JAMNole

In the past, I posted that I truly liked my 2020 AMG GLC 43 except for 2 flaws, 1 of which was / is a major problem for everyone, the other which was / is a problem for some.

Due to those 2 problems, I decided to move on from the AMG GLC 43 and last year bought a lightly used 2022 Macan S. This post is intended to share high level observations and commentary when comparing the 2 cars.
My wife and kids are in the car with me frequently, and I'm usually driving in a populous suburban area of a major city or the local mountains. I dislike SUVs. Keep in mind I am not an automotive expert, a mechanic, etc. - I'm just a fairly regular guy who enjoys fun, nice cars. If you have specific questions which I an answer, I'll try to do so. For context, over the last 20 years, I've had the cars listed below; the Maserati is the only 1 I did not think highly of (although it turned heads).

• Audi A4 convertible (sport model / larger engine)
• MB C300 convertible (sport model)
• Maserati Ghibli SQ4
• MB AMG GLC 43
• Porsche Macan S

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT. To me, the AMG GLC 43 is better than the Macan S in almost every way...but the driving, ohhhh the driving, of the Porsche! Remember that person you dated who wasn't great all around, but wow, they were "fun" enough that you rolled with it anyway? That's the Porsche.

THE FLAWS WHICH CAUSED ME TO CHANGE. The Macan does not suffer from the same significant acceleration dead spot which the AMG GLC 43 does. Yeayyyy - no more almost dying when I try to pull out into traffic! The Macan S also takes an all-season tire (without having to change the wheels or have mismatching tires), so this past winter I was safer in the snow-covered mountains. Advantage Macan S.

EXTERIOR LOOKS / AESTHETICS. To me, the AMG GLC 43 is notably better looking than the Macan S in almost every way. Like most of the more common Porsches, to me the Macan is understated and doesn't "turn heads" based on aesthetics. By contrast, the AMG GLC 43 front end is one of the best looking around (including the vertical grill most current / recent AMGs have). The derriere portion of both vehicles is "eh" - the MB rear end stands out a bit more, and I have mixed feelings about it. My 10 year old daughter, who is into fashion, bemoans me changing from the AMG GLC 43 to the Macan S, it's become a running joke with us. Advantage AMG GLC 43.

INTERIOR LOOKS / AESTHETICS. The Macan S cockpit look is interesting; kind of neat, kind of distracting (practical use will be addressed further down). Other than that, the interior is minimalist. The AMG GLC 43 interior is notably nicer looking. Advantage AMG GLC 43.

USE OF CONTROL SYSTEMS / GENERAL COCKPIT EXPERIENCE. The Macan S control system is half a nightmare. It's as if they said (presumably in German) to the designers: "We'd like it so that the driver has to graduate from our Bizarro Training College before they can use most of this stuff." I very quickly got sick of having to watch You Tube videos just to find out how to do basic things.

• Some stuff is main screen, but a truly stunning % of functionality is controlled by the steering wheel buttons to select and change things on the much smaller screens behind the steering wheel. I "assume" they had some (highly questionable) logic when they decided what goes where, but it makes no sense to me.
• Having to look down at a sharp angle while driving (exacerbated by me being on the taller side) to control key components is also non-optimal.
• The system is not very responsive when plugging in to use Car Play. I often have to plug in several times, there is lagginess, etc.
• You have to go through too many steps to get back to where you were on the screen.
• The lack of ambient lighting is awful at night, especially combined with the fact that you're supposed to press down on the smooth, dark surface (instead of raised "buttons"). I literally sometimes use my cell phone flashlight to basic things in the car at night.
• Dude, where's my cell phone going to go? Extremists can protest all they want, but the reality is that 99.9% of us want (need?) our phone handy, and it makes no sense to take that into account. Design it so that there's an obvious place for it to go and less unsafe to glance at / use.

The AMG GLC 43 control system and lighting were just fine.

I'll also note that the Macan S glove box is tiny.
Huge advantage: AMG GLC 43.

