[Closed] BMW X1 or Porsche Macan ?

Having watched a macan scream away from the traffic lights in front of me recently, i'm going to say go with the porsche....

Blimey two very different choices/price points there. I'd say Macan all day long. Massively superior engineering, quality and brand. The Macan is a superb drive, marketing says the drive was based on the Cayman - I was sceptical but I had to admit wow 😀 Downside is its still a 9 month wait for a petrol one, dealer was really pushing a Diesel (3 month wait) but for me a Porsche should be a petrol car. Cost of ownedship need not be high, my Cayman S costs about £300pa to service (2yr intervals) althoigh admittedly low milage. I thought very hard about a Macan but one factor was I was not prepared to put muddy mtb in the back, so kept the Cayman and use another car for biking duties.

Nothing against X1 as such and for price point (£35k?) vs £50k for a Macan S I'd say both are fair

BTW I am assuming you are looking at the Macan S, the base Porsche looked a bit strange engine spec wise

The Macan is a good looking car unlike the Cayenne imho

thanks for the comments
i have driven both the macan diesel and the bmw diesel. both with about 3k miles on clock.
one is £49k the other £32. bm is pleasant leather upholstered automatic. porsche is the same only more! on the test drive i was probably a bit overawed by the porsche, so difficult to get a real feel of it. it will be my work car, doing 18k pa. i love the look of the porsche but just can't make up my mine if its just too much car for day to day

Maserati....totes obvs

Someone will be along soon to recommend a Skoda estate

i used to lust after a maserati, but its as comfortable as a go kart for day to day stuff. i also need a decent boot for work and mountain bikes of course

nothing wrong wit skoda. just not this time !

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If it has to be between those two, then it has to be the Macan, but if it were me and my money I'd be looking at the new Range Rover Sport or Jaguar F-Pace. In that vein of cars anyway.

X1's are butt ugly, what about the newer X3? Id go for the macan though, lovely looking cars.

Or even a facelift Evoque, love mine.

Have you considered a skoda estate instead?

We have an X1 Xdrive. Nice car too, but if I was spending more cash I would sooner have a Porsche. Or a new Range Rover.

Saw a Macan at the lights the other week, nearly stalled the car laughing at the fact the exhaust was only working on one side. A Porsche for people who cant afford a real one. Much like the 1 series and its steroid injected halfwit brother. For the money you can do far better, just IMO like.

I haven't heard of either, can we have pictures?

sorry wilburt, can't do pictures. google them, the new x1 and and the macan both look well .
squirrelking you're right, i can't afford a real one i.e. a 911 at £100k , nor do i want one ! but thanks for your help anyway

Jesus Christ, just buy an Octavia, and we can move on to solving the next first world crisis.

Saw a Macan at the lights the other week, nearly stalled the car laughing at the fact the exhaust was only working on one side.

Or maybe it is one of these cars that shuts down cylinders or closes off part of the exhaust to reduce emissions when not needed.

A Porsche for people who cant afford a real one.

Saw a Macan at the lights the other week, nearly stalled the car laughing at the fact the exhaust was only working on one side

+1 for the Masarati, apparently there's a new one out but I'm not sure where I've seen it advertised 😆

Macan. Mrs M has just had one as a loan car for a week or so and it was lovely.

We've got a new X1 on order but it's at the top of our budget.
If we had the money for a Macan we wouldn't have looked at an X1..

Pics for Wilburt...

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But in the end I went for a W reg Micra from the classifieds

The Porsche has the biggest exhausts, therefore must be better!

Not driven the Porsche, driven an X1 and didn't like it, but I don't like high up vehicles anyhow, so probably wouldn't buy a Porsche either.

In terms of the 'look at me' stakes dropping the kids off at private school, the Porsche beats the X1, Discovery and a RR Sport. It can't compete with a proper Range Rover though. Beware if you get black, people may mistake it for an Audi.

