[Chris Pringle]

Got to test drive a 2019 Macan S yesterday and a brand new 0-mile 2021 BMW M40i this morning. Thought I would post here on my fresh impressions after driving both vehicles.

Porsche Macan S: on comfort mode it felt like there was considerable lag on the accelerator. One really had to push on the pedal to get it going. I wasn’t expecting this kind of slower throttle response on a Porsche, especially knowing that I would only have two types of drive modes without the sport chrono addition - comfort and sport.

On sport mode on the Macan, the throttle reaction was good but not fully satisfying. On Sport Plus mode the reaction was truly perfect. The suspension felt somewhat floaty and I felt like it didn’t firm up on the various modes. The salesman didn’t know how the suspension was spec’d on this particular pre-owned vehicle. But on rough cobblestone sections, the car felt compliant.

The steering wheel on the Macan felt surprisingly soft and only firmed up noticeably on Sport Plus. The salesman pointed out that it will firm up at higher speeds which we were not hitting on the twisty suburban roads we were driving on. This led me to believe this unit came equipped with Power Steering Plus, but we never got to a high speed highway to test this feature adequately. Overall it reminded a lot of the steering on an Audi Q3 I drove many years ago - it pains me to say it was too soft for fun driving. In spite of this, the car would take tight curves and turns precisely and well composed. The Bose sound system sounded very good with deep bass, although my partner was not a fan.

BMW X3 M40i: although we made an appointment last week to try a demo,
our saleswoman greeted us this morning with some bad news. Their demo X3 M40i suffered a severe tire damage over the weekend. The good news is that they were going to let us test drive a brand new 2021 BMW M40i they still had in their showroom. She then introduced us to a BMW Genius who gave us a thorough explanation of the car and then we went for a test drive. One thing that was interesting to learn was how the X3 M40i has a “personal” drive mode to customize every single aspect of the driving dynamics independently: the steering, the suspension, the engine throttle response. So if you’re planning to drive, for example, on a two-way narrow mountain road that’s rough in sections with unforeseen potholes (very common here in Mexico), you can choose to have a tight steering wheel, soft suspension and quick throttle response. This was easily done on the infotainment by clicking on a couple of menu buttons. Or you can opt to let the car computer control everything for you by pressing the Adaptive+Sport buttons. This was quite insightful to us.

In Eco Pro mode, there was a noticeable lag on the throttle similar to what I experienced in Comfort mode on the Macan. The suspension was soft/compliant. I can see myself using this in heavy, slow traffic around the city.

Comfort mode: soft suspension, throttle response was adequate and not too laggy - perfect for suburban driving.

Sport mode: this is where we felt a change on the suspension, throttle response and also exhaust sound became more noticeable. On a long drive I can see myself going back and forth between comfort and sport mode.

Since there’s only a “Sport” button on the center console, I was completely unaware this car also had a “Sport Plus” mode. The BMW genius explained all you need to do is to press the “sport” mode button twice. He then decided to get us on a high speed 3-lane highway going over a mountain pass. After trying the first three modes, he asked me to turn around and drive a long uphill section of the highway with nice turns typical of high speed highways in mountainous areas. At that moment, he asked me to put it on Sport Plus. Holy cow! The combination of immediate throttle response, the tight steering, the firm suspension and the constant gurgles and farts from the exhaust as I pressed on the accelerator made the ride TRULY exhilarating - passing car after car was so effortless and it was like the car became a mountain goat begging to climb higher and faster.

The sound from the Harman Kardon on the X3 was overall more refined with really good mid frequencies. The bass response was also there but not as bass-y as the Bose on the Macan. There’s something to be said about cars with a good subwoofer (Bose) if you like music genres like house, rock, hip hop or latin rhythms with lots of drums and beats. For jazz vocals and classical music, which we enjoy the most, the Harman Kardon on the BMW lives up to its name, being the one most likely to give you an auditory hardon.

The Porsche Macan is a drop dead gorgeous car and I was truly wishing for a holy grail driving reward. I hope the new 2022 version of the S (previously the GTS) delivers in this regard, especially on the steering. I felt so disappointed on the soft steering and on the throttle response on normal “comfort” mode and lower speeds and no way to adjust it, unless the salesman missed to explain something.

The X3’s body styling, on the other hand, seems a little too ordinary, IMHO. This is maybe due to how many X3’s you see everywhere or maybe the fact that we own a first generation X1. For 2022, BMW apparently will further standardize the fascia/look of the X3 across the entire line, so whether you have a regular X3 or the X3M, they will sport the same look barred some small differences like the M badge. But, wow, the spirited drive I had this morning on the X3 M40i was one I will never forget.