There’s something to be said about the practicality of a crossover for family transportation, and we certainly aren’t starved for choice in that genre. Almost every automaker sells a compact crossover, some sell two, and you can get them in almost every variant imaginable. Blocky, rotund, electric, hybrid, gasoline-powered, you name it. The trouble is, what if you love driving and just don’t want any of them? After all, with Mazda discontinuing the CX-5 Turbo, options for fun, reasonably quick, reasonably priced family crossovers are dwindling. You have the Mazda CX-50 Turbo, possibly the high-output Volkswagen Tiguan although it is expensive, and I guess technically the Dodge Hornet. While I can say with certainty that the Mazda’s rather good, if none of those float your boat, how about picking up a certified pre-owned four-cylinder Porsche Macan for under $30,000? It might be the beige-est Porsche in recent years, but that badge on the hood still means something special.
While the Boxster gave once-struggling Porsche a lifeline, the Cayenne SUV gave the brand a future by absolutely printing money. Sure, the concept of a Porsche SUV was initially heresy, the public ate it up. Plus, while the original Cayenne faced a long road towards enthusiast acceptance, it’s now properly canonized. Not only was it a solid off-roader, it helped give us cars like the 997 GT3 RS 4.0. That’s no hardship, no hardship at all.
Being sentient and possessing a business acumen greater than zero, Porsche realized that with the Volkswagen Touareg-based Cayenne being a smash-hit, it could probably do it again. This, the engineering team started with an Audi Q5 and turned it into something almost completely different. Sure, the floor pans are the same, but Porsche’s engineering team went wild, reworking almost everything to create the Macan.
It starts with a quick-shifting seven-speed dual clutch transmission that you simply couldn’t get on a regular Q5 in North America, then mates it to a radically different all-wheel-drive system. Instead of a Torsen helical center differential, the Macan features a multi-plate clutch pack that sends 90 percent of engine torque to the rear axle by default for a more rear-wheel-drive feel, but can shuffle all of the engine’s torque to the front wheels if necessary.
From there, the engineering spend continues with heavily tweaked suspension, correct directionally-vaned brake discs, and optional goodies like air suspension and a torque-vectoring rear differential. Add it all up and it shouldn’t be surprising that when the Macan launched with an initial choice of three-liter or 3.6-liter turbocharged V6s, it was something of a revelation. As Evo wrote:
Forget about the Porsche badge for a moment and the Macan is unambiguously impressive. It doesn’t feel like an SUV at all – from the driver’s seat you might as well be piloting a tall and extremely well-sorted hatchback.
Considering the Macan’s height and mass, roll is remarkably well contained, even with the chassis left in its softest settings. Our test cars were wearing winter tyres, but grip levels were impressive and the steering is both accurate and well-weighted, even if the feedback feels a little anaesthetized. Grip levels between front and rear are very well balanced, understeer can be neutralised with the throttle and – with the stability control in its more permissive mode (or switched off) it can be powered into well-contained oversteer.
No premium compact crossover of the time or regular compact crossover today handled with the poise of the Macan, although it would be wildly disingenuous to say that Porsche completely nailed the formula from the jump. The Audi-sourced EA839 turbocharged V6 in the S trim is a problem child, known for developing catastrophic bore scoring. The only real fix? Throw the whole engine out and replace it with another one at a cost of roughly one brand new Corolla. Yikes.
Thankfully, Porsche did an engine switcheroo when it launched the base model Macan for 2017. Instead of the slightly scary V6, this 25-combined-MPG model featured roughly the same sort of revised EA888 two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine you’d find in a mid-2010s Audi A4 or Volkswagen Golf GTI. Anyone who’s been around the tuning scene knows this engine is genuinely reliable and offers huge tuning potential, so think of the Macan’s standard power output of 252 horsepower as simply the starting point. Of course, a zero-to-60 mph time of just over six seconds without launch control will already feel sprightly compared to most normal crossovers, but if that isn’t enough for you, crossing the 300-horsepower threshold is simply a remap away once the warranty runs out.
Ah yes, warranty. While buying a depreciated luxury vehicle can be a bit nerve-wracking, having a little manufacturer support helps. In the case of Porsche’s certified pre-owned program, it’s a two-year unlimited-mileage bumper-to-bumper extended warranty with roadside assistance coverage, and it’s extendable should you choose. Sure, standard coverage isn’t the same length of time it is with a new car, but if you rack up huge mileage, you could really get your money’s worth.
