[Russkey]

Macan is a winner in this case. My wife got rid of her X5 and ordered white Macan with red/black interior. Fantastic combo with beautiful stitching. I had a chance to test drive it and the car is awesome in many ways. The exhaust note grabbed my attention right away. Can't want to test it again when the car comes in October

[BMWnStuff]

I personally think the X5 beats the cayenne, yet the Macan just seems to execute the SAV better than the X4. Not so much the styling (I think x4 looks pretty decent), but the dynamics and presentation of the car.

[SouthernBoy]

I like the way the Macan looks (or Macon as we call it lol) way more in design and aggressiveness (also sexiness).

[X3paul]

Ok had nothing to do today so I decided to settle this once and for all.
Went to my bmw dealer at 11:00 jumped in a X4 3.0d msport with 20´s, hud and went for a drive 30m. at 11:45 I was inside a Macan S diesel with 20´s.

Looks - subjective - But I prefer the rear of the X4 msport to the macan´s and dislike the front bumper - cheap plastic. I prefer the front of the macan.

Interior - Macan by a long margin, it would be perfect if it had an idrive system too many buttons. build quality, materials even the steering wheel to the key fob is superior. A bit more cramped inside the macan. You feel special though.

Engine noise (dieses vs diesel) macan wins. more refined and more insulated.

Bmw´s HUD is excellent and so is the satnav.

In the end the real question for anyone considering these cars - and that was the made up my mind- is the way they drive.
The bmw is great. even with 20´s it is still rides well.
The macan is spectacular.feels faster, Its an all in one. sports car, cruiser, suv. The bmw has no steering feel whatsoever and it just feels artificial (as all bmw´s do these days) the macan while not at cayman level is 4 out of 5.

So, in the end the only reason I could see someone going over to an X4 over the macan is looks and price. But if you really like driving the macan is the only choice. but keep in mind that the price wise, if you can live without a couple of extras, the price will be similar - in my case my macan s petrol cost me £450 less than the X4 I specified - and looks, well when driving you sit inside and thats where the macan trumps the bmw. It is better to drive, better inside and will probably retain its price better than the bimmer. The ultimate driving machine? I dont think so. Make it the penultimate driving machine. there is a new king in town. No wonder the x4 has a 4 month waiting list in Uk and macan 18!

[Wolfinwolfsclothing]

Originally Posted by Tracus

Because BMW has the power and resources to deliver cars in time.
Currently, Porsche’s plant in Leipzig, Germany is set up to build 50,000 Macans a year.

And from my point of view, BMW looks way better with a clean sporty design and interior which is not kitschy like the one in Macan. Exterior wise, Porsche plays the same design tune for 100 years now, Really boring...

Dont agree with you. X4 is more hideous than the x6 and that says a lot. BMW needs to change its look bc it doesnt have a single design that could last 25 years let alone be a benchmark icon for 50 years. Its worked on the 911 and is working well on the incredible SUVs and sedans they build which have also upon inception become the bar in their respective segments.

The Porsche look is iconic, refreshingly clean, sporty, and aggressive. Same goes for the interior...simply unmatched.

[xDrive35i]

Originally Posted by Russkey

Macan is a winner in this case. My wife got rid of her X5 and ordered white Macan with red/black interior. Fantastic combo with beautiful stitching. I had a chance to test drive it and the car is awesome in many ways. The exhaust note grabbed my attention right away. Can't want to test it again when the car comes in October

Mine comes in October, too! I can't wait. What's your spec? There's a thread on mine, but I can't link it because I'm on my phone.

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by Wolfinwolfsclothing

Dont agree with you. X4 is more hideous than the x6 and that says a lot. BMW needs to change its look bc it doesnt have a single design that could last 25 years let alone be a benchmark icon for 50 years. Its worked on the 911 and is working well on the incredible SUVs and sedans they build which have also upon inception become the bar in their respective segments.

The Porsche look is iconic, refreshingly clean, sporty, and aggressive. Same goes for the interior...simply unmatched.

I am one of the guys who consider that X6 is gorgeous. It is hard to ignore those feline hips and the stance of the vehicle. Some hate it, but I dont care. There are few that tried to unsuccessfuly copy the X6.

