From GTR to X5M. Thoughts from those who have done a similar change

[Mahmood07]

I can attest to the Macan Turbo. I drove it on the track during a porsche event with caymans, 911's, and Cayenne. Surprisingly the most fun I had was in the Macan turbo! It's such a great handling and fun car to drive. The interior was beautiful as well.

In the end I couldn't imagine myself driving a Macan as I personally think it looks like a girls car.

I love my X5M more for its power, luxury and size. I also completely disagree with people who say it's undrivable or sluggish from a stop. Maybe there's something wrong with their cars, or they are mistaking it for the small bit of turbo lag.

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Mahmood07

I can attest to the Macan Turbo. I drove it on the track during a porsche event with caymans, 911's, and Cayenne. Surprisingly the most fun I had was in the Macan turbo! It's such a great handling and fun car to drive. The interior was beautiful as well.

In the end I couldn't imagine myself driving a Macan as I personally think it looks like a girls car.

I love my X5M more for its power, luxury and size. I also completely disagree with people who say it's undrivable or sluggish from a stop. Maybe there's something wrong with their cars, or they are mistaking it for the small bit of turbo lag.

I'm used to driving turbo cars, but this is just so nonlinear if not in sport mode. Do you have a tune/exhaust or is yours stock? I have a Dinan stage 1 and exhaust. I don't know if that made it worse or if it didn't really change much. I can't really remember how it was stock.

In any case it drives fine when I put it in sport mode. I usually put the transmission in 2 or 3, set the throttle to sport, and the suspension to sport plus. I switch between the transmission in 2 or 3 depending on whether traffic is heavy or not. 2 has a slight bit of sluggishness, but 3 can be a little high strung and pretty extreme on the downshifts when braking too fast. It would be nice if there was a setting between 2 and 3 that was responsive when accelerating, but not as harsh when braking.

[Alan l.]

I love my X5M. It took a few weeks getting use to how this car's transmission behaves (my first M car) but once you get use to it it becomes second nature.

Yes the brakes squeal like a pig but they also work phenomenally stopping such a big heavy car. Small price to pay for what i consider near race car caliber brakes.

I find this cars sweet spot for normal day to day driving is the following

Engine = Sport Plus
Suspension = Comfort
Steering = Comfort
Transmission = Level 2

The only thing i toggle between is suspension from Comfort to Sport when i feel like driving more spiritedly. I don't bother driving in full comfort mode with the transmission in L1 because it feels like everything is intentionally dumbed down for no good reason but to try to conserve gas. I didn't buy this car to try be economical so no point to me.

The macan turbo is a great car from everything i've read but it does not serve as a family suv for us. Try stuffing a stroller in the trunk and see how much room you have left. Its basically a 3 series with a taller roof in terms of space to me and that doesn't cut it if you need one car that does it all. For that purpose the X5M is tough to beat.

Alan

[Roundown]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

It's completely dead below 2k, where the comfort settings like to keep it. So you either have no power, or way too much power if you press the gas pedal down too far and it causes the transmission to downshift. The sport modes do a better job of keeping the engine in the power band and are much more linear. I stand by my statement that I find the car to be undriveable and unsafe in comfort mode. You expect it to react, and it doesn't. Or it reacts way more than you expect it to.

I've never had this issue...

[dkhm3]

Originally Posted by Serge944

There is a new infotainment system for 2017, and I like it a lot. I have been against touchscreen in the past, but this one is incredibly responsive, fast, and requires fewer user inputs than BMW's idrive. There is also some redundancy with buttons so you don't have to use the touchscreen for all functions.

What I liked better about the X5M was the HUD, better stereo, interior is more luxurious with more surfaces covered in leather, it is faster in a straight line once you get going. Everything else, the Macan takes the cake. The driving dynamics are just phenomenal. It handles better, brakes better, steering actually communicates and has a nice self centering weight, engine is incredibly responsive, transmission downshifts make even BMW's dual clutch seem slow and unrefined (PDK isn't only the best transmission in an SUV, its probably the best transmission in the automotive industry). It's the closest an SUV can get to a sports car, yet the Macan is more versatile (albeit smaller) at the same time. I just went offroading in anza borrego desert last weekend; somewhere I wouldn't dream of taking the X5M.

