[Review] - Porsche's problem in a 27 min review video

[SuperH]

That's absolutely right! But it's not really anything new. Porsche has always been relatively expensive. There have always been cars with the same horsepower and same specs (on paper) but at a much lower price. If you look at the entire comparable range, Porsche is actually in the middle in terms of price. There are many brands that are significantly more expensive. A Bentley EV—actually a BMW—costs $250,000, but people still buy them. In the Porsche range, the Macan is on the cheaper side. It's $100,000 cheaper than the Taycan and probably also 80.000 cheaper than the new Cayenne. So the Macan is more expensive than the Tesla and many cars from China. But it's not more expensive than a comparable BMW or Mercedes. I'd rather have the Porsche. Just like 20 years ago, when I bought my first Porsche.

I bed to differ regarding

a) the OP stating the price is the only thing wrong with the Macan as I can still state a whole list of tech faults/functions that have had to be disabled as they are dangerous with my soon to be one year old Turbo that are still a pain in the ass/don't work at all

and b) that it's not more expensive than a comparable Mercedes - having just reached the end of my tether with the Macan issues and priced up a top of the range Mercedes GLC EV which has many many more gadgets and functions, and somewhat unessential but fun toys, than the Macan for £75k. Compared to my £105k Turbo (the amount I paid a year ago) for a car that has had to have most of the extras I paid for turned off as they don't function safely/they just don't work in the first place.

Sorry Porsche, but the Macan was my first and last car from your brand, and I'm currently 99% heading to Mercedes as soon as I can test drive a GCL EV.

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[Petzi]

I bed to differ regarding

a) the OP stating the price is the only thing wrong with the Macan as I can still state a whole list of tech faults/functions that have had to be disabled as they are dangerous with my soon to be one year old Turbo that are still a pain in the ass/don't work at all

and b) that it's not more expensive than a comparable Mercedes - having just reached the end of my tether with the Macan issues and priced up a top of the range Mercedes GLC EV which has many many more gadgets and functions, and somewhat unessential but fun toys, than the Macan for £75k. Compared to my £105k Turbo (the amount I paid a year ago) for a car that has had to have most of the extras I paid for turned off as they don't function safely/they just don't work in the first place.

Sorry Porsche, but the Macan was my first and last car from your brand, and I'm currently 99% heading to Mercedes as soon as I can test drive a GCL EV.

I am sorry for you. you just had bad luck with your car. but it believe it is not good style and not scientific to assume that what happened to you is the rule and not the exception.

Ps: what are „most of the extras“ that had to be „switched off“?
and why dont you insist they are repaired? or give back the car? dont you have consumer protection at all in uk?

 

[daveo4EV]

my Macan is fine - and good luck with the Merc - there are pros/cons to all the brands…

I'm not even suggesting Prosche needs to "match" prices - just be a little less of a delta…

in EV land their premium is less justified is my thesis.

 

[TomekGnomek]

I bed to differ regarding

a) the OP stating the price is the only thing wrong with the Macan as I can still state a whole list of tech faults/functions that have had to be disabled as they are dangerous with my soon to be one year old Turbo that are still a pain in the ass/don't work at all

and b) that it's not more expensive than a comparable Mercedes - having just reached the end of my tether with the Macan issues and priced up a top of the range Mercedes GLC EV which has many many more gadgets and functions, and somewhat unessential but fun toys, than the Macan for £75k. Compared to my £105k Turbo (the amount I paid a year ago) for a car that has had to have most of the extras I paid for turned off as they don't function safely/they just don't work in the first place.

Sorry Porsche, but the Macan was my first and last car from your brand, and I'm currently 99% heading to Mercedes as soon as I can test drive a GCL EV.

You assume MB will get the handle of this EV thing in a better way? That’s a gamble as well, new GLC and Neue Klasse will be based on new 800v platforms with who knows how many bugs. Porsche TBH is ahead of this. Plus MB is no better at reliability, my friends’ brand new GLS has been at the shop for faulty transmission for 3 months. These stories are everywhere and as cars get more complicated chances of buying a lemon go up.

