Macan RWD Vs AWD

[Garylaw]

Hi there,

Im trying to decide on whether to order the base RWD or the 4, the cost is very negligible and therefore not part of my decision process.

Admittedly I haven’t test drove the 4 yet but the RWD had plenty of punch and not a fan of too much torque for passengers and this needs to be a family friendly car.

Driving dynamics is really important to me and I heard online that the RWD performs better in that space, due to it being lighter and its more connected feel, some extra range is nice but not essential as 99% of my journeys will be sub 200 and im charging at home.

Living in very rainy conditions here in Scotland AWD would probably make more sense though and maybe that little bit of extra power could be nice.

I will need to test drive the 4 but just hoped I could gain some insights on here first.

Thanks in advance

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[ColdCase]

If you don't need 4WD for snow, the RWD with rear wheel steering and the air suspension is a good nimble choice. In everyday driving, the RWD will have less of a tendency to understeer.... if thats what you like.

The tires will have more effect on rain performance.

Lots of "car feel" subjectivity here. Enjoy your test trive.

 

[fubar.droid]

I always prefer AWD no matter what because at the end of the day, none of the numbers matter to me, like HP or efficiency or cost or whatever else metric. But AWD will get better traction in wet/cold conditions and even if it's only once in the entire car's life that it helps, it could make a difference - for safety reasons basically. So that's my reasoning.

 

[Powerdoc]

Perhaps RWD is more fun to drive, but AWD is more performant. Remember the good all days of the Quatro Audi.

 

[PrudentOcean]

One thing people overlook when talking about AWD and traction is that it really only helps with acceleration, but not at all with braking. It can help with steering in very low traction situations, but those will be rare.

One area where AWD can benefit is during recuperation, you can recover more energy with two electric motors than with one. Most of the braking happens at the front wheels, and the RWD base Macan would have to rely on friction brakes whereas the AWD models can use the front motor to recover much of the energy.

 

[W1NGE]

Hi there,

Im trying to decide on whether to order the base RWD or the 4, the cost is very negligible and therefore not part of my decision process.

Admittedly I haven’t test drove the 4 yet but the RWD had plenty of punch and not a fan of too much torque for passengers and this needs to be a family friendly car.

Driving dynamics is really important to me and I heard online that the RWD performs better in that space, due to it being lighter and its more connected feel, some extra range is nice but not essential as 99% of my journeys will be sub 200 and im charging at home.

Living in very rainy conditions here in Scotland AWD would probably make more sense though and maybe that little bit of extra power could be nice.

I will need to test drive the 4 but just hoped I could gain some insights on here first.

Thanks in advance

4 would be better at a small sacrifice of losing a little bit of range (2 motors rather than 1).

Better grip in all conditions.

Only reason RWD exists is to have an entry point that has max range of all variants.

Pointless imho.

 

[Garylaw]

4 would be better at a small sacrifice of losing a little bit of range (2 motors rather than 1).

Better grip in all conditions.

Only reason RWD exists is to have an entry point that has max range of all variants.

Pointless imho.

Not sure RWD Macan drivers on here would agree that the RWD is “pointless” and but respect your view.

As I said, there’s a few online comments/opinions that the rwd is more than that, its argued that the lighter is better in terms of steering response, less understeer, more handling balance and is overall more engaging than the 4. Im not saying this is right or wrong, was just looking for some insights.

i currently have AWD and RWD cars, the RWD is more fun in corners for sure but again thats also down to the make/model.


Thanks for the input Winge

 

[Awaz]

Porsche has a pedigree of making RWD sporty cars well.
My previous i4 was RWD too.
Never felt loss of traction at any point in these cars.

Below is an excerpt from What Car when reviewing a 911:
Rear-wheel-drive 911s are slightly more rewarding to drive than the Carrera 4 GTS. That's because when you're cornering really hard in the four-wheel-drive version, the front wheels try to help claw you out of corners. It's certainly effective but makes it less exciting to drive.

I don't think RWDs exist just to fill an entry point gap. They have different driving dynamics that some prefer apart from better range.

 

[PrudentOcean]

Though I would argue that oversteer is not something that most people are looking for in an SUV…

 

[tmrqs]

2 weeks ago, I took my Turbo to an event and got to play with it on skidpads, autoX and others.
When pushed a little to mid, the car tends to understeer and you really need to push it hard to get it to oversteer.

A week later, my Turbo was at the dealership and the loaner was a Macan RWD (from one end of the spectrum to the other).
I got to drive it over 500 miles and play with it - it was definitely easier to oversteer with it, and as such, it is a tad more fun.

But during a road trip with it, with flash floods and downpours, I did miss the AWD of my Turbo: the RWD just wasn’t as stable in these (granted unusual) conditions.

 

[tmrqs]

Though I would argue that oversteer is not something that most people are looking for in an SUV…

Only the boring ones don’t want it.
(just playing)

 

[mozcas]

Hi there,

Im trying to decide on whether to order the base RWD or the 4, the cost is very negligible and therefore not part of my decision process.

Admittedly I haven’t test drove the 4 yet but the RWD had plenty of punch and not a fan of too much torque for passengers and this needs to be a family friendly car.

Driving dynamics is really important to me and I heard online that the RWD performs better in that space, due to it being lighter and its more connected feel, some extra range is nice but not essential as 99% of my journeys will be sub 200 and im charging at home.

Living in very rainy conditions here in Scotland AWD would probably make more sense though and maybe that little bit of extra power could be nice.

I will need to test drive the 4 but just hoped I could gain some insights on here first.

Thanks in advance

I live in Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot as well. I chose AWD and it was a good decision. Like you said, the price difference is marginal, why not?

 

[Garylaw]

Thanks, im starting to lean towards AWD with some comments shared , as i said it was the driving dynamics etc linked with RWD that was the argument for

test drives only tell you so much and like everyone want to get the car right

 

[W1NGE]

Thanks, im starting to lean towards AWD with some comments shared , as i said it was the driving dynamics etc linked with RWD that was the argument for

test drives only tell you so much and like everyone want to get the car right

Put it this way, only the entry model is RWD and if it had better dynamics you would see this at the top of the range which is aimed at "drivers " but you don't.

Same holds true for Taycan.
Forthcoming Cayman EV and Boxster EV will offer AWD for the first time.

 

[wmras]

Hi there,

Im trying to decide on whether to order the base RWD or the 4, the cost is very negligible and therefore not part of my decision process.

Admittedly I haven’t test drove the 4 yet but the RWD had plenty of punch and not a fan of too much torque for passengers and this needs to be a family friendly car.

Driving dynamics is really important to me and I heard online that the RWD performs better in that space, due to it being lighter and its more connected feel, some extra range is nice but not essential as 99% of my journeys will be sub 200 and im charging at home.

Living in very rainy conditions here in Scotland AWD would probably make more sense though and maybe that little bit of extra power could be nice.

I will need to test drive the 4 but just hoped I could gain some insights on here first.

Thanks in advance

I would strongly consider the 4 just to get electric braking and recuperation. Electric-motor brakes dramatically lower brake dust and brake replacement cost. Downside is slightly less range, but upside is better traction on wet or icy roads.

I also agree with a previous comment suggesting rear-wheel steering and air suspension. RWS greatly improves parking maneuvers and agility. Air suspension is family friendly (adjustable entry & exit height can be lower, higher, or same as steel suspension) and more comfortable.

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