In regards with Porsche, the design is BORING big time, it is iconic because it was too long in the market. To me it looks like the desktop computer design, same box with different variations but in the end, you still have the same crap. Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear’s main host, once commented that “Porsche has the laziest design team in the world.”�

"Refreshingly clean"? Where?
Sporty? Look arround, there are some sporty looks that Porsche can not even dream about. Take the i8 for example.
Agressive? I totally agree with that analogy from page one, where one of the guys posted a frog picture. That was spot on. Maybe the term agressiveness differ from one to another...

Interior wise, not my taste. TOO much and too kitschy. Bling bling is not my style. Keep it sporty and functional, I have nobody to impress with 100 buttons...

But, in the end, I do respect your opinion. I for one, will pick an X6 or anyBMW over any Porsche.
Actualy, I never spend time on Porsche display ever, doesnt matter the technology, the exterior is so boring to me that I simply ignore totally the brand.
It does take courage to step out of the comfort zone and come up with a daring design, and Porsche doesn't have that....

[Wolfinwolfsclothing]

Originally Posted by Tracus

I am one of the guys who consider that X6 is gorgeous. It is hard to ignore those feline hips and the stance of the vehicle. Some hate it, but I dont care. There are few that tried to unsuccessfuly copy the X6.

In regards with Porsche, the design is BORING big time, it is iconic because it was too long in the market. To me it looks like the desktop computer design, same box with different variations but in the end, you still have the same crap. Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear’s main host, once commented that “Porsche has the laziest design team in the world.”�

"Refreshingly clean"? Where?
Sporty? Look arround, there are some sporty looks that Porsche can not even dream about. Take the i8 for example.
Agressive? I totally agree with that analogy from page one, where one of the guys posted a frog picture. That was spot on. Maybe the term agressiveness differ from one to another...

Interior wise, not my taste. TOO much and too kitschy. Bling bling is not my style. Keep it sporty and functional, I have nobody to impress with 100 buttons...

But, in the end, I do respect your opinion. I for one, will pick an X6 or anyBMW over any Porsche.
Actualy, I never spend time on Porsche display ever, doesnt matter the technology, the exterior is so boring to me that I simply ignore totally the brand.
It does take courage to step out of the comfort zone and come up with a daring design, and Porsche doesn't have that....

I respect that you may feel that way but the 918 Spyder is a nicer design than the i8 (and anything bmw could ever muster) which i also find to be absolutely hideous. Nothing about that car to me is appealing. The 918 on the other hand is a pure masterpiece from design to performance.
I love the 911 and still think its one of the most eye catching designs along with the Aston line up. And to further that point, to drastically change the 911 would be essentially killing the car. Again, it has been the worlds best sports car for 50 years, the design is certainly a big part of the equation.

[Bahn360Photo]

i really like X4 but for the same price i'd have to go with Porsche...X4 should be cheaper

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by Wolfinwolfsclothing

I respect that you may feel that way but the 918 Spyder is a nicer design than the i8 (and anything bmw could ever muster) which i also find to be absolutely hideous. Nothing about that car to me is appealing. The 918 on the other hand is a pure masterpiece from design to performance.
I love the 911 and still think its one of the most eye catching designs along with the Aston line up. And to further that point, to drastically change the 911 would be essentially killing the car. Again, it has been the worlds best sports car for 50 years, the design is certainly a big part of the equation.

Wow, you are the first one that I hear not liking the i8.
Spyder might be a nice car, but in terms of design expression is not even close to the i8. Just read all the feedbacks and there is no test drive without a refference to the futuristic design.
You got me with the Aston line, Those are beautiful cars.
Porsche in the other hand is not. Not for me at least...

[Jypsie]

I could not agree more

[Wolfinwolfsclothing]

Originally Posted by Tracus

Wow, you are the first one that I hear not liking the i8.
Spyder might be a nice car, but in terms of design expression is not even close to the i8. Just read all the feedbacks and there is no test drive without a refference to the futuristic design.
You got me with the Aston line, Those are beautiful cars.
Porsche in the other hand is not. Not for me at least...

Yea, simply not a fan of the i8 and the i3 is laughable at best. I think it looks beyond bad and terrible in person too taking pics out of the equation. The 918 on the other hand is one of the most gorgeous cars to ever hit the road IMO. Its design (both interior and exterior) and especially the tech blow the i8 out of the universe and are in a whole different ballgame. It is the future of supercars/sport/exotics.

[leog80]

Both have unique styling. But I would prefer 918 too.

