Compare the2024 BMW iXVS 2024 Porsche Macan

The iX’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Macan doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the iX and Macan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Macan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The iX’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Macan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The iX has a standard Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Macan doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The iX has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Macan’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the iX’s standard Cross Traffic Warning with braking function uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and automatically engage the brakes. The Macan doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The iX’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Macan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the iX and the Macan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

The BMW iX weighs 1259 to 1618 pounds more than the Porsche Macan. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Porsche pays for maintenance for the Macan (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 80 percent more BMW dealers than there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the iX’s warranty.

The iX has more powerful engines than the Macan:

As tested in Car and Driver the iX xDrive50 is faster than the Porsche Macan turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the iX gets better mileage than the Macan:

The iX can travel with zero emissions for 274 to 307 miles (dependent on model). The Macan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the BMW iX higher (10 out of 10) than the Porsche Macan (5). This means the iX produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Macan every 15,000 miles.

The iX stops shorter than the Macan:

For better traction, the iX’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Macan (275/40R22 vs. 265/40R21).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Macan. The iX’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Macan.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the iX’s wheelbase is 7.6 inches longer than on the Macan (118.1 inches vs. 110.5 inches).

The iX’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (48.2% to 51.8%) than the Macan’s (55.7% to 44.3%). This gives the iX more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the iX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Macan (8.8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The design of the BMW iX amounts to more than styling. The iX offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .25 to .26 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is significantly lower than the Macan (.35 to .37) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the iX get better fuel mileage.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Macan with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 17.2 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Macan with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 53 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the iX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Macan doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the iX’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Macan doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The iX has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Macan doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The iX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Macan doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The iX’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Macan’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Macan’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The iX has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Macan.

The iX offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Macan.

The iX’s optional Automatic Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Parking Assistant Professional will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Macan’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW iX and the Porsche Macan, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the iX first among upper midsize premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Macan isn’t in the top three in its category.