Macan vs Taycan, my observations

[TomekGnomek]

I’ve had a chance to extensively compare my fully loaded Macan to the newest (J1.2) and a mid-spec Taycan CT. By extensively I means weeks and thousands of kms.

For those interested and perhaps cross-shopping between the two models, here is my take:

1) Sport seats with Club Leather in the Macan are WAY, WAY more comfortable than the sport seats with extended leather in the Taycan (they feel small, tight, and firm). You do get used to the Taycan seats after a while and they can be comfortable on longer drives, but they are miles behind the Macan in terms of comfort.

2) Seating position is very different. In the Macan you sit more like on a chair; in the Taycan your legs are stretched far in front, as the seating position is very low. It really comes down to personal preference.

3) Getting in and out is very different. It’s easy and comfortable in the Macan and difficult in the Taycan. My wife, who is small and nimble, does not like the Taycan because of this, and the bigger you are or the stiffer your back, the harder it gets. You bang your head, sort of fall down into position - very much like in other sports cars. You get used to it after a while and can adapt your technique (“legs last” mode), but it won’t be OK for everyone.

4) PCM in the Taycan feels outdated. It’s very slow and the touch panel is basically useless. The Macan is miles ahead in terms of feeling “fresh” in this area. Using maps and navigation in the Macan is quick, like on a smartphone; using navigation in the Taycan feels like dusting off your 15 year old Garmin.

5) Suspension - my Macan has air suspension, and the Taycan has it by default (Active Ride was not fitted on this one). This is where things get interesting. The Taycan CT combines what Porsche does best: firm suspension that is still comfortable. This is something very unique to the brand and something BMW, for example, has not mastered. The Taycan feels and drives like a Porsche sports car, which is hard to explain other than saying it combines sportiness with comfort, gives you a unique feel of the road, and handles incredibly well. It’s hard to find cars that drive better. It puts a big smile on your face every time you drive it. When you go back to the Macan, you immediately notice it does not drive like this. For me, it does not drive like a Porsche (sorry guys). I would say the previous ICE Macan had some of this unique feeling, but the EV does not - and this becomes very evident once you compare it to the Taycan.

6) Sense of occasion - this is where these cars really differ. The Macan is a daily driver. You can enjoy driving it (I very much do), but the Taycan gives you a different level of excitement. It’s the whole package: how it looks, how it feels inside, and how it drives. It’s a special car in ways the Macan is not.

7) Build quality - if you think the Macan is very well put together (mine is and feels very solid), the Taycan is on another level. This car feels rock solid; everything feels like you could take a hammer to it. This is not the case with the Macan. You can even tell this by how the suspension works. The Taycan is firm, but when you hit road imperfections you don’t worry whether the car can take it. The Macan is softer, but the suspension feels less solid, more “loose,” and I find myself avoiding road imperfections - even though it should be the other way around.

8) Handling - it’s not fair to compare an SUV to a sports car, so let’s just leave it at this: for an electric SUV, the Macan handles very well (I compare it to Tesla Model Y and BMW iX which both are not even close). So it’s good but nowhere near the level of handling you get with the Taycan.

9) Battery and range - the Taycan with the Performance Battery charges faster (up to 320 kW), can hold ~200 kW up to 80% SoC, and is far superior to the Macan. The Taycan with the base battery (which I also tested) is inferior to the Macan in these aspects. Consumption in low temperatures is surprisingly similar in both cars. I suspect the Macan has a more efficient heat pump or cabin heating solution - it seems to use less energy to heat the car and does it faster. The Taycan uses less energy at very high speeds (over 150 km/h). What surprised me is that on very comparable road trips, the Macan and Taycan can show similar consumption (say ~30 kWh/100 km), but the Taycan battery lasts longer and gives you more range. This is puzzling to me and I don’t really know how to explain it.

10) Platform maturity - I won’t go into details about my Macan experience, but TL;DR: my car has been plagued by both minor and major issues, some very serious, and has spent over a month in the shop. The last issue involved a burning smell and smoke coming out of the vents. The Taycan had its share of problems in the first generation, and you can read many similar stories. J1.2 feels like a very mature car, down to small details like closing the doors. In the Macan you often have to try again and close them with more force. The Taycan lowers the side window a bit more, so you don’t have this problem. Same goes for seatbelt rattles and other small annoyances.

