Hey guys, considering stepping into a Macan S, but frankly still very much on the fence and wanted to get your thoughts.

For starters a quick background: stable mates include an Audi RS 4, and a BMW 1///M. I have developed a deep emotional bond with both cars (and both are highly modified and unique in its own right), so whatever car I add will likely not come at either's expense. I know it makes little financial sense to do so, but hey, we all share a common sickness so hopefully I will have your understanding.

I am considering the upcoming F80 M3 (in DCT, which would be a first for me and frankly look forward to it as the other two cars are 3-pedal). I have a great relationship with my dealer, so will be getting the car at a decent discount (as I will be doing a Euro Delivery which BMW is kind enough to give you an additional 7% discount on top of whatever the dealer shaves off). But of course Porsche options run aplenty (and costly), so my desired Macan S configuration is just about on par with a fully loaded M3. The 'issue' with the M3 is that either it, or the RS 4 can become the odd car out (tougher to justify 2 sedans and 'logic' says keep the AWD one given the 4-season climate I am in). To that extent, I can only see family and related needs expanding over the next few yrs so a SUV makes more 'logical' sense.

I saw the Macan during the Philly auto show (can share some photos), as well as last weekend in the Geneva Auto Salon where I got a chance to sit in it. I am generally not an 'SUV guy', but somehow the proportions/packaging/looks (and of course to-be-expected Porsche dynamics) make me think this is as close to a car an SUV can get. Having loaded up on a bunch of German magazines on the long flight back home, there was nothing but praise for the vehicle, naturally so.

My desired configuration is as follows:
Macan S; Rhodium Silver, 20" Sport Design wheels, Black/Garnet Red Full Leather + Adaptive Sport 18-way seats, Alcantara roof line, Infotainment, PASM (but no air), Sport Chrono, Panorama Sunroof, Black rails, matte black window trim, ski bag, rear shades, front heated seats, park assist (no cameras), comfort lighting package, smoker package, model delete, European Delivery. MSRP: 69,835 (I am trying to time the Euro Delivery with the Austrian F1 Grand Prix at the Red bull Ring, so this will be a bucket list experience)


Questions for folks that have had experience with some of these options on their Panamera/Cayenne, and their respective merits (are these yays or nays?):
1. I have not opted for the Air Suspension (but am getting PASM) - one of my concerns is cost, both immediate for the option itself, and my holding period is likely going to be past the warranty expiration (i.e. more things can go wrong)
2. I am passing on the TQ Vectoring - is it a 'must' for a vehicle that would be seeing rather mundane use and no track? (but spirited driving is a given)
3. Passing on a bunch of tech nannies such as lane assist. Never believed in them and am usually very cognizant and aware of surroundings. That said, not owned an SUV where visibility (and size) are somewhat impaired relative to a car
4. Comfort access: seems as there is no start/stop button, you still need a key like mechanism to operate the car, so figured I can live with the 'real key'
5. Passing on ventilated seats/rear seat heating/comfort access/cameras for park assist, various other small options. Would these be considered important in the eventual resale down the road or minuscule enough that justifies an easy pass given this is a well spec'ed car to being with?

Lastly - pricing. Not used to paying MSRP on any car I have owned (or in fact close to MSRP, even on the 1///M which continues to sell well above its price 3 yrs ago). Never owned a P-car, so maybe that's something I need to get used to? I realize being first in line for a new hotly anticipated model kills all buyer leverage, but can one expect any wiggle room or it is pure utopia? Dealers tell me already they are taking a $3K loss because I have opted for Euro Delivery. Looking to establish a long term relationship with a trusty dealer as no doubt I will be looking at future P-car purchases.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

So here are my thoughts, and similar to you I have other cars this would be joining. I have a M3 convertible and a new M5.

For all the performance options you mentioned I plan to get them all. I figured I've been reading all the reviews and all those cars are loaded to the hilt and always with the performance goodies. So I figured if I'm basing my decision on a car that you can't test drive on other peoples reviews then I'm going to order what they drove.

I love my little convenience features like entry and drive, soft close doors etc. I've had ventilated seats and never found them to be effective enough in any car.

I skip almost all the driving assists like lane change departure and stuff. I only get parking cameras and sensors.

And there are discounts not much. Maybe $1-2k
Jeff

 

I saw the Macan s today and currently own a 12 Cayenne V6 .

When a person goes to trade in a vehicle the used car manager will look at the the paint , the tires , the carfax, and then give a number . It won't matter much if it has a 4K option or a 40 dollar option . Thus .. anything one adds to the car is primarily for his enjoyment and those needs vary .