Plus, a lot of these certified pre-owned Macan crossovers are reasonably well-equipped, and some feature unexpected luxuries. Here’s a 2018 model for sale in Dallas with 44,935 miles on the clock. With Bose audio, GPS navigation, heated and ventilated 14-way power memory front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a panoramic moonroof, and auto-dimming mirrors, it’s better equipped than just about any new compact crossover you can buy for its asking price of $27,799. For those keeping track at home, that’s $4,571 less than a base Honda CR-V.
If you aren’t a fan of beige interiors, this 2018 Macan for sale in Illinois is almost identically equipped to the Texas one, just with the standard wheels and a black interior. With 55,476 miles on the clock and full dealer service history, it seems worth a look for $28,499.
So, what are the real downsides here? Well, in addition to giving up some practicality in favor of a great driving experience, you may need to have Apple CarPlay activated on an early four-cylinder Macan, although there are tools out there that let you do it at home for essentially free. Otherwise, premium gas is an added expense over regular, insurance premiums may vary over a new, regular crossover depending on where you live and what level of coverage you desire, and servicing costs are higher than for a regular crossover. For instance, it’s generally worth changing the fluid in that dual-clutch gearbox every 60,000 miles, and you’ll probably want to pay an independent shop to do it, considering the procedure is like in most modern automatic transmissions, requiring certain temperatures to be reached.
However, if you’re passionate about driving and your family’s slightly outgrown the sports sedan or sport compact car you have as daily transportation, a certified pre-owned four-cylinder Macan is worth a look. Especially now that they’ve dipped into regular car pricing territory, but still come with manufacturer-backed benefits. Buying a crossover often means settling for space over handling, but a base Macan is so confident and agile, it’s almost like having your cake and eating it too. Perfect for the parent who knows what trail-braking is.
Top graphic image: Porsche
I almost bought a Macan years ago.. there is a whole lot to love about it. I was ultimately swayed to get a X3 M40i for 2 reasons.. more power and a larger rear cargo area to accommodate a pretty large pup. No regrets ending up with a shockingly reliable daily with a B58.
Also, as everyone knows already, the Porsche options list can jack the price so quickly your head will spin.
I did exactly this, but with the Turbo.
Given the depreciation, I’d argue you should ignore the boring 4 cylinder and go for S or better. You aren’t going to be paying much more and you’ll gain so much performance.
The Turbo is the best all round car I’ve ever driven. I’ve owned and driven plenty of cars that do individual things better (not hard) – but as a jack of all trades, I don’t think there’s a better car. It does everything well.
And they’re relatively reliable. At $30k, they’re an absolute no brainer.
I bought a certified 2020 Macan with the 2.0T 3 years ago with 28k miles. It’s now at 70k, and the warranty expires this month. It’s my wife’s daily driver now, but it was my primary car the first couple years. When new it came with over $25k in options, so it’s pretty loaded.
We love the car. It’s really fun to drive, and while it is pretty small it works ok for my family (we have two relatively short kids). The service costs at the dealer are insanely high, so that is something someone needs to consider if looking at getting one. We’re lucky to have a really good independent German auto shop in our neighborhood to take it to. We have a 2019 Q7 with the same engine.
We did use the warranty a few times, but nothing major except for a headlight that went out. The part alone was $3200. The transmission needs to be serviced every 40k miles, so that’s something that needs to be budgeted for also.
We’d buy it again. It’s a fun car, and it stands out from all the boring SUVs most parents’ drive.
I test drove this when it was new, and it was totally lame. Sure the underlying chassis was good (and the high performance models were brilliant), but the 2.0-litre engine just felt ill-suited in this application.
It worked great in a small car like the Golf GTI, but in a somewhat heavier SUV like the Macan it was simply not up to par. It just felt like a cynical cash grab for Porsche to offer an entry-level base model to hook people into the brand.
I realize a 1st gen Allroad is not a beige car, but that’s one of the few cars I could think of that would bring out so many ownership horror-stories like this Debbie Downer Macan expose’…… things went quickly downhill, LOL!
I can’t recommend Porsche Macan as a used car to anyone except very wealthy people who seldom drive.
