Before I purchased my 2020 base I test drove the S and base. When in Sport, the base is plenty peppy enough. I liked the S more because it didn't have the turbo lag the base does but that is a split second and didn't seem worth the extra 8K in my opinion. I chose to spend that money on other features that made it more unique to me. I know this isn't the technical answer you are looking for but for me, I felt the base and S were close enough, it talked me out of the S.

 

Macan Base: 2.0 liter, inline 4-cylinder engine and 248 horsepower.
Macan S: 3.0-liter, V-6 engine that and 348 horsepower.

In my view that is the same as flying on coach vs business class.

 

Under the hood, the Base engine looks like a baby compared to the S.

I dunno about engine components, but the Base only has one air intake vs the S has dual intakes.

I’m not sure if it’s a 2015 vs 2020 differences, but with the Base you can see the pavement through the engine bay. The S, there is too much engineering magic and perhaps an underpanel that you can’t see the pavement at all.

 

When I dropped off my 2015 S for service they gave me a 2020 Base. It was peppy in sport for around town driving say under 45 mph (it was almost more drivable than the laggy S in comfort). Where the base lacks grunt is on the freeway or on the higher end of the spectrum. On the highway on ramp I gave it a go, and it seemed to run out of steam fairly quickly. It also doesn't help that I have the Cobb Tune on my S. For 80% of the time though, the base would have been just fine. That new screen though is leaps and bounds better than the old PCM.

 

Yeah.. that bigger screen, and the new front LED lights

 

Base is fine, you get into a Macan and it is even peppier in city-only driving. Plenty of power on the interstate if you give the turbo some pedal and about a second to build up rpm before mashing it, you'll buzz around anybody very quickly.

If you're doing a fair amount of interstate or country driving, strongly consider the S and above. For about the entire first month of owning the car, what always struck me was how good the PDK is. Was, and am, convinced Porsche could put a little lightweight 140 hp engine in and it would still be peppy and a blast to drive around town.

 

Yeah! Definitely! It seems that it is widely agreed that PDK plays a big part in the “performance” of the Macans, regardless of which engine is under the hood. Not having driven too many cars, I could not tell exactly how much better it is compared to others. For example to my old 2017 c300 coupe. But I guess the difference is in the tenth of seconds. I will need to drive more to get a better feeling of it.

 

We are totally pleased with the performance of our '18 Macan SE. It is used mostly for around town trips and occasional short highway runs. Maybe the time to higher speeds takes a bit longer, but you don't really notice, as the Macan is just so nice to drive overall. Glad we saved the money and spent it on the air suspension, premium plus, etc. Remember, a 0-60 in about 6 seconds used to be very fast. If you don't want to put a lot of money into the Macan, get the 4-cyl engine, you will still love it.
Edit: Just want to add that the Macan is usually driven by the Mrs. I have a 911. I have to say that the Macan can be really fun to drive. It is tossable, makes great noises but manages a comfy ride. As most of you know, it is very well built, nothing feels second rate.

 

The almost 300lbs weight saving over the front axle from the base over S also means more nimble handling and reduced the feeling of power difference

 

I believe it’s only a little over 100 lbs, but it does make a noticeable difference in handling.

 

I’d read 275 lb at one time.

 

That’s total weight difference, not just the front end.

 

Other than marginally larger brakes (and are the standard wheels an inch bigger on the S?), is there much else different that adds weight besides the engine?

 

Per the US Porsche configurator, Base Macan curb weight is 4099 lbs and Macan S curb weight is 4293 lbs. A difference of 194 lbs.

 

So like having an average sized American male sitting on top of your bumper at all times lol.

 

And after reading the “oil leaks” thread which consisted all engines except the base EA888 i am really doubting the long term reliability of the higher trim engines. At least with EA888 you know it’s tried and tested and if anything goes wrong it won’t cost much to fix like a VW. Is that why Porsche changed the engines for S and above models with the facelift? Design flaws for old ones? Typically a facelift shouldn’t involve drastic engine changes

 

I think the new engine choice was purely for economy of scale. It's used in multiple Porsche /Audi cars.

 

I just got my 2017 Macan S not long ago, and i had to drop it off at the dealer for tire replacement.
They gave me a 2019 Macan base as the loaner car. That car felt pretty peppy when put into sports mode, and when I am at the right RPM.
Now that got me wonder what is the actual difference in performance between S and Base model. And was there any performance update for the 2019 Macan Base? (AFAIK, it should be identical to a 2017 one, but I might be wrong)

Cheers

You really notice the difference when you have extra weight in the car, and especially when overtaking at speed. The base is fine around town and for 1-2 people; it lacks the punch and effortless power of the S when the car is loaded up or on the highway. One thing to consider is that the AUDI 4 turbo is a very highly stressed and very delicate engine, coupled with pushing along 1800kg, it simply won't last as long as the 6 cylinder. I too drove a Base as a loaner whilst my S was being serviced and thought it was good around town, but when I picked up my S and drove back to my country home, wow what a difference.

