Induscreed

Hello,

I am a new member on RL. My wife is contemplating getting a new base Macan. Our budget is $70k so we cannot entertain the higher trims.

What are your thoughts about the Base Macan? Would appreciate if owners can chime in on their experiences (Good or Bad). Is the engine brisk enough for commutes? Any documented concerns about the base Macan drivetrain?

Apart from the obvious question of budget - Is there any reason why we should not look at the Macan and possibly look at other marques such as BMW/Audi/Merc?

We appreciate your time and feedback.

Thank you!

JDailey

As the owner of a 2020 Base Macan, I'll weigh into this one. First off, in terms of power, the four-cylinder Macan is plenty for me. If you're coming from a 911 or Boxster, you'll be disappointed. If you're coming from a Jeep or a minivan or something, you will be over-the-moon thrilled. It's all about your expectations. For me, it's plenty fast. I don't need it to be any faster for real-world driving -- as opposed to track days or bragging to friends. Now, for pros and cons vs. some of the other options:

Macan Pros:
* Incredible handling. It just feels nimble, fun, and exceptionally poised at high speeds. I have the standard suspension, and every turn feels like I could go 2x the posted speed limit.
* The Macan has a very quiet interior, relative to all of my prior BMWs or Audis. It's one of the first things I noticed riding in a friend's Macan back in 2018.
* I think the design is understated yet gorgeous. The BMW X3, for example just looks uncoordinated and not quite coherent, especially its interior. The Macan looks great to me, even going on nine years after launch.

Macan Cons:
* The tech feels a few years behind its rivals. For example, the backup camera in my 2019 Jeep Wrangler is far clearer than in my 2020 Macan.
* The Macan is expensive relative to other options with similar specs and size. But that doesn't capture the intangibles like the handling and the overall feel if solidness. If those aren't important attributes to you, then you can do better elsewhere.
* The back seats are a little small. I'm a single guy, so this isn't an issue for me personally. But if I were carting kids, their friends, dogs, etc. it might be.

Lastly, get the Premium Package Plus. The pano sunroof alone is worth it for me. Hope that helps!

-James
Denver, CO

DSC48

I'll play.

I have a 23 Macan base. I am very happy with it. I added a Roar Pedal to eliminate some of the dead space in the throttle pedal and normally drive in Sport mode. It's very comfy, quick enough, handles well, and the 4-cyl tend to be a little more reliable and easier (cheaper) to work on for maintenance. Is it fast? No, but it's adequate. I feel like it's a GTI SUV (with the added weight penalty but added utility).

I came very close to ordering a BMW X3 for $54,000. I rented one on Turo for a weekend and was happy with it.

Then I started looking at year-old (ex-service loaners) CPO Macans. I found one with 20-inch wheels, air suspension, premium package plus with only 4K miles and CPO until 2029. $59,000. It was an easy choice for me. The Macan will also depreciate a little less than the X3 but I'll pay more for maintenance, tires, and brakes, too.

TL,DR: $70K is a lot for a 4-cyl SUV. Look long and hard and 2019+ CPO Macans.

The side note here is I have a 911 for the weekends. If the Macan was my only ride, I would defintely look at an S with sport options or a GTS.

john981

If you have 70k budget, you can buy a Macan S. I bought in Summer a 23 Macan S with few light options and with 9% off MSRP I paid $69K and change. While it might be more difficult to get a 24 model with 9% discount, you can still score a ultra low mile CPO 23 for that money. here an example: https://finder.porsche.com/us/en-US/...er=mileage_asc
I am sure you can get this one for 70k.
Or you can go for this one: https://finder.porsche.com/us/en-US/...er=mileage_asc

With that being said, 70k is a pretty healthy budget. While many are saying the base model is good enough, I think the S is significantly better. If I were you, I would go for the S model.

swpsacs1

I got a Base 2023 Macan CPO with 9k miles in Miami Blue for $60k as a Christmas present to me. It's been a great vehicle and very happy with the purchase. I also think good value (for a Porsche), since the sticker on it is $78k! Like others have said, it's not crazy fast but fast enough for city driving, however I will get a tune for it when available. It has the base suspension and I just put lowering springs on it, not that it needs it, but I have an older dog who did not like the height. The Miami blue was the deal sealer for me, since that color is now special order only. If you're not set a color, like I was, then I would consider a year or two old CPO Macan S but really I would consider any CPO over a new one as they do depreciate quite a bit that first year. Best advice, drive both a base and an S and see if you need the extra power. Either way, you'll be happy with the purchase!

