Has anyone owned both and can give some honest impressions? I'm looking for a daily to compliment my G82 M4 weekend and track car. I've narrowed it down to these two SUV's. While I realize these will never replace an M4, after driving both, I've been really surprised how well they handle for SUV's.

The X3 M40i seems more comfortable, spacious and the i6 Turbo seems peppier than the Macan S. But there was a year between driving both, so any feedback from current and post owners are appreciated.

I plan on keeping these cars for a long time, so reliability is an issue. I don't mind spending $1500/yr in maintenance, I just don't want to break down in the middle of the dessert in summer with my family.

I'll be watching this thread closely...

I opted for the X4 M40i mostly due to the fact that Macans are super common here in Honolulu whereas I've only seen one or two X4's around town. I'll concede that many of those are base model Macans and not S models, but it still "dilutes the cool factor" imho

The singular chance I got to drive a Macan S, I was not impressed with it... especially for the price premium over an M40i. In your scenario... with an M4, I would absolutely not consider a sporty SUV.

I have a 20 x3 M40i and my Daughter and Son in law (he's bit if a car nut and great for any diy help) have a 19 Macan S. They both ride and handle well. Although the M40i beat his Macan S from a launch and a pull from 40 mph. The M40i gets better mileage and has more interior room and room in the back. They just had their first child and are considering upgrading due to the lack of space. There is no room in the console to put anything, less than the M40i if you can imagine that.

What year is the Macan S? Is it the older 3.0 or the newer 2.9?

I had a 2018 Macan GTS (same engine as 2015-2019 S w/ a slight tune) for 3 years and 45k miles prior to my current 2022 M40i.

The Macan and the X3 could not drive any more differently. They each have their +/- but for daily drivability, the X3 with the b58 and ZF8 is hands down no questions asked a better daily. The Macan was a god damn snail driving around town prior to building revs or boost. The stock throttle mapping is abysmal, which is why many owners including myself choose to purchase a pedal commander which helps significantly with throttle response. Higher up in the rev range, the 3.0 paired with the PDK is a real treat, but you really have to build boost/revs to get any sort of power. Compared to the b58 which is linear and smooth as silk, I feel like I have endless power at all rev ranges compared to my Macan.

In terms of sporty driving, there's no question the PDK was more fun, although tbh the ZF8 feels just as fast, but you just don't get the same pops or snaps that you do like you get in the Macan.

Sound also goes to the Macan (at least vs the 2022 m40i which is severely muted compared to prior facelift m40i)

Comfort I can't directly compare because my GTS had air suspension, and unlikely the S your shopping does.

My Macan was definitely an outlier though in terms of work that needed to be done. In 3 years and 45k miles I had to replace;
-Engine (threw a rod at 30k miles)
-Engine starter (left me stranded)
-Air suspension
-Subframe bushings
-Bunch of other miscellaneous items

OP - see my (lengthy) post in the other thread (what did you drive before).

Any questions at all - DM me.

And yes, a very big issue with the earlier Macan V6 was horrid down low throttle response (hence the custom-tune on mine). And I also had the engine-out oil leak repair as well. I BELIEVE the new V6s are without the oil-leak issue.

I owned a 16 Macan S. I don’t know if the 22 Macan corrected prior issues. Giving it gas at low end, the car stumbled over itself. It was 342 hp. Did sound great at start up. Mileage was 19.

I looked at the 22 S before buying my 40i. They increased the HP to 385 by using the GTS engine. I did not buy it because compared to features in my 40i, the Macan S was $14,000 more then the 40i.

Technically, the 40i is superior to the S. My mileage is 25-27. The mild hybrid does a great job with the auto stop. The storage in the back of my 40i is bigger. The HK radio is nicer then the Bose.

What don’t I like about the 40i. The Porsche seats are more comfortable. The ride is more pleasant due to non run flats on the Porsche which I will change later this year. Easy entry and electronic steering wheel adjustments.

I owned a 16 Macan S. I don’t know if the 22 Macan corrected prior issues. Giving it gas at low end, the car stumbled over itself. It was 342 hp. Did sound great at start up. Mileage was 19.

