2016 Macan vs 2021 Macan

All Porsche Macan Related Discussion
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YorkiePhil
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2021 1:05 pm

Post by YorkiePhil »

Bit of history - I had a Gen 1 Macan S diesel, bought it in 2016 for £52k sold it for £33k. It was a solid car, I enjoyed it, regretted buying a diesel (almost immediately) but was more than happy to upgrade to a Macan S Gen 3 for 2021/22.

There were problems with the old car once it got past its 4th birthday. Weird loud clicking noises from underneath (drive train?) when cold and turning corners (OPC couldn't find the fault), sensors going haywire on the ABS (expensive to diagnose and fix), memory seats losing memory and then setting the car up for a 4' tall person. Quite a few little glitches that made me think it was time to get rid and get a new one.

I picked up my new Macan S last Thursday. It's a magnificent beast with the 21" wheels, sports seats, BOSE, parking assist and various other optional delights.

The plusses:

Clearly the engine is a big, big step up from the diesel. Incomparable really. I had the sports seats on my last Macan but these feel more supportive and cushioned than the old version. The Bose system has perhaps more emphasis in the higher ranges (treble) than before - certainly I've had to adapt my Spotify equaliser to accommodate. The headlights are superb. The entire car seems solid, well put together and (thus far) no snagging list for the OPC to sort. The car is delightfully calm and placid during normal driving, only adopting fire and fury when roused. Suspension, brakes, steering - all a big step up.

Negatives:

Really struggling with the PCM. The wireless link up to Apple CarPlay is a problem if you also plug in to charge the phone. Bluetooth seems to drop in and out haphazardly (this doesn't happen if you're not charging the phone). Moving from Spotify to DAB radio is a monumental pain in the backside with this new system. Involving lots of messing around with the (what appears to be) much smaller buttons on the screen. The Spotify display itself is way smaller than the Gen 1 CarPlay version. The system is convoluted, difficult to navigate and often clunky. It can take 30 seconds to a minute to "warm up" when starting out. Little whirring wheels of time in place of where the icons eventually appear. There was none of this in the Gen 1 - you started the engine and the screen was ready to go.

The main problem seems to be the interplay between the car's own PCM functions and the CarPlay element. It was infinitely better in the first generation of the Macan. Quicker, simpler and far less fussy. It's verging on the dangerous at the moment.

The radio element is also odd. Displaying my "favourites" below "recently selected" often the entire screen is full of duplicate icons of the same radio stations.

The home screen is a confusing mess, as I use CarPlay more than the Porsche icons. On the face of it, the PCM works and is simple. However, unless you're doing the most basic task, the system finds ways of making your life miserable.

Much of the above are just teething problems. I will probably need to go back to the OPC to get them to give me a master class on how to use the PCM. I'm technical (up to a point) but this is not an intuitive system and the manual often adds to the confusion. It is however, adding a coat of frustration to the experience of owning this new car. Especially annoying as Porsche seemed to have taken an old system that worked beautifully and made it into a dog's dinner. My wife has a Velar and I used to frequently compare her turgid touch screen system to my lovely old Porsche, there was just no comparison. Sadly, now she's the one mocking me.

Lastly, I just can't fathom out the automated parking system. But this is just me, I need to really sit down and practice getting it to work. Again though, the system is not naturally intuitive.

Hopefully, in a week, when I've got my head around this complex car, I'll be reporting back in a much more positive mindset.

Deleted User 4325

Post by Deleted User 4325 »

Thanks for the update Phil. Looking forward to chapter 2.

