Seeking Build Feedback - Turbo or GTS

[FirstEV]

After seen the Cayenne in the flesh I’m not really impressed not much more practical space and “uglier”, though that is personal … I hold final judgement till after the introduction of the coupe …

I understand your point, but speaking from direct experience as someone running three child seats in the rear, the Cayenne is significantly more practical and spacious than the Macan.

Even the Cayenne ICE, despite being smaller than the new Cayenne EV, is far better packaged than the Macan EV. So while I can agree with some of the other arguments, when it comes to overall practicality and space, that simply isn’t true.

That is without even factoring in the nearly 800L of rear cargo space plus the ~90L frunk, which further widens the gap.

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[Garylaw]

Not tempted by Xiaomi YU7??

I have to say the Xiaomi YU7 looks bloody amazing and could blow most other ev manufacturers out the water, although might be years before it gets sold in Europe

 

[SergeyIndy]

Great that you're recognising your son, though my kids will have to wait, I promised myself an 911 before I'm 40!

You can debate the spec all day long, ultimately it comes down to personal preference but one thing appears to be missing taking into account the lengthy list of options is keyless entry. You don't have it in the park surround options nor selected individually?

I also assume 2D surround view is standard in US markets?

You have also selected the premium pack, which you have then superseded with Burmester and sports seats (which I'm sure also drops the ventilation). Reducing the additional options by 50%, by number, not perhaps 50% by value.

Are the finance numbers in the configurator accurate? Two and half years and 25k and it's lost almost 50% of its value? My build and spec is about 50% after four years and 80k. I thought UK markets are tough.

I understand that for most Porsche enthusiasts the 911 is the ultimate, but somehow, I do not get it having driven several variants of all kinds including Turbo S, and most recently a GT3 on the new track in Atlanta. My ultimate is my Taycan Turbo and it does everything so perfectly and flawlessly for any driving situation so every drive is guaranteed to be fun. Macan EV to me is not even close to the Taycan for driving dynamics being an SUV but certainly more practical.

Macan EV packaging input is appreciated but here in the US, Surround View for the GTS is standard equipment including Keyless Entry. The options on our configurator are to take these up a notch with 3D Surround and Digital Key. I understand what these are but do not need them.

As far as Premium Pack, that is a value here in the US and then you can upgrade from there without losing the value of the Pack discount. This is to say that without the Pack when choosing options individually, it will be more.

I am not sure about the financing as these are just some projections. The financing is done at the time of purchase and I hope the rates will drop by summer. Previously financed my cars well below inflation levels so there is sure benefit of doing so instead of paying cash upfront.

 

[TS23]

I understand that for most Porsche enthusiasts the 911 is the ultimate, but somehow, I do not get it having driven several variants of all kinds including Turbo S, and most recently a GT3 on the new track in Atlanta. My ultimate is my Taycan Turbo and it does everything so perfectly and flawlessly for any driving situation so every drive is guaranteed to be fun. Macan EV to me is not even close to the Taycan for driving dynamics being an SUV but certainly more practical.

Macan EV packaging input is appreciated but here in the US, Surround View for the GTS is standard equipment including Keyless Entry. The options on our configurator are to take these up a notch with 3D Surround and Digital Key. I understand what these are but do not need them.

As far as Premium Pack, that is a value here in the US and then you can upgrade from there without losing the value of the Pack discount. This is to say that without the Pack when choosing options individually, it will be more.

I am not sure about the financing as these are just some projections. The financing is done at the time of purchase and I hope the rates will drop by summer. Previously financed my cars well below inflation levels so there is sure benefit of doing so instead of paying cash upfront.

I’ve done a couple of Cayman’s and an ICE Macan, and whilst the Cayman is the pick of the choice as the drivers car (or certainly in the less hardcore variants), the 911 has a level of maturity and importantly rear seats for a young family.

Horses for courses though, and fully appreciate the views on the Taycan. It’s certainly the most versatile daily driver.

Ref financing, it wasn’t so much the finance aspect or even the rate, but the forecasted depreciation.

