Macan S loaner
 

Synthetic crossover yuckiness.

I figured with the updated motor that the vehicle would be fun.

It’s not.

Damping and body control are good. Steering is heavy. In and around town the trucklet feels like the four banger. On the highway is it’s strength. Can accelerate between 60-90mph well. Cruises at 80mph sans drama.

It’s just a soulless contraption.

Externally it looks like the old EX35 (not a good thing). Inside it’s a hot mess of buttons.

Maybe I was expecting too much. But there is too much lag in the engine at low speeds.

I’ve had a few of these for loaners and in general liked them quite a bit. The lag off the line and in general is annoying and the interior has way too many buttons but overall it was a comfortable vehicle with nice handling.

With that said the redesigned Audi Q5 is a better vehicle even with the 4 cylinder turbo it is more peppy, less lag and more connected to the road and has a nicer interior,

Agreed. The q5 seems better overall.

I thought all new Audi’s have zero steering feel:dunno:

I have a new metric for worst steering feel ever (Volt). The Macan is just artificially heavy.

It’s a useless vehicle to me.

I did not like the Cayenne loaner I had.

The transmissiona was a nightmare.

If it was $25k sure, maybe. But nothing made me want to pony up big money for it.

The one thing I didn’t like about the Macan was the position of center dashboard AC vents, I like cold air blowing on my face and the position of the vents doesn’t allow this because it basically blows the air right into the back of the steering wheel. From the pics i’ve seen of the face lift coming out for 2019 they moved these vents.

I think the X3 40i might be the best overall choice in that class now. Latest tech, strong power (0-60 in ~4.6), nice sound, RWD-based platform, reasonable interior room/utility and cheaper than a Macan S

I really like the new X3, I drove one recently with the 4 cylinder turbo and it felt more substantial than the previous model though I really liked that one as well.

Also like I mentioned above I also really like the new Audi Q5 ... these 4 cylinder turbo's have come a long way I can't believe how quick they make them.

Yeah - they definitely seemed to have upped their interior game on the new x3. Last gen has more hard, creaky plastics than you'd expect. Q5 interior is still superior, although I still think BMW gets the nod overall for electronics. Haven't had a chance to drive the latest Q5 though- just the current a4.

I think the Macan looks awesome. But I got a Cayenne loaner once and thought it had a nice interior and lots of bells and whistles but the engine sounded and felt awful for the money. It had the base engine too.

That base engine is a dog. We had one in a Panamera loaner.

Porsche V6 engines are confusing. There are atleast 3 types that i'm aware of:
1. Audi-derived v6 used in some versions of the Macan
2. Porsche V6 (V8 derived) used in Panamera
3. VW-derived VR6 used in some versions of the Cayenne

I think the Cayenne (atleast the 2nd gen) used both types 2&3. Pretty sure the Panamera was/is exclusively type 2. Not 100% sure on the Macan but I think all of its V6 engines are Audi-derived. And of course, add in various generations of the above with and without turbos, etc.

Yikes. Who knew?

Maybe the base block but i thought at least the turbo setup was porsche. The base 2.0t is pure VWAG/Audi.

Yep, I"m sure Porsche makes a variety of tweaks on all those engines. Just crazy that they have so many different V6s. I guess when you're part of the VW group, you're spoiled for choice.

I just had another Macan loaner, this one was a 2022 4 Cylinder and I was surprised how great it was. The new updated interior is really nice, the ride was smooth but with really nice handling and the 4 Cylinder was more powerful then I remembered. Did they upgrade it from a few years ago ?

The only downside which I see I mentioned on the older model in the posts above are those HVAC vents, they are still too low but I did find the right position for them so it is something I would be able to live with though they should have put the center vents higher up.

Anyway it was a great vehicle and while I could not see myself daily driving an SUV that has changed since I drove this car plus I really like the look especially with these aggressive looking wheels.

Yep, I believe it got a power bump?

HA HA HA HA

Like 12hp.

It’s the ECU tuning. And PDK.

It’s still the GTI iron block. It’s decent.

Not to get OT, but somewhat relatable… We have had the twin to the Macan for the past nine days, a Q5 albeit a Quattro base model. Meh, I personally rather have a G01 X3. We have previously completed two roundtrips to Hilton Head in Enterprise rental X3s and my father also owns a 2022 X3 3.0i. The X3 is hands down the better vehicle in all categories.

I don’t know what it is about the Q5, but it leaves me absolutely cold. I’d prefer the GLC, which is saying something because the GLC is not good. But at least it’s…idk, interesting?

I know nothing about the GLC, but I think it looks pretty good. So does the GLE.

I'm pretty sure that the whole point of the Q5 is to be comfortably uninteresting from the way it looks to the way it drives.

Macan S loaner
 

I’ve rented them a few times. They feel a bit roomier than an x3 and seemed a little more comfortable. I also slightly prefer the steering on the q5 (both are light but the Audi has slightly better on center feel). Also like Audis digital cluster better. BMW does a better job with the powertrain, and tech features. The q5’s rear bench can slide forward and back which I also thought was a nice feature. Not sure either is going to really excite anyone here to drive. Came close to buying a q5 hybrid last year

I definitely prefer the GLE exterior design than the current X5.

If I was cross shopping an X3 and a Q5, I would be at BMW writing a check even though I am at the end of my rope with the brand.

I can’t say one is that better then the other, they both are really good.

I’ve got both for my daughters and I can say I enjoy driving each one.

I’ve taken each on road trips, i’ve driven them each locally .., really they are both great vehicles …

The X3 is very livable. I’m sure I would be happy with one as a second car with something more fun as my daily. Likely could say the same thing about the Q5.

I woke up this morning thinking how nice it would be to add a Z4 with a stick or a Boxster to the fleet. Not going to happen anytime soon, and my garage is too tight with the big GC in it. (And all the storage that has accumulated around it.)

Macan S loaner
 

I don’t have as much experience with them as you but that’s my feeling as well: it’s a tossup. I’d be fine with either . I’ve never owned an Audi so maybe I’d be biased toward that just to try something different (plus our bmw dealer service dept sucks)


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Glad to know that we are not the only ones experiencing shit service from BMW. It does appear to be more of a common occurrence these days.

Definitely agree.