I looked at the 22 S before buying my 40i. They increased the HP to 385 by using the GTS engine. I did not buy it because compared to features in my 40i, the Macan S was $14,000 more then the 40i.

Technically, the 40i is superior to the S. My mileage is 25-27. The mild hybrid does a great job with the auto stop. The storage in the back of my 40i is bigger. The HK radio is nicer then the Bose.

What don’t I like about the 40i. The Porsche seats are more comfortable. The ride is more pleasant due to non run flats on the Porsche which I will change later this year. Easy entry and electronic steering wheel adjustments.

I was "this close" to buying a CPO Macan S before I settled on the M40i. So glad my wife convinced me to test drive one that was local before flying to pick mine up. It's a Porsche afterall, it is going to be great right? Man, was I wrong. Like others have mentioned, interior room was lacking and power was very underwhelming. I could not be happier with my X4!

OP's giving off a new car buyer vibe, which would mean he'd be getting a 22 or better Macan S, which has straight line performance in line with the M40i's. They gave the S the former GTS engine in 22. I've only owned an M40i, so can't help beyond asking for a bit more clarity on which S he's considering.

sgyX3 wrote

The M40i gets better mileage and has more interior room and room in the back. They just had their first child and are considering upgrading due to the lack of space.

I can vouch for the space on offer between BMW and Porsche. I had an X5 and then a Cayenne. I don’t know where BMW found so much space and storage areas yet Porsche had absolutely no space

jmg wrote

Has anyone owned both and can give some honest impressions? I'm looking for a daily to compliment my G82 M4 weekend and track car. I've narrowed it down to these two SUV's. While I realize these will never replace an M4, after driving both, I've been really surprised how well they handle for SUV's.

The X3 M40i seems more comfortable, spacious and the i6 Turbo seems peppier than the Macan S. But there was a year between driving both, so any feedback from current and post owners are appreciated.

I plan on keeping these cars for a long time, so reliability is an issue. I don't mind spending $1500/yr in maintenance, I just don't want to break down in the middle of the dessert in summer with my family.

I am not impressed at all when I test drove the Macan while I was searching for my next car, like many others have said, space is lacking the the power is just OK for that price point in my opinion. When I put the spec on paper and make logical thinking, I immediately opted out as you will notice that upgrading from the base model to S is another $8-9k, on top of that, adding a few packages would easily bump the price with additional $12-15K, that results in a $100K ish SUV comparing to a fully loaded M40i settled around $80K. The $20K difference is pretty significant for me at least, and for the most parts, I am very satisfied with what M40i can offer. I think Porsche SUV lately has just becoming more of a luxury label…no offense to Porsche fans but just my personal thought 😅 I am sure both are good car but depends on what you're looking for 👍🏻

I very much much agree about the Macan S being sluggish from low revs. Whether this applies to the very latest version I don’t know. I found the turn-in better with the Macan but barely noticed this on a second drive. The logo on the steering wheel is cool. The front seats are good. The rear space is awful with lousy forward vision. Kids will be car sick and any passengers will be claustrophobic. Our Golden Retriever didn’t fit in the cargo area. I wanted to love the Macan but it wasn’t to be.

I am considering both cars too as my 3-series is out of lease next year. I'm also considering an X5 so I can trailer a race car, but the X5 is due a refresh so waiting to see how that shakes out.

I've only driven a loaner Macan base and the previous S. The Macan steers way better than my 3, much more natural, feel some and direct. The other area the Macan wins is seat comfort even for the very base seats, the 18 ways sports seats in particular are mega. The 3 series and x3 seats are crap for long journeys, can never get properly into them. You can also order heat/noise insulated glass on the Macan, a cabin ioniser, and get a much better sound system than the HK in the beemer. These are big for a daily or road trip car IMO. The Macan is much more customisable in general. Watch the savage geese review of the latest 2022 S, it's really the best small CUV you can get.

Downsides of the Macan is it's smaller than the X3 quite significantly and 20k more expensive with comparable options. The x3 m40i is a great car though and more practical, but if seats/sound system/NVH and options are important (and you don't mind spending the money)the Macan is a very compelling option.