11) Assistance systems – I’ve never felt fully confident in my Macan, even after the latest 28.13 update. LKA, blind spot monitoring, front collision protection, Innodrive, and the rest all suffer from frequent false positives. The car often overreacts, and it feels like something Porsche is still struggling with here. The Taycan does not feel like this at all. LKA, for example, and the way the car reacts when you cross a lane marking feels confident and exactly as it should. I haven’t experienced a single false positive in the Taycan, and it seems to me that Porsche actually does know how to do this properly—they just didn’t get it right in the Macan. This should be relatively easy to improve via software updates or in future generations.

Overall, I think it’s very good to cross-shop these two cars when looking for a Porsche EV. There are very good deals on Taycans - you can buy fresh CPOs for the price of a new Macan - so pricing can be comparable, even though the Taycan is the more expensive car. The Macan is comfortable and often an entry point to Porsche, but driving the Taycan reminds you what this brand is really about. The Taycan delivers such an amazing sense of occasion and such a strong driving experience that, honestly, you don’t really care about the old PCM or other flaws. The Macan doesn’t have the same advantage and lacks the attributes that can “cover” for its shortcomings. As a result, you can end up feeling frustrated by outdated tech or various issues, because there isn’t that much else to compensate. Hopefully, what the Taycan J1.2 shows is that a future “Macan J1.2” can also be a great, refined platform - but I don’t think it’s there yet.

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[MaccyT]

It would be nice if you ever get your hands on a Turbo Macan as that might change the game .
Although the Taycan is still the sportier of the two for me, with 3 growing up kids, and as a former E-tron owner I was searching for a sportier drive without losing the higher seating position. I was really surprised about the Macan Turbo compared to a Taycan. Don’t get me wrong, the Taycan really is the sportier one but the Macan is really doing a good job taking into account it is a lot higher and also heavier than the Taycan.

According to the internet it really seems the regular Macan 4 is lacking what you are looking for. It had less feeling of control, is more wobly and not so of a sporty drive and is missing some of the Porsche driving DNA (according to some, don’t shoot the messenger here).

Interior wise I did not notice that much of a difference between my Macan and a Taycan CT but will take another look in a week or 2 as I will visit that friend of mine who owns one from 2023 .

 

[mieciu]

About a year ago, I made the switch from a Taycan to a Macan. . Quick rundown here. I still miss the sleek look of the Taycan CT, but once I’m behind the wheel of the Macan for daily errands, I forget all about it.
Honestly, if I had the chance, I’d go back to my pre-Taycan ride — the Panamera Turbo ST — which did everything both of these cars offer.

 

[TomekGnomek]

It would be nice if you ever get your hands on a Turbo Macan as that might change the game .

I have, I even tried it on a race track. The only difference is acceleration, nothing else. Suspension and handling is the same. For me it was not worth the money. The sweet spot is 4S but it was not yet available when I ordered my car.

What could make a difference in handling the GTS, it has some tweaks to the suspension. I'm very curious how it would drive. Honestly I was set to make a switch for Taycan but still waiting for a chance to test the GTS.

The sportiness vs comfort aspect is just one thing, the main takeaway for me is that Taycan J1.2 feels like a more mature platform. Clearly it takes more time for Porsche to perfect these platforms.

About a year ago, I made the switch from a Taycan to a Macan. . Quick rundown here. I still miss the sleek look of the Taycan CT, but once I’m behind the wheel of the Macan for daily errands, I forget all about it.

From what I see our observations pretty much align. The getting in and out is a big factor and I agree it's easier in 911 than in Taycan.

 

[Yves]

I have a Macan Turbo and just did a test drive with Taycan, so I’m not able to compare, but I know someone came from a Taycan and went to Macan Turbo, he says he loves the way how sporty the Turbo drives. I conjure with rear wheel steering this thing is nuts, power glides galore, very controlled, result 15K km’s tires gone

 

[USMA81]

I drove both at the LA PEC at my 4 delivery. While I’m a longtime owner of various sports cars, I’m certainly no pro driver. That said, the Turbo Macan on the track was a beast IMO, and maybe the Taycan was better, but only marginally. The big turn-off for me is getting in and out of the Taycan, something mentioned in online reviews. Let’s also not forget that one is Porsche’s mid-range electric SUV and the other is its top of line EV: I’d hope the Taycan is better in many areas.

 

[MaccyT]

I have, I even tried it on a race track. The only difference is acceleration, nothing else. Suspension and handling is the same. For me it was not worth the money. The sweet spot is 4S but it was not yet available when I ordered my car.

