I have a 2016 S. I’ve had a base Macan as a loaner more than once. No comparison in performance. None. The base wouldn’t win in zero-to-anything. I’m one of those reprobates who remain incredulous that Porsche even made the base Macan and stuck their badge on it.

 

I’m one of those reprobates who remain incredulous that Porsche even made the base Macan and stuck their badge on it.

It's really driven by world markets other than North America. Displacements under 2.0 litres have favourable tax advantages in countries where taxes can double the price of a vehicle. That's why Land Rover, Mercedes, BMW and other luxury brands are now making 2 tonne vehicles with 2.0 turbo engines. For Porsche, the four cylinder Macan is the model that sells the most world wide. And Porsche has done at least as good a job as anyone of making a 2.0 turbo drive well.

 

I too love my 2018 base. I got a 2019 base Loaner last year and actually felt that my 18 base drove slightly better and felt a bit peppier...

 

I mentioned this possible explanation in another thread years ago. Loaners may get a diet of low octane gas, forcing the engine to retard timing and reducing performance.

 

Test drove the 2020 S and enjoyed the acceleration. Drove a highly optioned 2020 base for a better price and bought the base.

 

It’s funny for base snobs now as before at least they can claim that the s gts turbo engine are actual Porsche engines but now the s engine is also found in Audi s4 and gts and turbo engines are in the rs4.

 

I have twin 16yo boys that are learning how to drive. I got the base Macan because I didn't want them to learn how to drive on a car with "too much" power. That said, the base Macan is no slouch and handles fantastic.

 

I have a 2018 Sport Edition which amounts to a base Macan with PDK and a few extras. I would love to have a "S" but the Sport Edition gets the job done for me. I have more fun playing with the adjustable suspension than anything else.

 

>>On the highway on ramp I gave it a go, and it seemed to run out of steam fairly quickly.

We're coming upon a year with the Base . . . it sat in NY for months, due to COVID and is now here in Florida getting driven a bit. I'm looking at adding another and am thinking S ( The Porsche Code ) but have had the base in the triple digit zone for nearly an hour and it ran great and never seemed to breathe hard.

We have the 2.0 in the Macan and the 3.0 in the S5 and, while the S5 is a rocket ship, the 2.0 is just fine for what we use it for.

My better half seems to have the right idea . . . "get a 911 Turbo for real fun" and the Macan for a daily driver.

 

I believe that everybody will agree with you other half, in my case the only one which doesn't is my bank account, with a baby on it's way, buying a house and with my salary brutally chopped due to the COVID 19 a used Macan S provides good fun without breaking my finances for a couple of years.
It's good to have options, for some people the performance is not a deal breaker, for others the appearance, for others the luxury.
I just wanted a safe vehicle, which performs in a good way, the faster the better but like I explained before I always look for low end torque and not for top speed and the 2.0 in my opinion fails on that task.
In my case the 2.0 feels plain wrong, maybe because I drive 911's with 500+ hp on a daily basis, but that's my feeling when driving either a Macan or a Q5 with the 2.0 engine, I really don't care if it's an Audi, VW or Ford engine, I can deal with the fact that today every automaker has to make concessions to make money and Porsche is not exempt from that.
I don't think that one is better than the other, they are just different.

 

I’m perfectly content with the Base. It was purchased as kind of a spare fun car for our place in the Hudson Valley. After years of test riding motorcycles I found the Base just fun to drive and never bought into the illusion of a “performance car” mates with “SUV”. Like someone previously said, 8 wanted something with good quality that was fun to drive. She’s been through 7 - 911 variants and really enjoys her cars. Her groom at the barn has some crazy 603HP AMG S63 Cabriolet and I think these woman are car crazy!

My crazy days are well behind me and I’m really enjoying the Base.

 

white the loaner base feels peppy it does not have anywhere near the umph that the S has, also i immediately noticed how crappy the brakes are on the base - that made a huge difference to me.

 

the features may be the same, but the drive is very different in the S vs base.

 

I think this Audi 2.0 is quite underpowered compared to others, like the Stelvio 2.0, which has over 300 lb/ft torque, and a spin to 60 isn’t too far away from the S.

I just can’t believe the base Q7 is also using this 2.0, does this engine even have enough power to push it since the car weights up to over 5000lbs

 

I think this Audi 2.0 is quite underpowered compared to others, like the Stelvio 2.0, which has over 300 lb/ft torque, and a spin to 60 isn’t too far away from the S.

