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Towing with a Macan


Pork Chops

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23 minutes ago, Pork Chops said:

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.

What about the Kia Sorento?????????, .................................you know that's where your heart is.

With the Carnival, the Stinger ( you have on order but sheepishly deny!) and the Sorento, you would have what the Koreans say as  Jjang-ee-ya !

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On 12/17/2017 at 11:29 AM, Pork Chops said:

^ as if :)

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.

Do what I did....buy a low km Q7!  Mine had 5000km on the clock, MY17 Q7 with towbar optioned, new was near $120k, paid low $80s, depreciation taken care of ;-)

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1 hour ago, Pork Chops said:

Between Saturday and today MrChops has driven most of the German SUV’s on the market ;)

So, have you ordered a GTS or what?? Which car is going in as the p/ex or is it time to store excess cars at the farm?… :lol:

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Heart vs logic is a difficult fight. 

Heart says buy the Macan,  its a Porsche,  and you love  Porsches.

Logic says get a vehicle that will do the towing easily and safely. From what you've described and others have fed back to you,  the Macan isn't the obvious choice.   The Cayenne is not your cup of tea either so another brand is the proper option. 

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47 minutes ago, dragon02 said:

Do what I did....buy a low km Q7!  Mine had 5000km on the clock, MY17 Q7 with towbar optioned, new was near $120k, paid low $80s, depreciation taken care of ;-)

I bought a demo Q7 18 months ago. Not quite as cheap as yours and I'd take a bath if I sold it now with 60k kms.  Great drivetrain and interior but I'd define it as a bit of a bland bus, nowhere near as fun or sporty feeling as a Macan.  but it did force me to drive slower which was part of the grand plan.  And 7 seats for the kids birthday parties once a year.   I doubt it fits Nicks brief.  

While the Q7 has done everything well, I prefer the drive of my wife's 2.5 year old X5 30d.  I've also found myself quietly looking on line at Macan, GLC (not now after Nicks comments) and others.  Mmmmmm Macan GTS......just needs a V8 in place of that crappy V6.

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17 minutes ago, jakroo said:

Heart vs logic is a difficult fight. 

Heart says buy the Macan,  its a Porsche,  and you love  Porsches.

Logic says get a vehicle that will do the towing easily and safely. From what you've described and others have fed back to you,  the Macan isn't the obvious choice.   The Cayenne is not your cup of tea either so another brand is the proper option. 

I'm not sure I agree with you.  I'm not loyal to Porsche for any other reason that they make the best cars - feel free to disagree but that's how I see it.  Logic says you buy a car that suits all your needs best and towing is but one of them.  As I said before it won't be the last word in towing, but I'm sure it will be fine (as stated above by others), and it will do a shite load of other things I value.  I've driven the Merc and it's pants, and i'm not getting a BMW, Audi, VW or Landrover for a multitude of reasons.  Too many to list, too little time.

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48 minutes ago, Pork Chops said:

I'm not sure I agree with you.  I'm not loyal to Porsche for any other reason that they make the best cars - feel free to disagree but that's how I see it.  Logic says you buy a car that suits all your needs best and towing is but one of them.  As I said before it won't be the last word in towing, but I'm sure it will be fine (as stated above by others), and it will do a shite load of other things I value.  I've driven the Merc and it's pants, and i'm not getting a BMW, Audi, VW or Landrover for a multitude of reasons.  Too many to list, too little time.

I agree Chops that Porsche make the best cars but I would qualify that by saying Sports Cars only. My now moved on Cayenne GTS went back 8 times for warranty work. Except for the sound from the Petrol V8 the RLine Touareg is a better car in every way. If you have a close look you will find that quite a number of parts in the sports cars and the vast majority in the SUV have VW and/or Audi or Audi Symbol on them. The SUV have a different skin and interiour but underneath all that they are Audi/VW. Since Porsche dropped the V8 Petrol they are even more identical. 

Seems the heart has won and towing got shuffled a long way down the list. I am a huge fan of the PDK and I have only towed light loads with one but I would never recommend one for towing heavy loads. The torque converter rules as it lives up to its name and amplifies the torque. Try slow backing 2.7T up an uphill narrow driveway with a PDK or manual. Yep not as sporty and you can feel a bit disconnected when the TC is not locked up but towing is NOT sporty and likely never will be. 

Now for the options list on the GTS ?

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2 hours ago, DJM said:

I bought a demo Q7 18 months ago. Not quite as cheap as yours and I'd take a bath if I sold it now with 60k kms.  Great drivetrain and interior but I'd define it as a bit of a bland bus, nowhere near as fun or sporty feeling as a Macan.  but it did force me to drive slower which was part of the grand plan.  And 7 seats for the kids birthday parties once a year.   I doubt it fits Nicks brief.  

