Why it must be a Macan vs Taycan for me. How to spec (UK)

[Ross]

I am not interested in 2WD or loony power so Macan 4 is the one for me. The direct comparison is with The Taycan 4 Cross T.
Price UK 69,800 vs 88,200
£18,400 difference.

You get the following for ‘FREE’ on a Macan that I would want and have to pay for on a Taycan


20’ wheels
Foldy Mirrors
4+1 seats
Lane Change Assist
A charging cable!

Thats £3000 worth and I am not including the free ambient lighting.
I wouldn’t pay for it but it’s nice to have and good for resale. I can turn it off if it’s shit, just like the sports noise.

Also I want the following extras
Auto dim
18 way seats
Roof rails
Innodrive
Matrix lights
Steer +
Partition net
And I want Ice Grey.

(Can’t have Crayon/Chalk.
A good thing as I have had 2 Crayon Taycans.
Forced my hand.)

These extras are more than £4000 less
on a Macan.

So a CT4 would cost me 101,000
The Macan 4 £75,000
£26,000 saved
Bargain(?!)

Other points

The only useful thing about Sports Chrono is the wheel knob and that is standard on all Macans. No need for SChrono.
You don’t even get the sports wheel. You have to buy that separately in a Macan.
SChrono is an utter, utter waste of time in a Macan


Air suspension…
I would like it but I am FED UP with scuffing the Taycan when I forget it’s in LOW or even more annoying,
Smart Lift doesn’t work.

There are horror stories of people ripping their arses out in a Taycan.
I am happy with the raised mechanical suspension.

Don’t need PASM. I am NOT going to track it. Never tracked the Taycan. Just don’t have the time.

If you want a glass roof it’s the same price and the Macan one actually opens and you get a blind.

Final bonuses…

Base trim has microfibre seats.
Excellent. I don’t like dead cow skin.

My kids fit much better in the back.

Same speed and more power.

I am not range obsessed but 100 more miles is VERY useful.

There are more Taycans near me that Ford Mondeos, or Macan ICEs.

I have deposited.
Macan 4 arriving July
Taycan handed back to finance company May

2 months Cycling to work and begging my wife to borrow her car.

 

[WuffvonTrips]

And unless you took a MY24 from new stock, you'd be waiting even longer to get a Taycan (though expected delivery dates for either can't be relied upon) which will be a facelift so a larger price differential (though with an improved base spec that might change the spec balance sheet relative to a Macan).

 

[shawn]

I am not interested in 2WD or loony power so Macan 4 is the one for me. The direct comparison is with The Taycan 4 Cross T.
Price UK 69,800 vs 88,200
£18,400 difference.

You get the following for ‘FREE’ on a Macan that I would want and have to pay for on a Taycan


20’ wheels
Foldy Mirrors
4+1 seats
Lane Change Assist
A charging cable!

Thats £3000 worth and I am not including the free ambient lighting.
I wouldn’t pay for it but it’s nice to have and good for resale. I can turn it off if it’s shit, just like the sports noise.

Also I want the following extras
Auto dim
18 way seats
Roof rails
Innodrive
Matrix lights
Steer +
Partition net
And I want Ice Grey.

(Can’t have Crayon/Chalk.
A good thing as I have had 2 Crayon Taycans.
Forced my hand.)

These extras are more than £4000 less
on a Macan.

So a CT4 would cost me 101,000
The Macan 4 £75,000
£26,000 saved
Bargain(?!)

Other points

The only useful thing about Sports Chrono is the wheel knob and that is standard on all Macans. No need for SChrono.
You don’t even get the sports wheel. You have to buy that separately in a Macan.
SChrono is an utter, utter waste of time in a Macan


Air suspension…
I would like it but I am FED UP with scuffing the Taycan when I forget it’s in LOW or even more annoying,
Smart Lift doesn’t work.

There are horror stories of people ripping their arses out in a Taycan.
I am happy with the raised mechanical suspension.

Don’t need PASM. I am NOT going to track it. Never tracked the Taycan. Just don’t have the time.

If you want a glass roof it’s the same price and the Macan one actually opens and you get a blind.

Final bonuses…

Base trim has microfibre seats.
Excellent. I don’t like dead cow skin.

My kids fit much better in the back.

Same speed and more power.

I am not range obsessed but 100 more miles is VERY useful.

There are more Taycans near me that Ford Mondeos, or Macan ICEs.

I have deposited.
Macan 4 arriving July
Taycan handed back to finance company May

2 months Cycling to work and begging my wife to borrow her car.

You may want to look into innodrive before you pay up front. Youtube reviews of it are not impressive and you can pay a subscription to try it out for a few months instead and then consider paying full price if you accept its limitations. I took it off my list.

 

[Ross]

You may want to look into innodrive before you pay up front. Youtube reviews of it are not impressive and you can pay a subscription to try it out for a few months instead and then consider paying full price if you accept its limitations. I took it off my list.

Interesting point.
Totally agree about Innodrive.
I am indifferent to Innodrive but DEFINITELY want Active Lane Keeping.
This feature is fabulous.
Buying ACC then buying ALK via FoD won’t be far off the price of full Innodrive from the factory and the next generation Inno might be better than the Taycan.

Full Innodrive on a Macan is also HALF the price of the Taycan, about the same price as JUST ACC on the Taycan, so it’s a definite yes from me.

I am contemplating the HUD too…..?
It is one of the few extras that is more expensive on the Macan than the Taycan but is a huge improvement AND it doesn’t make the dash look aftermarket, shitty and bulbous!

 

[ThomasDK]

Are we sure the Macan also have FoD for innodrive and other things?

