reginos:
SciFrog:

Got an Audi allroad loaner and figured how it would compare to a Macan turbo. Of course I should compare vs a Macan S but...

The Audi has a lot less hp and it feels anemic in acceleration and very linear. The PDK in the Macan is also much more playful than the auto box.

The handling is much more bluffing in the Macan. The Audi feels very safe and reassuring but it does not like to be tossed around whereas the Macan just calls for more. The Audi really tries to filter the road but funny enough is quite more bumpy than the Macan.

The Audi feels like a sedan and seats quite low vs the Macan, something not great for daily driving. Rear seating space is larger than the Macan and trunk seems about the same. The Audi is white and IMHO it is a totally inadequate color for bigger cars like wagons big sedans and SUVs. With all the complaints about the Macan sound at least you can hear it and the roar on a cold start is nice. You simply cannot hear the exhaust on the Audi...

The Audi interior and plastics are nice and fresh, the chocolate seat (leather?) look very nice and sturdy. It is comfortable but seats are not very grippy. The multimedia system is solid and intuitive and oozes quality. The gear lever is nice and modern although in this day in age you have to wonder why they are still present. Of course all the interior doesn't hold the candle vs the Porsche full leather two tone/alcantara.

Conclusion: the Audi is a nice comfortable safe solid practical car. It procures no excitement and no emotions whatsoever and somewhat a close experience to the Q5 loaner I had last year. The Macan turbo is on a whole other lever of enjoyment, as should be for double the price tag...

Thank you for the review, which is as expected.

Great achievement in textbook Product Differentiation within the VW Group given that Audi and Macan share many components.Smiley

As to the gear lever on an auto/PDK car, I have to say that I use it a lot when the angle of the steering wheel is such that the paddles are not easily accessible. On a Ferrari type of fixed steering column paddles it might be different (hence the lack of levers)  but on cars with wheel paddles the stick is useful. And yes, you change gear when the wheels are turned unlike in a manual.

The comment about the gear level and its presence reminded me of a recent recall Ford conducted for one of its Lincoln products, the MKC SUV.  

The traditional gear level with its PRNDL format was replaced by a series of buttons on the dashboard, above the center console, with a sport button and, of course, as found on almost all contemporary cars, a pushbutton start/stop switch.  That start/stop pushbutton, to maintain design congruency, was placed directly below the sport button, labeled "S" for the transmission.  One can immediately guess the reason for the recall, drivers were turning off the engine when attempting to place the MKC in sport mode...maintaining traditional placement of controls, at times, is ergonomically efficient.