Macan versus Cayenne

[Chilgrove]

With my 6 years old SD in for MOT and interim service I was given a (probably new) petrol Cayenne as a courtesy car. I was interested in comparing the two. Cayenne was a lovely car to drive and the 80 odd miles home allowed me to do a fair comparison. The first thing I saw was that I could actually see the fuel gauge falling. However reaching home I saw I was getting 33 mpg which is not bad for a car such as this. I was driving very cautiously to save fuel but my SD with its wonderful diesel engine can get me 700 miles on one tank full. If and when I dispose of my SD then I may have to flit to BMW for a 5 series or 6 series. I have done 47000 miles in my car and I love it. I wonder if in the future either the fuel producers or some technical genius will devise something that will improve the environmental qualities of that fuel so rendering the decision of Porsche to stop supplying diesel engines premature. Maybe I will be tempted by a new petrol Macan but not sure which model to consider. Funnily enough I now have two Porsche dealers wanting to buy my car. Heading back to the dealership I tested the acceleration of the Cayenne. Oh what a lovely noise it makes ! Don't get that with the SD.

[Jon A]

I test drove both when starting this process, both were the V6 versions. Basically I felt the Cayenne was a fine car with the space you might need if you have a young family or regularly carry rear passengers or lots of kit for work etc.
Beyond the obvious space advantage, it was slower but not by much, it didn’t handle anywhere near as well as the Macan (simple physics to do with size and weight) and it was much worse on fuel.
So, if you need the extra space it’s a no brainier and a fine car. If huge space is not a priority I can’t think of any reason why one would choose a Cayenne over a Macan - unless you want to show off to the neighbours that you can afford one…

[Wing Commander]

Beyond the obvious space advantage, it was slower but not by much, it didn’t handle anywhere near as well as the Macan (simple physics to do with size and weight) and it was much worse on fuel.
So, if you need the extra space it’s a no brainier and a fine car. If huge space is not a priority I can’t think of any reason why one would choose a Cayenne over a Macan - unless you want to show off to the neighbours that you can afford one…

Completely agree. I have driven both Macans & Cayennes. I think the above summary is spot on.

[Col Lamb]

Only driven a Cayenne over the off road course at the PEC.

The thing was awesome to drive in what must have been the slowest circuit ever. When you look at the course from the PEC it does not seem much but that first rise is at the max gradient the Cayenne can handle and from the drivers seat it feels like you are on the north face of the Eiger, and the car crawls up and over with ease. Driving the rest of the course was exhilarating but not good for my back.

So yes, if you live in the back of beyond and need a great off roader then the Cayenne could fit the bill instead of a JLR product.

[gtipirelli]

We are taking delivery of a used Cayenne EHybrid in a couple of weeks to replace our Macan. The Macan is now 5 years old and the Cayenne is a serious step up in almost every way for us. We have young teenage kids so the extra room is handy in the back and we do a LOT of very local running around so the 20 miles or so on electric will help enormously with the cost of fuel. I also then get to hear the sound of the lovely V6 on the open road

[Jon A]

We are taking delivery of a used Cayenne EHybrid in a couple of weeks to replace our Macan. The Macan is now 5 years old and the Cayenne is a serious step up in almost every way for us. We have young teenage kids so the extra room is handy in the back and we do a LOT of very local running around so the 20 miles or so on electric will help enormously with the cost of fuel. I also then get to hear the sound of the lovely V6 on the open road

You describe the perfect scenario for a hybrid Cayenne. I’m certain you will love the extra space and the silent running too!
My mate has had one for the last few months and he absolutely loves it - although he does tell me that it’s nearer 12 miles on electric only in the dry and less in the wet
Either way he charges it every night and school runs are cheap as chips since he works mainly from home.
Enjoy

[Paul1970]

I ran a Macan GTS for 3 years and have just taken delivery of a Cayenne GTS. My reasoning behind the Cayenne was that with 3 kids the Macan simply isn’t big enough. Really loved the car but the kids were cramped and the boot wasn’t big enough for a main car. However I really wanted another Porsche.

