Caught up with my mate (and Cult of Porsche book publisher) Andy for lunch yesterday and finally had a chance to see his new Porsche Macan S. The Macan is a lovely example. Andy had a little bit of a battle with Porsche Centre Leeds after purchase, but the official Porsche dealer eventually stepped up and dealt with his issues, so all is now rosy in the garden.

In fairness to Andy’s OPC, they looked after him on part ex, with a decent price for his Jaguar. The Jet Black Metallic Macan S with 22,500 miles had just scraped past the minimum tyre tread depth on rear tyres to meet the Approved Used Porsche spec, so he made a bit of noise and managed to get them changed: about £700 worth of Michelins on the 21″ Turbo wheels. Porsche Leeds/JCT600 also fitted a set of front brake pads before delivery.

Porsche Macan S: must-have options

Spec on the 2014 Porsche Macan S is quite nice. The panoramic glass sunroof roof is a good start, and the leather dash and 18-way sports seats would be a must-have for me. Andy’s car also has the PASM dampers, which I have previously thought to be too harsh in sports mode. Andy says the same on the stiffest setting.

Those big wheels set the Macan’s curves off a treat and date my antique Cayenne S on its 18″ off-road tyres. I worry that big wheels ruin the ride but Andy is happy with the quality on Comfort suspension setting and easy it is better than his Jaguar. He also says the Bose hi-fi beats the upgraded Bowers & Wilkins sounds in his previous car, but is missing the Jaguar’s ventilated seats and notes a serious road noise issue with the Macan, citing horrendous road noise on places like the southern M25, especially the infamous concrete sections.

I mentioned excessive noise to a Porsche press officer once, who replied that cabin noise came as standard with a Porsche. This makes one wonder about original Macan S reviews. Auto Express described the Macan S as “superbly refined…with just a whisper from under the bonnet and a faint wind rustle from around the wing mirrors”, which Andy’s experience calls into question. The Cayenne is also quite noisy at speed and 911s are honestly too loud for phone conversations on motorways. Anyone clocking up mega miles needs to road test potential Porsche purchases carefully.

Porsche Macan S petrol vs diesel

The biggest question for mega-mile users will be petrol versus diesel. The same Auto Express journos insisted that the Macan S diesel was the model to have, but this carried little weight with Andy, who insists that no one should buy a Porsche to drive a diesel. And post-VW diesel scandal, who trusts the assertion that a diesel will do 10mpg more than the petrol and deliver the same performance as the twin turbo V6 engine?

Even without the optional sports exhaust, the petrol engine sounds pretty good and goes very well. Andy has been caught out by the performance of his Porsche Macan S once already, when the turbos kicked in coming hard off a roundabout and he almost ended up in the central reservation. He is learning a bit of respect for the throttle. He’s also been considering spending £2600 on retrofitting the sports exhaust system, but I’ve advised him to look at the switchable Akrapovic exhaust setup instead: it is cheaper to buy and will hold a higher percentage at resale. Also easy to take it off and sell separately.

Macan S Ownership Verdict

After a few thousand miles, the Macan S ownership verdict is a big thumbs up and the couple are considering buying another one. It is quite a change from Andy’s original target, which was a 911 Carrera up to £45k. When we’d been out to see a few 911s and then started comparing what spec Macan could be bought for the same money, the 911 dream was over. I think he made the right decision.