Speccing a new (base model) Macan - Page 2 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

This isn’t easy - although I’m happy with a white one and the ‘free’ 19” alloys look ok to me too. So it’s down to the sunroof and the interior. I’m not too fussed on sunroofs but they seem to be a bit of a ‘must have’ with Macans and I can see how they lift the interior. What about the seats - not sure if I should go for the leather upgrade ( plus memory pack) or are the standard fabric seats perfectly ok on a base model? I’m used to having ACC radar cruise control on cars - so that’s a must. Im also attracted to a heated steering wheel, heated windscreen and the storage pack but thinking the surround camera system and comfort access thing is perhaps going overboard and the car will start to approach Macan S money if I’m not careful. Would welcome thoughts, suggestions and experiences. I have never owned a Porsche before - or driven one for that matter! Edited by Mark V GTD on Sunday 19th February 15:25

Mark V GTD said: This isn’t easy - although I’m happy with a white one and the ‘free’ 19” alloys look ok to me too. So it’s down to the sunroof and the interior. I’m not too fussed on sunroofs but they seem to be a bit of a ‘must have’ with Macans and I can see how they lift the interior. What about the seats - not sure if I should go for the leather upgrade ( plus memory pack) or are the standard fabric seats perfectly ok on a base model? I’m used to having ACC radar cruise control on cars - so that’s a must. Im also attracted to a heated steering wheel, heated windscreen and the storage pack but thinking the surround camera system and comfort access thing is perhaps going overboard and the car will start to approach Macan S money if I’m not careful. Would welcome thoughts, suggestions and experiences. I have never owned a Porsche before - or driven one for that matter! Edited by Mark V GTD on Sunday 19th February 15:25 I'm on my third Macan so hopefully this will help. I'm not too fussed on sunroofs but they seem to be a bit of a ‘must have’ with Macans and I can see how they lift the interior. I prefer a sunroof especially if you have a dark interior as you rightly say it lifts the interior especially in the dark and winter. However the sunroofs in the Macan have a tendency to leak into the interior unless the drain holes are kept clear. I've only experienced this on one of my cars but there are plenty of other reports out there. Dealers will tell you it's essential but ultimately it's your choice. What about the seats - not sure if I should go for the leather upgrade ( plus memory pack) or are the standard fabric seats perfectly ok on a base model? I had the base seats in my first Macan although covered in leather and they were fine. The sport tex seats I have in the current GTS are also very good especially in the summer. It would certainly be worth seeking out cars with different seating options to try as they do all feel different. I'm used to having ACC radar cruise control on cars - so that’s a must. Im also attracted to a heated steering wheel, heated windscreen and the storage pack but thinking the surround camera system and comfort access thing is perhaps going overboard and the car will start to approach Macan S money if I’m not careful. I've only had ACC on one of my cars and didn't like it so stuck with standard cruise on the current car. Again worth trying cars with and without to see if you like it. Heated steering wheel is one of the best options you can get. There is no better feeling of a warm wheel in your hands on a freezing cold morning I've not had the surround camera so can't offer an opinion except that I've found the standard rear camera to be pretty good. I would never spec comfort access on any car due to the additional security issues it presents. I would strongly recommend driving an S before settling on the base model. In my opinion it's a much better drive and feels like a more rounded package. HTH good luck with the search and if you have any further questions let us know. Edited by Voodoo Blue on Sunday 19th February 17:01

Instead of spec I’d personally put the money towards a Macan S to get a sweet Porsche engine instead of the VAG four pot.

pattyg said: Instead of spec I’d personally put the money towards a Macan S to get a sweet Porsche engine instead of the VAG four pot. Isn't the V6 a VAG engine too, found in varous Audis?

churchie2856 said: pattyg said: Instead of spec I’d personally put the money towards a Macan S to get a sweet Porsche engine instead of the VAG four pot. Isn't the V6 a VAG engine too, found in varous Audis? The 2.0, 2.9 Petrol and 3.0 Diesel units are VAG but the 3.0 and 3.6 Petrols are Porsche units. They're effectively a development of the V8 found in the Cayenne and Panamera minus 2 cylinders.

Thanks for the responses, particularly Voodoo B. Some very useful points to consider. I don’t tend to keep cars very long so the aim here is to enjoy the speccing and buying experience and keep the car for 6 or maybe 12 months maximum. Obviously concerned about putting money in to options that will be simply lost but at the same time my last four cars ( apart from the current A5) have had ACC and it’s essential for me so I will lay out the £600 for that. I will reject the comfort access thing s d stick with the standard reverse camera so thanks for that. Sunroof maybe the only conundrum as I’m really not fussed by them but I know for many they are a must have. Not really interested in the out and out performance aspect so an S would be wasted on me and cost more to buy, insure and fuel and I think I would really miss the extra items on a day to day basis coming from a specced up Tiguan R-Line. Edited by Mark V GTD on Sunday 19th February 21:36

As a Del Boy by trade, if you're interested in any way in resale, having bought and sold a few (and a happy owner of a GTS) I would say the "must haves" for the bulk of people are: - Bose - Pan Roof - 14-way seats - Sports Chrono (means you get the mode dial) - Camera I do find it odd that people penny pinch over some minor interior bits that add a lot to the overall feeling of the car. The most important one is the light design package; it transforms the inside, isn't expensive, and isn't 100% retrofittable (I've tried)... Otherwise, both from an ownership as well as saleability, I tend to upgrade anything I can touch. Personally, love a heated steering wheel, a bit of extended leather, contrast seatbelts and stitching. And if you can stretch, air suspension is vastly better than the standard setup IMO. Edited by thelostboy on Sunday 19th February 21:51

Yes i do have an eye on re-sale hence the sunroof choice. Some of those option such as air suspension and chrono are expensive and I’m not sure you get the money back with them on a base model where there may be more expectation of them on an S. Or I maybe wrong. Camera is standard on all models fortunately.

