[MarkerGT01]

I’ve been lurking around these forums for months and have posted two or three threads on various forums regarding my next vehicle. I currently have a 2018 M550 and lease is up next month. I’m in no rush because I have another car (M240) I could drive if I order something.

I thought I wanted to go smaller so my dealership ordered me a loaded X3 M40, but I couldn’t get past the relative cheapness of the interior versus the M550. The GM said, “What else can I order for you?” Great dealership.

I test drove the X5 M50 and wow, what a motor and a beautiful interior. Though I’m very disappointed that soft close doors aren’t available. I’m leaning towards the Macan GTS for its superior ride/handling balance and rarity. Velvet Hammer vs Scalpel. Optioned as I would want them, either one is right around $100K.

All else being equal which would you choose and why?

[MarkerGT01]

FWIW - I recognize that I’m posting this on the X5 forum so responses will naturally be biased.

[TurtleBoy]

I have seen quite a few folks mention they may not get the X5 if the soft close doors aren't available. I have them and I probably close the doors with less force now knowing they will be closed but just don't see them as a must have option. What functionality makes the soft-close doors a decision point for you?

[MystroX5]

Cayenne GTS is a competitor to the X5 M50i and even then the M50i is faster and arguably more luxurious.
The Macan GTS is down a few notches and would be a competitor in quality with a X3 M40i and is a tick faster than the Macan GTS. No way would I ever pay anywhere close $100k for a Macan type vehicle. If you want a Macan save your money and get a Macan S. Perhaps a X3M is more what you really want if you want smaller and fast.

I am a Porsche and BMW owner.

[S_M]

Clearly you'll get X5 biased opinions here. I happen to daily a Macan GTS and we just picked up an X5 40i for my wife. They are two completely different cars.

The X5 is HUGE in comparison. A foot longer, way taller, way heavier. And it drives like it.

I find the steering and ride in the X5 to be very numb. It rides great, but it's very soft and removed from the road. You sit up high, the cabin is huge and airy, idrive 7 is very good. Power in the 40i is good, I'd imagine the M50 is a beast.

The Macan drives like a true Porsche. Great steering feel, brake pedal feel, amazing suspension calibration, super compliant but firm at the same time. Much smaller inside and the tech is definitely a step backwards. Option it with full leather, sport seats, carbon, etc and it's a really high end interior. PSE sounds great. PDK is flawless.

I think you need to drive them back to back to realize how different they really are and decide what really matters to you.

[Alan l.]

Dont let the soft close doors hold you back. I have it on my X5M and they engage the scd maybe 5% of the time. The weight of the door with a very slight nudge will latch them shut 95% of the time. SCD just isn't needed on this car. It was the same experience when I had it on my F15 and F85. The F95 is no different.

[MarkerGT01]

So I have the soft close doors on my M550 and, sure, every single other person that gets in my car slams the door as hard as they possibly can, but I use them every time. In fact, when I test drove the X3 M40 for a few hours, I failed to completely close the door on first try even once. My M550 trained me well, but I suppose I could be untrained.

But also, I’m a maximizer, so it will eat me up inside to know the 2020s have them and then I’m sure the 2022s will get them back. So I don’t get them just because of bad timing. I know how stupid that sounds, but $100k is a lot of money; I feel like I should be able to get exactly what I want.

[MarkerGT01]

“The Macan drives like a true Porsche.”

Rohms, this is what speaks to me about the Macan. I just test drove the base Macan for a few hours because there aren’t any GTSs to test drive in my area and I just sort of fell in love with it. It reminded me of my beloved MKIV GTI.

Mystro, sure, they’re not in the same class according to Car and Driver, but who cares? They’d cost about the same and they’re the last two options on my list.

With the options I’d spec, the GTS is actually a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Macan S.

[scotchy]

I was wanting to get a face lifted Macan back in November last year.
Test drove a2020S, way too slow for what I was used to (had a Mercedes glc43). It felt like driving a glc 300 compared to a 43, or a c300 compared to a 43, if you get what I mean.