The Cayenne is absolutely incredible. Masses of space and the V8 produces an incredible symphony. A GTS wasn’t the most sensible choice economically, but once I specced up a Hybrid and a standard Cayenne the PCP wasn’t dissimilar and the GTS looks incredible (This is how I ended up going from a Macan S to GTS!).

It’s also used mainly as motorway car and, like the Macan, it’s superb on the wider roads. However the Macan is far easier to live with around town than the much larger Cayenne and it isn’t much fun getting around locally. However we have a small electric runaround for that type of driving.

Overall, to my mind it comes down to space. If you need the larger legroom and/or boot then the Cayenne is a great but costly solution. But if I didn’t have those requirements I would have gone for another Macan.

[Neil1911]

Only drive one Cayenne, dealer lent it to me and my mate to go for our PEC, my S hadn't arrived and Bill's wife wouldn't let him take their new Macan fir the day. It was excellent but just too big, the Macan was a downsize as I no longer need to transport "university claptrap" around the country, just golf gear! The Macan is perfect for that and a lot else.

[On-Track]

With my 6 years old SD in for MOT and interim service I was given a (probably new) petrol Cayenne as a courtesy car. I was interested in comparing the two. Cayenne was a lovely car to drive and the 80 odd miles home allowed me to do a fair comparison. The first thing I saw was that I could actually see the fuel gauge falling. However reaching home I saw I was getting 33 mpg which is not bad for a car such as this. I was driving very cautiously to save fuel but my SD with its wonderful diesel engine can get me 700 miles on one tank full. If and when I dispose of my SD then I may have to flit to BMW for a 5 series or 6 series. I have done 47000 miles in my car and I love it. I wonder if in the future either the fuel producers or some technical genius will devise something that will improve the environmental qualities of that fuel so rendering the decision of Porsche to stop supplying diesel engines premature. Maybe I will be tempted by a new petrol Macan but not sure which model to consider. Funnily enough I now have two Porsche dealers wanting to buy my car. Heading back to the dealership I tested the acceleration of the Cayenne. Oh what a lovely noise it makes ! Don't get that with the SD.

When I bought my Cayenne diesel in 2013, the Macan didn't exist. I'd gone for the optional 100L tank which later became standard and on one occasion did actually drive it for more than 700 miles on a single tank. Marvellous car but a handful in confined spaces. Like Col, I was actually blown away by the off-road course at Silverstone PEC. At the time the demonstrators used were LHD cars with air suspension.

When the Macan came out ( I first saw one in June 2014 in Thurso, shown below) I thought that'd be my next Porsche.

In January 2015, I test drove a Macan SD and the handling was in a different league. I have test driven the latest Cayenne and it's longer and larger than the Gen 2 version I had. Just too big for me (not having the need to carry kids).

[gtipirelli]

We are taking delivery of a used Cayenne EHybrid in a couple of weeks to replace our Macan. The Macan is now 5 years old and the Cayenne is a serious step up in almost every way for us. We have young teenage kids so the extra room is handy in the back and we do a LOT of very local running around so the 20 miles or so on electric will help enormously with the cost of fuel. I also then get to hear the sound of the lovely V6 on the open road

You describe the perfect scenario for a hybrid Cayenne. I’m certain you will love the extra space and the silent running too!
My mate has had one for the last few months and he absolutely loves it - although he does tell me that it’s nearer 12 miles on electric only in the dry and less in the wet
Either way he charges it every night and school runs are cheap as chips since he works mainly from home.
Enjoy

Thank you

Interesting about the range, to be fair anything between 10 and 20 miles will be a bonus. In reality we are not saving a penny as the purchase price over the Macan negates any fuel saving but the cayenne is a much more luxurious vehicle with a lot more performance than our Macan. The interior tech is also leaps above our 2016 car.

I have the Cayman still for the sporty stuff so can’t really complain about the ship size cayenne