Which car should I buy? Porsche Macan GTS v Golf R + used BMW M5

Help! I'm in a bit of a pickle. My wife wants an SUV and I don't. She's set her heart on a Porsche Macan GTS and I'd rather spend the money on a new Golf R and a used BMW M5 F10 instead? Can you help her see some sense in my plan?-Mike G

Whoah! A two-fer Tiebreaker this month. That’s a first. You know what they say, Mike, happy wife, happy life but we think you may well be onto something here. As lovely as the Macan GTS is, when you look at what you actually get, there are a few similarities with the Golf R, which will retail at around half the price.

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Both are all-wheel drive, both reach 100km/h in less than 5.0 seconds and both feature a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The MQB-chassis Porsche is longer in the wheelbase, liberating a little more rear space and also offers 488 rather than 381 litres of boot space. The VW counters with a five rather than a three year warranty.

To be honest, it caught us on the hop that M5s can now be found from 50 grand, and they’re a good deal more robust than
their E60 predecessors. In all likelihood, the only way you’re going to get this one to pass the sniff test is to stress the lifestyle benefits of having two cars.

The Macan is due for replacement and the Golf Mk8 is a new model, so that could affect future residuals. Of course, the way to truly win at this game is to choose a used car that will absolutely never depreciate.

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As a compromise, how about suggesting a base Macan rather than the GTS? It’s plenty quick enough and would then leave you a $30k or so slush fund to play with for something fun, keeping everyone happy. That’ll get you into an M135i, a tidy 86 GTS or, with a bit of determined haggling, an early i30 N. That’d still represent a beaut of a two-car garage. - AE

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2021 Porsche Macan GTS v 2012 BMW M5 + 2021 Volkswagen Golf R specs

Engine: 2894cc V6, DOHC, 24v, twin-turbo | 4395cc V8, DOHC, 32v, twin-turbo | 1984cc I4, DOHC, 16v, turbo
Power: 280kW @ 5200-6700rpm | 412kW @ 5800rpm | 235kW @ 5000-6200rpm
Torque: 520Nm @ 1750-5000rpm | 400Nm @ 6000-7000rpm | 420Nm @ 1600-4300rpm
Weight: 1910kg | 1945kg | 1551kg
0-100km/h: 4.9sec | 4.4sec | 4.7sec
Price: $112,300 | $50,000 (second hand) | $64,000 (estimated new)