Wife needs new car BMW X3 30i vs Porsche Macan

[Condorll]

Yes she has car fever this spring. Wants to trade in her 2017 Acura RDX (V6 290hp 0-60 6 seconds) for a CPO 2022-23 X3 30i or CPO 2022-23 Macan (base 4cyl). She doesn't like the X3 40i, too hot to handle for her, so we are staying with the 4 cyl turbo engines. We test drove both yesterday and found the BMW engine smoother, faster and more responsive? BMW also has HUD which the Macan doesn't. Love the Macan cockpit though, seating position feels like a sports car, not an SAV like the X3.

Anyone have any comments, experience with comparing these two cars with the base 4 cyl engines? Hard for us to judge on a 15 minute test drive, but leaning towards the BMW X3 even though I would love to have a Porsche in the garage next to my 2023 X5!

All comments appreciated!

[Llarry]

I've not driven a G01 X3 but own a Macan. A couple of factors in the X3's favor are (1) Porsche service prices are insanely high at the dealership and (2) rear seat room in the Macan is considerably less -- if you have kids, test-fit before you buy.

[335i54n]

x3, smoother dd, bigger, cheaper to maintain, better infotainment-like all u said. unless you have air suspension and can appreciate the handling (for a high premium), bmw is leaps above what audi, mb and porsche (suv/vw shared parts) imo. subjectively with the bxx engines (passed toyota qdr) and 8hp, bmw has the best powertrain imo and always been tops in infotainment. how old is the 4cyl ea888 now even if it on it 4th redesign iirc and their new ground up 6cyl had big teething problems and had to drop displacement (3.0 to 2.9) for higher hp version to handle the extra boost.

[Condorll]

Originally Posted by 335i54n

x3, smoother dd, bigger, cheaper to maintain, better infotainment-like all u said. unless you have air suspension and can appreciate the handling (for a high premium), bmw is leaps above what audi, mb and porsche (suv/vw shared parts) imo. subjectively with the bxx engines (passed toyota qdr) and 8hp, bmw has the best powertrain imo and always been tops in infotainment. how old is the 4cyl ea888 now even if it on it 4th redesign iirc and their new ground up 6cyl had big teething problems and had to drop displacement (3.0 to 2.9) for higher hp version to handle the extra boost.

Thanks, I had no idea the Macan had a VW engine!

[BMWbiker]

Originally Posted by Condorll

She doesn't like the X3 40i, too hot to handle for her, …

All comments appreciated!

Here are a few thoughts.

I didn’t test drive the Porsche when I was shopping for my M40i. A friend who owns a Panamera suggested the Macan, but opined that the 4 is “wheezy.”

But if your wife finds the M40i too hot, then the four cylinder Macan might be a good fit.

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that suggests that the Macan may appreciate in value. That said, I doubt that the four cylinder will be a big part of that.

I’m a bit surprised by her comment about the M40i. I find my M40i quite docile in Comfort or Eco Pro modes with a gentle right foot. Perhaps the ride is a bit less cushy than the 30i, but I find it easy to drive in routine driving, and I can get impressive gas mileage for what it is, especially when droning on the highway. With part throttle I get smooth results that would require stomping on the accelerator in the 30i.

That said, if she doesn’t feel any need for the extra HP, you can save money and get a bit better gas mileage by going with the 30i.

Also, to put things in context, that 30i will out-drag (stock) muscle cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Probably out-handle them as well. It is not a slow vehicle. It’s merely the least-fast G01 X3.

If she’d prefer comfort and a cushy ride, a Volvo or Audi might be a better fit. Or Lexus. Etc.

[JimmyTheHand]

I switched from an X3 (F25) to a Macan SD, both were pre-face lift models so a while ago.

One thing that I thought after a short period of use was Porsche spent more time trying to make the switches look "pretty" than thinking about people using while driving, even after owning it for 6 years I still have to look or feel and count to confirm I'm hitting right button - something I never had to do on the BMWs after a few weeks. From what I see on the face-lifted Macan there are some improvements, but I'd spend time checking that before buying another one.