I test drove Macan S and GTS (2022) before I settled on x3 m40i and for the price asked I was not impressed at all. My impression was that X3 m40i is not too far behind in terms of performance and handling (ofc GTS is faster but you don’t actually feel that much difference, SUV is not sports car after all), but absolutely destroyed Macan in everything else, especially tech aspect. Macan felt just ancient, no HUD, no advanced driver assistance, low resolution display, much less space, interior materials quality is good only if you spec very expensive full leather option and 20k more expensive.

jmg wrote

Has anyone owned both and can give some honest impressions? I'm looking for a daily to compliment my G82 M4 weekend and track car. I've narrowed it down to these two SUV's. While I realize these will never replace an M4, after driving both, I've been really surprised how well they handle for SUV's.

The X3 M40i seems more comfortable, spacious and the i6 Turbo seems peppier than the Macan S. But there was a year between driving both, so any feedback from current and post owners are appreciated.

I plan on keeping these cars for a long time, so reliability is an issue. I don't mind spending $1500/yr in maintenance, I just don't want to break down in the middle of the dessert in summer with my family.

Used to have a 2016 Macan S. It was a very nice car, but I much prefer our 2018 X3 M40i. I do all my own maintenance, the X3 is easy to work on. The Macan…. I didn’t even touch that thing, had an Indy I went to.

The Macan I think rode a little nicer and was more of a sporty drive around the corners. The PDK is a hell of a transmission and the engine is strong. It does shift very soon, so you lose that low RPM range power… That was the biggest difference moving to the X3. The B58 in the X3 in unreal, both in reliability and power. It is highly tunable for $1,500 bucks or so you can add a ton of power. A search here on the forums or familiarity with the Bootmod3 is what I am referring to. I would put the X3 up against the Macan in a straight line race anyday. I think the X3 takes it from an engine standpoint.

Both cars handle well. I think the ride on the macan was a little nicer and smoother…. Could be that I have 40k miles and run flats on the X3 that lead to a bouncier ride.

Technology in the X3 is much better than what we had…Keep in mind this was a 2016 vs a 2018 so I speak from my experience only. 3 weeks before my warranty ran out on the Macan, the thermostat needed replacement. $3,500, yep, you read that right… Thirty five hundred. Not just because of this, but overall reliability, ease to work on, etc. the X3 all day.

Overall we are much happier with the X3 and provides a lot more room than the Macan. The only thing I would put the Macan over the X3 is the ride. The Macan was just a smooth luxury ride. The X3 still rides nice, but just more rough and true. The B58 definitely has some major balls, it pulls hard.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions…. Also, tires on the Macan are $$$ with the wide rear tires.

lefizzet wrote

What year is the Macan S? Is it the older 3.0 or the newer 2.9?

I had a 2018 Macan GTS (same engine as 2015-2019 S w/ a slight tune) for 3 years and 45k miles prior to my current 2022 M40i.

The Macan and the X3 could not drive any more differently. They each have their +/- but for daily drivability, the X3 with the b58 and ZF8 is hands down no questions asked a better daily. The Macan was a god damn snail driving around town prior to building revs or boost. The stock throttle mapping is abysmal, which is why many owners including myself choose to purchase a pedal commander which helps significantly with throttle response. Higher up in the rev range, the 3.0 paired with the PDK is a real treat, but you really have to build boost/revs to get any sort of power. Compared to the b58 which is linear and smooth as silk, I feel like I have endless power at all rev ranges compared to my Macan.

In terms of sporty driving, there's no question the PDK was more fun, although tbh the ZF8 feels just as fast, but you just don't get the same pops or snaps that you do like you get in the Macan.

Sound also goes to the Macan (at least vs the 2022 m40i which is severely muted compared to prior facelift m40i)

Comfort I can't directly compare because my GTS had air suspension, and unlikely the S your shopping does.

My Macan was definitely an outlier though in terms of work that needed to be done. In 3 years and 45k miles I had to replace;
-Engine (threw a rod at 30k miles)
-Engine starter (left me stranded)
-Air suspension
-Subframe bushings
-Bunch of other miscellaneous items

OP, this is a good overview. I relate to much of what you said and your comments are spot on how I felt, too.