[jbeene]

I was fortunate enough to get to spend a few hours in both the Macan S and the Turbo. Unfortunately I drove the turbo first so the regular Macan felt like a bit of a dud. The Turbo blew me away. Fantastic vehicle. Except it would be well over $100K specced out the way I'd like it.

I have a dog, a big one. Right now I drive a 328 touring. I still can't get my head around the 4 cylinder. It works fine and the noises they pipe into the cabin are adequate but god I wish they'd give us something like the Macan or the SQ5 or a 335 touring. Don't care for the styling of the X3 and the X4 just won't work for the dog. I need enough room for him to ride in the back and the Macan is just big enough though he's not real happy about it. I think my next car will likely be the SQ5.

[Theatermax]

Guys

I owned the Macan and the Sq5 and yes both were very nice but the X4 wins across the board.

Its the details that you are over looking. I am a detailed guy and I love toys so options and details are very important to me.

I can spend all day and write a long drawn out article on why the x4 is better but instead I will give you a few things to understand about the Macan and why the X4 is much nicer.

I bought the Macan S fully loaded with Bose and everything you could ask for and after 3 weeks was completely frustrated and disappointed with fit and finish and just the overall Ride and inner workings of the car. I was never excited about the Macans looks as I felt the back was dumpy and the front was just simple old porsche design with new headlights. The Macan was interesting to me because I love Small SUV's and it was new and I had hoped for much more. Here are some things I didn't like.

Here are some things you can check out when you want to really compare the two. These reviewers are ridiculous as they don't own the cars and they check them out for a day or so and talk about oh how they drive for 5 mins and thats it. They never get into the details that makes these cars what they are or aren't in this case.

Here are just some things I really disliked about the Macan S and why they are better on BMW.

Steering Wheel
Macan S steering Wheel much too large in circumerence and it's thin like a garden hose. No Girth to the wheel at all. The X4 M Sport Wheel is fat and feels Fantastic. The heated wheel on Macan doesn't get very hot and the controls for Audio are mediocre at best on Macan. BMW Controls are laid out much better.

Shifter
The Stick shift moves like an old clunky car in Macan and is very long throw. You have to move it a lot to get it from Park to Drive and its just not designed well. In the BMW its all digital and requires just slight movements. BMW auto parks when you shut off car.

Ignition Key and Entry
Ignition Key in Macan is horrid. I paid for the Entry and Drive option and oh boy has Porsche not figured that one out. The Keyless entry works half the time and get this , you have to have a heavy steel dummy key in the ignition to start the car and you have to manually turn this to start the car. The mechanism is old and doesn't work well and turning the key that is locked into the ignition is ridiculous. The pressure needed to turn it is very high and totally uncomfortable. The BMW of course is just push button and go.

Pickup and shifting
The Macan 0-60 claims to be about the same as the X4.. I can tell you 100% the X4 is faster but 1-2 tenths at least. There is a video showing them back to back and the X4 driver didn't use launch control. The X4 leaves the line like a race car and the Porsche creeps to start and then shifts decently but nothing like the pull of the X4. They are close so don't get me wrong they are too close to judge but the BMW does beat it to 60 and to 100 every time.

Road Feel
Go and drive both. I can tell you the X4 with the 20's I ordered drives so far beyond what I thought I was going to get. I knew it was going to be good but not this good. The Macan shleps along and the body roll is significant. The BMW is tight and feels more like an M3 than you can believe. Its tight and smooth and event the video review says this in it. What they don't tell you is the BMW is overall a better ride across the board.

Radio
Being in the Audio Business I love good audio. I ordered the Bose Upgrade in the porsche and you can't even believe they charge I think it was 1900 for this. You can tune and tweak it till your blue in the face and the best you will get it to sound is Awful. The Bass is boomy and not tight and the mid range is all over the road. The BMW Harman system is stellar. Its got a multi band EQ and you can tweak it to perfection and it sounds amazing. Porsche should be embarrassed to have audio like this. The Porsche Enthusiasts say they don't need good sound because they want to hear the engine which brings me to the next section.

Engine Sound
The Porsche sounds like a vacuum cleaner just a whishy sound when full throttle and no heart to the sound. The BMW has a decent Roar and sounds rather nice. The Audi SQ5 has the best sound of all and roars like an R8 but BWM does very well here. Porsche Not so much.