I’ve dealt with three in the last year and all were problematic. One was a special order from new and had all work done at Porsche its whole life and was owned by a female surgeon. Immaculate and perfect. At 55,000 miles it had three oil leaks and water entering into the cargo area.
I would feel better recommending a Tiguan, frankly.
For most people the Acura RDX is more fun to drive than the Macan—for most people.
So if I’m reading this correctly: It’s more expensive to insure and register (Maine goes by MSRP when new). It’s more expensive to repair and service since the parts say Porsche on them. It’s the same yawn factor 2.0turbo as every other blob car out there these days. It’s got a sloping hatch so it will decapitate large breed dogs like other CUV.
But it handles quite well.
I’d take that $30k and buy a manual 2nd gen CRV with the pop open rear glass, picnic table and lots more room. Then I’d spend the rest on a used Miata and track days.
I think this is more accurate of the EA888
Knowing a few that, between eating turbos, severe oil consumption, and general volkswagenisms, your luck may not carry you too far – while in others you may be very happy for a long time never seeing major issues.
That right there is why I only owned my Mk7 for 8 months. Every time it bonged about something, my previous VW PTSD would kick in and I would stress.
Outside temp below 39, Engine about to destroy itself. Same bong. Causes much stress
Spot on! You know that psychic damage that those chimes inflict.
I’m luckily in the “others” category you mention. 60k between my ’18 EA888 and my ’24 EA888 with no engine issues at all. They have both been very dependable, fuel efficient, and trouble free.
On my prior Golf, I had taken it into the dealer due to an unusual noise, and the first they asked is if I checked the oil (which I had) as VW engines are well known for oil consumption and they expected to find it low. But, no, mine was one of the good ones and they were in disbelief that the oil level was still good.
And yet, I had a colleague, with a EA888 (<4y old), who’d need to travel with a spare bottle of oil as he’d need to top it up at every fuel stop. And this was considered a significant improvement after the dealership had already rebuilt the engine once under warranty, replaced the turbo, and was waiting for a replacement engine (also warranty) to arrive. He ultimately “resolved” oil consumption after a replacement engine, and several warranty turbochargers later – but would still find his oil low by the time he needed to change the oil. This was after his previous string of VWs that were similar disasters under warranty. Surprisingly, he’s didn’t get another VW after that one.
Indeed I’ve read both the horror stories, and the others like mine who have had no issues with the EA888 (reading most of those type stories on VWVortex over the past 2 decades I have been a member). There were known issues with water pumps, timing chain tensioners, and oil consumption, and more. Most of the issues have been resolved over the years. My most recent background is in Quality Assurance and I have to believe many of the issues with that engine were due to both supplier quality problems and manufacturing / assembly problems. I’m hopeful those issues have been all identified and resolved, as I don’t need any cropping up in the future on my current VW.
These are sooooo tempting, drove a lightly used GTS last year helping my brother car shop and it is easily the best SUV I’ve ever driven hard. By the same token I question if you get enough juice in the base model to justify what is probably still quite a spendy vehicle to maintain as it ages and in spite of the author’s claims I’ve read very mixed things on the EA888 engine when considering buying a used GTi last year.
I had a 2008 Cayenne for awhile and honestly it was pretty reliable, felt better built than the BMWs I’ve owned-leaked not a drop of oil, was largely still on the original suspension pieces at 140K, but that was also the notoriously overbuilt 1st gen. And it still nickel and dimed me with weird little problems and in general Porsche parts are quite expensive. Also at least in the Cayenne it felt like I was constantly reminded I was buying an SUV from a company that’s engineering legacy is rear engined sports cars; they do not care about serviceability or ease of maintenance! They care about hitting their performance targets. And to the extent it’s a shared platform with Audi-honestly that maybe scares me more, maybe they’ve gotten better but everybody I’ve known with a used Audi was on a first name basis with their mechanic/service writer.
Come on man. These cars are way too small to actually operate as a family car. Have you ever installed a rear facing child seat into a car? If you have, you’ll quickly understand why everyone drives mid-sized SUVs. They don’t fit. If you have a kid in a booster? Macan might work. The cayenne is the way…
Also that transfer case with the clutch pack will most certainly fail on you right after the CPO warranty is up. The Q5 is a better choice as much as I like Porsche and their interior quality.