HVAC.
So let me get this straight...Porsche **intentionally** designed it so the 2 center vents (which are smaller and at the bottom of the dashboard) put out about 50% of the volume of the 2 side vents (1 driver, 1 passenger)? It's bizarre. The other day, I had the left vent partly closed and had to increase the air flow volume up to "Level 6" just to get what seemed like a reasonable volume from the center vents while not being bombarded by air from the left vent. Also, if you turn the foot area air flow on, it radically reduces the regular area flow volume.
The AMG GLC 43 HVAC worked fine and in a way that made sense, although I recall that you had to put it on at least Level 3 before you got any notable flow.
Advantage AMG GLC 43.

CAMERAS. I give this its own category because it's important and a feature that is used every single time you drive the vehicle. Both vehicles have all-around cameras, including birds-eye view. The cameras on the AMG GLC 43 (despite being 2 years older) were notably better than what the Macan S has; better definition, superior display on the dash, better lighting at night. Also, the design MB used almost always kept the rear lens clean and clear of rain compared to the Macan's set up.
Advantage AMG GLC 43.

MISC. SAFETY ISSUES.
The Macan S anti-collision system seems to work well, if a little too proactively for my tastes. AMG GLC 43's seemed to work fine. Thankfully, I only ever truly needed it once, but it (Macan S) did help me.
This issue, however, drives me absolutely nuts and is a safety concern: the blind spot warning light at the driver's side mirror is a weak solid yellow light which is mainly visibly to the driver; the same driver's side mirror also displays a yellow blinking light when you use your turn signal, which the driver also sees. Thus, in practical effect:

1. you go to change lanes, thinking it's clear
2. you use your turn indicator
3. your eyes / brain perceives yellow light (which can mean the blind spot warning) and in that millisecond you panic "OH CRAP, THERE'S A CAR, I'M ABOUT TO SMASH THEM"

This is a terrible design; those lights should not be the same color and should not be located near each other (the turn indicator signal on the side view mirror seems unnecessary anyhow). I tried to replace the blind spot light with one of a different color, but did not find one that seems to fit and gave up.
Advantage: AMG GLC 43.

REAR STORAGE SPACE / SPARE TIRE. The AMG GLC 43 had run-flat tires and no spare. Thus the area where the spare would traditionally be was available for storage (for me, it stored regular safety items and winter-road safety items). The Macan has a spare tire, and thus you lose that area for storage purposes.
Advantage: calling this a draw; technically the AMG GLC 43 has more storage space, but having a spare tire may be beneficial.

ACTUALLY DRIVING THE CAR. Driving the Macan S is a pleasure; it's fantastic. It feels like it's hugging me as well as hugging the road. It's smooth but powerful. I don't regret buying the Macan S - despite all the negatives stated above - because of the pure driving experience. I'm significantly more confident in the Macan S on mountain roads than I was in the AMG GLC 43.
Driving the AMG GLC 43 was a good experience, other than the acceleration dead spot and occasional overclocking.
Huge advantage: Macan S.

W205C43PFL

Wow that is a very detailed comparison.

BlownV8

Seems like an ECU/TCU tune may have solved your dead spot issues. Nice write up.

eagl3

the deadspot thing is pretty bad; but I've learned it has to do with time spent coming to a stop. I did some extensive testing in a parking lot simulating going through an intersection/median doing uturns, or like coming into a stop sign. What i've discovered is that if you let it coast down slow you will run into the problem; but if you definitely press the brakes and come to a stop (like less than 2mph), the car acceleration will behave good like it's supposed to when you step on the accelerator. I really think it's some sort of protection logic they've coded into the transmission control unit in an attempt to prevent jerkiness or damage from people slamming it. I am willing to bet a TCU tune will fix it

JAMNole

@eagl3 Good info., thanks for that. What you are doing sounds similar to what I did when reasonably possible. I'd break hard enough to come to a quick stop (or even a break "hold"). I wonder if the 2024 / 2025 models have this issue.