I hate to come to a BMW forum and praise another brand, but my X5M really aggravated me after a year of ownership. It could have been such a better car if the BMW engineers dedicated a little more time to the software. The car is just unfinished. My gf was pretty annoyed with the M also; she stopped driving it altogether and drove her 2001 X5 3.0 manual instead...

I think it boils down to the philosophy of the brand. I've had seat time behind a '17 Macan GTS, and my folks have a '17 Cayenne GTS that I've driven on long stretches. The P car is smoother and the engine is tuned more linear as well as the refinement of the car seems much better. But, it definitely is S L O W E R.

That being said, I did not like the new '17 infotainment system compared to the idrive. BMW M cars are amazing in their own right, and cost a lot less in terms of leasing and financing/purchasing

If you compare the cars the costs can really be harder to justify. I guess it depends on what you value. P cars add up quick when you get some good performance options.

my x5m new msrp 105k
our cayenne gts (pdcc, sports chrono) msrp 120k
a comparable cayenne turbo s on the lot was msrp 180k

macan gts (well equipped, sports chrono) 77-82k

I would like to one day buy a 911 for sure. It is an amazing car, a performance bargain for a euro sports car.

[TraderJMF]

Originally Posted by Roundown

I've never had this issue...

I've never experienced this issue either - my X5M is completely stock (for now) and in default settings (transmission setting at 2) and I find it very responsive, even below 2k RPM. If I give it a little gas (93 octane), the tranny kicks down smoothly and quickly and I'm at the speed limit seemingly instantaneously and it doesn't even feel like I was on it. It doesn't FEEL as quick as our M235i, but it is never the less... its actually slightly faster off the line to 60mph in my comparisons.

A few additional notes from some recent driving observations: If I have the tranny setting at 1, there IS more hesitation as it lets the RPM's down to 1100-1200 range when cruising. In tranny setting 2, RPM's seem to go to 1500-1600 lowest. In setting 3 it seems to keep RPMs in 2000 range, which offers immediate response, but is not as good for around town gas mileage. Setting 2 seems fine for me. Again, all my other settings are stock/comfort mode here - this is daily driving setup for me (mostly around town).

[Mahmood07]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

I'm used to driving turbo cars, but this is just so nonlinear if not in sport mode. Do you have a tune/exhaust or is yours stock? I have a Dinan stage 1 and exhaust. I don't know if that made it worse or if it didn't really change much. I can't really remember how it was stock.

In any case it drives fine when I put it in sport mode. I usually put the transmission in 2 or 3, set the throttle to sport, and the suspension to sport plus. I switch between the transmission in 2 or 3 depending on whether traffic is heavy or not. 2 has a slight bit of sluggishness, but 3 can be a little high strung and pretty extreme on the downshifts when braking too fast. It would be nice if there was a setting between 2 and 3 that was responsive when accelerating, but not as harsh when braking.

Mine is stock and smooth in the default comfort mode. I tried to notice what some of you guys are talking about but I think its just not there in my car. Could be that mine is GULF Spec, or that I am using 93 octane gas?

[evanescent03]

great informative thread for someone shopping for a sporty/fast SUV. we have a Yukon Denali now and while it's great for what it is, I think if I get something like an X5M, Cayenne Turbo or RR Sport s/c V8 it'll satisfy my fast/fun daily requirement as well as tow vehicle duty (for track days). Drove X6M today and thought the power came on fast and pretty linearly (was in sport mode).

I think I'd look at the Panamera before the macan, personally. for a smaller, nimbler sedan I'd probably for an M3, which is something I may do and keep the Denali. The Cayenne is also due for a refresh so it'll be interesting to see how that turns out

[AlexLou1222]

Agree the perfect spot for our cars are Sport+, comfort, comfort and trans lvl 2.

I can't stand comfort at all so I only use it in the first half mile for warm up the car,

It just feel so unresponsive and slow, and sport+ totally transform the car to what it's

Intended to be.