If you want something to throw around on the road then the Macan is hard to beat for similar size and type, but I found when snow/grease on the road more likely to kick the tail out than the couple of BMW X-Drives vehicles I've had.

Then there is servicing costs - I'd suggest doing homework.

I've an IX3 on order through a company scheme (probably keep the Macan as well for now) - The electric Macan wasn't on the scheme when I ordered, but I think I'll wait a while and let others sort the bugs.

Both are nice places to sit and drive

[BMWbiker]

In addition to what I wrote earlier, also check out how comfortable the two of you find the seats.

Some people do not find the X3 seats comfortable. There are multiple threads on this topic herein.

It took me some dialing in to get the seating position right, but now I find the seat comfortable: not quite as good as my previous BMW or VAG products, but still good.

[BobsM3Coupe]

Originally Posted by Condorll

Thanks, I had no idea the Macan had a VW engine!

It consists of a lot of VW parts.

[Jen4BMW]

I had a 2019 x3 30i for 3 years. Ride was decent with run flats but nothing special. The Macan’s ride is special, no comparison. Your wife will immediately love the way the Porsche drives, brakes and handles. If you’ve got $60K for a used one go for it but it’ll have 40k miles on it and be ready for its 40k maintenance which will run you $1,500+.

[BlueSander]

We test drove 2019-2020 previous gen Macan many years ago. Immediately crossed it out as the ride quality was horrible, especially for rear seat passengers. You feel like you were sitting directly on the rear springs.

The new ones have great road presence actually. Nothing beats a Porsche when it comes to driving dynamics just like nothing beats a BMW when it comes to price & power/tech.

My biggest concern if I was the OP would be maintenance cost. Porsche is surprisingly reliable but you do have to keep an eye on service fees. I had my 535i in for firmware update a few years back, 250-260 Ezpz. My M550i had a little glitch with navigation stuck loading & XM not showing channels, they said 600-700 for reprogramming, if it stays overnight, it's potentially closer to 1k. CRAZY! My windshield cracked, they quoted 3k with 1600 or so for parts!!! All BMW dealers sub glass work out to closeby glass shops. I shopped around and ended up finding out OEM glass dealer-dealer price is $1200, labor is around $200 and recalibration fee is $200 or so. So dealer basically pockets $1400 for doing absolutely nothing. Many of us have businesses here too but that's some cut-throat stuffs they are doing. Let that sink in and imagine how your Porsche bills could potentially be.

[Pheonix]

Subscribe as i am in similar situation! Wife wants to replace her 2013 RX350 with something more fun since our kids are bigger now (6 and 10). Somehow she insisted on the Macan��
The RX350 has been super reliable and haven't required much maintenance at almost 120k miles beside wear&tear items.

[Condorll]

Originally Posted by Pheonix

Subscribe as i am in similar situation! Wife wants to replace her 2013 RX350 with something more fun since our kids are bigger now (6 and 10). Somehow she insisted on the Macan��
The RX350 has been super reliable and haven't required much maintenance at almost 120k miles beside wear&tear items.

Are you looking at the 4cyl or 6 cyl Macan and what year(s)?

[T-Dubbs]

Originally Posted by BobsM3Coupe

It consists of a lot of VW parts.

the Macan is a rebadged/rebodied audi Q5

[JimmyTheHand]

Originally Posted by BlueSander

We test drove 2019-2020 previous gen Macan many years ago. Immediately crossed it out as the ride quality was horrible, especially for rear seat passengers. You feel like you were sitting directly on the rear springs.

The Macan was released in 2014 and face lifted in 2019, and 2019 not sure much structurally but different engines. The second generation, Macan 4 has been released this year but not sure how many countries have it yet, not here until later in year by the sounds of it.