Preface -- The Macan is a very sport oriented vehicle so I might lean towrads selecting sport choices moreso than on a base Cayenne . In contrast with a Cayenne (unless it were a Turbo or GTS) I'd choose luxury items

1) PASM and air suspension are nice performance and comfort options . Are either of these needed to sit in traffic or fetch groceries ? Nope. Will the car be awful without them ? Nope . But will it provide peace of mind to have them to erase any doubt on questioning this nice option ? Yep . I'd get them.

2) Same as above . Might skip PTV on a Macan S but on a Turbo I'd want the full performance monte .

3) I would get the camera and sensors . With my Cayenne my girlfriend (primary driver) loves having the options . Lane assist is a personal choice . We don't have it but would not mind having it .

4) The real key is just fine.

5) I have ventilated seats in my Boxster S and Cayenne . I do not have them in my 997 Turbo . I find that the larger seats of the Cayenne offer a superior seat ventilation over my Boxster . In South Florida humidity they are beneficial .

 

I think options depend on your purpose for the car.
I currently use a '06 Cayenne S as a DD and would consider replacing it with a Macan.
I also have a 911 GTS for weekends.
Thus, the Macan, for me, would be more comfort/luxury/safety (lane assist, radar cruise) oriented.
However, I agree the Macan is very sporty and would also do well with the sport options.
I don't think there is a 'bad' configuration with a Macan or any Porsche -it's all about the right config for you.
db

 

Just remember what yrralis1 said: options fetch pennies on the dollar when re-selling a Porsche. So only buy only those options that YOU want and need. A recent article I read said that every Porsche sale contributes an average of over $4k to VW's corporate profits. Most of the profit is in the huge list of expensive options. So think twice about getting a lot of nice leather trim. It looks great, but comes at a huge premium, along with most options/packages.

 

Try $23,000 or 18% margin.

 

Oh yeah. Now I remember! Thanks for the correction. Amazing margins!! All because we Porsche aficionados are crazy enough to pay through the nose for fancy toys....and they KNOW it.

 

Thanks for all the feedback, Guys, much appreciated. As a quick update: dealer called to give me somewhat bad news. For one, if you spec it with a panorama sunroof (which I have), there is a delay in production. He did not know how long, but probably long enough to derail my plans to go to the Austrian F1 GP at the Red Bull Ring Secondly, I really want the Sapphire Blue! While it is somewhat similar to the Sprint Blue on my RS 4 and I was hoping to introduce a new color in the family, all the current options are simply too plain for my taste, I really wanted something bolder. The hardcover catalog/booklet I have says "Production starts 10/14". I was hoping that means Week 10 of 2014 (which was last week), but it seems more likely this is October. Another bummer. I just can't see myself 'settling' for a silver car given 1/3 of the cars, and probably 1/2 of the SUVs out there are silver. And as I am really 'stuck' on the full garnet red/black leather with contrasting stitching, most other exterior colors won't go too well (have a white car currently so white is out, black is too much of an upkeep, and had a Sparkling Graphite Metallic car before which is close to the dark gray being offered). Looks like based on both the delayed production and color choices, I may simply have to wait for the Sapphire or Impulse Red to come out

Thanks for the thoughts, Jeff. You are right as far as performance options, in all the test I've seen (just came back from the Geneva auto show and loaded up on German car **** where there was ample comparos of the Macan S/T), the cars come fully loaded with the performance options. If I can get the 1-2K discount, that right there might be the PTV option thrown in

Thanks for the feedback on individual options, I will easily skip the keyless entry. As far as some of the tech gadgets (lane assist, etc.) it's funny, friends that just got them in their new cars love them and swear by them. I suppose it is one of those items that once you get used to it you gotta have it, and if you never tried it you are perfectly happy not having it

The purpose of the car is to essentially be the everyday 'beater'. Things like running errands, food shopping, parking street side in the city, loading furniture/bulky items, etc. Basically the stuff I 'worry' about if I use the other two cars currently. Somewhat of a work horse, but since that would see most miles, hence why I would like it to still be sporty, and not feel let down jumping into it relative to the exhilarating experience the other two stablemates deliver. In other words, I want to be looking forward to getting into the Macan, not thinking that its just a utility tool meant to get a task done or transporting me from pt. A to Pt. B. Hope that makes sense.