(The above is all based on real observations done in a private school car park)

Edit: the other advantage of getting the Porsche is that when it goes in for a service you may well be given a proper Porsche for the day as a courtesy vehicle

Most cars with 'twin exhausts' are sporting one false one. I've noticed it on Audi's, BMW's, Honda's and lot of other cars - even if it is a twin tailpipe protruding from the same silencer on one side of the car one is often a false one. But if people are happy having silly spoilers on the back of their cars that have practically zero aerodynamic benefit and actually increase the drag of the car then why not a false exhaust? Better to have an extra false exhaust than a plastic blank where a proper functioning twin exhaust would be on a model with a bigger engine, if only for aesthetic reasons. If nothing else it balances up the looks in terms of symmetry. The worst kind of aesthetic 'improvement' are those who have cars that have spoilers that deploy at a certain speeds and they have set them to remain up all the time. That is just plain sad and pathetic.

I'm not a fan of these big 4x4 'cross over' cars, or whatever they're called. The ratio between their external dimensions and their internal space seems very poor (I can't believe how small a BMW X4 is on the inside considering its humungous external bulk), they have high roof's so not very convenient for roof bars and putting stuff on the roof unless your about 6'6" tall, and the handling and dynamics of the car are compromised with no other benefits to the driving experience apart from being in a high up driving position if that is something that appeals to you (it doesn't to me). But having said all that I love that Porsche Macan and would be top of my list if I had the readies to splash.

I've noticed it on Audi's, BMW's, Honda's and lot of other cars - even if it is a twin tailpipe protruding from the same silencer on one side of the car one is often a false one

I don't know if it's still the case, but the older 6 pots BMWs had twin exhausts, but the second exhaust had a valve on it, which didn't open until a certain rev range was hit (IIRC)

thanks for all the feedback. i really love the style and class of the porsche, but when i tried it out, it wasn't what i was expecting. granted it was the usual garage test drive - out through traffic, onto the motorway, back on short country road and back through traffic. not great for testing a porsche, but then thats probably most of our real life driving conditions.
it feels big and gives a feel that there is piles of power to move its 2 tonne bulk. but thats the thing, it didn't feel like a 'sportscar' to me, it felt like a big heavy car with loads of power. and before anyone points out the bleeding obvious, many of the reviews describes its sportscar like qualities,
the x1 is a grand car, but obviously lacks the undoubtedly special feel of the macan. however in sport mode it was very perky and probably more gave me more encouragement to swing on a bit.
it may seem a strange choice of two cars, but for various reasons thats where I'm at.
i think i'll go back and drive both again ( and try to ignore the salesman's look that says 'come on just buy the thing, of course its the best car')

There is now a Porker dealer in Pompey, I thought that a little odd at first, but we've been looking at the Mecan for about a year..
However, I did go an buy a humble XC60 in old git spec so what do I know.

If you are bothered about residual values then clearly the Mecans will be greater.

Is lead time a factor for you?
I made some casual enquiries about the Macan last year and the wait list was +6 months.
Granted that was just after launch so it might have improved, but maybe worth checking.

Not considered the Audi SQ5? Direct competitor to the porker and (IMO) just as good looking.

There is now a Porker dealer in Pompey, I thought that a little odd at first

You think that's odd - there's one in Ferndown, retirement capital of Bournemouth. I can't think of anywhere further from their target demographic!

£50k for a hairdressers chariot? Personally I'd save myself £10k and go for a nice BMW 335d Xdrive, quicker, sportier, nicer to drive and people won't laugh at you.

Depends what you want in a car I guess, but I suppose if it's import that you show other people that you have the ability to waste money on a car that's 'showy' rather that practical, (but still not quite enough money to buy a 911), then I'd say go for the Macan every time.

@harvey like I said you [b]have[/b] to drive the petrol. It drives like my Cayman except frankly its not as low, load or bumpy ! Of course the cornering feels different but I am not sure on normal roads its any slower, we where lucky as we went out in the car on our own for 40 minutes wherever we wanted.

I would guess with all the vw / diesel issues they've seen a bit of a sag in demand. I often buy ex demonstrators but for a Porsche would always buy new and spec exactly what I want, used Macan's in some cases are offered fkr more mkney than new as there is no delievry wait (initial wait for petrol was 18 months which is partly I why originally never ordered one).