 

[Ross]

Are we sure the Macan also have FoD for innodrive and other things?

I would be amazed if Porsche remove this source of income.
Better get Innodrive to guarantee the wonderful Active Lane Keeping just in case

 

[Gnasher]

Porsche are going to release a RWD and a 4S variant in next couple of months.. I'm waiting for the 4S as i think it's the sweet spot and will have extras i want.

Incidently, you didn't option a windscreen wiper

Dealer told me not to as much as it seems sensible....

 

[Ross]

Porsche are going to release a RWD and a 4S variant in next couple of months.. I'm waiting for the 4S as i think it's the sweet spot and will have extras i want.

Incidently, you didn't option a windscreen wiper

Dealer told me not to as much as it seems sensible....

My next car was going to be a Taycan CT4 until Macan showed and I need it now so Mac 4 is my perfect switch.
I agree about other models but the 2WD won’t be much cheaper and I plan to drive to the Alps. I don’t need more speed with a 4S. I think GTS will be sweet spot but too far away and I still would get the 4.

No rear wiper is an active definite choice for me.
My salesman queried my spec too.

NOTE. The launch cars never have the rear wiper because it looks so shit.
Like an ugly wart on a perfect smooth rear end.

I always think a 911 looks tragically bad with a rear wiper.

I don’t need it as the EV Mac does not have a roof spoiler so aero will mostly clear it like a Taycan saloon
Rainex is great. It just stays clear.
Its a boot lip spoiler unlike the ICE Macan.

I have driven a Taycan saloon without wiper for 4 years. Never had a problem

 

[Ross]

Just noticed the rear ends of the new Macans more closely.

Of course I am tempted by a Turbo.
Air Sus, 18 ways, Auto Dim, Steer+ standard that I want.
Trying to justify it with man maths.

Just noticed that the dreadful, naff, fake vents on the Turbo rear are NOT on the Mac 4.

That seals the £22,000 saving (my spec) for me.

You may as well put a rear wiper on the back of a turbo because it won’t look much worse.

 

[JonoNZ]

I waited for the Taycan facelift announcement before deciding which way to go. A very substantial and impressive update for the Taycan, but I ultimately decided the Macan Turbo was the way to go for me. I can highly spec it just how I like, have amazing performance still, and come in way under the Taycan price and put the balance towards a 718 Electric! I was also pretty unhappy buying a car as expensive as the Taycan with the old PCM hardware which is already end-of-life imo. The Macan PPE platform is right up-to-date and I like that.

So my order is now placed for a Macan Turbo in Ice Grey Metallic, spec'ed quite similar to the launch media car, but I've dropped the carbon off the sides and opted for Black high gloss. Spec is PR1X9KR5.

 

[tmrqs]

I waited for the Taycan facelift announcement before deciding which way to go. A very substantial and impressive update for the Taycan, but I ultimately decided the Macan Turbo was the way to go for me. I can highly spec it just how I like, have amazing performance still, and come in way under the Taycan price and put the balance towards a 718 Electric! I was also pretty unhappy buying a car as expensive as the Taycan with the old PCM hardware which is already end-of-life imo. The Macan PPE platform is right up-to-date and I like that.

So my order is now placed for a Macan Turbo in Ice Grey Metallic, spec'ed quite similar to the launch media car, but I've dropped the carbon off the sides and opted for Black high gloss. Spec is PR1X9KR5.

What a beauty, congrats!
Do you have a delivery date?

 

[JonoNZ]

What a beauty, congrats!
Do you have a delivery date?

Thank you! Nothing specific yet other than sometime in Q4 2024.

 

[meerec]

I waited for the Taycan facelift announcement before deciding which way to go. A very substantial and impressive update for the Taycan, but I ultimately decided the Macan Turbo was the way to go for me. I can highly spec it just how I like, have amazing performance still, and come in way under the Taycan price and put the balance towards a 718 Electric! I was also pretty unhappy buying a car as expensive as the Taycan with the old PCM hardware which is already end-of-life imo. The Macan PPE platform is right up-to-date and I like that.

So my order is now placed for a Macan Turbo in Ice Grey Metallic, spec'ed quite similar to the launch media car, but I've dropped the carbon off the sides and opted for Black high gloss. Spec is PR1X9KR5.

Looks good, if you like the ice gray it’s so personal of course. But otherwise you’ve ticked all options I must say!! Congrats

 

[JonoNZ]

Looks good, if you like the ice gray it’s so personal of course. But otherwise you’ve ticked all options I must say!! Congrats

Yeah I like Ice Grey and I think it suits the Turbo (Porsche think so too), I've studied it for a while and had a loaner Taycan for the day in that colour. Frozen Blue was the other option, and I love the colour, but I was concerned how it would age over time.

Congrats on your order too, do you have ETA from Porsche AU yet?

 

[meerec]

Yeah I like Ice Grey and I think it suits the Turbo (Porsche think so too), I've studied it for a while and had a loaner Taycan for the day in that colour. Frozen Blue was the other option, and I love the colour, but I was concerned how it would age over time.

Congrats on your order too, do you have ETA from Porsche AU yet?

I’d like to see the car with the different colours at the dealer. But these are conflicting desires: getting the car as soon as possible, and seeing the car first. My dealer in Sydney says they will have the first demo cars arrive in September and they will have an official Aus launch then. It’ll be the first time to see the cars in flesh. I imagine they will want us to lock in the configs for production before September though. So may have to decide on colour without seeing the car in person. Given I’m ordering the Turbo, turbonite is a unique colour that likely not be available for other trims, so I’m going with turbonite internal and external accents. Just like the new badge on the bonnet. It is almost like ‘edition One’ not to be repeated later.