This past weekend, Matthew Schreiner and I drove down to New Mexico with a few of our friends, and we got to drive some of our dream cars. I should probably clarify, these aren’t our all-time dream cars, but they’re up there. I mean, let’s be honest, few people wouldn’t dream of owning a Porsche. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of enjoying the cars too much (I know, I’m so sorry) and forgot to take enough photos. We also spent a day at the Unser Racing Museum, but more on that later.
The Porsche Macan GTS:
Thanks to some very generous relatives, we were able to spend the day driving around in a Porsche Macan GTS and Audi R8 V8. I’ve wanted to drive a Macan for a long time. It’s one of my favorite SUVs on the market today. It’s the perfect size in my opinion, and it offers Porsche power and handling (not that you really need it) for an absolute steal. This particular Macan has a sticker price of about $85,000, which is an absolute steal. I’m not sure about the options it came with, but I know it was on the leaner side. However, there’s honestly no other car that offers a twin-turbo V6 with the spectacular PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) at that price.
The Macan was the first dual-clutch car I’ve ever been in, and it’s completely changed my mind about manual transmissions. I mean, I can shift pretty quick on a stick, but no human could possibly match the PDK. There’s a little bit of a gap between first and second, which you are compensated for with a very sexy exhaust burble. Every gear after that is lightning quick. There’s also plenty of power to make full use of that super-fast transmission too. The twin-turbo V6 cranks out a 360hp, which comes with an almost unnoticeable amount of lag, and will take you to 60mph in 5 seconds flat. At full chat, the GTS had not problem keeping up with the R8.
The best part? You don’t have to sacrifice comfort for all that power and performance. Obviously, it’s no Rolls Royce so you’re going to get some road and exhaust noise. You can make the exhaust quieter with the push of a button, but I don’t see why you ever would. To quote Matt, “It sounds yummy”, and I’m inclined to agree. Noise aside, the first thing you’re going to notice when you get into the car are the seats. They’re the most comfortable seats I’ve ever been in. The leather is soft and the cushions offer plenty of give and support at the same time.
The Audi R8 V8:
You know that saying “Don’t meet your idols”? That might ring true with the R8. Don’t get me wrong, the car is sensationally fast, and 100 mph feels like nothing. The ride is rough compared to the Macan, but that’s to be expected. Although I’m usually not a fan of convertibles, I can understand the appeal now. There are few things that make you feel cooler than being in a super car with the top down. However, there are few things that disappointed about on the car.
First of all, I want to make it clear that this car is an older model and has some miles on it. Plus, it’s the V8, not the V10. On top of that, it has had its share of problems, the most recent of which are leaking struts. It does have the dual clutch transmission, but that’s where things get a bit dicey. At stop lights, I noticed the car struggled a bit to get into gear, and the gear changes are quite slow compared to the Porsche. However, this was an early iteration of the dual clutch, and I’m sure Audi’s current dual-clutch is much better.
Even considering the car’s age, it felt like the transmission wasn’t able to match the revs well even when it did get into gear. It often bogged down when starting from a stop, as if the revs were too low or the clutch was engaged too quick.
Despite the bad things, it was still great fun (it certainly beat my Civic). I don’t think I would ever buy one, but I grateful for the opportunity to drive it.
