With torque vectoring and a 10mm lower ride height and Sport Chrono pack, the Macan is sure-footed and definitely worthy of its sports car description.
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With torque vectoring and a 10mm lower ride height and Sport Chrono pack, the Macan is sure-footed and definitely worthy of its sports car description.
The Porsche Macan GTS is Porsche’s flagship product in its entry-point range. It’s the baby SUV, sizably similar to cars like the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. As the entry-point into Porsche ownership, the Macan precedes the incredibly popular but much larger Cayenne in the range. The Macan line-up is also smaller than that of the Cayenne offering the Macan T, the Macan S and then this flagship-holding GTS model. Being a GTS, you’ll find touches of high gloss/satin gloss black trim pieces throughout as well as tinted LED headlights, 21-inch alloys and a throaty talking point – the 2,9-litre, twin-turbo V6 mill.
Outputs are 324kW and 550Nm of torque delivered to all four wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission. That power is available all the way through the rev range until it plateaus around 5600rpm. Until then it’s more than enough power to warrant the GTS badge, but also the overall dynamic feel of what is, in my opinion, the best size for a sports-inclined SUV. It’s a beautiful car to drive, with perfect seating and the correct steering position. In Sport and Sport Plus modes, it’s sharper and more taught, exhibits nearly no body roll and cracks on through the gears with aggression, dynamism and crackling exhaust notes. It’s not an all-out firecracker though. It’s exciting but not necessarily eye-watering. Through that nearly-forgotten magnificence of the Panorama Route, the Macan’s engine note, burbles and pops entertained us as we carved through the tarred belt between a myriad of rock-strewn mountainsides. With torque vectoring and a 10mm lower ride height and Sport Chrono pack, the Macan is sure-footed and definitely worthy of its sports car description. It simply melds around you, a really good blend of sportscar within an easy-to-drive package. It feels as ‘Porsche’ as anything else.
Off the tarred mountain passes and onto some of the rougher, gravel-strewn terrain, the ride quality is still good, though harder than some other less sporty SUVs. The 21-inch alloys with lower profile rubber don’t help that cause but it’s still usable and somewhat practical for some level of soft-roading.
Our road test was conducted mostly to and from the Mpumalanga Panorama Route, and the GTS was called in to do the things for which SUV’s are known – the mundane stuff: carry luggage for two nights away, offer a comfortable long distance drive, connect CarPlay, charge phones and iPads at the same time, dodge potholes, soak up some poor road surfaces and even carry four really happy people to dinner and back at the end of a good night out. That’s what SUV’s are for and in that context lies the Macan’s very existence. It was built to deliver some level of practicality, ground clearance and family-car arguments to lots of people. On a practical level, its boot space capacity is 488-litres which is practical and decent in company like this. In fact, as you look at how the Macan seemingly shrinks its 4,7-metre size, offering that boot capacity isn’t too bad. With the rear seats folded down, that capacity extends to 954-litres. Rear occupant room is also not class-leading here but it’s family worthy. Head room is adequate rather than poor and with its sloping roofline that’s somewhat expected. Porsche seem to have found a way to create space on the inside that you seemingly don’t expect.
Its interior is typical Porsche as far as build quality and materials are concerned. It’s just solidly put together. A Macan can be optioned and tailored on the Porsche configurator to suit most tastes too, an added premium benefit. The glass centre console is easy to navigate and touch, with haptic feedback and tactile switches for your climate control functions. I love the clever wireless charger that holds your phone in place. Mountain passes can be focused on without worrying about a phone scurrying across the cabin. The 12,9-inch integrated infotainment screen is smaller than some here, and despite its really good layout, speed and UX, our complaint is that with CarPlay connected, the icons and fonts are quite small in standard format. You are able to tailor that by going into the menus and increasing font and icon sizes so this is something to note. That said, the driver’s display is perhaps the only area is starting to show its age. In comparison to newer Porsche models, the screen is simply older, offering less customisation than is now possible and available. In terms of its functionality, is it a problem at all? No.
The expense of the Macan GTS is down to its depth of performance wrapped within a practical, safe and highly regarded product and family. It’s a Porsche after all and it’s certainly a good one if you’re considering your SUV options. Yes, it plays in a space where you won’t be spoiled for competitive choice. SUV’s of this sort of size continue to get introduced and depending your need, there really are so many options.
Playing in the premium space, the Macan is a sure-footed sportscar and its other calling card, is its options list if you’re into that sort of thing. You’ll find more powerful and more spirited options from other premium OEM’s – one’s that ride harder and faster; one’s that have more space and one’s that are a little more rare.
But none can take away from a car with immense depth, precision and everyday usability. Yes it’s fast and in the right mode, it can sound like the kind of car your teenager would want to steal on a Friday night, but equally, it can play daily family wagon with great decency. Oh, and if you’re interested in this sort of thing, the Macan also makes for a really good camera car should you be in an industry that requires it. A number of Macan’s have been converted to double as camera cars for film and advertising shoots and also as family cars when the work is done. Surprised? We were too but we’ve worked with and seen them – an added sense of work practicality where you completely didn’t expect it. That should tell you how usable they are.
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