I’ve had my share of problems with Macan and was frustrated at one point mainly because of all the time I’ve lost. But after calmly analyzing all options I’ve come to a concusion - either they’ll fix it or I’ll replace it for Taycan or another Macan. You wont find a better EV on the market at the moment.

 

[SuperH]

I am sorry for you. you just had bad luck with your car. but it believe it is not good style and not scientific to assume that what happened to you is the rule and not the exception.

Ps: what are „most of the extras“ that had to be „switched off“?
and why dont you insist they are repaired? or give back the car? dont you have consumer protection at all in uk?

Having been on this forum for nearly a year now (my Turbo was one of the earlier deliveries in the UK as I put a deposit down the day after it was launched in the UK), I've seen enough posts from fellow UK users regarding the same issues to know that my car is not the exception, and as annoying as my own issues are, I know many other drivers on here have had far worse.

The significant additional costs/things I paid for so expect to work on my spec were:

The electric charging cover which failed to open with a press (Porsche apparently fixed it, so now it opens 50% of the time - the other 50% I have to get back into the car, turn it on, turn it off, press the button on the screen, get back out of the car). Inconvenient but not life threatening - however when you pay for something extra you expect it to be fit for purpose.

Innodrive with Active Lane Keeping Assist, which I insisted on because it was my most used feature on the Audi e-tron the Macan replaced - being able to set the car to read the speed limits and change my speed on major highways as appropriate. Porsche updated the software, so now it accurately tells me 40% (being generous) of the speed limits. Alas, when it suddenly tried to change my speed from 70 to 5 (the sign said 50) on a busy dual carriage way I turned Innodrive off, never to be trusted again. I also can't trust the indicated speed shown on the dash board for the same reason. I know these systems can't be relied upon 100% but the car trying to kill me through being rear ended by a lorry on the M6 is not my chosen way to die. This is an issue regularly reported by UK owners on here.

Add to that the Active Lane Keeping Assist regularly veering me towards oncoming traffic when it mistakes a pot hole repair in the road (of which there are thousands in the UK!) for a while line, or a grass verge for God knows what, and my driving style has significantly had to change from one hand on the wheel and the other on the arm rest as it was in my e-tron, to both hands constantly tensed on the wheel with my thumbs tucked in for extra grip. It's just not an enjoyable drive. This is also an issue regularly reported by UK owners on here.

The Surround View With Active Parking Support is shockingly poor from it's 4/5 cameras, compared to the 16 the e-tron had. Thankfully my own reverse parking is spot on, but I thought it would come in handy for parallel parking, which I do less frequently and therefore with less accuracy. The system either can't identify a suitable spot, when my own eyes and parking ability can, or it gets half way through a manoeuvre, stops abruptly and tells me to take over. I actually do a better job myself even with my lack of skill lol So its something I don't use and therefore a waste of money. Again - lots of chat on the forum about the same issue.

Then there are the multiple alerts about impending impacts (when there is nothing driving or parked on the road ahead of me, but cars parked on the pavement), two of which have resulted in the car actually doing an emergency stop, much to the shock of myself and my husband who was also in the car at the time. Porsche haven't been able to stop it from happening, and there's no way to adjust the sensitivity. Another issue which has seen plenty of chat - albeit I haven't seen many stories of emergency stops elsewhere. It is another 'feature' that means I can't fully relax when I'm driving it, as I don't know when I'm likely to next get mild whiplash (although my osteopath has had some business out of it! lol). Add to that the multiple error messages that, for example, told me last week that AC charging was not available and to contact Service. The week before it was a faulty rear differential. Prior to that the headlights, this system not working, that system not working. For a near 12 month old car Porsche really should have ironed out all of this rubbish. I get that there will be teething issues, but they have had 12 months and the Taycan before that to iron out how they delivery their EV technology.

To keep a fair balance - the keyless entry with foot operated boot, the ventilated seats after I've been to the gym, and the rear wheel steering to get onto my very tight angled driveway at home (which my husband first had on his Taycan so I copied), are all well used and fully operational. However, they don't really add to making the Macan an enjoyable drive - they are mainly just at the start and end of my journeys.

The car has been in with Porsche 4 times since I took ownership. Each time they just say they have done what they could and that they were aware of some 'common issues' that were being addressed by Porsche technical. Blah blah blah.