Can that really be so? Our kids (15 and 13) grew up in ford fiestas, a skoda fabia and a Toyota auris with no problem fitting compliant car seats from newborn all the way to booster seats.
Coincidentally just got off the train and found a 2019 Macan parked next to my 2019 Vauxhall Insignia wagon (Buick Regal in the US). It is bulky. Makes my Insignia look slimline. It’s the biggest car I’ve ever owned.
Dude, that wagon (if it’s the one I’m thinking of that we got for about 2 years here) is extremely long. Like 2′ longer than a macan.
Yes, in the USA. Our seats are very different than yours. I had a 2018 A4 allroad that just barely fit a rear-facing infant seat behind the front passenger side. Also, I’m 6′-3″ so that has a lot to do with fit, but my wife could just barely sit safely in front of the infant seat and she’s 5′-6″.
They sound huge! To be fair, my wife is about 5’3″ so there is a lot of room behind her in a Fiesta. It’s the bulbous nature of the Macan that got me compared to my (very) long, sleek, shark-like, black manual diesel wagon…
We call them astronaut seats. Modern car seats are enormous.
Our kids are now front facing in booster which changes everything.
My kids are the same age and our rear facing infant car seats would never have fit in a Fiesta unless the driver was five foot nothing. Our 2010 Jetta/Golf wagon barely fit them without impinging on my (5’11”) driving position. This Macan is probably similar.
It really depends on the kidseat brand.
And driver height. And whether I’m willing to sit a notch too close to the pedals and too upright for comfort. When a car is straddling the line, centimeters really matter and they can be gained from a few different places.
I’d be very surprised if even NASA could design a rear-facing car seat that would fit behind me in a Fiesta though. That’s one of the tightest backseats I’ve been in.
I’m tall enough that my seat is often at the rearmost setting of most cars. In those situations, the seat becomes a structural member of the car (hey, the kid’s held tight, right?)
We were very surprised, however, at the vast differences in sizes of seats and how much space they consumed. Usually it was the cheapest seats taking up much more space and being much wider than more expensive ones. Which isn’t surprising, but the calculations that I’ve seen some parents make (albeit sleep deprived) that they needed a bigger (more $) car because “X” doesn’t fit – where another version of “X” would have been just fine in their current car for less $ than replacing the whole car.
Did that with a Golf, worked well for family trips with two in car seats.
I’ve made a lot of questionable, even poor, decisions in my life.
This will not be one of them.
Stopped reading after hearing Porsche with a 2.0. I’ll take my X3 any day of the week over that Macan lol. The Macan has like 6 more HP, but you look like a donkey in a low-end Porsche. Can’t imagine the upkeep costs, and god forbid something goes wrong with that overpriced VW, I mean Porsche. Also, looking quickly at some for sale, do they REALLY not have a push to start in these coming standard?
That last part bothers me…I absolutely love physically turning a key to start a vehicle. There is such satisfaction in that operation versus a button like I’m turning on a television or my phone. The only push button start I would want is one where you turn the key and then push the button a la S2000.
I enjoy turning a key on an older Japanese car, a muscle car, or an older truck. But these days it’s one big ball of electronics, screens, and LEDs, so the key isn’t going to do much for me. I think my thing is charging extra for a reskinned VW that says ‘Porsche’ + forcing you to turn a key is a big goofy mess. I’m in no way against keys in general!
Isn’t the key on the left side of the dash, not on the steering column?
Yes…but also no? Very much no. I’ve come close to doing this. Porsche’s CPO program is really good and Macans/Cayennes depreciate way more than Porsche sports cars. But at the end of the day one of these will still be stratospherically expensive to own.
An oil change is $500+ and not as easy to DIY as a regular car because…well, Porsche of course. If the DCT (which isn’t even actual PDK, IIRC it’s just a tuned version of the regular VW DSG) goes up in smoke it’s $10,000+ to replace it. The goddamn headlights cost several thousand to replace if you smash one or something goes wrong.
Brakes are basically a grand at each corner. As Arch Duke Maxyenko says you have to take the entire front of the car off for most maintenance. The list is endless and there are forums upon forums dedicated to how hard a seemingly basic Macan can fuck you over. Insurance is expensive, because Porsche…and on top of that these somehow get really lousy fuel economy.