What could make a difference in handling the GTS, it has some tweaks to the suspension. I'm very curious how it would drive. Honestly I was set to make a switch for Taycan but still waiting for a chance to test the GTS.

I Have to disagree here. It is a totally different car and not only on acceleration. Multiple reviewers are also verifying this. The regular 4 is really a different drive compared to the Turbo. Not only the rear axle steering but also the PSTV and the suspension is stiffer and more direct and of course the acceleration.
I have driven a Taycan for 3 days and now my own Macan and really got the same feeling in terms of direct steering, pulling it through corners and never without any doubt. Of course the Taycan is the sportier one but in my humble opinion the Macan is a good 7,8 to 8 where the Taycan is a 9. My E-tron was around a 4,5 if I have to make the comparisons.

 

[Irv09]

I agree with you MaccyT in terms of direct comparison. My 2020 Taycan Turbo was more like my 911 but not the best car for daily living stuff. It was difficult to get in and out of due to the pillar and height above the ground and my Taycan did not feel as solid as my Panamera which felt like a bank vault. My Macan Turbo is more what I wanted in an EV, very practical for daily driving with great driving characteristics. The range is reasonable on 80% charge and I would take it on a three to six hour trip.

 

[TomekGnomek]

Not only the rear axle steering but also the PSTV and the suspension is stiffer and more direct and of course the acceleration.

This is not unique to Turbo, you can spec it in other models. I was told the hardware for the suspension is exactly the same and the setup is the same. Wheels and tires make a lot of difference though.

There is one difference - in 4 the rear electric motor is mounted to a subframe, in 4S and Turbo it's mounted directly to the body. That's why 4S and Turbo can be more "connected" and precise because the chassis itself is stiffer at the back. But to me this is not that big of a difference, you get more difference fitting various wheels and tires.

Keep in mind this is just my subjective feeling, like the one I'm not a big fan of rear axle steering.

 

[Tacoman]

The next purchase (keeping the macan 4s)....will be a 2025+ taycan, Escalade IQ, or Raptor 37 .

Leaning towards Taycan.
Will see...

 

[jwatte]

> When you go back to the Macan, you immediately notice it does not drive like this.

A-yup! The J1 glues to the road. (I drove the Audi GT version) The Macan wiggles when doing the "Start by turning from a stop sign" maneuver.

But I couldn't take the super-low front. And the "backing into the car" was bugging my wife (I got used to it.)
Practical, versus sports car, is indeed the difference!

 

[RGBArgee]

I’ve had a chance to extensively compare my fully loaded Macan to the newest (J1.2) and a mid-spec Taycan CT. By extensively I means weeks and thousands of kms.

For those interested and perhaps cross-shopping between the two models, here is my take:

1) Sport seats with Club Leather in the Macan are WAY, WAY more comfortable than the sport seats with extended leather in the Taycan (they feel small, tight, and firm). You do get used to the Taycan seats after a while and they can be comfortable on longer drives, but they are miles behind the Macan in terms of comfort.

2) Seating position is very different. In the Macan you sit more like on a chair; in the Taycan your legs are stretched far in front, as the seating position is very low. It really comes down to personal preference.

3) Getting in and out is very different. It’s easy and comfortable in the Macan and difficult in the Taycan. My wife, who is small and nimble, does not like the Taycan because of this, and the bigger you are or the stiffer your back, the harder it gets. You bang your head, sort of fall down into position - very much like in other sports cars. You get used to it after a while and can adapt your technique (“legs last” mode), but it won’t be OK for everyone.

4) PCM in the Taycan feels outdated. It’s very slow and the touch panel is basically useless. The Macan is miles ahead in terms of feeling “fresh” in this area. Using maps and navigation in the Macan is quick, like on a smartphone; using navigation in the Taycan feels like dusting off your 15 year old Garmin.

5) Suspension - my Macan has air suspension, and the Taycan has it by default (Active Ride was not fitted on this one). This is where things get interesting. The Taycan CT combines what Porsche does best: firm suspension that is still comfortable. This is something very unique to the brand and something BMW, for example, has not mastered. The Taycan feels and drives like a Porsche sports car, which is hard to explain other than saying it combines sportiness with comfort, gives you a unique feel of the road, and handles incredibly well. It’s hard to find cars that drive better. It puts a big smile on your face every time you drive it. When you go back to the Macan, you immediately notice it does not drive like this. For me, it does not drive like a Porsche (sorry guys). I would say the previous ICE Macan had some of this unique feeling, but the EV does not - and this becomes very evident once you compare it to the Taycan.