:-)

Re the PCM maybe just leave the radio off and listen to the lovely burble.
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andreas
Posts: 1863
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Essex

Post by andreas »

YorkiePhil wrote: Mon Dec 20, 2021 2:52 pm

Really struggling with the PCM. The wireless link up to Apple CarPlay is a problem if you also plug in to charge the phone. Bluetooth seems to drop in and out haphazardly (this doesn't happen if you're not charging the phone). Moving from Spotify to DAB radio is a monumental pain in the backside with this new system. Involving lots of messing around with the (what appears to be) much smaller buttons on the screen. The Spotify display itself is way smaller than the Gen 1 CarPlay version. The system is convoluted, difficult to navigate and often clunky. It can take 30 seconds to a minute to "warm up" when starting out. Little whirring wheels of time in place of where the icons eventually appear. There was none of this in the Gen 1 - you started the engine and the screen was ready to go.

The main problem seems to be the interplay between the car's own PCM functions and the CarPlay element. It was infinitely better in the first generation of the Macan. Quicker, simpler and far less fussy. It's verging on the dangerous at the moment.

The radio element is also odd. Displaying my "favourites" below "recently selected" often the entire screen is full of duplicate icons of the same radio stations.

The home screen is a confusing mess, as I use CarPlay more than the Porsche icons. On the face of it, the PCM works and is simple. However, unless you're doing the most basic task, the system finds ways of making your life miserable.
Could it be that Porsche use the same IT experts as the NHS?
Macan S collected 4 Dec 2017 - Jet Black, 20" SportDesign, Agate/Pebble, 18-way, Pano roof, Bi-Xenons with PDLS, Surround View, PASM, PS+, spare wheel, towbar.
2021 Audi TT Roadster Black Edition (hers)
2011 Freelander 2 (workhorse)
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goron59
Posts: 5788
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 10:15 am

Post by goron59 »

Interesting comparison, thanks.
Used to have 2016 Macan Turbo PHCKCL70
Previously a 2014 Macan Turbo.
Now a 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR
bennachie
Posts: 1506
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 8:10 pm

Post by bennachie »

Nah, government software engineers are MUCH more competent.



Rubbish but better than P. They have been trying unsuccessfuly to get my Connect + apps working for three months after a collapse. Worked fine for 4 years then....
'The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time'
Nella
Posts: 254
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2022 4:11 pm

Post by Nella »

andreas wrote: Mon Dec 20, 2021 5:47 pm
YorkiePhil wrote: Mon Dec 20, 2021 2:52 pm

Really struggling with the PCM. The wireless link up to Apple CarPlay is a problem if you also plug in to charge the phone. Bluetooth seems to drop in and out haphazardly (this doesn't happen if you're not charging the phone). Moving from Spotify to DAB radio is a monumental pain in the backside with this new system. Involving lots of messing around with the (what appears to be) much smaller buttons on the screen. The Spotify display itself is way smaller than the Gen 1 CarPlay version. The system is convoluted, difficult to navigate and often clunky. It can take 30 seconds to a minute to "warm up" when starting out. Little whirring wheels of time in place of where the icons eventually appear. There was none of this in the Gen 1 - you started the engine and the screen was ready to go.

The main problem seems to be the interplay between the car's own PCM functions and the CarPlay element. It was infinitely better in the first generation of the Macan. Quicker, simpler and far less fussy. It's verging on the dangerous at the moment.

The radio element is also odd. Displaying my "favourites" below "recently selected" often the entire screen is full of duplicate icons of the same radio stations.

The home screen is a confusing mess, as I use CarPlay more than the Porsche icons. On the face of it, the PCM works and is simple. However, unless you're doing the most basic task, the system finds ways of making your life miserable.
Could it be that Porsche use the same IT experts as the NHS?
There has been no improvement on my 22 model.

I went into OPC today to ask if there were any updates on real time traffic and apparently it's still being investigated.

Really nice manager offered to update my PCM for the latest Android settings to compensate!!!!

I pointed out you cant have Android on a Gen 3 Macan unless you get the nice man from Slovakia or somewhere to hack your system for £500!!!!

He wasn't aware that our cars are unique in the Porsche range in being unable to use Android!!!!!!!

Crying emoji!
gasgas1
Posts: 588
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 8:35 am
Location: Devon

Post by gasgas1 »

your first Macan must have been very good for you to go and buy another?
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