I’m on my second macan ( a gts this time). Ordered the first one from new ( base model) and as it was a daily I got them to put smaller wheels on so I could have chunkier tyres. It made the ride so much more pleasant and meant I never once cubed the wheels in 5 years ! I find the huge wheel and low profile tyres on the gts a bit over the top. The ride is very firm and I’ve already taken a chunk out of one wheel on a curb . . Just a thought ! The smaller wheels looked great as they were sprayed black

churchie2856 said: Isn't the V6 a VAG engine too, found in varous Audis? Jointly developed was my understanding.

swanseaboydan said: I’m on my second macan ( a gts this time). Ordered the first one from new ( base model) and as it was a daily I got them to put smaller wheels on so I could have chunkier tyres. It made the ride so much more pleasant and meant I never once cubed the wheels in 5 years ! Yes, the base Macan has 19” alloys as standard in U.K. which I find perfectly acceptable in size and appearance. The cost of upgraded wheels is around £1,300 and upwards which is just not affordable in my view.

If you spec the sports seats plus at 1100 I think it gives you the leather interior without paying another 1k for it. My choice would be Pano roof Sports seats Crests on headrests Light design pack Bordeaux seat belts Rear apron painted Sports tips

Thanks for that, I will take a look at the leather option again. I was largely avoiding all the painted this bit and painted that bit type extras as they are very personal. Not even considered coloured seat belts! Back to the configurator!

Mark V GTD said: swanseaboydan said: I’m on my second macan ( a gts this time). Ordered the first one from new ( base model) and as it was a daily I got them to put smaller wheels on so I could have chunkier tyres. It made the ride so much more pleasant and meant I never once cubed the wheels in 5 years ! Yes, the base Macan has 19” alloys as standard in U.K. which I find perfectly acceptable in size and appearance. The cost of upgraded wheels is around £1,300 and upwards which is just not affordable in my view.

Mark V GTD said: swanseaboydan said: I’m on my second macan ( a gts this time). Ordered the first one from new ( base model) and as it was a daily I got them to put smaller wheels on so I could have chunkier tyres. It made the ride so much more pleasant and meant I never once cubed the wheels in 5 years ! Yes, the base Macan has 19” alloys as standard in U.K. which I find perfectly acceptable in size and appearance. The cost of upgraded wheels is around £1,300 and upwards which is just not affordable in my view. I went down to 18” and they sprayed them black for free - makes a huge difference in ride - if you go for a base model just make it comfy and cheap !

I hear you Dan, I think the conundrum is that although its cheap for a Porsche, its not a 'cheap' car per se (£52k plus options and RFL)and I will be coming from a Tiguan R-Line thats fairly well specced so don't want to feel like I am 'downgrading' with the Macan. Standard 19" wheels and free white paint will be a good start. I will check out the interior suggestion re the leather.

Saying that - the most expensive option my wife chose was baseball leather dash - door cards etc - looked lovely

It’s impossible not to get draw in by some of these options though. Yes I want a heated screen, steering wheel. The projector lights on the doors casting Porsche on the floor, why not have embossed Porsche logos on the seat headrests as they are only £160. Trouble is it all adds up and I’m currently at £4,700 in options. Starting to feel any more reductions will just result in a disappointing ownership experience regardless of how long I keep the car. Wish Porsche had far fewer options and just loaded the models like most other car makers but it is what it is and I am beginning to understand that it’s just the Porsche way and part of the buying experience. Edited by Mark V GTD on Tuesday 21st February 08:34

Heated steering wheel - all day long if it’s a daily driver !

I just bought a macan 's' a few weeks ago for a daily and spent a lot of time looking at many cars before finding one with my ideal spec.I ended up with a car with over 20k worth of spec and these are the items I would not buy the car without. Air suspension,expensive but so worth it especially if you do not have the smallest wheels. The 14 or 18 way seats Bose I am really enjoying the comfort access as well but it's not a absolute must have Haven't used the sunroof and although I like sunroofs it really isn't neccessary. I personally would also source a used 's ' over a new base model the engine makes it a far more enjoyable (if somewhat more thirsty) experience.

pattyg said: churchie2856 said: Isn't the V6 a VAG engine too, found in varous Audis? Jointly developed was my understanding. No idea whether jointly developed or “sourced” but my understanding was these units were found right across the VAG group range. The Cayenne Turbo GT and the Urus both have 4.0 twin Turbo V8’s for instance. Same for the petrol engine’s in the Macan…I’ve got a Macan Turbo PP….I am pretty sure I was told that is a VAG engine. Anyway I would agree with the original point the 4cylinder engine is very ordinary IMHO, a step up the range gives a much nicer engine both as a drive and to listen to.

franki68 said: I just bought a Macan 'S' a few weeks ago for a daily and spent a lot of time looking at many cars before finding one with my ideal spec. I ended up with a car with over 20k worth of spec and these are the items I would not buy the car without..... Thanks for the feedback Franki - I only buy new cars so it has to be a base model for me unless there is a strong financial argument in terms of residuals for stepping up to the S with its thirstier engine. I have about £4,700 of options in my current base spec which keeps it just below the price of a non optioned S (if such a thing exists).