But SH, the EA888 is efficient! Well…somehow not in a Macan. You’re looking at high teens in the city if you’re lucky…and for a fucking commodity engine no less. Your neighbor’s new Tiguan has the same damn motor…but you’ve got those *checks notes* Porsche maintenance costs! GENIUS! Did I mention with cargo and back seat space factored in Macans are essentially coupes?
Anyway, I get it. I really do. The Macan might be the most universally praised CUV of all time, they really are gorgeous and even a 10 year old one looks like it could’ve been made today. If you want to ball on a budget it makes sense at first glance. But READ THE FINE PRINT!
If you’re going to put up with Porsche ownership costs at least do it for something special. A base Macan is basically a smaller Q5 with a body kit and every trophy wife that doesn’t have a Q5 has one. If you’re going to set money on fire do it for something with a flat 6.
$500 oil change in a 2.0 Turbo, PERFECT! Great for people in 2026 living way beyond their means.
Yeah but if you do the oil changes half as often then it comes out to a more palpable $250.
– typical used luxury car buyers who want the status and clout for personal feels
Wait until you hear about doing them yourself with an oil extractor for $80.
Anyway, just buy a Rav4.
I’m not against buying used luxury, honestly, it’s smarter in the long run to let someone else take the initial huge depreciation. But luxury to me is BMW, not Porsche. I don’t mind a $180 oil change, but $500 meh.
This comes from the dude who would do his own oil change up until turning 30, then wondered why I’m getting dirty to save $10 and wasting 30 mins dropping off a jug of oil at the parts shop to recycle lol. I think when I have a project car again, I’ll be all for doing it myself, but not my wife’s grocery getter lol. Rant done.
100% this-I owned a used 2008 Cayenne for awhile and at the end of the day my takeaway was I need a real Porsche if I’m going to pay Porsche maintenance costs. And that was the reliable built like a tank generation! Also as I believe you commented (and typical for one of these pieces lol) they are being generous with the reliability of the EA888, I was looking into a GTi for awhile and due to what I have to assume is poor quality control the general wisdom seems to be very split on whether it’s actually a good engine. And even if the internals are stout (which they seem to be) it doesn’t mean it can’t endlessly nickel and dime you to death with other stupid failures ($1500 water pump change out anyone?)
My EA888 experience was awful. It had frequent issues with misfiring in the first 500 miles and VW dealers were just like “lmao yeah they do that sometimes it is what it is”. Something else was going wrong and it was having issues starting when it was at 16,000 miles and I sold it. I randomly tracked it down later and the CarFax maintenance entries were up in the teens. On a 2.5 year old car…
My mom’s Allroad with the EA888 grenaded itself at 60,000 miles within weeks of the certified extended warranty expiring, how convenient! The engine was completely seized and the car was mechanically totaled.
I know we have Golf Bros on this website that swear up and down the EA888 is God’s gift to humanity, and I’m sure a “My tuned GTI has 120,000 miles on it and has never had any issues you must just be a stupid fucking idiot VW rules” is imminent, but my experience with that engine has been craptastic.
My assumption is that part of how VW keeps costs down is loose QC. This was anecdotally backed up by an account I read from some car journo or another awhile back recounting that he was told by a porsche engineer while touring the cayenne factory that one of the differences between Audi/VW and Porsche was the latter has much higher quality control and also has tighter checks on vendor parts quality. So take that with a big old grain of salt-but it would sort of explain the wildly varied experiences you hear about VW products. Case in point, my brother has a well used MK6 Golf and it’s been pretty bullet proof, otoh a friend was just telling me of the ongoing problems his coworker has had with his Golf R that the dealer can’t seem to fix.
I am not that familiar with VAGs engine naming convention, but my wifes 2011ish A4 had the engine replaced twice by 100k, both replacements were ultimately covered under class action lawsuits but if this is the same engine family I was not impressed. First replacement was for oil consumption 1qt every 500 miles, second replacement was the timing chain tensioner I believe, which did get an updated part number, but is this the same engine family that we are calling reliable?
I think that’s the previous iteration of the 2.0 turbo, which I believe had a known issue with timing chain tensioners that I think was resolved by 2015 but also once bitten (more than once even!) twice shy right
Correct. The 2017 or so iteration of the EA888 is supposedly free of the timing chain and oil consumption that killed its predecessors (I considered buying a CPO Audi A5 recently). But even if it’s sorted you still have everything else surrounding it.
