Towing with a Macan

[Skidmarks]

8 hours ago, KGB said:

My mother-in-law drives a Macan GTS.  Party's over.

Gotta go the next level; Bentayga

Bentayga ... holy shite Batman that mutha is ergly 

[symsy]

Porsche towing ...hmm not long distance.. thats what a Landrover Disco or Rangie Vogue is for towed about 150- 180,000 kms + with mine .. cars , cars+ harleys , enclosed trailers etc etc 

13l/100 Worst at sub 120kmh speeds with 6M enclosed trailer  15l . pushing on tin the night at 120-140kms

11l/100 general with P car on the Tilta 

I like the idea of a very solid block of metal in front of the trailer , isnt a macan a little small  and scary in the wind ?

 

[jakroo]

I agree with Symsy.   By the time you've loaded all your kit into the towing car and the trailer, you're not only long but heavy.   Maybe not technically over weight but the 'tail can wag the dog' in quite simple circumstances so I reckon most would suggest that you get a better tow vehicle. You want to arrive with only a little stress and fatigue from the long drive and not wound up ready to smack your head against a wall

If you want a daily driver as well as a tow vehicle then consider getting 2 to suit the purpose (but having another vehicle creates other headaches,  yet another thing to maintain and store while not in use) by getting an older and cheaper tow vehicle for the occasional duty.... And perhaps hire a couple of different ones and use them to tow before buying.

Big diesels are great for towing,  and despite the known issues with recent and late model LR Discovery, there's nothing they can't do if you throw enough good money at repairs (symsy being English is a little one sided in his view of them.... I like the D3 in 4x4 kit but I don't have enough money to own and maintain one, think of them being like a classic car! )   The big brand  Jap diesels are also good. 

[Gavn]

Been towing with a defender for 4 yrs - just did a drive shaft, first repair/problem so the whole LR reliability thing (in my experience) is a little overblown.  Generally trailer @1800kg + Porsche & then kit in the back of the LR.  While that's probably 3 - 500kgs heavier at the back end than your setup I wouldn't want much lighter at the front towing end.  There's nothing worse than feeling like you're being pushed around by the load.

[jakroo]

Defender and Discovery are quite different animals Gavin.  There's probably good reliability behind both and perhaps the Disco driver is more of a 'car driver' and expects it to always go, whereas a Defender driver is more 'adventurer' and understands that stuff happens.  Dunno.  All I know is that 4 people I know have had issues with the Disco and despite these, they continue to love the brand so they pour money in to their cars that are not all that old.  I owned a diesel Jackaroo for 8 years and 225k kms and it was a tail of woe and reflects most ownership of that model (and Isuzu themselves agree) but the petrol equivalent is a great vehicle and I've since put on maybe 400k kms or so in 10 years with 2 of them.

It sounds like both you and Symsy have had a great run with yours and they are a well known and much trusted vehicle around the world.

As I said previously, I'd love to own one.  I also appreciate that most cars will fail over time regardless of brand and maintenance schedule so I'm not expecting the impossible.  I drive a lot of kms each year in a multitude of vehicles and I know that I need to be able always rely on the car getting me and /or my family to the shops/work/friends and back which is always no less than a 25+ km each way journey with dodgy phone signal.

But getting back to Master Chop's issue.....buy a bigger tow car than the Macan, mate.

[Jcg1]

Pork chops.... I have a bright blue Macan S with the Petrol motor riding on 21’ wheels. It’s comfy and doesn’t feel harsh at all so don’t be worried about large wheels.

i just towed my 22’” foot boat this morning and it did it with ease. Off course not as easy as my diesel twin turbo discovery but never the less it was fine doing. 

Go the blue and go big wheels

[symsy]

2 hours ago, Jcg1 said:

Pork chops.... I have a bright blue Macan S with the Petrol motor riding on 21’ wheels. It’s comfy and doesn’t feel harsh at all so don’t be worried about large wheels.

i just towed my 22’” foot boat this morning and it did it with ease. Off course not as easy as my diesel twin turbo discovery but never the less it was fine doing. 

Go the blue and go big wheels

Good to hear you have both Pcar and LR  and can give us some comparison..

Again without pull the thread sideways .. Is interesting you say the Landy pulls with more ease yet the Macan should have better output figures yes?

PS To any Landy owners out there , buy your self the Ford Brake light switch sensor , keep it in your glovebox , you will be amazed how many of the gremlins go away  When the $40 part applied and what a worn or dodgy one will do to send rogue codes to the fault bus... IGNORE THOSE IDIOT LIGHTS.. especially english ones , I should know Im a Pomme 

Would love to hear from an Range Sport  Diesel V8 drivers saw one at auction for 80k the other day , makes for a grunty tow truck

Sorry Chops... you really need another Porsche - Not!!!

[jakroo]

10 minutes ago, symsy said:

....