VAGfan

I have a 2019 Base Macan and love it. Quick-enough for most needs. I also have a 2017 Audi SQ5. Love that car too.
You should cross-shop a new Audi Q5 or SQ5, 90% as good for 70% of the price.

ByByBMW

2023 base Macan here and it just works. Enough power for commuting, good mileage, comfortable. If you don't expect it to be a 911 or Boxster, you will be satisfied.

ipse dixit

For the price of a Base Macan, I would rather have a BMW X3 M40i, which gives you an I6 for less money.

VAGfan

X3 M40i is $75K to $89K

Snowytrail

With a few options they are $65K before any discounts, maybe you are thinking X3M?

xzacx

I've had a handful of Macans: '16 S, '17 GTS, and have a leased '22 Base now. As others have said, I've found power to be totally adequate around town. The only time I really have felt like it's lacking is maybe trying to merge on the highway at like 55 trying to get to 70—it could be quicker in that range. But stoplight to stoplight in the city, it's plenty for me. That said, if it was my only car, I'd rather have a CPO S/GTS (or at least a Base with some more options like Air Suspension) for that kind of money. But as a second car to a C2S, I'm more than happy with the Base. As for the competitors, there's less tech in the Macan, but I think it handles so much better and I far prefer the interior.

ipse dixit

No, it's not.

X3 M40i starts at 62k and fully optioned out tops out at around 70k. This is before discounts, which are aplenty with BMWs.

A Base Macan starts at 60k and could easily option it up to 75k, and more.

Dollar for dollar you just get more with a Bimmer than a Porsche.

Hwy

The 6 cyd does sound much much better driving around even in normal mode. Is it worth a CPO 6 cyd rather than a new base 4 cyd? For me, I would go second hand and get the bigger engine.

isugoo

I had enough miles on base Macan as a loaner. I didn't like it. Car power is ok but felt lazy and heavy. But when I was replacing my daily, I didn't want to spent too much on S or GTS (have 911 GTS if I want to go fast).
Base engine is powerful enough for daily, more sporty optoins/AWD makes it more fun. Sport Chrono gives you more 'urgent' speed when you need. Boost button is also very much plus.
I wanted to spend under 70k as well. I bought brand new T and I'm so far very pleased. It's very different from base even though they share same engine.

T has a few fun options/tunes over base.
1. More rear biased AWD
2. Smaller GT steering wheel
3. Sport Chrono package (if you want quicker, it make it quicker for street driving)
4. PASM for lower look and better handling
5. Base, no extra $$ option, 8 way GTS sport seats (hugs you so well)
5. some cosmetic that makes more attractive sporty look:
- Exterior: black window trims, better wheels, almost 1k black dual exhaust tip options, darker exterior accents and Porsche/Macan T logos
- Interior : Beautiful pin striped T-specific seat inserts, silver stitching, leather dash, Porsche crest if you don't get any leather options, dark aluminum kick plates

I have minimal-ish optioned T.
Paid options I have are: metallic color, lane change assist, surround view, Bose, panorama roof (these were must for me) and a few I don't care options like roof rail, painted side panel, ashtray...)
It came out 73.8k but with 8% discount, I bought it just under 68k.

I know for sure I wouldn't be happy with base with my driving habits but overall, I'm pretty impressed/pleased with T. So something to consider.

nevil

Lots of good thoughts and opinions here. Leaving the facts and numbers aside, you and your wife should drive the other makes as well and seen how she feels. After all, she will be the one driving the vehicle.