While the Q7 has done everything well, I prefer the drive of my wife's 2.5 year old X5 30d.  I've also found myself quietly looking on line at Macan, GLC (not now after Nicks comments) and others.  Mmmmmm Macan GTS......just needs a V8 in place of that crappy V6.

The Q7 (which incidentally has won some vehicle of the year award this year) is serving our family well as my daily drive but i get what you're saying about the less-than-exciting drive experience. Perhaps the SQ7 is more suited for that purpose but I'll stick to my GT3 to quench that thirst ;-)

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Macan GTS or......Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV, 375kW, 0-100 in 3.9, faster than your GT3!  Will be 160k+ and mid 2018 but you wanted sporty.......!



Thanks to best-in-class power-to-weight ratios and perfect 50/50 weight distribution, Alfa Romeo claims its newest model ''is the lightest, most dynamic mid-size SUV in the segment.''

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7 hours ago, Redracn said:

I agree Chops that Porsche make the best cars but I would qualify that by saying Sports Cars only. My now moved on Cayenne GTS went back 8 times for warranty work. Except for the sound from the Petrol V8 the RLine Touareg is a better car in every way. If you have a close look you will find that quite a number of parts in the sports cars and the vast majority in the SUV have VW and/or Audi or Audi Symbol on them. The SUV have a different skin and interiour but underneath all that they are Audi/VW. Since Porsche dropped the V8 Petrol they are even more identical. 

Seems the heart has won and towing got shuffled a long way down the list. I am a huge fan of the PDK and I have only towed light loads with one but I would never recommend one for towing heavy loads. The torque converter rules as it lives up to its name and amplifies the torque. Try slow backing 2.7T up an uphill narrow driveway with a PDK or manual. Yep not as sporty and you can feel a bit disconnected when the TC is not locked up but towing is NOT sporty and likely never will be. 

Now for the options list on the GTS ?

I totally hear you.  If it weren't for the lousy Audi and VW underpinnings, the Porsche Cayenne would be a great car :P.  Yes, with platform and model sharing it's confusing even within a brand to know if your car of choice is really what it says on the packet.  But the final product must stand up on it's own and the badge owner has to take that responsibility and identical is overdoing it I think.

My heart is making a strong case for it's self but my brain is still in charge, and yes I'm terrified of the options list!  What could be more rational than buying something that suits ALL your needs the best, and with the pursuit of having ones cake and eating it?  The Macan MUST tow, but it does not have to be the best at it at the expense of all or some other important things, not least of all stupid stuff like is it nice, is it fun, does my wife like it, does it make me happy.  As stated before I'm buggered if I'm parting with north of $100k for anything that does not make me excited.  Yes a V8 Landcruiser will objectively tow the best but I'd rather hang.

JCG1 towed his 2.4T rig behind his Macan and said it did it with ease.  Somewhere recently @edgy said he tows his GT3 behind a Macan and no issues.  So who else has towed successfully with a Macan to about the 2.1T mark?  That's all it comes down to gents, as the argument that 'something else' would be 'better' for towing is irrelevant unless you're playing top trumps.  Unless someone can say from first hand experience that the Macan is dangerous or really not suited to towing a 2.1T load on a professionally made trailer with electric brakes and an EBC.

So lets get back to the core question.  Occassionally, say 2 - 4 times a month at most, I will be towing a load of up to 2.1T for 1.5 hours on a hwy.  At either end of my journey (including all the Victorian race tracks and workshops my cars will go to) there is good access and plenty of flat ground (no narrow, steep drives that must be accessed in reverse).  Unless I bin it at the track the trailered cars will be able to move under their own power.

Will the Macan be suitable for this?

30 minutes ago, DJM said:

Macan GTS or......Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV, 375kW, 0-100 in 3.9, faster than your GT3!  Will be 160k+ and mid 2018 but you wanted sporty.......!



Thanks to best-in-class power-to-weight ratios and perfect 50/50 weight distribution, Alfa Romeo claims its newest model ''is the lightest, most dynamic mid-size SUV in the segment.''

Give me another decade of consistent positive reviews on Aflas and I might start trusting them again (with my depreciation).

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14 minutes ago, DJM said:

YES

you could do that with an HQ Kingswood so a Macan, any Macan will shit it in.  Now go order the GTS already! 

Doug, will you marry me? It’s legal now ;).

11 hours ago, Okrasa Kid said:

What about the Kia Sorento?????????, .................................you know that's where your heart is.

With the Carnival, the Stinger ( you have on order but sheepishly deny!) and the Sorento, you would have what the Koreans say as  Jjang-ee-ya !