PS To any Landy owners out there , buy your self the Ford Brake light switch sensor , keep it in your glovebox , you will be amazed how many of the gremlins go away  When the $40 part applied and what a worn or dodgy one will do to send rogue codes to the fault bus... IGNORE THOSE IDIOT LIGHTS.. especially english ones ...

oooh, I like that.  I'm gunna pass that one on. Fangsalot

[Pork Chops]

I think it’s clear a larger more powerful car is better for towing. For me no matter how much I tow it will be the minority of the time, so getting a massive lugger with not much else going for it seems illogical and I’m not up for a 2 car strategy as I’ve got way too many cars as it stands. So it just needs to tow 2T reasonably well. 

I drove a petrol Macan S, a Macan Turbo and a diesel Cayenne. All are competent and luxurious and well built and nice but they left me cold as far as a driving experience is concerned. The turbo was lacklustre compared to my expectations. My slightly modified 335i is a sledgehammer compared to the turbo. So I’ve slightly reset my expectations around it. I still think the Macan is the best option for me and I’ll go back and drive the Macan S diesel and a Macan GTS next week and see where that leads me to. I actually thought the diesel Cayenne had the best performance feel as you actually feel the turbo coming on where as the others are so linear and boring. 

Blue looks good and I really like Carmine Red too. White is acceptable, but that is all. I think 21s are a good size.

Thanks for the feedback all.

[Redracn]

Chops you have to try the Cayenne V8 Diesel S it will reset what you expect from a Diesel. Especially if you like slaying hot hatches.  They also sound like a V8 and not a sewing machine. 

I have the Tourareg V8 TDI  Rline as a daily. It handles and rides way better than you would expect, gets 7.2L100 on the highway and a bit over 10 around town and I flog it pretty hard. Parking is not to bad with 360deg cameras with lots of sensors. And most of all no matter what safety rating a cars has BIGGER is BETTER. 

Chops I forgot to add for towing you need self leveling air suspension it makes a world of differance.  

[Pork Chops]

9 minutes ago, Redracn said:

Chops you have to try the Cayenne V8 Diesel S it will reset what you expect from a Diesel. Especially if you like slaying hot hatches.  They also sound like a V8 and not a sewing machine. 

I have the Tourareg V8 TDI  Rline as a daily. It handles and rides way better than you would expect, gets 7.2L100 on the highway and a bit over 10 around town and I flog it pretty hard. Parking is not to bad with 360deg cameras with lots of sensors. And most of all no matter what safety rating a cars has BIGGER is BETTER. 

Chops I forgot to add for towing you need self leveling air suspension it makes a world of differance.  

Those Volksies are a $100k car every day of the week. Macan money but a 3.5T towing capacity. Trade off time. I think the Turbo Macan has air suspension but not sure if self levelling. Best thing about the Turbo was the ride.

[DJM]

3 hours ago, Pork Chops said:

My experience was very similar, I was all set to buy a Macan GTS so I drove S petrol, diesel and Turbo (no GTS out at that stage).  Performance from petrol cars was somehow bland and the engine didn't feel special.  Turbo didn't feel that quick strangely.  I actually felt the diesel was the better drive, torque is great for towing too.   offensive options and  prices drove me to buy a Q7.  Hasn't got a. tow bar, I use the wife's X5 30d to tow and it's awesome, not self levelling though. The SQ7 looks the goods but $50k more for the V8 is a bit rich.  Touareg is getting a bit long in the tooth but same V8 for $100k could be a good buy.  

2017 Audi SQ7 TDI Auto 4WD MY17

• 2,452 km
• SUV
• Automatic
• 8cyl 4.0L T Diesel

Dealer Demo

For more information on this vehicle please visit:
https://www.carsales.com.au/demo/details/Audi-SQ7-2017/OAG-AD-14918522

[Pork Chops]

Following @Redracn ‘s advice I’ve found this. Essentially an SUV version of my SC! I’m excited about it. Right amount of klms for a second hand car and love the killer colour combo. And it’s in Vic. It’s not the Macan and misses PDK but I’ll drive one of these next week and see if it lights my fire. I can be spending over $100k on a car and not be excited about it.

[symsy]

Buy a Shaguar, get really brave , or get a Defender and drop and LS motor in it , check out Twisted Landrover

twistedautomotive.com/

[Pork Chops]

^ as if 

13 hours ago, DJM said:

My experience was very similar, I was all set to buy a Macan GTS so I drove S petrol, diesel and Turbo (no GTS out at that stage).  Performance from petrol cars was somehow bland and the engine didn't feel special.  Turbo didn't feel that quick strangely.  I actually felt the diesel was the better drive, torque is great for towing too.   offensive options and  prices drove me to buy a Q7.  Hasn't got a. tow bar, I use the wife's X5 30d to tow and it's awesome, not self levelling though. The SQ7 looks the goods but $50k more for the V8 is a bit rich.  Touareg is getting a bit long in the tooth but same V8 for $100k could be a good buy.  