Alarm System
Fail Fail Fail Porsche - Myself and a friend of mine in Calif both bought Macans the same week and both experienced the same Alarm issues. Turns out porsche has a serious failure in their interior motion sensor and they can't fix it. The Macan alarm will go off for no reason middle of the day or middle of the night. It woke us up and the neighbors up more than 10 times and after multiple dealer visits Porsche Corporate emailed me documentation in how to permanently disable the alarm system until they can make a fix for it. Imagine 65K and the factory alarm has to be disabled. BMW doesn't have these problems.

Headlights
The Macan had very decent Xenons that did a great job. The X4 I have I ordered with LED's which are better than the Porches but cost 1900 on the BMW. You can not get LEDs from Porsche.

Buttons and Switches and no Idrive
The insanely over buttoned console on the Porsche is sexy for about 30 mins and then you realize that the buttons are plastic and press like an old Hyundai. They do not click nicely and are super cheap. The window buttons are the same. Now whats the worst is the turn signal lever. Get in a Macan and operate the Turn Signal and tell me it doesn't feel like a 1975 Pontiac. The Levers in the porsche are clunky and clicky and don't feel nice. The BWM lever are sweet and smooth and silent type switches with high end feel and feedback. The Porsche has a touch screen on the Nav which is near impossible to use and takes your entire view off the road to use. The BMW's idrive system in the X4 is superb and smooth and works perfect. Oh yes I forgot Comfort access on the BMW gives you kick to open on the trunk and also you can close the BMW trunk from inside the Car.. YOU can not do this on the Macan..

Windshield Wipers/Washers
The Wiper and wiper sprayers on the BMW are unreal. It shoots spray everywhere with an array of squirters that blast the whole windshield. The Macan has 3 that barely get water anywhere and you have to manually wash the window when your done wiping.

Screen
The BMW center console Screen is almost 9" and has a super high res split screen if you want , the porsche has a small screen that doesn't look great.

Presets
You never thought you needed presets till you don't have them. The Porsche has 6 presets per screen X3 so 18 if your lucky. It takes reading the book to figure out how to use them and they are horrid to recall. The BMW has dozens and dozens of presets that can be AM/FM/Sat or whatever you want. The Bmw's System is best in class and works perfectly. How about the soft touch button presets the BMW has. You can set the hard buttons to do anything you want. I have a button set to Navigate home with one button press. Try that Porsche.

Imagine ordering a 65K Porsche and finding out that the package for Vanity mirror lights was missed. Yes you can buy a 65-90K porsche and if you don't order a special enhanced lighting package you don't get a lit mirror on the sun visor. My Girlfriend was not happy about that.. BMW as far as I know gives you lit vanity mirrors on all X4's.

This is just a start and I hate to beat this down any further but the bottom line is if your shopping for an Emblem and you think you will feel better having a Porsche insignia than buy the Macan. If you want up to date technology and a great look and awesome features and drive the X4 is the clear winner.

Go drive both and you decide but if you outfit the BMW like I did which is pretty much loaded its like 61K list and the Porsche is a lot more for a lot less functionality.

Craig

[Chopper45]

made my day reading that..... Thanks!!!

[Teutonic]

Craig, excellent points.
Ia am an audiophile as well, I found the sound system in Porsche terrible. I also found that many things in there are "wanna be" but they are not even close to BMW.

Anyway, there is a litle comparo. When you have a such beautiful car that will do very well for not even o quarter of the price of the other, that is a no brainer.

[Jypsie]

Theatermax,

Best summary I read so far. Being very familiar with BMW, you exactly pointed out were the differences are. And it is a long list! These make the difference.

The steering wheel! The LED lights! The alarm (imagine that!) The TOUCH screen (never understood that, try this at 180km/h or on bad roads!) vs the idrive! The buttons all around (for Christ sake you need to DRIVE a car)! The presets!

And I am sure there is even more....

As I said before, funny to see how all those Porsche guys are now trying to defend the brand.....While they only point out that indeed the X4 is kicking the Macan's ass :-)

Yes the Macam will be a "proper car" after all that is the least you can expect from Porsche, but the X4 is just that much better. And certainly better looking (Macan has an old front and an even older back)!

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by M3_WC

Partial leather is like the leather in X4. The full leather options are not comparable to anything you can get in the X4. Full leather in Macan adds leather on lower dash, tops of doors, etc.

