Macan loaner: why is the quality so much better?

[LovinTaycan]

I'm surprised that you and others are not experiencing the same PCM issues that I see on a regular basis-- aside from just being slow (UI) compared to the Macan, for example. Here's what I experience on a very regular basis:

- Can't login (automatically) with my profile even though I didn't change anything; have to use "Guest" and then it starts working again later in the day
- Favorites are wiped/must re-add
- "Check your satellite antenna" error message almost every day
- Navigation takes at least 30-60 seconds to begin working/ready for input
- Apple Music (not CarPlay) is either not there or takes 2-5 minutes (or more) to show up
- Wireless CarPlay takes 1-2 minutes to connect

Maybe these aren't as common as I thought?

I have had 3 Taycans since they came out and the majority of the items on your list were present on all three of them. In my opinion, there is no question that the Taycan PCM performs more poorly than the other Porsche PCM's. To me it is obvious and I don't understand those that say they don't see this. Just sit in your Taycan and watch how long it takes the LTE to show up.

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[nycebo]

I think the rattle issue is more to do with where people live than the build quality of their cars. For example, I drove down to North Carolina and then Florida earlier in the year and the roads were glass smooth. One wouldn't have heard a rattle in an Oldsmobile Omega from the 70s.

However, driving in and around New York City, with our utterly awful roads, a car's rattles make themselves apparent. In this use case, the rattles of the Taycan (delivered 3 days ago) present themselves. They are not awful nor all the time, but they are they when the highway gets riddled with pothole fill, or especially just poorly maintained side roads.

As described by multiple users on this forum, it's predominantly coming from the two door panels, and even somewhere in the middle of the center console that I can't pinpoint.

If you haven't noticed, I'd chalk it down to lucky smooth roads than to varying degrees of Taycan build quality (FWIW, I also have the burgundy full leather) by Porsche manufacturers.

Suffice it to say that I will have the dealer chase these down in the coming weeks...after I've enjoyed driving it for a bit.

 

[TAYC4S]

I have to agree with @Mike in CA. I’ve had numerous loaner Macans, as recently as 2 months ago when we were getting PPF on the Taycan. We have a 2021 Cayenne loaner right now while our Taycan is in for the recall update (since Thursday…?).

But I don’t notice anything inferior in our Taycan regarding build quality or PCM operation. We don’t have rattles and I don’t really experience any slowness or other misc issues reported on the forum.

I’m not discounting others more negative experiences. Just pointing out that they aren’t universal.

Agreed!

 

[XLR82XS]

I wouldn't buy a base Macan for sure. I would be interested in seeing what the higher trim levels offer (especially the upcoming electric one), but I agree.. the base model is terrible. I understand why dealers use them as loan cars but unfortunately they leave terrible impressions.. but the dealers don't really have any other choices of the they want to offer a loan car with a Porsche badge..

Agreed - base Macan (Q5) is dull and boring. Best friend has a well-optioned turbo and it is nice.

 

[smohr33]

I came from a Macan GTS and F&F wise the car was fine, I wouldn't say better than Taycan though. I have/had no rattles or F&F issues in either car.

My Macan had the old PCM with wired carplay and the tiny screen, so the Taycan PCM in comparison is miles better. I used the facelift PCM in loaners and found with Carplay the screen was a weird size that made fonts super small and the icons difficult to touch.

I do think iDrive in my wifes X5 is better than PCM by far though; super responsive, no lag, huge screen, no connection issues.

 

[Silveral]

I don't use Apple Music. Otherwise, I've had literally none of these problems.

same here. dont use Apple Music and no issues or rattles whatsoever....I feel for those who do. Unacceptable on a Porsche

 

[BlueShoes]

Another no-rattle car here. The Taycan I've got is freakishly quiet. It's become the roadtrip car of choice for the family b/c it's so quiet and comfortable.

 

[KensingtonPark]

OK, if we are talking about rattles, that is another matter for me. I have seat and door rattles; however, this is pretty common among stiff-framed cars in this area (we have some pretty tough roads), so I wait until it gets bad enough to be sure Service will be able to identify it to repair it. I also note that my acquaintances who have other Porsches all have rattles from time to time.

 

[nycebo]

I drive exclusively on the worst roads in the country, the Cross Bronx Exp and now sadly the LIE east of exit 50, not to mention northern NJ. Still no rattles. Lot's of road noise and an occasional travel to the shock stops, but no rattles. Makes no sense to me.

So much for my theory then.

I know the cross bronx well. It and the bruckner are really the gold standard is awful roads.

I wish I were in your seat then. The doors in particular seem to be the 'most' rattles for my part. I think it's just a case of stuff felt in there once everything has settled.

I will echo that when the road is smooth, especially with the sound insulation package, it is eerily smooth and quiet.

