Software updates - why is Porsche so far behind.......?

[Greybeard72]

why is Porsche so far behind.......?
Because they can afford it, unlike other "lesser" brands.
I have said it before the fault is the customer, when customers tolerate this sub part product because its a "Porsche" that is what you get, zero effort.
VW has already turned with the ID.1 hopefully Porsche will follow.

Not sure I'd agree. They definitely are behind in both software and hardware architecture .. and, more importantly, the marriage of the two. I am sorely disappointed in the inability of the car to do OTA updates. That, however, does not take away from the pure enjoyment of driving the car. It's a beast and unlike some others here, I have a decent dealer and after 7k miles and a year of ownership, my issues have been at most, minor. I have spared myself the newest update since it doesn't seem to do much and I have very minor issues (rarely). This is my 3rd Porsche (911 4S, MacanS and now the 4S). Yes, they have a long way to go on getting their electronics up to snuff and competitive with Tesla and Rivian. However, if you look at the incredibly long list of issues with Tesla, Rivian and Lucid over the years - and even currently, I would be careful in saying that they are 'flawless' in comparison. Just ask Lucid about their latest update for the Gravity. BMW clearly got the memo (we think - given we haven't seen the production models yet). I spent a good decade of my Tech career getting excellent engineering teams to understand that excelling at software is not just 'an add on'. They never get it. Just ask Blackberry and Sony. No question that Porsche will eventually get the memo even if they have to go through even more pain. Hopefully, the joint project with Rivian will help. Assuming things continue as they are with my 4S, i'll be getting the next version in 2028 after my lease is up. My past experiences with BMW's leaves me cold so I won't be going down that path any time soon. For many reasons, I'm not going back to ICE cars either.

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[Mavshyn]

I asked my dealer about this recent software update. They said Porsche stopped the update because there are cars that will not engage gear after the update. My dealer said there is 1 car at his side that faced this issue after the update.

 

[vanjwilson]

This delayed update aside, I think the Macan software is the best of the non-Tesla EV software out right now.

I traded in a Tesla Model Y after 4 years of ownership for a Macan EV this past spring. I test-drove several other "hatchback" style EVs: Taycan Cross Turismo, BMW iX, and Audi Q6 eTron before deciding on the Macan. In part, I decided on the most expensive option--I was looking at 2022 Taycans--in part because the software on the Macan was the closest to what I was used to in the Tesla.

(And even my Tesla required the occasional soft-reboot of the screen, too. I wish that was one way Porsche wasn't like Tesla. )

 

[Yves]

This delayed update aside, I think the Macan software is the best of the non-Tesla EV software out right now.

I traded in a Tesla Model Y after 4 years of ownership for a Macan EV this past spring. I test-drove several other "hatchback" style EVs: Taycan Cross Turismo, BMW iX, and Audi Q6 eTron before deciding on the Macan. In part, I decided on the most expensive option--I was looking at 2022 Taycans--in part because the software on the Macan was the closest to what I was used to in the Tesla.

(And even my Tesla required the occasional soft-reboot of the screen, too. I wish that was one way Porsche wasn't like Tesla. )

No it isn’t the software is a joke, especially compared to the iX I have. My iX from 2021 has more features in car but also in the App of my iPhone, BMW is like 10 times more useful and has way more details. Just to name 2, manual battery pre conditioning in the car and in the App, yes important if you live in colder regions. It even will pop up battery pre conditioning while using Apple CarPlay and Apple Maps …
The list is long and like with my Tesla regular OTA updates …
Yes the driving dynamics are bare none the best of any EV SUV, but the software is a drama … and will probably the number one reason this will be my first and last Porsche.
I’ve test driven the Zeekr 7X this weekend, and man even the Chinese wipe the floor with the Macan from a software perspective.
Yes the driving / handling they are king, but that is only when you find a place where you can experience that, because in daily driving they all drive the same.

 

[MatC21]

I think vanjilsen has a point though. We exaggerate a little bit how bad the Software is. Yes it isnt great and not worth the price tag but we shouldnt forget how bad car Software used to be - before Tesla set the benchmark.

We also keep mentioning BMW. But BMW is the exception rather than the norm. They do have the best Software out of all European brands for ages.

But drive an Audi, VE or even one of the French cars. You will want your Macan Software back.

 

[Yves]

I think vanjilsen has a point though. We exaggerate a little bit how bad the Software is. Yes it isnt great and not worth the price tag but we shouldnt forget how bad car Software used to be - before Tesla set the benchmark.

We also keep mentioning BMW. But BMW is the exception rather than the norm. They do have the best Software out of all European brands for ages.

But drive an Audi, VE or even one of the French cars. You will want your Macan Software back.

Even the software of my ID3 (I’m on version 5) is better, integration with Apple CarPlay showing AR navigation in the HUD, manual pre conditioning … the app is very basic though … So even in the same group they are lagging. I even left out the slowness of a relative new system … my god it seems like they used a processor from the 90’s

 

[Timcat]

I haven't been here for a while, but I do want to comment on this issue. My Macan is my second EV, my first EV was a Tesla Model 3 Performance. In my experience, my Tesla had at least as many if not more software induced problems than my Macan. However, the Tesla issues, in my view, were a lot worse.

For example, Tesla phantom braking; this happened regularly when using either Autopilot or cruise control, rendering both unusable. For those who don't know, this involves the car slamming on the brakes for no reason whilst using either system on the motorway (highway) and is quite frankly dangerous. Tesla never cured this, despite numerous updates. Useless auto dipping headlights, non-functioning matrix headlights, and useless auto-wipers. They only got the matrix lights working in my last 6 months of ownership. All of these had serious implications insofar as actual driving and safety are concerned.

In contrast, my Macan' s equivalent systems are essentially faultless. I don't care if I can't use my phone as a key and that I get the odd error message, but I do care that my car does not try and cause an accident due to software issues in basic driving related systems. Porsche get the latter right and many of their competitors (Tesla, the update king) don't.

Also, despite being fast, no Tesla handles like a Porsche. OK, the Macan isn't a 911 (I know, I have one) but it gets as close as possible for an SUV.

In short, if you want a car for driving, buy a Porsche, if you want to play with what is essentially a PC (with all that entails - crashing for no reason and so forth) on wheels, get a Tesla or some other computer on wheels.

 

[Colin the Best]

My car was at the dealership for the update at the beginning of December, but it didn't go well; the download stopped at 20% and remained there. I confirm that Porsche has suspended updates, pending clarification.

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