2017 Audi SQ7 TDI Auto 4WD MY17

• 2,452 km
• SUV
• Automatic
• 8cyl 4.0L T Diesel

Dealer Demo

For more information on this vehicle please visit:
https://www.carsales.com.au/demo/details/Audi-SQ7-2017/OAG-AD-14918522

I’d be terrified of the depreciation on a $150k Audi. I know all of these options are going to have a lot of depreciation, but I think an expensive Audi is the worst option. Second hand Porsche is probably the best.

[Redracn]

13 hours ago, DJM said:

  Touareg is getting a bit long in the tooth but same V8 for $100k could be a good buy.  

New Touareg is due soon (and Cayenne too) and that will probably mean the introduction of start stop and electric power steer to the Diesel V8 and probably coasting etc. The current one is probably the last of the real cars with hydraulic PS  and none of that annoying start/stop and similar crap just to save 0.01L/100Km. 

The newer Audi 4.0V8 with the electric turbo assist looks interesting. Should be real strong off the line which is hard to imanging as the Audi 4.2V8 (Current Cayenne and Touareg) will chirp all 4wheels if you stomp on the throttle. 

[TP-993]

Love the colour, we were tossing up between Umber and White when we bought our Cayenne. When do you get it?

[DJM]

6 hours ago, Pork Chops said:

Following @Redracn ‘s advice I’ve found this. Essentially an SUV version of my SC! I’m excited about it. Right amount of klms for a second hand car and love the killer colour combo. And it’s in Vic. It’s not the Macan and misses PDK but I’ll drive one of these next week and see if it lights my fire. I can be spending over $100k on a car and not be excited about it.

That looks the business and V8D ??

[Pork Chops]

And you can delete the DPF and chip them for around 470hp and near 1,000 Nm...

[James P]

2 minutes ago, Pork Chops said:

And you can delete the DPF and chip them for around 470hp and near 1,000 Nm...

Consider the health risks of deleting a DPF on any diesel (not good)

[Pork Chops]

7 minutes ago, James P said:

Consider the health risks of deleting a DPF on any diesel (not good)

Zorsts exit at the back right? Just don’t follow me . Educate me please.

[Redracn]

5 minutes ago, James P said:

Consider the health risks of deleting a DPF on any diesel (not good)

Yep not good and I would not remove it but most if not all Dual Cabs do not have a DPF so WTF are the regulators thinking. They are a comercial vehicle and exempt so are free to spew a lot more rubbish into the air. 

 

11 minutes ago, Pork Chops said:

And you can delete the DPF and chip them for around 470hp and near 1,000 Nm...

 It already has 850Nm isn't that enough ? 1000 is just being greedy.?. I have had no issues with the DPF and it is not noticable except for the very odd occasion when I pull into the garage and you can smell the heat when it regenerates. It works well with no smoke at all even at full power. The exhaust smells more like a well tuned LPG car and not like a diesel at all. But I have to say there is nothing like the smell of  a large diesel engine starting in the morning just a shame it is not good for you. 

[Pork Chops]

I guess I’ll just need to fang it to make sure it cleans its self regularly. I’ll take it to an SMT or two in the hills.

[Mike-S]

11 hours ago, symsy said:

Buy a Shaguar, get really brave , or get a Defender and drop and LS motor in it , check out Twisted Landrover

twistedautomotive.com/

Les Richmond Automotive here in Melbs do the same, $45k and a Deafener gets you a wikkid motor ?

[Pork Chops]

Between Saturday and today I've driven the Macan S Petrol, Diesel, Turbo and GTS.  I've also driven the 6cl and 8cl diesel Cayennes.

Let's start with the Cayennes.  Overall they're noticeably dated compared to the Macan and therefore are off the list.  The only thing they have on their side is bulk.  Funnily enough I found the 4.2l TT V8 to be very laggy and have shithouse throttle response.  Ruined the drive for me.  Sound and shove were cool but IMHO not a nice thing on balance.

Macans.  Drove them all and deemed them to be fairly average from a dynamics perspective.  That was until I drove a Merc GLC43.  What a piece of junk that is.  Yuk yuk yuk.  So back to the now, much better Macan range.  They're all good and on second drive, perhaps with me being more used to the car, I really liked them.  Diesel has real punch but a bit laggy low down.  Start stop thing didn't annoy me.  S lacks the diesel mid range thump.  GTS, as you'd imagine, is a nice jigger.  The louder zorst makes the engine feel much more alive and I really like the suspension in that car.  Always feels right and very compliant and comfortable at the same time.  Love to feel that set up with air suspension.

In the end the heart wants the GTS, and there are not many around so new purchase seems logical.  There are heaps of Ss around and they'd make fine second hand purchases.  But only the GTS could delight me when the moment was right, which is something I fear the others may lack.  Either way I'm winning.

As usual, pay to play.