Mr Fix It wrote

Reliability was an issue. I will list my experience.
1- windshields are thin...if you ever get a ding in one and try to repair..many times the crack will continue. I had to replace two windshields.
2- air separator valves will need to be replaced ..there are two...fairly easy to do.
3- no oil dipstick and the oil level and oil pressure sensors are known to go bad at some point.
4- turbos air diverted valves have been know to leak
5- every Macan will need a new transfer case at some point. Porsche upped the warrenty but what happens after that? Poor design.
6- staggered tires...so can't rotate tires.
7- the back up camera is really bad.
8- engine timing chain oil leak...can be very expensive to repair
9- NOW THE BIG ONE! The transmission. It is a variant of the dl501 trans from Audi. This box had a class action law suit

Wow. You just made me feel much better about "choosing" the M40i (in quotes because I couldn't afford the equivalent Macan and didn't have much of a choice). Not that our cars will be problem free, but...yeeesh

Thankfully, manual transmissions are still available in Porsche's. Ordered a GTI a while back and my sales guy insisted I get manual. Was glad too after seeing one disassembled for the Mechatronic unit failure. Service advisor said it was a "pull and replace". Almost $3k with labor.

Well, I have officially joined the club. New to me 2019 blue M40I is mine. Low miles, still under warrenty...for a short while, with all the bells and whistles except self parking. It does have Adaptive suspension, 21's, executive package..etc etc.
After spending years in a Macan s and then Macan turbo, I can say for me the M40 is better. A little more stiffer ride..but I like that. What really surprised me was the brakes. Porsche used to have the brakes to have but the M40I is light years ahead of the Porsche Macan with brake modulation and feel. Hands down! This M40 rated at 355 hp has more punch and gritty up than the Macan turbo. If the Macan is tuned then still the M 40I is close behind, but it would not have enough in the higher rpms. Mine had a stage 2 Cobb tune.
I really like this car. First thing for me to do is to go to my performance alignment shop and make sure it is like how I want it.

Have had my M40i for a year now. Don’t miss my 16 Macan S at all. B56 engine and transmission is such an improvement over the Macan S. I think the drivability is nicer in the M40i

Navypilot wrote

Have had my M40i for a year now. Don’t miss my 16 Macan S at all. B56 engine and transmission is such an improvement over the Macan S. I think the drivability is nicer in the M40i

^^^^ Wholeheartedly agree. My family and friends are still amazed when I say it. Would still take the M40i over the ‘17 Tuned GTS I had. It was a fun Macan… but the drivability of the M40i is undeniable. Plus the tech? Almost a no brainer. I’m sure the new Macans are better… but I have zero regret and tell people all the time, the M40i is my favorite car I’ve owned thus far.

Navypilot wrote

Have had my M40i for a year now. Don’t miss my 16 Macan S at all. B56 engine and transmission is such an improvement over the Macan S. I think the drivability is nicer in the M40i

I think you meant the B58* engine

I’ll play.
I owned both a Macan S and a Turbo. Both were extremely fun to drive. Planted. Solid. Well built and comfortable. The S isn’t as fast as the M40i but it feels lower and better planted. The Turbo was very fast. I regret selling the S. But the Turbo experienced a massive engine out timing chain gasket failure that prompted a return of the car back to the dealer.
Being able to adjust the suspension and AWD split front/rear was great. Cannot cut the Macan, it is one of the, if not the, finest sport compact SUV’s ever made.
I owned an M340 and the B58 is a work of art. That alone sold me on the M40i. But I disagree with the Macan being sluggish. It’s extremely well planted and I’m certain it out-handles the X3. I love my new X3M40i. I wasn’t going to spend $20k more for essentially the same car this time.

I have a 2020 X3M40i with only 12k miles on it. Got it as a lease and with a residual of $38k am thinking of buying it. BUT, I’ve also been intrigued by the Macan and went to test drive one today. Keep in mind, they did not have an S in stock so this is just the base.

1. Looks: Exterior: I like the looks of the Macan better. It looks a little sportier and the wheels also look better. There’s more depth to them like BMWs USED to have. Interior: It didn’t have upgraded leather but it was still a letdown. The steering wheel feels so tiny and the turn signal click feels rough…like hard plastic rubbing together. It’s a hard click instead of a soft indent feel. The touch sensitive controls are so/so. I prefer real controls. I like the analog cluster better than the digital cluster on my X3. The main screen was nice and sharp. The seats were not comfortable at all. These were standard seats but on a $65k car you’d expect something better. Overall the interior felt a little cheap. Oh, and no interior lighting and the cameras suck.

2. Engine: Again, this is the base engine but I expected more from 260+hp. No matter how far I put my foot down it never threw me back in the seat. Not even a little. I looked down and was going fairly fast but it sure didn’t feel like it. This was in Sport mode also.

3. Brakes: Sucked. Modulation was difficult and you have to press down so much harder to get it to stop than on the X3. Brakes on the X3 are light years ahead.

4. Ride: Tester didn’t have an air suspension but the ride was really good. Not as stiff as my X3 but still somehow had less body roll. This is the one thing that stood out.

I asked them to let me know when an S comes in to see how much difference it makes but my hunch is it won’t be enough to make me pay $10-15k more over an X3M40i. It’s going to take a lot considering the price premium on the Porsche the way, they nickel and dime you for every option, and reliability concerns. I’m also assuming insurance is a lot more due to that.

lawgone wrote

I have a 2020 X3M40i with only 12k miles on it. Got it as a lease and with a residual of $38k am thinking of buying it. BUT, I’ve also been intrigued by the Macan and went to test drive one today. Keep in mind, they did not have an S in stock so this is just the base.

1. Looks: Exterior: I like the looks of the Macan better. It looks a little sportier and the wheels also look better. There’s more depth to them like BMWs USED to have. Interior: It didn’t have upgraded leather but it was still a letdown. The steering wheel feels so tiny and the turn signal click feels rough…like hard plastic rubbing together. It’s a hard click instead of a soft indent feel. The touch sensitive controls are so/so. I prefer real controls. I like the analog cluster better than the digital cluster on my X3. The main screen was nice and sharp. The seats were not comfortable at all. These were standard seats but on a $65k car you’d expect something better. Overall the interior felt a little cheap. Oh, and no interior lighting and the cameras suck.

2. Engine: Again, this is the base engine but I expected more from 260+hp. No matter how far I put my foot down it never threw me back in the seat. Not even a little. I looked down and was going fairly fast but it sure didn’t feel like it. This was in Sport mode also.

3. Brakes: Sucked. Modulation was difficult and you have to press down so much harder to get it to stop than on the X3. Brakes on the X3 are light years ahead.

4. Ride: Tester didn’t have an air suspension but the ride was really good. Not as stiff as my X3 but still [...]

thanks for the comparo

i will note that on the 22+ X3, the exterior and interior were both upgraded quite... its hard to tell it apart from an identical x3m at times... it was one of the things that sold on me on it, as well as the shadowline pack and black wheels etc