These vehicles depreciate heavily for a reason.
Thank you, for the clarification, if it is an updated version than I believe those issues were addressed, and the car was fine otherwise. Honestly, that was a rough car to own, after the second engine replacement, we traded it on a Hyundai (lol more oil consumption), the trade value was so low I considered just keeping it to replace my 96 318ti (daily) but I was so sick of looking at the Audi and my bimmer was better in most metrics other than power.
Yeah, that type of thing sours people on a brand for life.
Yeh I had a buddy who bought a one-owner 1st gen Audi Allroad from an older lady, under 60K on the clock, all service up to date from the dealer, looked immaculate, he sold it before it hit 90K after sinking thousands into repairs starting within months of buying it and the last straw was when it developed an oddball persistent ABS error that the dealer was basically going to have to fire the parts cannon at to fix so he unloaded it as a trade in towards a lightly used Mazda 6 that has been bulletproof and now has over 200K on the clock and is only just starting to need some big maintenance. He won’t touch another Audi.
Sadly this seems like a relatively par for the course audi experience based on the handful of people I’ve known with one (including once myself!), even if the engines don’t blow you’ve got a constant barrage of surprisingly expensive seemingly minor repairs and maintenance.
My dad is currently rocking a Q8 he bought CPO a couple years ago with 55K on the clock and I’m morbidly waiting to see if/when it devolves into a money pit and how it winds up comparing in lifespan to his late midlife crisis 2015 bmw 640i vert that iirc has similar mileage.
My 2012 GTI shit the bed at 148K when it jumped time and the engine ate itself. The Gen3 EA888 has supposedly resolved this issue.
Sigh. Another one I can afford to buy not to own.
Seems like a good way to one up the neighbors’ used BMW for cheap if your life has those social pressures. But if not…weeeeelllll…
But we BMW owners are going to laugh at how much they pay for upkeep on a basic small SUV for the sake of a logo that doesn’t hold the weight it did 20 years ago.
Meanwhile, the rest of us trudge on with our lives, knowing we’ll never have any sort of social standing, watching the haves have more and the nots have less, and yet in our acceptance and satisfaction regarding said fact, wonder why anyone would wear themselves and their wallets thin just for a promotion.
White Collar culture makes no sense to me.
We all have different levels of success and perspectives on whether to wear ourselves out and for what. I enjoy driving my Civic way more than the X3 these days. People have very different emotions towards a midline luxury SUV compared to a regular small sedan. People are more unhinged than ever, whether they are rich, broke, or in between, so I’d just rather ride slow when commuting, watching my MPG gauge, smiling.
I started out excited, but when numbers started to get thrown around it quickly went away.
I was expecting CPO vehicles that were 3 years old. It’s crazy that Porsche will CPO a vehicle from 2018. That’ll be a 9 year old car in a few months.
CPO Cadillacs have been on my radar for my wife’s car. I’d like to get her into a CT4, but there’s a lot of XT4s from 2023/2024 in the mid/high 20s. As nice as a Macan? No. But a nicer place to sit than a base model generic crossover.
The XT4 might look nicer than a generic crossover but if the rental I had is any indication those interiors DO NOT hold up. It rattled and creaked like my gmt400 Suburban but the Cadillac only had 40k miles. YMMV that rental probably lived a dozen lives in 40k miles but it was very disappointing.
Seriously. Just what I want. A 9 year old VW for $28k.
Man, you just sold the hell of the Macan.
The sad thing is, most people who want these, used or not, probably don’t need to be sold. They see the price of this Porsche, and wouldn’t be swayed otherwise. If they only knew they were buying a reskinned VW.
You answered your own question. If I want to go fast in a crossover, find a CPO CX-5 Turbo. I bet it’s cheaper to service and insure than this.
I greatly appreciate all the cold water the comments suggesting is throwing on this.
Wow, surprised to see MIB here. You really did your homework. That is not for the faint of heart, though. I used it on both my cars to enable the map in the virtual cockpit while navigating with Android Auto and if you don’t get it just right you’re off to the dealer because you bricked your infotainment. Also gotta be careful with component protection or you could brick your sound system (especially with Bose).
