Devildog

And was seriously impressed.

Demo was a Macan S Diesel. Would have prefered the Petrol "S" but was interesting to see how the currently lowest powered Macan performed.

Looks wise I like it (its not going to be to everyone's taste), interior is very high quality and now standard Porsche. PDK gearbox excellent in manual and auto modes (although I still think when using the stick in manual forwards should be down a gear and back wards up one.

Demo had the 18 way electric sport seats which were excellent.

Its quick enough (60 in just over 6 seconds and 142 all out) for a diesel and extremely quiet and refined.

Handling feels to be as good as the reviews suggest.

The petrol Macan S might be all the car you'd need. List of £43k seems reasonable.

Seriously considering it. £3k gets you on the list with an estimated delivery of 18 months. Its a long time but ties in with when we'd most likely change so the timings are perfect.

What's not so good, however is that with a few key extras like the big wheels (needs them IMO), styling pack, xenons, sports chrono pack, sports seats, Bose, Nav, phone prep and PASM, it becomes a £56k car.

At which point the price is looking a bit silly. Residuals should be good, however, especially for cleverly specced cars.

I'd have it like this

dpb

55k for a Rover 200 copy.

Matteeboy

I like them too.
And the Q3 RS.

I must be getting old...

billythekid

Took delivery of one in April (S Diesel).

I would not go too crazy on options, the standard car is pretty good if you bolt on PCM, Bluetooth, partial leather, wheels of your choice, reversing cam and cruise. That's about £50k all done.

Chrono and PASM are wasted on the diesel IMHO. And the stock box is fine, and the handling as stock is also pretty sweet.

Residuals are looking pretty good, I am probably going to order another in October for delivery in April 16.

We are getting amazing MPG and so far other than the recall for the brake servo its been trouble free.

*matthewturb2000*

iTrader: (11)

What's it ment to be a smaller cayenne? like x3 is to the x5

Devildog

Happens to us all Matt!

Just specc'd a Q3 RS and an SQ5. £8k and £5k cheaper respectively, and I'll bet discounts could be had on both.

Matteeboy

I'm a little bit off diesels at the moment so it would be the Q3 RS for me. It's meant to brilliant.

A Macan Turbo would be fun too!

billythekid

I would have to have a very good discount just to put up with Audi dealers..

Matteeboy

How was the Porsche dealer? I've heard mixed reports. Some great, some dire.

billythekid

For me, Audi are 5/10 - they do the job - but that's about it. Always mega busy - never listen to customer requests and sometimes it takes several visits to sort out a minor problem. Buy a top of the range RS product and you will get treated the same as someone who buys a 5 year old used A3.

Porsche, 8/10 for me. My only gripe is cost - but as they are on 2 year service plan I can live with it.

zip106

I would've had the Macan turbo instead of the M3 had it not been for stupid lead times.

I've driven a couple now and find them very good.
Also like the RSQ3, but the mrs dislikes Audis with a passion, for some reason.

Matteeboy

TBH your missus sounds like a very perceptive lady. Hang onto her.

Mine is quite a petrol head too and is a master of the withering put down of certain expensive but pretty average cars; many of them are Audis.

Daryl

And that's the problem - an 18 month waiting list and an unrealistic basic price. On paper it compares well with (say) an Evoque, but once you spec it up to a similar level it's 10K more expensive. Whilst it's faster, it doesn't feel any better inside and the Evoque is much better looking! For those that point to the handling/performance advantage, I'd say if you want a sports car buy a proper one.

Devildog

Looked at the Evoque previously and would say that with decent spec its overpriced for what it is.

The diesel Macan S is on a different playing field performance and handling wise to the Evoque. and the petrol S is on a higher level again. Not really comparable in my book.

We're off to have a go in the RSQ3 and SQ5 to see how they compare. Our local Audi dealer is actually good. Surprised me. Porsche were excellent.

Matteeboy

I'll be keen to hear what you think. I've seen a lot of SQ5s around here but no RSQ3s yet.

The Evoque may be trendy but it's basically a tarted up Freelander.

Daryl

Nearly 18 months into ownership of an Evoque, I can say that it's been a joy to own and drive (apart from the auto box, but the new 9 speed has addressed that).

