulled off of loaner fleet at 5000 miles. We thought that it was a good deal by Porsche standards, so we put a $500 deposit down on this this particular Macan and waited for it to come off of loaner status.

It became available months later and the dealership did a maintenance on the car and sold it to us as they said they would. We bought it with 5200 miles and it has almost 30,000 now. There were some small issues, both Bose door speakers had to be replaced under warranty about a year apart. And a couple of other small issues all under warranty. We have taken it all over the place, multiple out of state trips and many trips inside of Florida. She gets over 30 MPG on the road and has all the speed needed around town. She has a real world range of over 500 miles on the road. She has been a great car!

I don’t know if they still offer the 15% off MSRP off of loaner cars at dealerships but it would be worth checking on. Because we have a Cayman GTS and a Boxster 25 we don’t need a “Fast” car just a reliable grocery getter and puppy mover that is still fun to drive. I think that if I was to get a “New” Macan, I think that I would order a Macan T.
Best of luck with your search.

GreggZ

The little money you save with the base can't make up for the miles of smiles you will miss with the S.

Just like my 987.....if you are going to buy a Porsche get the S. You won't regret it.

That goes even for starting it up with the sound of the V6. A nice rumble.

Drive both, but drive them hard, then make the decision.