If the one you test drove had the larger wheels without the air suspension then likely the ride was firm. With either the standard wheels or air suspension then it's good (it was a comment in the forums they'd sell you the wheels and the air suspension to counter them). When the salesman tried up selling the wheels to me, my comment was I live on a building site (new estate and lots of roads unfinished) - the last thing I want ultra low profile tyres.

[JimmyTheHand]

Originally Posted by T-Dubbs

the Macan is a rebadged/rebodied audi Q5

But drove far better the the Q5s I test drove

[Pheonix]

Originally Posted by Condorll

Are you looking at the 4cyl or 6 cyl Macan and what year(s)?

I don't know much about the Macan but we are looking at 2021 and up. Not sure about the engines!

[dailym340i]

New X3 facelift coming in next year as per my dealer. Wife and I just picked up a fully loaded 2024 X3 lease to replace her X1. I’ve had a newer Macan rental and it was ok, very little legroom in the rear.

[Condorll]

Originally Posted by dailym340i

New X3 facelift coming in next year as per my dealer. Wife and I just picked up a fully loaded 2024 X3 lease to replace her X1. I’ve had a newer Macan rental and it was ok, very little legroom in the rear.

Based on the issues I am hearing on the new 2024 X5 you made a good choice to stick with the current proven X3 model. I am going to look for a CPO 2022-2023 X3 for my wife to compare against the Macan.

[chassis]

4-cylinder Macan is not fun to drive.

Macan rear seating area is small.

PDK can be problematic and astronomically expensive to repair out of warranty.

Fun to drive and comfortable Macan requires S or GTS trim with all the options.

X3 checks all the boxes the Macan doesn’t check. Base X3 is nearly perfect but falls short in acceleration and handling. M40i takes care of that at far less cost than a Macan.

Macan could be a great car but isn’t.

[spielnicht]

We went through similar comparison last October when my wife decided to finally let go of "only Mercedes" for herself and replace her GLC300. Macan looks better, but that's about it. The X3 M40i won her over (and myself) in every other category - performance, handling, build quality, features, value, etc. As others noted, the Macan is technically a VW/Audi at the end of the day -

[noemon]

The Macan is the superior car in driving dynamics. It drives better than than the X3 and better in fact than any other SUV out there, perhaps except the Urus and such.

It costs at least 10k more used for same miles and year for this in the UK. It is probably the least depreciating car model in the UK. 2014 Macans are still trading for 30k, when the M3's and M5's of the same year have dropped below 20k.

I was in the same dillema for my wife and eventually bought a Range Rover Evoque which I hated, so I sold it 3 days later and got her a Cayenne instead.

I could not justify the Macan price premium, used, its more expensive than a like-for-like Cayenne in the UK with even more extras. It's a bit mad.

If money's not an issue, the Macan is really the only option, especially since you got the X5 already. Macan and X5 make more sence than X5 and X3.

My 2 cents.

[Condorll]

Originally Posted by noemon

The Macan is the superior car in driving dynamics. It drives better than than the X3 and better in fact than any other SUV out there, perhaps except the Urus and such.

It costs at least 10k more used for same miles and year for this in the UK. It is probably the least depreciating car model in the UK. 2014 Macans are still trading for 30k, when the M3's and M5's of the same year have dropped below 20k.

I was in the same dillema for my wife and eventually bought a Range Rover Evoque which I hated, so I sold it 3 days later and got her a Cayenne instead.

I could not justify the Macan price premium, used, its more expensive than a like-for-like Cayenne in the UK with even more extras. It's a bit mad.

If money's not an issue, the Macan is really the only option, especially since you got the X5 already. Macan and X5 make more sence than X5 and X3.

My 2 cents.

When my wife found out the 4cyl engine in the Macan was a VW engine she said no way she will drive it, the X3 is her choice now. Hopefully I can get her to agree to a X3 40i instead of the 30i so I can have some fun with it too!