Porsche are extremely well made and can be driven for high milages without any issues (not sure I'd do that in a Massrati). I am biased but there is not a snowballs chance I'd even look at a Evoc etc instead.

I could well buy one in the future circumstances permitting

Happy shopping

@legoman I know many 60+ year olds who have their first Porsche, 911's or Panameras

@agent That BMW is a nice car but if it where me and I had the extra £10k I'd take the Macan all day long. Agent as an aside I looked at Cayman vs 911, the Cayman drive is different and of coirse it lacks the overall power of the 911 but its more than enough speed for me and its £40k less, I could have bought either (and friends offered me his 2yr old Taga for less than new Cayman) but I thought the Cayman was best all round for what I wanted and I preferred the looks.

@wobbliscoft couldn't agree more on the daft electric spoilers btw

I hope the new X1 has improved, because the last one was utter pants. Expensive price tag and with the build quality of a VW Polo. Get a RR Sport and have done with it or a Nissan Qashqai. Of course the proper answer is to get a Subaru Forester or Outback.

Thanks, 🙂

The BMW looks bigger in the back you should buy that one.

I had a RAV4 in that style for a while it was very good.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-new-york-motor-show/2017-mercedes-amg-glc43-4matic-revealed

Both?

Or a well-sorted RX-7.

That Porsche reminds me of these:

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@plyphon 🙂 but you are blind ! Macan is a great looking car

Mrs M has just had one as a loan car for a week or so and it was lovely.

squirrelking

Saw a Macan at the lights the other week, nearly stalled the car laughing at the fact the exhaust was only working on one side. A Porsche for people who cant afford a real one. Much like the 1 series and its steroid injected halfwit brother. For the money you can do far better, just IMO like.

Thus speaketh someone who's never driven one, sat in one, or spoken to anyone who has. I hate, absolutely hate the idea of crossover soft roader chelsea tractor type things but the Macan is just an incredible vehicle. Think of it as a hatchback 911 and you're kind of in the ballpark. Fit and finish is very close to Cayenne levels, that is to say vastly superior to Range Rover and far nicer than any BMW I've ever sat in. Performance and handling is devastating.

The caveat is that the base spec diesel engine has no business in there. Must be for company car fleets or something.

I doubt I'll ever have that kind of money to spend on a car, but if I could I would seriously consider the Macan despite my dislike of that concept.

That Porsche reminds me of these:

Except the Citroen looks better, far more practical and is less than 1/2 the price.

I have to ask, whats with the limited choice between the X1 and the Mecan?

Have you just narrowed it down because of Brand or Price or Purpose or what? Whats the criteria?

At this cost level there are many cars that will fit the budget admirably, some other Brands ought to be brought into the scope I reckon.

You could just buy a Disco Sport and drive it away today, or tomorrow..

You could just buy a Disco Sport and drive it away today, or tomorrow..

Thus speaketh someone who's never driven one, sat in one, or spoken to anyone who has. I hate, absolutely hate the idea of crossover soft roader chelsea tractor type things but the Macan is just an incredible vehicle. Think of it as a hatchback 911 and you're kind of in the ballpark. Fit and finish is very close to Cayenne levels, that is to say vastly superior to Range Rover and far nicer than any BMW I've ever sat in. Performance and handling is devastating.

@agent you're just coming over as jealous now. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but that Citroen looks awful, I've seen plenty in the flesh and its just wrong. Likewise I've seen many Macan's and they look great. Not everyone wants or can manage with a 2 or 2+2 Porsche. If and when I can justify trading in my Cayman I'd be very happy in a Macan. I've had the sports car Porsche now for 8 years, the Macan is superbly engineered and thought out and as an average keen driver it frankly goes just as well. I'm certain if you put me on a circuit, eg Nurburgring, my times in the two would be pretty close.

Come on @bike, a disco sport - really ! Its incomparable to the Porsche. @Ian Yes I'd take an x3 over an x1 and the Macan over every other alternative I can think of.