 

[W1NGE]

I have to say the Xiaomi YU7 looks bloody amazing and could blow most other ev manufacturers out the water, although might be years before it gets sold in Europe
[/QUOTEn
Coming soon I think.ajd cheap as chips.

 

[Garylaw]

All ive read is possibly 2027 nothing to indicate any sooner. Multiple magnetic programmable buttons is fantastic idea, especially to turn off all the bings n bongs
The seem to have to pulled off great performance, cabin space, boot space and next level tech in a very good looking car at a ridiculously low price

 

[Yves]

I understand your point, but speaking from direct experience as someone running three child seats in the rear, the Cayenne is significantly more practical and spacious than the Macan.

Even the Cayenne ICE, despite being smaller than the new Cayenne EV, is far better packaged than the Macan EV. So while I can agree with some of the other arguments, when it comes to overall practicality and space, that simply isn’t true.

That is without even factoring in the nearly 800L of rear cargo space plus the ~90L frunk, which further widens the gap.

On paper it seems a lot bigger for the passenger it is not that more roomy, I have 3 teens and the leg room is not that much better especially compared to Chinese offerings, I do not understand where the space really is … the trunk in bigger on paper, I should really test it as visually I was not impressed and it seemed not as big as the Q7 I had …
The cayenne is also just about 20cm longer you cannot expect real space miracles with that increase.

 

[Awaz]

Yes, Xiaomi YU7 looks cheap as chips, but for Chinese.
The track record shows when such cars come to Europe, they are heavily marked-up (and duties, of course).
Chinese know where to make money as their domestic market is very competitive.
They would still be comparatively cheaper to Porsches, Audis etc.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Test Drove a 2025 Macan Turbo today that just arrived at a dealer 2 hours away as I am still deciding between a Turbo and GTS.

- First, I am not sure who configures these, but it did not have full leather, no RWS, and interior was just Black overriding the Black with Turbonite exclusive to Turbo bits.

- Second, as soon as I got it, plenty of errors in your face with a heart symbol like it is having a heart attack. That was not for nothing as ACC was not selectable. Dealer said, to lock, wait, unlock and restart. This is a 2025 that was just built a few months before, and this is still going on.

- Third, the dealer most likely follows the rule to overinflate tires so they are all +5psi over so the ride is pretty harsh given 22 inch wheels and all season tires. If they want to sell more of them, they need to make the tires softer by not doing so, since some may compare this to a Lexus and that is just a float boat.

Afterall, enjoyed the drive with lots of power and as good of a handling as you can get even without RWS. I did launch it and it felt fast but very controlled as expected. Now wondering, if GTS most likely will improve the handling but the compromise is highway comfort. Also, at highway speeds, lots of wind noise and overinflated tires did not help. Somehow, I do not get any perceptible wind noise from my Macan ICE or Cayenne, but on this test drive it was just way too much, so I may need to test another one of any kind to see if that is on all of them but should not be with its impressive Cd.

 

[MMR]

On my MY26 Turbo I only ever see the yellow heart symbol when the sun is low and there’s a lot of glare. In those conditions ACC isn’t selectable, presumably because the system can’t reliably assist. Once the lighting improves everything works normally again.

It feels more like a limitation of the assistance system in certain lighting conditions rather than an actual fault.

One thing to bear in mind is that on the ICE cars, a lot of that wind noise is probably being masked by engine and drivetrain noise, especially at motorway speeds. In an EV, with everything else being so quiet, wind noise becomes much more noticeable.

That said, if it stood out that much on your test drive, it may be worth
considering the insulated/laminated glass option, which can make a noticeable difference.

 

[SergeyIndy]

@MMR very helpful feedback.

ACC and Glare: This also makes sense as a root cause but not as a limitation of ACC from the hardware design perspective. Macan was standing facing bright sun, so when I was driving it for about 30 min, I decided to try it out and drive assist and it was greyed out. I have never had anything remote on Macan ICE or Taycan with ACC, but they have a completely different sensor that looks like a ball vs. flat sensor on the Macan EV. This is terrible design if you ask me if sun glare makes ACC function not available without telling the driver why.