Test drove a 2018 GTS. LOVE the looks of them, on paper they have almost identical performance as the glc43, but you needed to rev the heck out of the thing to get it. No low end torque, for the price increase over the GLC it felt like a lesser car imo. Would have gone for a turbo, but they weren't out yet and I didn't want to wait 8+ months or whatever the minimum time was.
Long story shortish ended up ordering an M50i with DHP and most options, price tag similar to a Macan turbo. Obviously it doesn't drive like a Macan that is 1000lbs less, but it's a great vehicle.
Personally if doing it again, good chance I'd go with the Macan, I do prefer the size and sportiness for everyday driving, but it would have to be a turbo. Such different vehicles, really depends on what you want/need out of a car. I like the space in the M50i, it's incredibly quick and luxurious, but it just isn't as fun as a mid sized SUV can be.

[rawskyb]

I have a '18 Macan GTS and am taking delivery of my third X5 tomorrow - a 45e. (Previously had a '14 35d and a '17 40e).

As other posters have noted, these are such different vehicles, it is almost like trying to choose between a filet mignon and a gin and tonic. (Ok, maybe not that drastically different, but quite different).

The Macan drive is so smooth - the transmission, the way it sticks to the road, the brakes. It's just a complete pleasure to drive. And the exhaust note on the GTS (note this is different on the current Macan GTS's) is completely intoxicating. The interior quality is top-notch, but this can vary a lot depending on how you option a Porsche. The leather dash with contrast stitching is really nice looking, as are the alcantara/leather seats and other surfaces. I was considering a 911 but just couldn't justify the lack of space and winter drivability so opted for the Macan and couldn't be happier.

But the Bimmer has much better tech, more "features", and in the case of the X5 vs the Macan, is MUCH bigger. More room in the back seat, more room in the front, more room in the boot.

On the soft close doors, this was probably the one option on the Bimmer that I was really bummed to seem missing on the '21 MY builds. I heard it was something to do with lack of parts availability, not sure if that is true. If it comes back next year, that might make sense. (I also wonder if it may be possible to add them on when/if the parts are available again, as I can't imagine that they modified the design after MY '20 builds to make them incompatible. I might look into adding it on mine down the road.)

[sand99]

Seems pretty simple. Just have to decide how much you value sportiness versus size. Which ever one you want more in your next vehicle, go with that. Personally it sounds like you want something smaller to me, although that's what your M240i is for right?

If you must have soft close, another option would be to get a base X5M w/Executive Package. The M models still have soft close available as an option. Who knows how long you'd have to wait for the regular X5s to get it back. Could be added for the spring builds, maybe 2022, or if their claimed COVID supply chain continues to be an issue you may be waiting even longer.

Personally it seems like a bogus excuse to take content away to me.

[codex57]

The kicker for me here is OP has a M240 already. Since you have a small, light sports car, get the velvet hammer. At $100K, I expect luxury.

The Macan is quite tight. I mean, that can be good for driving dynamics cuz it's small, but I dunno, it's like why? If space isn't an issue, I'd just spend the money on a 718 Cayman or something. Use the 240 to ferry extra passengers/gear.

If it's a Cayenne vs X5, then those are true competitors and then the choice is much harder.

[TomCat6065]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

I have seen quite a few folks mention they may not get the X5 if the soft close doors aren't available. I have them and I probably close the doors with less force now knowing they will be closed but just don't see them as a must have option. What functionality makes the soft-close doors a decision point for you?

Couldn't agree more. I've had soft close doors before...I actually prefer not to have them. Now, the heated/cooled cup holders are another story...I use my cup holders allot.

[Unit]

My neighbour had the previous generation Macan GTS (MY2018) and its a superb car. Sounds immense and I seriously considered one when getting my M50i. It's smaller but that wasn't an issue for me as it's just me, the wife and two dogs (boot room fine for two bulldogs).

However the current generation isn't as good looking in my opinion. It still sounds better than the M50i (simply because the V8TT is too muted for my liking) but overall the M50i has a much higher standard of tech.

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by MarkerGT01

I thought I wanted to go smaller so my dealership ordered me a loaded X3 M40, but I couldn’t get past the relative cheapness of the interior versus the M550.

Same issue I was faced with when entertaining the X3M. BMW could have easily done an extended leather package or something to gild the lilly a bit on that vehicle.

Originally Posted by MarkerGT01

I test drove the X5 M50 and wow, what a motor and a beautiful interior. Though I’m very disappointed that soft close doors aren’t available. I’m leaning towards the Macan GTS for its superior ride/handling balance and rarity. Velvet Hammer vs Scalpel. Optioned as I would want them, either one is right around $100K.