6) Sense of occasion - this is where these cars really differ. The Macan is a daily driver. You can enjoy driving it (I very much do), but the Taycan gives you a different level of excitement. It’s the whole package: how it looks, how it feels inside, and how it drives. It’s a special car in ways the Macan is not.

7) Build quality - if you think the Macan is very well put together (mine is and feels very solid), the Taycan is on another level. This car feels rock solid; everything feels like you could take a hammer to it. This is not the case with the Macan. You can even tell this by how the suspension works. The Taycan is firm, but when you hit road imperfections you don’t worry whether the car can take it. The Macan is softer, but the suspension feels less solid, more “loose,” and I find myself avoiding road imperfections - even though it should be the other way around.

8) Handling - it’s not fair to compare an SUV to a sports car, so let’s just leave it at this: for an electric SUV, the Macan handles very well (I compare it to Tesla Model Y and BMW iX which both are not even close). So it’s good but nowhere near the level of handling you get with the Taycan.

9) Battery and range - the Taycan with the Performance Battery charges faster (up to 320 kW), can hold ~200 kW up to 80% SoC, and is far superior to the Macan. The Taycan with the base battery (which I also tested) is inferior to the Macan in these aspects. Consumption in low temperatures is surprisingly similar in both cars. I suspect the Macan has a more efficient heat pump or cabin heating solution - it seems to use less energy to heat the car and does it faster. The Taycan uses less energy at very high speeds (over 150 km/h). What surprised me is that on very comparable road trips, the Macan and Taycan can show similar consumption (say ~30 kWh/100 km), but the Taycan battery lasts longer and gives you more range. This is puzzling to me and I don’t really know how to explain it.

10) Platform maturity - I won’t go into details about my Macan experience, but TL;DR: my car has been plagued by both minor and major issues, some very serious, and has spent over a month in the shop. The last issue involved a burning smell and smoke coming out of the vents. The Taycan had its share of problems in the first generation, and you can read many similar stories. J1.2 feels like a very mature car, down to small details like closing the doors. In the Macan you often have to try again and close them with more force. The Taycan lowers the side window a bit more, so you don’t have this problem. Same goes for seatbelt rattles and other small annoyances.

11) Assistance systems – I’ve never felt fully confident in my Macan, even after the latest 28.13 update. LKA, blind spot monitoring, front collision protection, Innodrive, and the rest all suffer from frequent false positives. The car often overreacts, and it feels like something Porsche is still struggling with here. The Taycan does not feel like this at all. LKA, for example, and the way the car reacts when you cross a lane marking feels confident and exactly as it should. I haven’t experienced a single false positive in the Taycan, and it seems to me that Porsche actually does know how to do this properly—they just didn’t get it right in the Macan. This should be relatively easy to improve via software updates or in future generations.

Overall, I think it’s very good to cross-shop these two cars when looking for a Porsche EV. There are very good deals on Taycans - you can buy fresh CPOs for the price of a new Macan - so pricing can be comparable, even though the Taycan is the more expensive car. The Macan is comfortable and often an entry point to Porsche, but driving the Taycan reminds you what this brand is really about. The Taycan delivers such an amazing sense of occasion and such a strong driving experience that, honestly, you don’t really care about the old PCM or other flaws. The Macan doesn’t have the same advantage and lacks the attributes that can “cover” for its shortcomings. As a result, you can end up feeling frustrated by outdated tech or various issues, because there isn’t that much else to compensate. Hopefully, what the Taycan J1.2 shows is that a future “Macan J1.2” can also be a great, refined platform - but I don’t think it’s there yet.

I agree with some of your observations - my 2 CT4S J.1 were terrible an experience I do not wish to repeat- possibly exaggerated by awful dealer experience 2022-2025 . In contrast Macan 4S has, so far been pretty good in 9 months of ownership and a far better dealer experience. I would however swap my Macan for a reliable Taycan in a jot ! Nicer to drive - more Porsche than Audi Q6 .

 

[Warren]

Prior to the Macan I had a Taycan Cross Turismo. I was and is a true sports car and a true monstrous one at that. The Macan is a well mannered mid sized SUV. The Cross Turismo is gone but not forgotten but surely I would have been arrested.

