First quick feedback of Macan Turbo vs BMW iX

[Yves]

So my initial impressions of Macan Turbo on 20 inch wheels, compared to an iX 50 on 22’s

- Normal mode feels more agile sportier then my iX 50 in sport (the iXM60 is also sportier but not as sporty as the Macan) Macan, is a smaller more drivers persons car, but the passengers prefer the iX …
- rear wheel steering is also more aggressive, contributing to the sportiness
- comfort on 20 inch is good, should try 22 inch like on my iX but my guess is that would be ideal for sporty drive all day long, loosing out on comfort
- Apple CarPlay looses connection from time to time … need to figure out why (when I’m parked at home)
- Nice fit and finish but that passenger seat belt, really??!!
- Interior is hard to compare, Porsche is cockpit like driving, BMW is an open space
- the App is a joke, not a lot of trip data compared to the BMW
- Burmester is better then I remembered it, so quite happy, but no match to the B&W of the BMW …
- In car software OK, but lot of stats missing, like realtime consumption etc (maybe I missed it)
- HUD is nice, need to play with more and see if I can adjust it more with options I like
- switching from CarPlay Audio to radio is cumbersome, any tips ..
- Consumption is high I did a steady highway test round trip which I do for work and I think (no traffic as it’s a bank holiday) 125km/h (with a stretch of 50) iX would be around 20kwh/100km the Porsche was at 22.7 … so this with the smaller battery the range of the Porsche is around 100km less … maybe there should be a brake in period, but I do have regen …
- The looks, yeah the Macan externally is overall the nicer looking car …

I guess for day to day driving the iX is the better allrounder, as a drivers car, the Porsche takes it any day of the week, so it all depends on your preferences …

 

[PanameraFrank]

Thanks for the comparison!

I've always said if the iX just looked like an X5 it'd be a near perfect EV on the road. Really great car, exceptional efficiency & comfort.

Definitely interested to see if your efficiency improves with the Macan. I have been noting a trend that while some conditions lead to relatively good numbers, the Macan certainly doesn't seem to match something like the iX for efficiency. Adding in a relatively small battery for an SUV at 95kWh and I haven't been blown away by real life highway numbers.

The Macan does just have a much nicer aesthetic and sportiness, but it's disappointing to see it beaten out by a 3 year old BMW.

 

[Yves]

After a back and forth of a 200km highway trip what I discovered:
- innodrive drives more like me, closer to the car in front, more aggressive acceleration, like it a bit more then the iX that is to conservative
- when in traffic innodrive does not create an emergency lane like the iX
- more noise then iX on highway, though iX is on 22 inch …
- I miss the automatic regen of the iX
- wife loves the passenger screen for navigation / music choice …
- consumption is higher then iX and worse I think it’s even higher as I discovered that the difference between GPS speed and indicated speed is 5km/h when driving 125km/h or more! The iX is 1 km/h over the complete speed range allowed in Belgium …
So I could drive 131 km/h instead of 127km/h in the iX … without getting a ticket

 

[TomO]

Be patient with your expectations on efficiency. I'm at approx 500 miles on mine now, and the efficiency has improved remarkably. Still improving as far as I can tell. I went from "meh" on range to actually very happy.

 

[Yves]

Let’s see how this evolves:

 

[Sahajesh]

If you think the Macan battery is small, try the iX3 at 77kWh!

 

[Yves]

If you think the Macan battery is small, try the iX3 at 77kWh!

But it’s efficient so the actual range is the same, charging rate however …

Yesterday I charged the battery from 16 to 80% in 22 minutes, below the advertised 10 to 80 time of 21 minutes, though it started charging at 270kw and I was alone at the charging station … so no limit from car or charger … anyway pretty fast …
But I still hope they deliver on their 21 minute promise.

 

[Sahajesh]

But it’s efficient so the actual range is the same

iX3 range isn’t great, one of the reasons I am looking forward to my lease ending in 18 months.

 

[Yves]

iX3 range isn’t great, one of the reasons I am looking forward to my lease ending in 18 months.

Then you need to stick to the Macan RWD option

 

[Sahajesh]

Then you need to stick to the Macan RWD option

No chance!

Even the Turbo has a better range.

 

[Yves]

No chance!

Even the Turbo has a better range.

Depends on your driving style … what is your longtime consumption average … the iX3 is rather efficient if you drive with anticipation, I know my iX is, I can drive my iX with 20kwh/100km 8 month’s of the year … an iX3 should be lower, lets say 18kwh/100km with a net capacity of 74kwh is around 410km in mild conditions … less in winter …

 

[Fun TC Driving]

Getting great range on my iX M60 (except of course winter cold and/or water ponding across the road). But as several reviewers have noted, the front and the rear do not always function well as a team. In comparison on our Macan Turbo test drives, both times I noted key five differences:

The instanteous acceleration on the iX is far greater;
Steering on the Macan is far better, e.g., Porsche precise;
Handling on the Macan is Porsche precise;
Response to bumps on the Macan is much smoother;
Macan’s smaller size is more enjoyable (but rarely passengers but if we did more room in the back in the iX by far).

The iX was the perfect first full EV for us and got us over range anxiety, but it is not IMO what we want in our next one, e.g., a vehicle that responds directly and with precision and approaches sports car handling. When the iX lease is over, not a chance we would buy out its residual.

Porsche EV is definitely the replacement EV when the iX lease is over. Have tried several other EV’s and none remotely compete with either in our opinion. Have not tried Lucid nor Lotus but no thanks on the former for looks, on the latter for pricing/dealership availability.

 

[Senna]

So my initial impressions of Macan Turbo on 20 inch wheels, compared to an iX 50 on 22’s

- Normal mode feels more agile sportier then my iX 50 in sport (the iXM60 is also sportier but not as sporty as the Macan) Macan, is a smaller more drivers persons car, but the passengers prefer the iX …
- rear wheel steering is also more aggressive, contributing to the sportiness
- comfort on 20 inch is good, should try 22 inch like on my iX but my guess is that would be ideal for sporty drive all day long, loosing out on comfort
- Apple CarPlay looses connection from time to time … need to figure out why (when I’m parked at home)
- Nice fit and finish but that passenger seat belt, really??!!
- Interior is hard to compare, Porsche is cockpit like driving, BMW is an open space
- the App is a joke, not a lot of trip data compared to the BMW
- Burmester is better then I remembered it, so quite happy, but no match to the B&W of the BMW …
- In car software OK, but lot of stats missing, like realtime consumption etc (maybe I missed it)
- HUD is nice, need to play with more and see if I can adjust it more with options I like
- switching from CarPlay Audio to radio is cumbersome, any tips ..
- Consumption is high I did a steady highway test round trip which I do for work and I think (no traffic as it’s a bank holiday) 125km/h (with a stretch of 50) iX would be around 20kwh/100km the Porsche was at 22.7 … so this with the smaller battery the range of the Porsche is around 100km less … maybe there should be a brake in period, but I do have regen …
- The looks, yeah the Macan externally is overall the nicer looking car …

I guess for day to day driving the iX is the better allrounder, as a drivers car, the Porsche takes it any day of the week, so it all depends on your preferences …

I’ve also been experiencing the disconnection issue with CarPlay. Interestingly, my wife and I both have the same iPhone 16 Pro, and she hasn’t been facing any problems. However, after upgrading to iOS 18.1, I didn’t notice the connection issue yet.