 

One thing to consider is that the AUDI 4 turbo is a very highly stressed and very delicate engine, coupled with pushing along 1800kg, it simply won't last as long as the 6 cylinder.

While I agree that the 6 cyl has some performance advantages over the 4 cyl, I wouldn't say durability would be an issue with the turbo 4. That EA888 engine is robust and well proven, and the fairly modest state of tune in the Macan (252 HP) is less than other applications where it gets closer to 400HP. Things like oil leaks are common in all Audi/VW engine configurations, and my guess is the 6 cyl and 4 cyl probably have similar record on such issues (along with the Porsche V6). But overall the Audi 2.0 turbo engine is strong and durable and should be fine in the Macan. As an aside, many vehicles over 2 tonnes worldwide are now being equipped with 2.0 litre turbo 4 cylinder engines.

 

The Audi engine is a great engine and nobody can argue that, is solid performs very well and you can get a lot more power from it with minimal bolt ons.
The only thing that I can take from every new 4 cyl turbo engine is the lack of low end torque, they are 100% turbo dependent, before the turbo kicks in you have a very slow car, after the turbo kicks in we are back in business, this is not just the Audi, is just the configuration of a small engine helped by a turbocharger.
In my case I never measured the 0-60 and I'm not a top speed guy, I just want torque, a lot of torque, I want to floor it and I want immediate response, I can't deal with that second or more that takes to build up boost and get ready to go.
Good torque get's you out of trouble, you can go for that gap right in time without bothering anybody around, you can pull off from that idiot sticking to your ass right away, that's what I want on a car and in my opinion the base Macan don't have that.

 

I agree 100% with your statement in the normal driving mode, but when the 2.0 is put in sport it does respond instantly. Granted it responds even better when the turbo does kick in but there is no hesitation when driving in Sport mode.

 

To answer your question, I have driven a few base loaners. The base jumps off the line a little quicker. It handles a little different because of the lighter engine. The S pulls much harder at the top end at around 4,500 rpms you can really start to feel it pull. The S is about .7 seconds faster to 60 so that is a decent amount the base is probably quicker to 20.

 

This probably comes down to 3 factors, of which number 3 is most critical (and personal):
1. Weight - driver only or maybe 2 people total vs a heavier load.
2. Roads - suburban vs higher speed highways.
3. Driving style - your personal need for acceleration.
Maybe add agility, fuel economy, and sound as minor factors?

 

Base + Cobb is the right combo. That 2.0L engine can definitely get to 300 hp.

 

Base + APR Stage 1 gets to over 300HP as well just with a software tune. (About 25% increase in both HP and torque.)

Apparently it really wakes up the EA888 engine.

 

Yes, best of both sides. Of course, it’s still a little 2.0L engine.

 

Are you saying just a canned tune and no additional parts (intake/air filter, down pipe, etc) will get the 2.0 to 300whp?


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Yes. Stage 2 would be changing out parts, but the 2.0 with only Stage 1 gets to 308 HP I believe. I have no connection to APR, but their website shows the revised power and torque curves. They have been doing Audi and VW tunes for years.

 

Yes. Other car manufacturers have done that all the time.

 

Yes, of course you can get 300Hp and with a few bolt on parts you can get close to 400, at least that what a friend of mine got on his Audi.
BUT, it's still a 2.0, no instant torque and if you are driving on 6th gear at 50 miles/h and want to give it a go you'll need to wait until the turbo starts boosting hard to feel the power.
On a V6 that does not happen, you have power from the first touch of the gas pedal.
This is not a Macan 2.0 issue, is just a small engine that thanks to a turbocharger generates a lot of power, without the turbocharger is still a 2.0 engine.
I'm not saying 2.0 > Bad, 3.0> Good, is just that they are two very different animals.

 

6th gear at 50 miles/h<

In that drive mode I would definitely downshift to give it the go. This is the beauty of the PDK with it's extremely fast response. I'll also add that the Germans must be pretty confident of the 2.0 since it is used in everything from the Q7 down to the Golf

 

Awesome. Yeah, I just got my base and haven’t looked into making any power yet. My 650whp full bolt-on E85 GTR kinda fills that role when needing to go fast. But having a little more power in the Macan is definitely attractive. I’ll check out APR and also see what Cobb has to offer. Thanks.


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The 2.0L can crank out 300 hp easily. Question is other components in the drivetrain. The possible weak link is the PDK. However, if the Base Macan uses the same PDK unit as the S model, then all is good.

The GTS and Turbo models use beefier PDK units than the S model.

 

The GTS and Turbo models use beefier PDK units than the S model.

Can you cite your source for this info?

 

Next gen Macan would be all electric if instant acceleration is what you are after

 

You can search the forum as this has been discussed many times before.