 

[RobQ]

Just traded my Taycan CT in for a Macan, agree that the Taycan looks better and more special, but on a long trip (1000 km plus) the Macan is more comfortable as you are sitting higher ad a better view ahead of you on the road

 

[Cogs79]

Hi Folks, I had a 2023 Taycan 4S as a courtesy car for over a week while my Macan 4 was getting one of the charge doors replaced. In Canada it looks like the 4S is the "lowest" end model we can get. I didn't have the spec sheet of the car but it had the passenger side screen (distracting and made the dashboard busy so I kept it off the entire time), Sport sound (I actually enjoyed having it since my Macan 4 doesn't have it), non-sport seats (lower side bolsters compared to mine), Bose sound system and more. This is my 1+ week review of it based on city driving in the winter (in a completely random order of comments). Keep in mind a new Taycan 4S today is probably $60k CAD more than my Macan 4. I was worried that I would not enjoy my Macan 4 as much after getting the nearly $200k courtesy car!

-I will get flak for this, but I preferred the Bose sound system on my Macan 4. Smoother base and clearer voices! I adjusted the settings on the Taycan, and it sounded great, but something was missing compared to the Macan. It's purely subjective!

-The suspension on the Taycan 4S is absolutely fabulous. It hides even the harshest Montreal bumps, but is perfectly stiff and precise without being harsh. Sport+ mode impacted the acceleration more but did not seem to do much for the suspension feel. Sport+ on my Macan 4 makes the suspension go from comfort to spine shattering and ultra precise.

-I never pushed the Taycan (I respect courtesy cars and treat them like my own...and it's winter!), but goosing the throttle even on the highway shows it has insane power. It's on another level than my Macan 4 no question. It's like the throttle has a fixed speed at every millimeter. If I wanted to drive at 100km/h, I just had to press the throttle an inch and the car teleports to 100km/h before my brain and eyes catch on. It's insane. I can't imagine a Turbo (Macan or Taycan). If any of you Turbo folks are in Montreal, I would like to know what blacking out in a fighter plane feels like!

-I don't think the Taycan had power steering plus, and this is where I both enjoyed the heavier steering feel and disliked it on longer drives. The steering felt precise without being twitchy. However I literally felt like I had to use chest and arm muscles just to change lanes on the highway. I find my Macan 4 has ultra precise steering, and the heavier weight at higher speeds is excellent, but maybe it's my age (only 46!) showing, but I did feel exhausted when driving the Taycan for over an hour. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved how it drove, but the heaviness was draining for everyday use. When I hopped back in my Macan 4, I was actually impressed with how the Macan 4 felt for significantly less money. It does not handle like the Taycan for lots of reasons, but I feel like I can enjoy a closer rendition of Porsche driving dynamics daily without too much intensity that the Taycan had. Would I like a Taycan as a weekend toy, OMG hell yeah. But I left really appreciating my Macan more than before (Which is good as I was worried that the Taycan would have ruined my love for the Macan!).

-I am not sure if rear axle steering is a standard feature on a Taycan 4S, but the first left turn that I took with the Taycan caught me a little bit off guard. It was still a tight and precise turn, but it felt wider than my Macan. Or maybe the overall length, seating position or wheelbase length made it feel like a wider turn. No complaints, just an observation. Is RAS necessary, not really, but I am happy that my Macan has it, and I definitely feel it.

-The software is even buggier than the Macan. Radio kept going on and off while waiting in the car, Carplay was spotty, the interface was laggy etc. Tons of sensor warnings like the Macan.

-I was actually not a fan of the HVAC controls on the secondary, angled touchscreen. When I first got in the car, it was so slow to react. Even turning on the heated seats would take a few seconds before it worked. It looked cool though, and the haptic feedback is a nice touch. At one point, some overhead street lamps were just at the right spot where the angled display was reflecting the light right into my eyes like flashing lights. It was more funny than it was dangerous.

-I have the 18-way seats on the Macan, while the Taycan had less adjustability (assuming 14 way?), and the main difference was the lower side bolsters on the Taycan. This made it much easier to get in the Taycan as my wife and I don't need to jump or slide over the side bolsters. My wife did hit her head twice getting in the Taycan though!

Phew long post for just a few days with the Taycan 4S. It's a phenomenal car, with incredible driving dynamics. No doubt about it. I am not saying that my Macan 4 feels or handles exactly like a Taycan 4S, but it has a similar driving experience in that it is also super precise without being harsh and is absolutely a thrill to drive. I am happy to have experienced the Taycan 4S, but I am actually even more impressed with what Porsche was able to do with a SUV/crossover by keeping some of their excellent DNA with respect to driving dynamics. Do I hope to get the Taycan again as a courtesy car? Absolutely! But I'll be just as happy getting back my Macan!

Cogs

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