 

[rich_r]

A few weeks ago, I rented a base Macan from Enterprise (we had booked a regular full size car but they were short on cars and "upgraded" us to the Macan). Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed by it. I'm not even talking about the lack of features that should be standard for the price, but just the overall car and even the infotainment system. Some things I noticed:
1. Yes, the PCM in the car responded quickly but the interface is fairly convoluted and the small touch points make it difficult to use when driving.
2. Carplay integration seemed more annoying than it needed to be; at one point we wanted to switch to my wife's phone (was using mine) and it wouldn't let us connect a different phone. I did find a confusing device managemetn screen where I was able to seemingly permanently remove her phone's ability to connect to carplay . Also I didn't like how you can't make Carplay take up the whole screen; it makes the touch points smaller than ideal
3. There doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason as to where various settings or configuration items are. I can't even think of examples off the top of my head right now because the whole thing is so confusing and illogical..
4. the left bar of buttons for switching between the various main areas are way too small; and having to scroll down using that bar is tricky when driving.
5. The screen embedded in the rightmost gauge looks like it hasn't been updated since 2010. Low res, very small, washed out colors, etc. I did like how easy it was to quickly scroll through satellite radio stations though.

As for driving, yes, it handled and rode pretty well. But if you blind folded me I'd swear I was driving an Audi based on the steering feel. Too light and too vague on center. The 2.0T engine is way overmatched by the weight of the Macan. It was actually scary trying to merge onto the highway in a few cases (I resorted to manually shifting using the paddles - which by the way feel really nice). It's also pretty small inside considering that its a 4000 pound SUV.

To its credit, the Macan did not rattle. Like many of you, rattles really drive me nuts. Unfortunately, one thing I've noticed across many brands is that if you buy a car in the first couple of model years they often haven't solved all the rattles. The Macan has been around forever now so they've had plenty of time to refine it; the Taycan will get there soon as well. It is already promising that many people in this thread report no rattles even over terrible roads. I'm sure spec plays a role too (higher profile tires, etc). Same goes for the new verrsion of the PCM; it'll get better over time.

Out of curiousity, I tried speccing a Macan up to the same equipment level as what I'd order my Taycan with. The base engine is a no-go, so I started with a Macan S and easily got it up to 77k! A Taycan specced the same way was around 100 but included a few things not available on the Macan. Factoring in savings from gas and the tax credit and I think you'd be looking at ownership cost difference of only about $100/month over 5 years! Reinforced my belief that the Taycan is by far the best deal in the Porsche lineup. Once the EV version of the Macan is released it may worth re-evaluating but as of now, I just can't see choosing a Macan over a Taycan.

 

[franksc]

Funny I dropped mine off today and thought exactly same thing.

Redwood City?

I dropped off my Taycan to service today for the recall update (which they told me could take several days), and for rattles, again. Everything rattles- both front doors, the instrument cluster, the seats-- it's ridiculous. Yes, the foam stuffing works to some degree, but should we have to do that for such an expensive car, or any Porsche for that matter?

I was given a (base) Macan (it only has 2000 miles, so I assume it's a 2021) loaner and it's such a better interior experience; no rattles, PCM is fast, Wireless CarPlay connects immediately, etc. Re: PCM specifically, why is it so much better on the Macan? It's lightning-fast compared to the Taycan (switching apps, moving around), and the default CarPlay view allows me to see Maps and Sirius Radio in split-screen-- something I can't do on the Taycan AFAIK. I guess I just feel like a car that is 1/3 the cost of most Taycan's shouldn't be this much better in terms of rattles and PCM. Thoughts?

 

[menzz]

A few weeks ago, I rented a base Macan from Enterprise (we had booked a regular full size car but they were short on cars and "upgraded" us to the Macan). Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed by it. I'm not even talking about the lack of features that should be standard for the price, but just the overall car and even the infotainment system. Some things I noticed:
1. Yes, the PCM in the car responded quickly but the interface is fairly convoluted and the small touch points make it difficult to use when driving.
2. Carplay integration seemed more annoying than it needed to be; at one point we wanted to switch to my wife's phone (was using mine) and it wouldn't let us connect a different phone. I did find a confusing device managemetn screen where I was able to seemingly permanently remove her phone's ability to connect to carplay . Also I didn't like how you can't make Carplay take up the whole screen; it makes the touch points smaller than ideal
3. There doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason as to where various settings or configuration items are. I can't even think of examples off the top of my head right now because the whole thing is so confusing and illogical..
4. the left bar of buttons for switching between the various main areas are way too small; and having to scroll down using that bar is tricky when driving.
5. The screen embedded in the rightmost gauge looks like it hasn't been updated since 2010. Low res, very small, washed out colors, etc. I did like how easy it was to quickly scroll through satellite radio stations though.