Very good advice, indeed. The options I had selected above are truly ones I want (though not necessarily 'need' ) I am a stickler for full leather, ever since I had it on my E39 M5, any other car that does not feature the leather dash and alcantara roof liner seems cheapish to me frankly. I am sold on the black/garnet red full leather, as for one it breaks up nicely a pretty cavernous interior, and the red stitching is another very nice touch. It is the type of option you live with every day (vs. say the PTV which there is an argument you don't get to experience fully each drive), so for the cost of a Chanel bag I am willing to spruce up the interior and make it feel truly unique.

 

You can always pay the $3k Special Color charge for the Sapphire Blue.

 

Dr F: At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite (based on my earlier warnings about expensive options) I too am a big fan of full leather. I had to have it on my 997s (on my third). I'm not sure what full leather interior looks like on the new Macan, so will have to see it and decide how important it is to me on that vehicle. But I love my full leather 911 cab.

 

Is that really an option? Never thought of it. Would this give a chance to expedite the ordering? Considering it will be nearly a $1K factory option anyway, you are essentially paying $2K more for the right to have the car nearly 1/2 a year sooner!

Is $3K the standard charge for a special color? If so, that opens up a whole lot of possibilities for me as I can do something unique. I would think it is more than that, as BMW charges $5K for Individual, and Audi used to charge $3K (now more) for Exclusive. This being Porsche, I would have expected something a lot higher...

I have seen the full leather interior in the Macan, was lucky enough to sit in the car during the Geneva Auto Salon a week or so ago. It was the espresso full leather and looked amazing. With that said, I felt the interior is so large that it basically needs to be 'broken' up with a two-tone leather combo. Either that, or chose deviated stitching to break the monotony.

When I went to the dealer last week to try the various seat options in the Cayenne (should be the same for the Macan unless they marginally shrink the seats proportionally), I sat in a Turbo S that had the espresso full leather (and dark blue exterior). It was nice, but again I feel it needed some contrast and 'pop'. Nevertheless interior felt so rich and nice, that when I sat in a regular Cayenne, even though Porsche uses high end plastics and soft man-made material, well, it was plastic nevertheless. Totally different feel.

The other thing, at least in the Macan S, is that the carpets and entire interior will match the leather. For example, if you get the beige leather in the Macan Turbo, you get a black carpet and the top of the dash is black (whether or not you chose the full leather option). I would go for lighter leather but not at the expense of having gray or beige heavy traffic carpet area. And again, your entire interior in the Macan S will become one color, so it just becomes very monochromatic IMO.

 

Hello Dr. Ferdinand,


I meant to get to the Philly show but did not. Can you please tell me if you noticed if the two front air intakes are functional on the S. I know they are with the Turbo. Really curious. I hate the look of fake air intakes! Also are you saying that the production of the light blue color that we see on the website is not until October? Thank you very much!

 

Dr F (or others): There are 3 options in seat selections: 1)partial leather seats 2)partial leather seats with leather package 3)leather interior. What is the difference in these packages? ie what gets covered in leather for each option? Is leather interior the same as "full leather" in the 911 world, which includes stitched leather across dashboard, along top of door panels, etc?

 

Honestly I did not look into the air intakes in detail. The Macan that was on display at Philly was a Turbo (I'll try and post pics), and frankly in Geneva I was in absolute awe with the show itself and only had 4 hours (believe me, barely enough to see it all as many tuners like Ruf, Brabus, Alpina, Abt, MTM, etc. had bigger booths than some manufacturers!)

As far as color, yes, the lighter blue you see on all the marketing material (Sapphire Blue) is not currently available. It states on a hardcover book I have on the Macan that is available from 10/2014 onwards. Now, in Porsche speak that could mean Week 10 of the year (which was last week), though more likely it means Oct. It's sad if the latter, as clearly that is the 'launch' color at least from a marketing perspective. You can only choose the Dark Blue from the configurator (and we are in Week 11), so that makes me think it won't be available for a while.
From my discussions with the dealer:

1). The stock/no-cost seats are partial leather and Alcantara inserts (no leather on dash or dorrcards or other related trim)
2). The Partial leather are somewhat of a misnomer - they are leather (no alcantara), but no full leather dash/door cards, lower dashboard, glovebox, center console, etc.)
3). The Leather Interior is the one where you get full leather (door cards, upper and lower dash, etc.) You still need to add Alcantara roof liner on the S to get it even if you chose the full leather option (standard on the Macan T)

The configurator is a bit screwy still, so it is not well explained. Also, you may notice how the color of the carpet and dash with stay in the same color as the seating surface on the Macan S (e.g. all beige interior, leather, carpets, dash, A/B/C pillars, ets.), while on the Macan T if you choose a light colored leather the dash and carpets turn to black (essentially two-tone).

Hope this helps

 

Thank you very much!