Fans of ThruMyLens know that my love of German cars began back in my college years when I owned a 1987 Porsche 944.

It was a fantastic car – but I got married and went to grad school after finishing my undergraduate degree, and couldn’t afford to maintain the vehicle.  Fast forward to my 30’s, after having had a couple of Acura TLs, I was finally ready to return to German cars.  My first was a 2006 BMW 330i:

Taking delivery of my new 2006 BMW 330i

Since 2006, I’ve owned four new BMWs – five counting a 3 Series my wife bought. But I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that someday (maybe not until retirement) I’d find my way back to Porsche.

My current daily is a 2022 BMW X3 M I purchased in 2021 – in every respect, the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. I had hoped to trade for the next generation at the five-year mark, which is coming up next year. There are however two problems with that plan.
1) BMWBlog reports that the last gas-powered X3 M models rolled off the line in 2024, and that BMW has no plans for a next-generation ICE X3 M. The latest generation X3 (G45) came out this year, and there is no “M” model in the lineup. The closest they offer is an X3 M50 which is part of the M-Performance family but not a full M model. Even if BMW did offer a true, M variant of the G45 X3, there’s still one more problem…
2) The G45 X3 has been beat to death with an ugly stick. Inside and out, my 2022 BMW X3 M is a beautiful vehicle. But even if I could get past my issues with the exterior styling, the interior is worse. Earlier this year, I was given a 2025 X3 M50 as a loaner while me car was getting an oil change. I hated it. Huge, huge disappointment.

My 2022 BMW X3 M

Now what? I could go X5 or even X5 M. But the X5 is probably bigger than I want, and the X5 M is probably more than I want to spend. And the X5 is getting re-designed for 2026, and there’s a good chance it will be the X5’s turn for an ugly stick beating.

MAYBE IT’S TIME TO RETURN TO PORSCHE?

I’ve been aware of the Macan for several years. In fact, two years ago when I spent a day at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta (PECATL), I drove a Macan S on the track. On paper, the two performance-oriented SUVs compare quite favorably. Both have twin-turbo six cylinder engines. The Porsche 2.9 L V-6 is a Porsche modified version of the Audi EA389 engine used in several Audi models and produces about 434HP in the GTS configuration. It’s been tested to do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

The BMW engine in my X3 M is, quite honestly in another league. The 3.0 L straight six S58 was developed entirely in-house by BMW M engineers at Garching – it’s the M Division version of the B58. My S58 powered X3 M puts out 473HP with a 0-60 in about 3.9 seconds. The X3 M Competition steps up to 503 HP, and a 0-60 at 3.2 seconds in testing. The BMW S58 will likely go down as one of the best six-cylinder engines ever produced.

The S38 in my 2022 BMW X3 M

These two vehicles are remarkably quick for SUVs. I’d still rate the BMW as the better looking vehicle. But the GTS isn’t far behind in this regard. The interior I’d give to the Porsche by an equally small margin. You also have orders of magnitude more customization available to you with the Macan – which does come at a cost.
Despite being so comparable in most other respects, the Porsche Macan GTS is considerably more expensive that the BMW X3 M or X3 M Competition. It would be tough to crack 85k with an X3 M Competition ordered new in 2024. I’ve done several builds of a 2025 Macan GTS and with the choices I select that are for the most part comparable to the X3 M, I hit 118k – almost 30k more. The “Porsche Tax” I suppose.

My Custom 2025 Macan GTS Build

The interior I chose in my build is fairly restrained with red stitching and red seatbelts that match the exterior:

Here’s where things get interesting. Neither the BMW X3 M or the Porche Macan GTS will be available as 2026 models. With either choice, I’m looking at best at certified pre-owned. Which isn’t ideal. I’m targeting retiring somewhere between 2030 and 2032 – a new vehicle would take me through retirement. A pre-owned vehicle won’t – which isn’t entirely bad as Porsche is supposed to be coming out with a Macan replacement in the next two years.

I’m leaning toward trying to track down a 2025 Macan as closely spec’d as possible to what I would order. But for the price delta, a pre-owned 2024 X3 M Competition is quite compelling. There really isn’t any other performance SUV (super ute) on the market that interests me. About the only other option I’m considering is getting a true utility SUV (think Honda CRV) and buy something like a pre-owned Porsche Boxter or BMW Z4 M40i. That’s REALLY closer to what my retirement vehicle strategy will look like. I’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.