As for driving, yes, it handled and rode pretty well. But if you blind folded me I'd swear I was driving an Audi based on the steering feel. Too light and too vague on center. The 2.0T engine is way overmatched by the weight of the Macan. It was actually scary trying to merge onto the highway in a few cases (I resorted to manually shifting using the paddles - which by the way feel really nice). It's also pretty small inside considering that its a 4000 pound SUV.

To its credit, the Macan did not rattle. Like many of you, rattles really drive me nuts. Unfortunately, one thing I've noticed across many brands is that if you buy a car in the first couple of model years they often haven't solved all the rattles. The Macan has been around forever now so they've had plenty of time to refine it; the Taycan will get there soon as well. It is already promising that many people in this thread report no rattles even over terrible roads. I'm sure spec plays a role too (higher profile tires, etc). Same goes for the new verrsion of the PCM; it'll get better over time.

Out of curiousity, I tried speccing a Macan up to the same equipment level as what I'd order my Taycan with. The base engine is a no-go, so I started with a Macan S and easily got it up to 77k! A Taycan specced the same way was around 100 but included a few things not available on the Macan. Factoring in savings from gas and the tax credit and I think you'd be looking at ownership cost difference of only about $100/month over 5 years! Reinforced my belief that the Taycan is by far the best deal in the Porsche lineup. Once the EV version of the Macan is released it may worth re-evaluating but as of now, I just can't see choosing a Macan over a Taycan.

Your last point is the reason I ordered the CT I was going for a macan GTS initially

 

[hshm]

I just picked up a Macan loaner and I'm confused by the original post. The Taycan feels much more solid in terms of quality and materials. The PCM in the Macan is trash. The Taycan PCM is not much better, but the UI in the Macan PCM is very cluttered and not faster in my experience. I also much prefer the full screen CarPlay experience, compared to the split screen in the Macan.

Also, you're not getting buzzes and rattles in the Macan because the tires are thick so it absorbs the road noise and vibrations. Install 21" wheels with high profile tires on the Macan and I guarantee you will get buzzes and rattles. I'm not happy about buzzes and rattles in the Taycan either, but it's not unique to this car. I've heard the same thing driving Tesla Model S, BMW M5, and Ferrari 458.

 

[chrisk]

I just picked up a Macan loaner and I'm confused by the original post. The Taycan feels much more solid in terms of quality and materials. The PCM in the Macan is trash. The Taycan PCM is not much better, but the UI in the Macan PCM is very cluttered and not faster in my experience. I also much prefer the full screen CarPlay experience, compared to the split screen in the Macan.

Also, you're not getting buzzes and rattles in the Macan because the tires are thick so it absorbs the road noise and vibrations. Install 21" wheels with high profile tires on the Macan and I guarantee you will get buzzes and rattles. I'm not happy about buzzes and rattles in the Taycan either, but it's not unique to this car. I've heard the same thing driving Tesla Model S, BMW M5, and Ferrari 458.

I had a Macan with AirSuspension and 20'' wheels for 3 years, 55k miles, no rattles ever even on rough roads. My kid would kick the passenger seat and B pillar and they would not rattle. Btw it was a 2015 i.e. first year model.

Today I was in my Taycan, parked/stopped while it was fast charging. I could hear the annoying creaks from several plastics (like the speaker grill covers and instrument cluster) as they were expanding by the sun heat and it was not that hot outside and I had the A/C on. Again, the car was not moving, so tires and road conditions were not responsible for the creaking sounds. The material quality and the assembly of my Taycan is subpar. A lot of thin cheap plastic (yes I have seen inside the door panes, and other trims) and big gaps between the door panels and chassis, big enough for a kid to slide their finger in.

I am glad it is better for others, since it shows they can do better. I wish they would improve things for those who bought a not so well build interior, but I doubt they would do anything about it except dealers stuffing foam here and there.

 

[vmporsche]

I had a Macan with AirSuspension and 20'' wheels for 3 years, 55k miles, no rattles ever even on rough roads. My kid would kick the passenger seat and B pillar and they would not rattle. Btw it was a 2015 i.e. first year model.

Today I was in my Taycan, parked/stopped while it was fast charging. I could hear the annoying creaks from several plastics (like the speaker grill covers and instrument cluster) as they were expanding by the sun heat and it was not that hot outside and I had the A/C on. Again, the car was not moving, so tires and road conditions were not responsible for the creaking sounds. The material quality and the assembly of my Taycan is subpar. A lot of thin cheap plastic (yes I have seen inside the door panes, and other trims) and big gaps between the door panels and chassis, big enough for a kid to slide their finger in.

I am glad it is better for others, since it shows they can do better. I wish they would improve things for those who bought a not so well build interior, but I doubt they would do anything about it except dealers stuffing foam here and there.

I’ve also had two Caymans and a 2019 Macan- no rattle issues with any of those.

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