You're getting more car for your cash on the BMW side with newer tech but you're getting a better dealer network with the Porsche along with the performance oriented handling. I spend more time in the car than in the dealership and the M50i is a more comfortable and spacious ride for passengers which is why I am in an SUV to begin with. Lastly, 2021 Macan will be all new generation and all electric.

[spyfish007]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

Same issue I was faced with when entertaining the X3M. BMW could have easily done an extended leather package or something to gild the lilly a bit on that vehicle.



You're getting more car for your cash on the BMW side with newer tech but you're getting a better dealer network with the Porsche along with the performance oriented handling. I spend more time in the car than in the dealership and the M50i is a more comfortable and spacious ride for passengers which is why I am in an SUV to begin with. Lastly, 2021 Macan will be all new generation and all electric.

The price for Porsche when adding the options is just too much. I can just about fully load X5 or X6 M50i for $101k or $104k. For example an equivalent configured Porsche Cayenne GTS is about $145k! Sure the Porsche might drive a bit better,but $40k+ difference? I don't think so.

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by spyfish007

The price for Porsche when adding the options is just too much. I can just about fully load X5 or X6 M50i for $101k or $104k. For example an equivalent configured Porsche Cayenne GTS is about $145k! Sure the Porsche might drive a bit better,but $40k+ difference? I don't think so.

I tried speccing up on the Porsche website, I got bored partway through - lots of nonsense options and too much time needed to read up on them.

Never mind the Porsche tax...

[Unit]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

I tried speccing up on the Porsche website, I got bored partway through - lots of nonsense options and too much time needed to read up on them.

Never mind the Porsche tax...

Lol yes his is why I always ended up in an M car vs 911 and subsequently the M50i vs any of the Porsche offerings. Just found it annoying that extras ususally took the car £30k north of the base (mind you BMW now doing this on the G82 M4).

That said if we move out of London back to Cheshire I'm very tempted by a Cayman GTS as the second car.

[MarkerGT01]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

I tried speccing up on the Porsche website, I got bored partway through - lots of nonsense options and too much time needed to read up on them.

Never mind the Porsche tax...

This is the main reason why my decision is X5 vs Macan and not X5 vs Cayenne. The Cayenne was outrageously expensive.

This is my Macan build: http://www.porsche-code.com/PMTKA5K3

This is my X5 build: https://www.bmwusa.com/build-your-own.html#/studio/ebgmjhkv/summary

[schaeffs888]

Originally Posted by Unit

Lol yes his is why I always ended up in an M car vs 911 and subsequently the M50i vs any of the Porsche offerings. Just found it annoying that extras ususally took the car £30k north of the base (mind you BMW now doing this on the G82 M4).

That said if we move out of London back to Cheshire I'm very tempted by a Cayman GTS as the second car.

I have a Cayman GT4 and it is an epic car and for me a keeper. The new 4.0 GTS is also a stunning car - I'd look at both of them if you are going down that route...

[schaeffs888]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

I tried speccing up on the Porsche website, I got bored partway through - lots of nonsense options and too much time needed to read up on them.

Never mind the Porsche tax...

I had exactly this when choosing my latest family car - was looking at M50i / MC / GTS / Turbo S.

Turbo S got ruled out early as it is so heavy its unreal and you can really feel it when you drive. I then thought hell you only live once I'll go for X5MC or GTS - so go back to dealers for serious quotes and Porsche were offering so little that the X5MC became a no-brainer. So glad to have gone this way now.

[Penguino]

The Macan is a dream. It is a raised-911 in all aspects (utility, driving dynamics, space, performance, etc). It is small, nimble, and driver-focused. It is in the X3 class with superior driving dynamics.

The X5 is a true SUV. Spacious, luxurious, family-oriented and the M50i is a beast of a car. It is FAST. It drives extremely well and it's a class above the X5.

I will, however, never pay $100K for a Macan. Never. The 2021 interior is a big upgrade but if you are considering a Macan, a well-optioned S will be more than enough.

Saying $100K and Macan in the same sentence is like saying $180K and X5 in the same sentence. It just doesn't make sense.