[JM322]

I have a gle350. Just that touch more room in second row and trunk vs the x5, and a more comfortable (though less exciting drive).

[wavyyyy]

Originally Posted by JM322

I have a gle350. Just that touch more room in second row and trunk vs the x5, and a more comfortable (though less exciting drive).

I didn’t like it. Felt too underpowered and suspension felt too bouncy on our terrible NY roads. Ended up selling it after a year and taking a huge loss.

[TacoProfit]

I may have made a mistake. I bought THIS car to be my "family" car.

[JM322]

Originally Posted by wavyyyy

I didn’t like it. Felt too underpowered and suspension felt too bouncy on our terrible NY roads. Ended up selling it after a year and taking a huge loss.

Re the bouncy, what was your tire pressure? Mercedes actually have an odd issue where the tire pressure on the door jamb is much too high and is quite different than what’s on the fuel door. It’s
Like 48 vs 32. Running it too high can lead to bounce.

Underpowered I can’t argue with. But in a weird way I enjoy hearing that engine rev and struggle.

[Habber]

Audi RS6

[skyline408]

We have a Tacoma dual cab 4x4, and a Model Y Performance.

Fits our needs perfectly, and compliments the G80 6MT.

I have also added an Audi S3 as a dd to my dd, since I wanted another small nimble AWD car.

[RDG80M3X]

Porsche Macan! No kids yet but it fits our needs perfectly.

[yocubed]

Going to get blasted for this blasphemy on a BMW board but the wife's car is a GLE 450 and we love it. Going on 4 years now. Comfy, plenty of room (rear legroom is massively larger than the X5 we test drove), and I must say the emerald green is the 🧑‍🍳💋.

[masab321]

Originally Posted by RDG80M3X

Porsche Macan! No kids yet but it fits our needs perfectly.

This is something I am considering now. Do you have a base or S/GTS and how’s your experience of using Macan as a family car?

[tomfraser]

Wife drives a tuned F15 X5 M50D with the dynamic handling pack, great for the kids and dog, economical, handles pretty well and properly quick for an SUV given it has around 420hp and 650lbft or so.

[brava09]

Although my wife drives an Audi Q3 we use our M4 C xdrive for family vacations, summer and winter. Perfect family car, fits four in comfort ( kids 22 and 12).

[JM322]

Originally Posted by masab321

This is something I am considering now. Do you have a base or S/GTS and how’s your experience of using Macan as a family car?

If you thought the cayenne was small….

It’s basically a q5. If you have kids they’ll be cramped and forget about luggage for a long trip.

[bimmerCHAOS]

Originally Posted by JM322

If you thought the cayenne was small….

It’s basically a q5. If you have kids they’ll be cramped and forget about luggage for a long trip.

^^^this, unfortunately -- because it's a fantastic car, otherwise. We bought my wife the Macan back in 2019, when my daughter was 17 and my son was 14. It didn't take long before the kids started grumbling about how uncomfortable the back seat was for drives of any length (through LA traffic). At the time I was driving a 2019 Audi A6 ("prestige" model with all the creature comforts ... but running on 21s so still not exactly the smoothest, relatively speaking), and they'd always plead with us just to take my car if the four of us were going anywhere beyond a 10 or 15 minute drive from the house.

Setting aside that they were acting like entitled drama queens, I can concede there definitely was some truth to their comments and impressions on the Macan's back seat. With that said, the front seats on my wife's car are amazing (Porsche's usual upgraded 14-way, rather than the 18-way) -- both for longer drives, and for short ones tearing through the local canyons. Have to say, that thing handles pretty incredibly for its size and profile.

Forgetting about its merits (or lack thereof) as a family hauler, Porsche truly did a fantastic job with the Macan: It's an amazing "SAV" for anyone who just wants something quick and fun to drive around town with the added utility of the SAV form factor. And SAV is right ... I definitely wouldn't classify it as an SUV, because it's too damn small inside, and isn't set up to tow anything significant. You can get a decent amount of stuff in there with the seats down, though, and it's perfect for my wife's bigger grocery/target or even occasional home depot runs. (She prefers the cargo area over a traditional trunk.)