 

[SuperH]

You assume MB will get the handle of this EV thing in a better way? That’s a gamble as well, new GLC and Neue Klasse will be based on new 800v platforms with who knows how many bugs. Porsche TBH is ahead of this. Plus MB is no better at reliability, my friends’ brand new GLS has been at the shop for faulty transmission for 3 months. These stories are everywhere and as cars get more complicated chances of buying a lemon go up.

I’ve had my share of problems with Macan and was frustrated at one point mainly because of all the time I’ve lost. But after calmly analyzing all options I’ve come to a concusion - either they’ll fix it or I’ll replace it for Taycan or another Macan. You wont find a better EV on the market at the moment.

I'm basing my opinion of MB's electric offering on my close friends EQE, his daughters EQA, and my best friend's husband's EQA. They may not be any better than Porsche, but they can't be much worse - in my current opinion, and I'll have paid considerably less money to find out.

A coupe isn't an option for me as I have watersports kit I can't fit into my husband's Taycan as is, and as premium compact SUVs go its either going to be the GLC EV or the SQ6 e-tron. I adored my e-tron sportback but alas they have culled the renamed version of the Q8 etron, and for looks and cost, the GLC wins both for me vs Audi. I have got to have an EV as it's a company car (my husband and I are the company) and EVs have more benefits than ICE, so a Macan ICE also isn't an option, and to be honest, given my poor experience with this, my first Porsce, I would be very reluctant to try another at full price.

 

[MKSZ51]

I bed to differ regarding

a) the OP stating the price is the only thing wrong with the Macan as I can still state a whole list of tech faults/functions that have had to be disabled as they are dangerous with my soon to be one year old Turbo that are still a pain in the ass/don't work at all

and b) that it's not more expensive than a comparable Mercedes - having just reached the end of my tether with the Macan issues and priced up a top of the range Mercedes GLC EV which has many many more gadgets and functions, and somewhat unessential but fun toys, than the Macan for £75k. Compared to my £105k Turbo (the amount I paid a year ago) for a car that has had to have most of the extras I paid for turned off as they don't function safely/they just don't work in the first place.

Sorry Porsche, but the Macan was my first and last car from your brand, and I'm currently 99% heading to Mercedes as soon as I can test drive a GCL EV.

I've owned an ICE Macan and currently own a Macan 4 EV. I've also owned 2 Mercedes GLKs and a Mercedes GLC. One thing the Mercedes will NEVER compel you to say is "Wow, this drives just like a Porsche". For additional perspective I've also owned a 718 Cayman, a 992.1 911, and currently am awaiting delivery on a 2026 911 Targa 4S. No other vehicle brand that I've owned (including Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Acura) has the dynamic driving feel that any Porsche has. Maybe that's no big deal to you - to me it is. Good luck.

 

[SuperH]

I've owned an ICE Macan and currently own a Macan 4 EV. I've also owned 2 Mercedes GLKs and a Mercedes GLC. One thing the Mercedes will NEVER compel you to say is "Wow, this drives just like a Porsche". For additional perspective I've also owned a 718 Cayman, a 992.1 911, and currently am awaiting delivery on a 2026 911 Targa 4S. No other vehicle brand that I've owned (including Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Acura) has the dynamic driving feel that any Porsche has. Maybe that's no big deal to you - to me it is. Good luck.

Yeah - I think that’s the difference. I’ve realised that I prefer technology and comfort, to speed and being able to throw it around corners but at the risk of being throw into a hedge on the straight and slow . Don’t get me wrong - I have great fun pulling away at the odd junction and blowing away the middle aged ‘boy racers’ left way behind me, but having come from 4 prior SUVs (2 were EV) that were maybe 3 seconds slower 0-60 but full of gadgets to make that slower journey more comfortable, it’s the gadgets, and actually functioning safety features, that I’ve become accustomed to. The e-tron’s route topography would slow you for approaching junctions and speed limit decreases, to utilise regen efficiently. On the Macan, it took two visits to Porsche and a software overhaul just to get the option tickbox in the menu to show as available, and now it’s on it doesn’t actually do a single thing anyway

But each to their own. It’s variety that makes each other interesting

 

[Petzi]

Having been on this forum for nearly a year now (my Turbo was one of the earlier deliveries in the UK as I put a deposit down the day after it was launched in the UK), I've seen enough posts from fellow UK users regarding the same issues to know that my car is not the exception, and as annoying as my own issues are, I know many other drivers on here have had far worse.

