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If it's in your budget I highly recommend test driving the Porsche Macan. It has a screen but as far as I can tell it's not required for anything that doesn't

If it's in your budget I highly recommend test driving the Porsche Macan. It has a screen but as far as I can tell it's not required for anything that doesn't implicitly require a screen (i.e. GPS). Overall the car is amazingly well designed. The tactile experience is there, you can feel your way around everything without moving your eyes from the road/immediate dash area. It still has an analog clock. I also feel like there are a lot of advanced, car enthusiast friendly features I have yet to explore. It's also a stupidly practical car. I've frequently loaded the back with cinder blocks and bricks, filled it with a small arboretum of house plants, drum sander, multiple bikes, small couches, etc. I feel a bit silly loading up a Porche at home depot, but boy does it do the job well. And at the same time, when you're getting on the highway it has all the power you could want, and is just a blast to drive around at night on empty roads. Comfort wise it feels like it has exactly what you want, but nothing more.

jlkuester7 4y ago
Pretty cool to read about somebody using their Porsche the same way I use my 12yo Toyota Rav4! My record is still fitting a full-sized washer and dryer in the back... Don't feel silly for utilizing your vehicle's capabilities!
- xattt 4y ago
  Past Nissan Cube owner here reporting that you can stuff a twin mattress against the ceiling of the car, supported by the heads of the driver and passenger, for several blocks.
  - abyssin 4y ago
    I did the same with a Smart. The pickup functionality of the back door also allows for moving a fridge, if you tie it down appropriately.
  - stephencanon 4y ago
    I moved a queen bed frame and mattress in a 2006 mini convertible.
- robohoe 4y ago
  You should see the way I use my Cayman. It’s starting to see more track miles than road miles. Finally using all the speedometer I paid for.
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
  Pah! I fit 9 bales of hay in a Saturn Vue. I'm still really proud of that :-)
  - capableweb 4y ago
    What kind of bale of hay? Where I live, a bale of hay weighs something like 200kg, total weight would be 1800kg which I don't think any car could muster (nor actually fit), but seems you're using "bale of hay" as a different measurement than what I have in mind.
deepdmistry 4y ago
I second this, Macan owner since 6 years and have not been more satisfied going 0-60 in 6 seconds in a car that i have loaded with close to 50 gravel bags from Home Depot :) oh and going back to original post, two main reasons i chose the car was 1. Way it drives and 2. Tactile buttons
CamperBob2 4y ago
Overall the car is amazingly well designed. The tactile experience is there, you can feel your way around everything without moving your eyes from the road/immediate dash area. Not anymore, unfortunately. In the current gen (2022+) Macan they got rid of the buttons in favor of a glossy touch panel. It looks cleaner, but it won't by the time you get home from the dealership.
- theluketaylor 4y ago
  And the EV Macan due out in 2024 will be even more screen. I'm sure it will have the same 3 screen setup as Taycan, with the curved instrument cluster, landscape main dash screen, and portrait lower screen for HVAC and charging controls.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- randerson 4y ago
  At least still has high quality physical buttons for A/C and the steering wheel controls, which is most of what you're likely to use while moving. My least favorite thing about the Taycan is the capacitive AC controls.
guga42k 4y ago
Right. This amazing car refuses to open its trunk from inside when being in park mode and engine switched off when you are not in Home Screen on central panel. Another interesting issue is compatibility porsche id and apple car play. it seems the car play kicks out porsche id 3 times out of 4 given that you use your iphone as identification means.
- CamperBob2 4y ago
  Right. This amazing car refuses to open its trunk from inside when being in park mode and engine switched off when you are not in Home Screen on central panel. Huh? What generation is this? I use that button all the time in my 95B.2 while CarPlay is up. Last time was a couple of days ago, hauling a load of pavers home from Lowe's. Another interesting issue is compatibility porsche id and apple car play. it seems the car play kicks out porsche id 3 times out of 4 given that you use your iphone as identification means. Yeah, the Porsche ID thing is a tire fire. It almost always fails to log in immediately after startup, showing an error message before it even bothers to attempt reconnection. Then, if you leave it alone, it reconnects on its own and usually works as expected. About 5%-10% of the time it won't log in successfully until the next drive cycle. Porsche should update their famous "There's a reason why most rocket scientists are German" ad to include "... and why most software developers are American." (I'm sure the PCM OEM is American, but it would be a well-deserved hot take.)
deleted 4y ago
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GrifMD 4y ago
I don't own a car anymore, but it's something I online window shop sometimes. It seems like Lexus is going to be the last luxury car brand to keep physical controls instead of all screen.
breakbread 4y ago
And a Mazda is the down-market alternative :)
- CamperBob2 4y ago
  Nothing wrong with a CX-5 whatsoever. It would be a very strong choice for anyone shopping in a similar market.
withinboredom 4y ago
If you’re looking for an all-electric with the same feeling, the Hyundai Kona fits the bill. Everything is a button or knob, except the GPS. It’s a breath of fresh air after the Tesla and the bmw i3.