Wind Noise: Somehow, the wind noise to me is not something that an ICE engine can mask, so I will definitely will drive more examples to figure this out. However, I do have insulated glass on my Macan ICE and Cayenne so may be you are onto something. No wind noise on they Taycan driving same stretch of highway back home, but again it is not an SUV and it has insulated glass.

Bottom line: more time needed to get comfortable, but do not see how the ACC sensor glare issue is fixable.

 

[W1NGE]

@MMR very helpful feedback.

ACC and Glare: This also makes sense as a root cause but not as a limitation of ACC from the hardware design perspective. Macan was standing facing bright sun, so when I was driving it for about 30 min, I decided to try it out and drive assist and it was greyed out. I have never had anything remote on Macan ICE or Taycan with ACC, but they have a completely different sensor that looks like a ball vs. flat sensor on the Macan EV. This is terrible design if you ask me if sun glare makes ACC function not available without telling the driver why.

Wind Noise: Somehow, the wind noise to me is not something that an ICE engine can mask, so I will definitely will drive more examples to figure this out. However, I do have insulated glass on my Macan ICE and Cayenne so may be you are onto something. No wind noise on they Taycan driving same stretch of highway back home, but again it is not an SUV and it has insulated glass.

Bottom line: more time needed to get comfortable, but do not see how the ACC sensor glare issue is fixable.

This is not an ACC issue and relates to the Emergency Stop function.

 

[MMR]

This is not an ACC issue and relates to the Emergency Stop function.

For me, a number of yellow warnings pop up in very bright glare, and the main impact is that ACC becomes unavailable.

It’s very infrequent - twice in 2 months ownership, lasting a few minutes on each occasion.

 

[W1NGE]

For me, a number of yellow warnings pop up in very bright glare, and the main impact is that ACC becomes unavailable.

It’s very infrequent - twice in 2 months ownership, lasting a few minutes on each occasion.

Yep,.so again the Owner's manual will discuss briefly the conditions which may impair these systems - moisture, sunlight etc.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Back to the topic in case it helps others. After my test drive of the Macan EV Turbo and the purpose that I am going for, the Turbo is out, and GTS is in. This is my rationale for it, but I do want to ask to critique it as directly as possible.

GTS Build: PT1HKU97

Rationale for elimination of Turbo in order of importance:

#1. Highway and daily lows speed bumpy road comfort is not there since the only wheels I like the look of are 22-inch and there is nothing can overcome this and then my choice looks good on the configurator but super odd in person on the 2 Macans that were on the lot. This is the wheel and again does not look bad on a picture but not great in person.

#2. Round about handling may be even more important as we live in the world record of round abouts area certified by Guiness. The handling of Base, 4, and 4S on 21 of 22 without PTV+ and RWS was not good and van like as it is very heavy and wide. GTS is attempting to address this with 10mm lower normal setup, then I am ok with default 21-inch wheels and claimed tuning for better turning and cornering.

#3. Extra power is there on paper but in real life not perceptible to me vs. a 4S as the torque off the line is instant but then probably not much difference when passing at highway speeds. Launch control is a one trick pony so that is not something earning Turbo significant points. Also, I am betting on aftermarket tunes to appear later to match Turbo, but unlikely needed.

#4. Packaging is also not to my preference as I do not like carbon and prefer standard equipment black brushed aluminum of the GTS.

#5. GTS also comes with free upgrade to Glacier blue front and back with a theme of snow/ice for the color scheme and then arctic blue seatbelts to bring that theme inside.

#6. Other options are a lock as I cannot do without them: BM audio, Thermal Glass, Race-tex liner with steering to match, and all other cosmetic bits I am very familiar with.

#7. The only option I am struggling with is Drive Assist. ACC vs. Drive Assist does not explicitly states which one has ALK as this was the official term but now it is just some words below. Can someone confirm that Drive Assist is needed for ALK. Looks like it is in highlight.

Also, based on my dealer and the one I visited, they all have at least 1 GTS allocation with pretty quick turnaround and 1 Turbo with no one competing for them.

Fun bit, Porsche has a graph to measure emotion, so that is what you get with the GTS and the unique Sport Sounds are there to help. See ya all with the Turbos in my rear-view mirror on the emotional highway.

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