These days, when the kids are back from school we're more likely to pile in to our 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee (which my son has commandeered as his own until I relent and get him the M240i he wants!), and the Macan stays in the garage.

Oh, and when I picked up my G80 last month obviously we spent some time in that as a family, too; for another reference point, my kids said the back seat of the M3 is considerably more comfortable overall than the Macan's ... but when you factor in the [even] stiffer ride of the M3, it's pretty much a toss-up. My son doesn't give a shit and takes one for the team (thankful that he also gets to drive the M3 while I teach him the 6MT!); my now nearly 22 year old daughter, on the other hand, says "Dad, why'd you have to get rid of the Audi? That was way more comfortable in back than anything else!" But I take that with a grain of salt, because she drives a '21 Audi Q3 we bought her back in '21, and clearly has her head slightly up Audi's ass. )

So, yeah, that probably was way more info than anyone needed or cares about, but I figured I'd give a little context for my -- and my kids' -- impressions about the Macan. My personal opinion remains that the Macan is a great car, and feels every bit a Porsche when driven hard (not to mention it's been totally reliable with zero issues during our 5 years of ownership) ... but it likely won't fit the bill as well as other options for most people who are looking for a comfortable family hauler to supplement the G8x -- unless (1) their children are relatively young (maybe 12 and under?) and (2) their general needs really are more SAV- than SUV-focused. (If those two things are true, though, the Macan will be a perfect choice!)

[specced]

I’m partial to the Land Cruiser or Lexus GX/LX.

4Runner is nice, but can’t advise buying one when it’s due for a refresh probably the following year, it’s still a great vehicle but interior is dated.

I would also consider an X5 40i.

[RDG80M3X]

Originally Posted by masab321

This is something I am considering now. Do you have a base or S/GTS and how’s your experience of using Macan as a family car?

We have a base. While I initially pushed for an S my SO test drove the base and thought the power was more than enough for her. The 2.0 paired with the PDK transmission is a nice combo and the front end is much lighter compared to the S/GTS. The handling is sublime, even as a base (hers is equipped with PASM and Sport Chrono) it drives miles better than any other Audi product (q5, sq5), or comparable SUV in its class. For now it is just two if us; she uses it for a short commute on local streets to work (9 miles round trip) and we mainly use the Macan as the grocery getter and road trip vehicle. Front seat comfort is excellent for the two of us ( I’m 6’2” and she’s 5’5”) however as others have mentioned it is not the most spacious vehicle for passengers in the rear (we do occasionally have adults in the back for short jaunts and haven’t heard a complaint yet) nor does it have large storage capacity. I think the Macan can work for the smaller families with young children but if space is a concern for you I would go with the cayenne. We plan on keeping it for the next 5 years and upgrading to a larger vehicle when the need arises.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

[OC_M3CX]

Needed a three row so only one logical option X7 M60i. Picked it up two months ago, only 2K miles so far but the S68 is a beast.

[Llarry]

I agree with the above several posters that the Macan (I have a '21 GTS) is (1) a terrific car and (2) not suitable for a family due to lack of rear seat room.

[yaymitch]

RSQ8

[tharkins10]

We have X7 and it's a fantastic pair with a G80. Can't go wrong.

[Bimmerfun82]

Over the course of the last two G80’s we’ve had an X5, X7, and model Y. The X7 is the best, by far. For rear facing car seats there’s plenty of room and if you plan to have more kids room to expand. Our X5 had third row/air and was nice too but the X7 is a better riding position and feels more luxury all around. The Y is functional and efficient obviously but the kids hate it. Well, they liked it for a while but not after they got a taste of the X7. I share their opinion.

[JY01]

I like my Model Y Performance as a DD, very low maintenance and easy to own. I spend a lot of time taking care of my M4 so it’s nice having an EV that can be neglected and still be fine.