Yes the Stelvio with 240 lb less to move probably feels noticeably quicker. I must say I don't find the base Macan under-powered though, as I learned to drive on a 36hp VW Beetle, and could extract every last ounce of torque out of that little flat-4. I've had cars with V-8s and a Cayman GTS that had gobs of power, but the power that comes from a small motor driven well is a whole lot of fun.

 

I don't know if the brake issue has been addressed but the 2020 base's brakes are spot on. Best brakes of any car I've ever owned.

 

I feel so lucky . . . . after all those years spent test riding sport motorcycles and being subjected to brakes ranging from really bad to unbelievable . . to have snagged one of the . . . apparently rare . . Base Porsche Macan with great brakes.

I feel so lucky.

 

I've never owned a car with better brakes. Am I missing something?

 

I believe that some people want to pay for a base macan but expects 991 turbo S performance.
I own a Q5 with 250hp, the brakes on my Audi are the smaller ones, not even close to the 4 pot installed on the Macan and I never had any issues with my brakes. Of course I drive in a dynamic way, I can adapt to the traffic, I'm not the typical SF driver that wants to go faster no matter how fast everybody drives around them and then when the light changes they smash the brakes in the last second, in that case not even PCCB's are going to be enough.

 

I've had both, a Base, which we traded in on an S. We like to take long road trips, 3k+ miles at a shot, western states, and often at altitude. I found the Base a bit wanting on the long hauls when you need top end power for passing or high altitude driving. while we had it, we thoroughly enjoyed our Base, and actually managed a 3,200 mile trip with an average of 27 MPG (had some really impressive tail wind on a part of the trip), but I had to plan my passing at altitudes of 7k or more, it just ran out of steam. While the S gets worse mileage (22 MPG on a 3,400 mile jaunt), but spool up the turbos and passing is a breeze, and having that extra power has been very useful for us. Around town, the Base is far more tossable, with less weight over the front wheels. Both models have their pluses and minuses. We prefer the S, but, as I said, we did enjoy our Base too.

 

Each day that i choose to drive I have to crawl out of my lair 400 vertical feet up than down than down another 200 feet. Next is up about another 400 feet. Departure includes set Sport. You need the compression for the downs. You can always increase the ups with a right paddle. I just love the choices that this Macan drops in your lap.

 

Let me tell how that works in snow........

 

>>>but these are not track cars. For that, even the S would seem lacking and the only answer would be the Turbo.

Put the lipstick anywhere you want on the pig . . . . it's not a sports car.

 

Careful. That logic could put you in a Hyundai Santa Fe.

Other than some dealer salespeople, not many have ever claimed the Macan to be a sports car.

What’s wrong with high-powered, reasonably decent handling SUVs? Manufacturers certainly seem to be selling plenty of them. My AS lowered, Cobb equipped Turbo is great fun.

 

Not a thing in the world wrong with them ..... fun.

 

. . . I think it's key just to decide what you and and get what fits your needs.

 

And some of us wouldn’t own 8 cars ..... hahaha.

Six bicycles for the two us us. Only about $40k total, about like a new Miata or used Boxster In that garage stall. It could be worse . . . no boats or airplanes.

 

In the end it all comes down to personal preference because our driving needs/preferences differ. If we all wanted the same thing, Porsche would offer just one trim.

Eventually these threads start to sound likes debates over which is the best color. Enjoy your ride, whatever you chose.

 

And some of us wouldn’t own 8 cars ..... hahaha.

 

Yeah . . . a couple Pinerella Dogma and a Seven or two can skew the mix!

 

I already said on this thread that the way I compare the Base and the S is similar to flying coach and business class. On my S, I drive it on regular mode until the engine is warm enough to handle higher RPM (maybe this is not necessary but I follow that rule anyway). Once the car is warm enough I hit Sport and that is usually how I drive it most of the time. Now, if you are in the city driving in streets where the speed limit is 30-40mph I find Sport mode too aggressive. The car sometimes is roaring too loud so regular mode makes more sense. Now, if I am on highways around the city where speed limit is 65mph and traffic is flowing well Sport+ is the way to go. You can easily get by bad drivers and avoid problems and usually the car stays in 4th gear which is not overly aggressive. At the end, it really depends on your driving style. My wife would be happy with the regular mode and would never change it. That is why she doesn’t drive a Porsche.

 

I know know how folks feel when they opt for the G280.