Macan GTS Purchase

[MrBarry123]

My brother is planning to purchase a Macan GTS shortly with a deposit placed on an early February build slot. The Macan will replace a C205 C63 and I said I’d post here as it’d be good to get advice from actual owners rather than the dealership who, for obvious reasons, think every addition to the spec is a great idea. Mainly, we’d appreciate guidance on anything major the collective think he’s missed and would therefore regret not adding now.

He wants to try and keep the cost down as much as is possible and plans to keep the car long-term so isn’t really bothered about maximising resale value in 3/4 years time.

The spec he’s arrived at so far is below. I’ve suggested silver wheels as otherwise it’s quite a dark spec, and the laminated glass, for both the security and cabin ambience benefits.

http://www.porsche-code.com/PMN2JVN4

Thanks in advance for any assistance offered.

[bompey]

Have a look on https://www.macanforums.co.uk/ as this is where most Macan owners are.
He’s done well to keep the price that low. Dealers will want pano roof, 21 wheels, sports chrono, and GTS interior.
Air suspension is only needed on 21 wheels not 20s. Sports chrono will be used once and then never again. GTS interior is expensive for what you get. They are great cars.

[MrBarry123]

Appreciate the guidance.

[Xfe]

GTS interior pack is seen as a must for these, but if your brother is really not worried about resale then not necessarily an issue. Would be more challenging to sell without it. But it's also a lot of money

SportDesign exterior mirrors - 300 quid for a tiny hole in the mirror support?

Sport Chrono - is this necessary in an SUV? Adds mode switch to wheel + launch control. Didn't use it much in my Macan

Would/could add auto dimming mirrors to reduce blinding by traffic

Heatable windscreen very useful for winter (no need to scrape)

Heated multifunction GT steering wheel is the best in the business. Steering wheel heating is generally very underrated and I would have that over heated seats if there was the choice (they're standard here)

Add smoking package to cover hole in centre console

Comfort lighting is nice and adds to ambience

I would get Bose myself, I found it pretty decent

GTS looks good with black wheels, if it was an S I'd agree with you that silver is better. Does your brother definitely want a GTS? With an S he could go for a classier/less sporty spec

Can't comment on laminated glass or air suspension

Otherwise I like the other options you've selected (pano roof is very nice). This is all IMO of course, expecting some disagreement

[Cheib]

I would agree on Smoking Package, Heated Steering Wheel (would never be without through choice now!), Dimming Mirrors (unbelievable they charge for this). Re GTS interior I think without this the dash and doors are plastic rather than leather....personally I think it makes a massive difference to the interior...without it it feels like you're driving a VW parts bin car looking at the dash....which you are but there's no need to remind yourself of it.

Great cars!

The Air Suspension is excellent but I would definitely sacrifice that to make the above more affordable.

[MrBarry123]

Thanks for the continued help guys.

[130R]

The GTS interior in black is quite a bit cheaper than with the crayon/red contrast stitching and absolutely worth selecting IMO.

[Koln-RS]

There’s a bit of a contradiction in buying for the ‘long-term’ but wanting to keep the price down.
Many of of the options make the long-term ownership experience so much nicer.

I’ve driven, and been passengered in, several Macans, although not the latest GTS, and they do deliver a great blend of sporting, luxury, performance - if not in the same league as the Porsche ‘sports’ cars.
But, for an SUV, arguably the best.

However, for use on U.K. roads, I would definitely recommend Air/PASM and 20” wheels for the best ride/handling package.
There are various settings to suit different driving modes, and the ride is noticeably more composed.

[Robbo66]

Looked at chopping our 18 month old S in for GTS. My spec came out at £73k, which is way too high for a Macan IMV.

The S we have is superb, ran in at £63k with following. Just don't see the point in changing personally.

[Voodoo Blue]

I'm on my third Macan (second GTS) and for a 2 ton SUV I think they're quite brilliant.

These would be my must haves for a car in the UK especially if you are rural:

- Heated Steering Wheel (the best option in the world on freezing cold mornings)
- Heated Windscreen (ditto above)
- Auto Dim Mirrors
- All Weather Mats
- Park Assist (either version will do)
- Driver Memory Pack (the standard seats are as good as the other options in my experience)
- 18" Spare Wheel (I had a bad experience once with the repair gunk on puncture in my old Boxster)
- Pano Roof (it lifts a dark interior but make sure you clean out the drain holes regularly)
- Air Suspension (Not strictly necessary but on balance I prefer it to the standard PASM on 20" wheels)
- Bose (its better than the standard set up)

I see that a lot of these have been selected in your configuration but would strongly advocate considering some of the others I've listed especially those you'd use in winter.

Nice to haves:

- GTS pack or full leather (really lifts the interior and makes it feel a very special place to be)
- Comfort Lighting (ditto above)
- Sports Chrono (bought it twice, used it once but didn't feel it was a proper GTS without it)
- Privacy Glass (didn't think much of this but the wife liked it. Enough said)
- 75 litre tank (does extend the range a bit so adds some convenience)
- Any trim/body upgrades (spend what you're comfortable with. I've got PTS on my current GTS and think it was money well spent)

Other than that I think your current config is quite reasonable.

[MrBarry123]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. The note regarding the smoking pack is an especially great bit of guidance!



The spec needs to be confirmed by the end of December so I’ll let you know where it ends up.

[Buster73]

Anyone managed negotiate any discount off a GTS ?

[RichDS]

Buster73 said:

Anyone managed negotiate any discount off a GTS ?

2% quoting coast to coast and i’ve heard or 3-3.5%

[pmg]

A nice sensible spec.

There is a view with GTS's keep as many of the GTS features as possible including wheels which that spec does.

On the Macan forum views for and against the Panorama roof are now fairly even. I thought when ordering a Gen 2 S in late 2018 not much light benefit unless back seats used regularly. Some Owners with them do seem to get blocked drain channels leading to wet floor or flooded battery compartments.

Personally, I would not pay extra for sports design mirrors

I have 20-inch wheels and air suspension and I think the air is well worthwhile for the increased comfort,

if a lot of tight manoeuvring is done, surround-view well worth the extra over just rearview camera.

Sport Chrono on Gen 2 cars brings the addition of the steering wheel control over driving modes which is well worthwhile

[N111BJG]

That’s not much more than I paid for my S 18 months ago which is my work car.
But I’d recommend that you think about adding full surround cameras, comfort lighting, GTS heated steering wheel & heated front screen to your spec
& IMHO dark blue looks better with silver wheels, but very personal thing
Also get a spare wheel, it saves having it trailered to get a new tyre fitted

[MrBarry123]

Just to bring this to a close...

After having got the spec together and placing a deposit on the GTS, Porsche made what appears to be a good offer (5% more per month) for a very lightly used (6 months and 3k miles) Turbo so he’s bought that.

Thanks to everyone who offered assistance. All of it was useful as it allowed him to properly interrogate the spec of the Turbo.

[Not Ideal]

Cool nicely done - glad worked out well.