Infotainment and premium pacakge were included in my build. It is an almost exact like for like equipment and well optioned.

-Yup, you have to pay for metallic paint. Just like any BMW.
-Bose cost extra, just like Harman Kardon cost extra in the X4.
-Bluetooth is standard on the Macan S.
-Sat radio is included in infotainment package on the Macan S.
-Dynamic Damper Control cost extra as well on the X4.


Your analysis of $30k more is such a gross overestimate. There are things on the Macan you can't even get on the X4, sure cost can rise. Yes like adding $8,000 brakes. But built equally, the difference is only really a few thousand.

I can do a break down of the exact options on both vehicles to show your are wrong. But honestly don't want to spent the time doing that or most likely will fall on deaf hears.

Macan is the better car- but it's more expensive.

Standard equipment and Packaging in the BMW offer more for less. Strip them both- sure the Macan is only slightly more expensive... But how many of these will sell that way? Add to that, that you can pick up an X4 for 7% off MSRP (or more if you pick up drive credits) and you're a mile away.

Would add, anecdotally, that the tech is better in the BMW. Porsche doesn't offer a HUD and their infotainment system is mediocre.

[Theatermax]

Originally Posted by cSurf

Macan is the better car- but it's more expensive.

Standard equipment and Packaging in the BMW offer more for less. Strip them both- sure the Macan is only slightly more expensive... But how many of these will sell that way? Add to that, that you can pick up an X4 for 7% off MSRP (or more if you pick up drive credits) and you're a mile away.

Would add, anecdotally, that the tech is better in the BMW. Porsche doesn't offer a HUD and their infotainment system is mediocre.

Surf - Macan is the better car ? NO its not in any way including the drive. Its a slug and sounds and feels boring after 5 mins.. The BMW is quick and nimble and overall better in every way I can see and feel. I have been a car guy for a long time and have owned over 150 cars.. I am an enthusiast to say the least but most important I enjoy quality and features and implementation and porsche has done none of those well. Yes the Macan drives decent but it ends there. I kept it for 3 weeks and couldn't wait to get it off my driveway. I didn't even mention that the rear window washer drips every day you drive the car on the Macan and guess what Porsche knows about it and they can't fix it. Should you have to live with this kind of stuff ? Nope and thats why Porsche enthusiast can have their Porsches. They are okay with Alarms that go off all night and washers that drip and all of these things porsche says they know about but can't fix. Ask Cayenne owners and Macan owners and Panamera owners about the alarm failure that still exists after 2 years..

I am not saying BMW is the best car in the world although it probably is but I like Audi's also. The bottom line is Porsche is a mess and the Macan has issues that do not exist on the X4 or any BMW.

[Jypsie]

Originally Posted by Jypsie

Theatermax,

Best summary I read so far. Being very familiar with BMW, you exactly pointed out were the differences are. And it is a long list! These make the difference.

The steering wheel! The LED lights! The alarm (imagine that!) The TOUCH screen (never understood that, try this at 180km/h or on bad roads!) vs the idrive! The buttons all around (for Christ sake you need to DRIVE a car)! The presets!

And I am sure there is even more....

As I said before, funny to see how all those Porsche guys are now trying to defend the brand.....While they only point out that indeed the X4 is kicking the Macan's ass :-)

Yes the Macam will be a "proper car" after all that is the least you can expect from Porsche, but the X4 is just that much better. And certainly better looking (Macan has an old front and an even older back)!

Yep, you can add the HUD, what is next?

[Jypsie]

Originally Posted by jbeene

I was fortunate enough to get to spend a few hours in both the Macan S and the Turbo. Unfortunately I drove the turbo first so the regular Macan felt like a bit of a dud. The Turbo blew me away. Fantastic vehicle. Except it would be well over $100K specced out the way I'd like it.

I have a dog, a big one. Right now I drive a 328 touring. I still can't get my head around the 4 cylinder. It works fine and the noises they pipe into the cabin are adequate but god I wish they'd give us something like the Macan or the SQ5 or a 335 touring. Don't care for the styling of the X3 and the X4 just won't work for the dog. I need enough room for him to ride in the back and the Macan is just big enough though he's not real happy about it. I think my next car will likely be the SQ5.

So, If I understood this correctly, you would go for the Macan because of your dog? So it is a good car for dogs? I might agree