The significant additional costs/things I paid for so expect to work on my spec were:

The electric charging cover which failed to open with a press (Porsche apparently fixed it, so now it opens 50% of the time - the other 50% I have to get back into the car, turn it on, turn it off, press the button on the screen, get back out of the car). Inconvenient but not life threatening - however when you pay for something extra you expect it to be fit for purpose.

Innodrive with Active Lane Keeping Assist, which I insisted on because it was my most used feature on the Audi e-tron the Macan replaced - being able to set the car to read the speed limits and change my speed on major highways as appropriate. Porsche updated the software, so now it accurately tells me 40% (being generous) of the speed limits. Alas, when it suddenly tried to change my speed from 70 to 5 (the sign said 50) on a busy dual carriage way I turned Innodrive off, never to be trusted again. I also can't trust the indicated speed shown on the dash board for the same reason. I know these systems can't be relied upon 100% but the car trying to kill me through being rear ended by a lorry on the M6 is not my chosen way to die. This is an issue regularly reported by UK owners on here.

Add to that the Active Lane Keeping Assist regularly veering me towards oncoming traffic when it mistakes a pot hole repair in the road (of which there are thousands in the UK!) for a while line, or a grass verge for God knows what, and my driving style has significantly had to change from one hand on the wheel and the other on the arm rest as it was in my e-tron, to both hands constantly tensed on the wheel with my thumbs tucked in for extra grip. It's just not an enjoyable drive. This is also an issue regularly reported by UK owners on here.

The Surround View With Active Parking Support is shockingly poor from it's 4/5 cameras, compared to the 16 the e-tron had. Thankfully my own reverse parking is spot on, but I thought it would come in handy for parallel parking, which I do less frequently and therefore with less accuracy. The system either can't identify a suitable spot, when my own eyes and parking ability can, or it gets half way through a manoeuvre, stops abruptly and tells me to take over. I actually do a better job myself even with my lack of skill lol So its something I don't use and therefore a waste of money. Again - lots of chat on the forum about the same issue.

Then there are the multiple alerts about impending impacts (when there is nothing driving or parked on the road ahead of me, but cars parked on the pavement), two of which have resulted in the car actually doing an emergency stop, much to the shock of myself and my husband who was also in the car at the time. Porsche haven't been able to stop it from happening, and there's no way to adjust the sensitivity. Another issue which has seen plenty of chat - albeit I haven't seen many stories of emergency stops elsewhere. It is another 'feature' that means I can't fully relax when I'm driving it, as I don't know when I'm likely to next get mild whiplash (although my osteopath has had some business out of it! lol). Add to that the multiple error messages that, for example, told me last week that AC charging was not available and to contact Service. The week before it was a faulty rear differential. Prior to that the headlights, this system not working, that system not working. For a near 12 month old car Porsche really should have ironed out all of this rubbish. I get that there will be teething issues, but they have had 12 months and the Taycan before that to iron out how they delivery their EV technology.

To keep a fair balance - the keyless entry with foot operated boot, the ventilated seats after I've been to the gym, and the rear wheel steering to get onto my very tight angled driveway at home (which my husband first had on his Taycan so I copied), are all well used and fully operational. However, they don't really add to making the Macan an enjoyable drive - they are mainly just at the start and end of my journeys.

The car has been in with Porsche 4 times since I took ownership. Each time they just say they have done what they could and that they were aware of some 'common issues' that were being addressed by Porsche technical. Blah blah blah.

OK. You do not seem to understand the meaning of the word "assistance". If you expect that a merceds will do better with British speed signs , good luck. If you expect a system like Innodrive to work without interventions, you need to buy one of the taxis that are driving around LA, the ones with all the sensors and cameras..

all the other complaints your dealer should have fixed months ago.

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