To spec a Macan to the same level as my Evoque would cost an extra 10K and it's not worth it IMO.

If performance and handling were important to me, I wouldn't be buying any of the cars mentioned in this thread, surely their strengths lie elsewhere (comfort, practicality etc).

I certainly didn't buy it because it's "trendy" and to label it as such is just lazy stereotyping. You could just as easily say the M135i is a tarted up 116d for people who can't afford a proper M car!

Matteeboy

A tarted up 114i. At least if you're going to insult my car, do it properly.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Nice motor but it's lot of money.

Devildog

Our dilema is we're looking for:

Practicality (big dog)
4 wheel drive
Decent interior space but nothing too big overall
Quality/decent comfort
Strong performance
Excellent handling

And that has that quality/sense of occasion feel and is all in one package.

The Evoque ticks most of those boxes (although the Macan's boot is better/bigger for the dog) but doesn't have the performance or the ultimate roadhoding/grip/handling balance of the Macan. We are up and down to the highlands and islands a lot and the ability to overtake long lines of caravans and mobile homes at will is key to decent journey times. All of the vehicles we're looking at will hit the benchmark 60 in under 6 seconds and are very quick in the midrange.

A BMW 335d Xdrive touring would be an option, but doesn't have the height/viewpoint that makes SUV's so much better IMO on long runs. And doesn't have that "extra something"

Matteeboy

X3 35i might be worth trying too.
Ticks most boxes.

Devildog

Thought about that or the X4.

Wanted to love the X4 but can't get on with its looks.

Mrs DD not a fan of the X3.

zip106

Left field choice - Alpina XD3.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Just shows you how right Subaru got it with the humble WRX Wagon PPP, it does all of that at a fraction of the cost.

billythekid

The Macan has so far won the reviewers over - which paints the story really. Its a class leader - and all of their cars are either at the top or near the top of their class. Looks, meh - its a personal thing. Cant say its a looker. Cost, again its personal but for me the cost is perhaps a bit on the high side. I think the base car should be 2-3k cheaper myself.

Other than that, seems pretty good. Engine is a bit flat, IMHO - but then my daily driver has more than twice the power. Handling, excellent. Noise, not bad for a diesel. Interior is top notch with partial leather (brings in leather dash etc) Full leather is really nice (not for us though!) Nice and refined and quiet on the road.

Only done 800 miles in 3 months... must drive it some more!

Given the order books on the Macan are looking rather full I bet there are some amazing deals to be had on SQ5 or X3.... I looked at an S4 last year and they were basically offering the best part of 20% off RRP and a load of free options.

Matteeboy

Beware reviews - unless it's a total PoS, new shiny cars usually get fawned over until the next new thing comes along. It's got so bad, I don't buy mags any more.

Not saying it's anything but good but I'd use my own opinions after a test myself.

Devildog

Having driven it Matt I have to say the reviews on this occasion look spot on.

But I don't disagree with your point. Autocar and Evo being the worst culprits for that.

john banks

Does the Macan feel big enough for those needs?

There is less compromise from small SUVs in terms of weight, ride, handling, acceleration, but their wheelbase is only 2" longer than a 3 series.

Devildog

It does John, yes.

The boot volume is compromised by the rear windscreen angle but floor area is good and its more useable than you would think. Seats fold practically flat for a useable load area. Decent rear legroom too, even with the optional 18 way electric sports seats in the one we drove. Would take 4 good sized adults with ease and 5 if required. Its very well packaged.

Its not actually that small. A quick check indicates that its 16mm narrower and 165mm shorter than a Cayenne. 326mm longer than an Evoque.

Its basically the same width and length as the original X5

thenewgalaxy

The way they fall over themselves to heap praise on European brands - particularly the German ones - is embarrassing.

Best way to form an opinion on a car is to take it for a spin, and do the same with its rivals.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

[/QUOTE]

Having looked at this quite a few times, I think Porsche have stolen the show in the 4 door hot and practical category BMW were the fore runners with the X5 but now that Porsche have well and truly entered the arena I think they have raised the bar.

I reposted the images because I think it's bloody sexy and if I had £60k to spend on a motor one of these would be on my drive.

Good choice of colour.