jlkuester7 4y ago

Pretty cool to read about somebody using their Porsche the same way I use my 12yo Toyota Rav4! My record is still fitting a full-sized washer and dryer in the back... Don't feel silly for utilizing your vehicle's capabilities!

xattt 4y ago
Past Nissan Cube owner here reporting that you can stuff a twin mattress against the ceiling of the car, supported by the heads of the driver and passenger, for several blocks.
- abyssin 4y ago
  I did the same with a Smart. The pickup functionality of the back door also allows for moving a fridge, if you tie it down appropriately.
- stephencanon 4y ago
  I moved a queen bed frame and mattress in a 2006 mini convertible.
robohoe 4y ago
You should see the way I use my Cayman. It’s starting to see more track miles than road miles. Finally using all the speedometer I paid for.
HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
Pah! I fit 9 bales of hay in a Saturn Vue. I'm still really proud of that :-)
- capableweb 4y ago
  What kind of bale of hay? Where I live, a bale of hay weighs something like 200kg, total weight would be 1800kg which I don't think any car could muster (nor actually fit), but seems you're using "bale of hay" as a different measurement than what I have in mind.

deepdmistry 4y ago

I second this, Macan owner since 6 years and have not been more satisfied going 0-60 in 6 seconds in a car that i have loaded with close to 50 gravel bags from Home Depot :) oh and going back to original post, two main reasons i chose the car was 1. Way it drives and 2. Tactile buttons

CamperBob2 4y ago

Overall the car is amazingly well designed. The tactile experience is there, you can feel your way around everything without moving your eyes from the road/immediate dash area. Not anymore, unfortunately. In the current gen (2022+) Macan they got rid of the buttons in favor of a glossy touch panel. It looks cleaner, but it won't by the time you get home from the dealership.

theluketaylor 4y ago
And the EV Macan due out in 2024 will be even more screen. I'm sure it will have the same 3 screen setup as Taycan, with the curved instrument cluster, landscape main dash screen, and portrait lower screen for HVAC and charging controls.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
randerson 4y ago
At least still has high quality physical buttons for A/C and the steering wheel controls, which is most of what you're likely to use while moving. My least favorite thing about the Taycan is the capacitive AC controls.

guga42k 4y ago

Right. This amazing car refuses to open its trunk from inside when being in park mode and engine switched off when you are not in Home Screen on central panel. Another interesting issue is compatibility porsche id and apple car play. it seems the car play kicks out porsche id 3 times out of 4 given that you use your iphone as identification means.

CamperBob2 4y ago
Right. This amazing car refuses to open its trunk from inside when being in park mode and engine switched off when you are not in Home Screen on central panel. Huh? What generation is this? I use that button all the time in my 95B.2 while CarPlay is up. Last time was a couple of days ago, hauling a load of pavers home from Lowe's. Another interesting issue is compatibility porsche id and apple car play. it seems the car play kicks out porsche id 3 times out of 4 given that you use your iphone as identification means. Yeah, the Porsche ID thing is a tire fire. It almost always fails to log in immediately after startup, showing an error message before it even bothers to attempt reconnection. Then, if you leave it alone, it reconnects on its own and usually works as expected. About 5%-10% of the time it won't log in successfully until the next drive cycle. Porsche should update their famous "There's a reason why most rocket scientists are German" ad to include "... and why most software developers are American." (I'm sure the PCM OEM is American, but it would be a well-deserved hot take.)

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

GrifMD 4y ago

I don't own a car anymore, but it's something I online window shop sometimes. It seems like Lexus is going to be the last luxury car brand to keep physical controls instead of all screen.

breakbread 4y ago

And a Mazda is the down-market alternative :)

CamperBob2 4y ago
Nothing wrong with a CX-5 whatsoever. It would be a very strong choice for anyone shopping in a similar market.

withinboredom 4y ago

If you’re looking for an all-electric with the same feeling, the Hyundai Kona fits the bill. Everything is a button or knob, except the GPS. It’s a breath of fresh air after the Tesla and the bmw i3.