FWIW I don’t think the bore scoring issue is all that bad. It’s nowhere near S85 rod bearing or IMS failures. There are buttloads of EA839’s running around out there doing just fine and they’re good for 700+HP on the stock bottom end without making inspection holes. You run out of fueling headroom on those before you bend a rod or something.
It certainly has its charms vs a mainstream crossover. But you’re looking at Porsche service costs for a GTI engine, and combined with the tight packaging this just doesn’t quite cross the line into a serious temptation for me. Performance crossovers generally don’t, they’re trying to bridge two worlds.
We got a ’23 Seltos SX Turbo and I gotta be honest – it’s a lot more fun to drive than expected. Having faster 0-60 than the MKV GTI I had was also surprising.
Stay away from any of the Macans from before 2019, you pretty much have to dismantle the entire front end to do anything but oil changes.
My mom has a four cylinder Macan (in red!), and my dad had a Macan GTS until a couple weeks ago, when he traded it in on a Cayenne. I’ve driven both, and for a daily driver I think I’d prefer the four cylinder. It’s not exactly slow, and the GTS is just too…intense. It just wants to GO all the time, I’d be on the highway and realize I was going 100 without even realizing it. Maybe it’s just me, but that much power is too tempting to have on tap all of the time. Especially when there’s nowhere to safely experience that power without shattering laws. My dad just happily shatters laws. His advice to me when I started driving at 16 was that it’s only illegal if you get caught. And then he bought me a GTI.
I am impressed with the suspension tuning on these though. Even in my mom’s, without the adaptive suspension, you feel more like you’re driving a hatchback than an SUV. You can’t hide the SUV characteristics entirely, but they did a damn good job.
Yea, 2 years until the repairs break you. Still a cool suggestion.
I was thinking the same thing.
If I wanted a vehicle with high maintenance costs and an appetite for shop visits, I’ll buy a Hornet…. At least Dodge shops are more plentiful than the Porsche ones!
And the parts and labor are “hopefully” cheaper.
You can definitely hope lol
The Alfa Romeo branding has been covered with an Avery label with Dodge scribbled on it in Sharpie.
Yuuup, good luck finding a close, affordable Porsche repair shop. When you do all they 911s and REAL Porches will make you feel like a peanut, lmao.
I have a Porsche Service center right down the street from my house. I always noticed cars there…enough that I THOUGHT it was a dealership. Nope. I appears all the vehicles are there for service, hence the “service center” name.
A Macan has less rear seat and trunk space than a GTI…
For twice the price. Yeah… And nowhere near as good to drive as my e91 BMW wagon. And when service time comes, the “Porsche Tax” is as real as a heart attackackackack.
“Special” is the right word for this nonsense. If you must, just get the Audi version.
Sort-of, depending on which dimensions you look at. While the Mk8 GTI has 2.2 more cu.-ft. of cargo space with the seats up, the Macan has an extra 9.6 inches of cargo area length with the seats up, which really makes a difference for loading a stroller. With the seats down, the Macan pulls handily ahead with 53 cu.-ft. to the current GTI’s 34.5 cu.-ft.
As for the rear seats, headroom is definitely tighter in the Macan, but it gains a few tenths-of-an-inch of legroom on the GTI, making it basically a wash if someone’s putting their kids back there. Add in a proper 40:20:40 rear seat on the Porsche, and it’s a more practical family vehicle than a new GTI despite some general packaging decisions working against it.
The Macan is easier for the rear seat occupants, for sure. Just getting in and out of the GTI/R is tricky with those little doors. The VW is all most people need, though.
So, I have 4 kids and owned a GTI when I had 3. Only used it for rare trips with 1-2 kids. GTI is cramped for car seats – you’re not going to do rear facing (the config you’d need if you have a stroller) comfortably in a GTI/Macan. And the rear seat room is a wash.
A GTI can fit a large stroller on its side, so the Macan trunk length difference doesn’t have an effect, but nice idea. It’s just less trunk space.
The premise of your piece doesn’t hold up, and you really don’t have the experience to make the claim. At best, the Macan is comparable to a (to most people the US/Canada) marginal family car but with all of the wanker factor of driving a Porsche crossover.
These are very small advantages for a vehicle weighing a thousand pounds more.