I’ve ordered a Singer?! Hotdiggitydang!

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Anticipating there being no further disquiet on the towing front :P let's move forward to options on a GTS.  Did I say that out aloud?  Chime in with views on the following:

  1. Air suspension and PASM - mentioned a couple of times here that self leveling suspension is a good thing for towing.  It says the rear can be lowered down to load height, there are 3 ride height settings, you get PASM (a Porsche orgasm?) with 3 manual damper settings, an extra 10mm of lowering, and an even sportier PASM setting!  $2,990.  Worth it?
  2. Comfort lighting - classy touch or expensive wank at $720?
  3. Seat ventilation - blows hot and cold air on your ass.  $1,990 on top of $990 for heat front seats (depressingly, a resale must - wankers, it's Australia FFS not northern Europe) plus you've got to have the more expensive seat option $790.  Big $$.  So is air on your ass the next level of bliss or an expensive tug, or both?
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5 minutes ago, vl gra said:

All those options sound like rubbish apart from heated seats. Hard to go back to a car without heated seats now, especially if they are leather.

 

Lol, well the deal is done. Jan build and March delivery. So they say. I swapped out air sus for sport chrono, and went for the other 2, and that’s not all :Confused02:. My favourite emoji by far.

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4 minutes ago, vl gra said:

The deal couldn't be done. Surely you couldn't of settled on a colour already? :) 

Unlike the full back catalogue of amazing 911 colours, there are only 2 to choose from that are any good on the Macan. Both I liked. One my wife liked better. ✅. Done.

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No Air Suspension? You will suffer. Ass down nose up when towing. Reduced ability to adapt the ride quality on less than perfect roads. No ability be cruisy on long trips. Air suspension is a perfect match for the multiple roles of an SUV. You may even need to adjust your seat angle to be comfortable wen towing.? Lucky for the rest of us the headlights will at least adjust to the new unnatural pitch. There are a lot of benifits to the multi cavity air suspension and for the price I consider it a no brainer.? but that is just my 1 cents worth. 

 I see load leveling hitches in your future. Cheaper but a lot more hassle. As nothing says novice more than a car with its but draging on the ground. Or it may just have worms but either way not good. 

Just messing with you Chops but hey why not??  after all you are getting a new GTS which is always the sweat spot. 

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11 minutes ago, Pork Chops said:

^ ‘sweet spot’. Yeah I swapped out not looking like a noob when towing for launch control. Thing rides like a limo in soft mode and on my lil 20s so I’m not going to lose sleep over that.

Limo! Now thats the problem. Ever wondered why a Leaf sprung Landcruiser makes such a good tow vehicle? Limo or remotly close unloaded means marsh-mellow when loaded which is not good for overall stability. I often have the shocks in sport when towing despite the reduced ride quality as comfort is just dangerious and normal only acceptable on smooth tarmac but it is still no match for my GU Patrol with ARB suspension which doesn't even notice the 2.7 T trailer (except for brakes and acceleration). Ride quality of The GU is certainly not limo more bone shaking but still better than a Landcruiser. SUV are naturally soft in the rear so you end up not having enough weight on the tow ball for acceptable stability or the allowable max towball weight is not enough for good stability. 

I know I know just the occasional easy trip.?

I agree never buy any non GT Porsche without Sport Chrono otherwise you only get half a Porsche for 99% of the price. 

 

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1 hour ago, Pork Chops said:

Unlike the full back catalogue of amazing 911 colours, there are only 2 to choose from that are any good on the Macan. Both I liked. One my wife liked better. ✅. Done.

Do tell.  Red I reckon.  That was my GTS preference.  It also yells GTS because it's unique to that model.  Saw a grey GTS the other day, if you can't discern the GTS badge then is it really a GTS?  

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29 minutes ago, Tips said:

Welcome to the Macan club @Pork Chopsyou are going to love it.  I’m voting you went sapphire blue

Thanks Tips.  Hope I do.  Just drove my outgoing BMW 335i (modified) to work and it's an astonishingly fast car so the Macan has a lot to live up to.  This is my Macan.  For some reason it doesn't show the roof rails which I think are a visual must, but they're included.  It's not your typical blacked out sporty spec in terms of how it looks but I really like it and it reflects the fact my wife will be driving this one too.

IMG_3100-L.jpg

8 hours ago, DJM said:

Do tell.  Red I reckon.  That was my GTS preference.  It also yells GTS because it's unique to that model.  Saw a grey GTS the other day, if you can't discern the GTS badge then is it really a GTS?  

My wife didn't mention divorce when I suggested a Macan but she did mention it if it was going to be grey...

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