Thanks for the insight everyone! To answer some of your questions, this will be a 2018-2019 Macan S and same year M40i. Getting used to save some $$ and I plan to keep this one for awhile. The tech in the iDrive is a huge plus for me. The Porsche infotainment seems a decade old. I love the way the Macan drives, but I still have my M4 for that. I think the X40i is the top contender currently, you all have reaffirmed what I was already kind of thinking!

jmg wrote

this will be a 2018-2019 Macan S and same year M40i.

Then absolutely get the M40i.

jmg wrote

Thanks for the insight everyone! To answer some of your questions, this will be a 2018-2019 Macan S and same year M40i. Getting used to save some $$ and I plan to keep this one for awhile. The tech in the iDrive is a huge plus for me. The Porsche infotainment seems a decade old. I love the way the Macan drives, but I still have my M4 for that. I think the X40i is the top contender currently, you all have reaffirmed what I was already kind of thinking!

M40i 🙌🏻

I got a Macan as a loaner when my 911 was in for service last week. At the same time, I got an X3 when my Mini Cooper was in for service at another dealer, so I had 2 loaners at the same time. Guess which I picked to drive over the long weekend? Suffice it to say that the Macan only had 0.1 mi more on it when they picked back up, because I moved it from the front of my house to the parking lot! If the choice was between an X3 M40i and a Macan S, I would've made a similar decision.

I wrote this review on the MacanForum in early January of this year after my initial experience with both vehicles. Hope it helps!

“The ‘22 Macan S was at the very top of my list of cars. Spent weeks reading online reviews, watching YouTube videos and on Porsche’s online configurator. I was totally infatuated with it. Where I live (Mexico), both cars are similarly priced, although BMW offered end-of-year incentives to move the remaining ‘21 X3 M40i’s that several dealers still had in stock. Since the brand new ‘22 Macan S are so extremely scarce, I asked a Porsche salesman to arrange finding a used Macan S or GTS to test drive. He agreed either one of those two versions would give a very good idea of what the ‘22 Macan S would feel like. He found a ‘20 Porsche Macan S. So, test drive day arrived with so much anticipation. In person, my heart melted at the beautiful carmine red and body lines of the test Macan S. I had never in my life been so excited for a test drive. So, after spending over one hour doing the test drive, guess what? I came out of it quite disappointed and unimpressed. It was mainly its driving dynamics - throttle lag in all modes except in sport plus (Sport Chrono is a must!), floaty suspension (I got a little dizzy the first 5 mins - salesman couldn’t tell me if it had air suspension/PASM or standard steel springs but I couldn’t feel any difference in various modes), too soft steering for my taste with Power Steering Plus, exhaust sound was just flat. Power at 348 HP was definitely not the issue. The car was also very stable in tight curves. Both cars shift equally smooth and quick. But for a Porsche, I simply felt the overall drive was uninspiring compared to the X3 M40i in sport and sport plus drive modes. It made me really wonder if the new GTS is actually the way to go, but out of budget at that point. So methodically, I wrote down my drive impressions, compared them with my partner’s who also test drove both cars. Then we started going over the technology/safety/space features that are standard or available on the X3 M40i (HUD, remote start, more advanced infotainment, HK sounded also better to us than Bose, fully digital cluster display, standard LED adaptive headlamps, better fuel efficient engine a BIG plus, etc.), and the final decision became clear. Given the uncertainty on electronic parts we were told no HK sound in the foreseeable future (only HiFi) and no ‘22 mild hybrid X3 M40i’s for LatAm as they are still pushing the X3e full hybrids here. So, we did a national search and found a brand new ‘21 X3 M40i pretty much spec’d as we wanted it. It’s only been less than two weeks (driven it about 1,000 Km/620 miles) and so far very impressed with the features and capabilities of this vehicle.”

Now, as far as reliability, both cars can have their own set of issues. But definitely read and watch YouTube videos about the marvelous B58 on the M40i which is widely considered among the best and most reliable engines BMW has ever produced in the last 25 years. On the Porsche Macan forum, everyone will warn you not to own a Macan outside warranty for your own sanity. If anyone thinks BMW are expensive to maintain, then definitely stay away from Porsche especially if it is a previously-owned Macan over 5 years old.