2022 BMW X4 vs Porsche Macan

What's the difference?

Okay, so the BMW X4 xDrive30i is neither an ass nor an elbow, to be fair, it's more of a bulky shoulder muscle, or two.

I can't say I'll ever love the X4, the idea of it is a bit too weird for me, but I can't help admiring the way it looks and the way it drives.

It's a bit like a sedan on steroids - or an SUV on a diet, depending on your perspective - but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s fun to drive, comfortable and retains just enough coolness, and just enough practicality, to make it worthwhile.

It might be about to be replaced (a new one is expected in around 2023), but the Macan remains a super-solid offering, and a super-sport one, too, should you opt for the S or GTS trims.

For my money, though, the S is all the Macan you need. It gets the best engine, plenty of performance, and most of the cleverest sporting equipment, only without the eye-watering price of the GTS model.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

So here's the thing. Obviously I have a personal beef with the existence of vehicles like this, but my eyes cannot deny the facts - the X4 looks fantastic. It's muscular, imposing and smooth all at once. Unlike the X6, a bigger and less visually successful attempt to play the same styling tricks with an X5, it doesn't have a ridiculous rear view that looks like it shoulders and buttocks have been fused (although it's hard to miss just how small the rear window is).

Even more impressively, there's no denying it looks better than the X3 that gave birth to it, so I can easily see why someone in a BMW showroom could be drawn to it. At least until they sit inside.

If the exterior style and eye-catching Sophisto Grey metallic paint don’t make an immediate impression then your eyes will surely widen at the interior, resplendent with bold Tacora Red seats, Aluminium Rhombicle trim finisher and the kind of sleek, classy styling that BMW excels in. 

Both the adjustable ambient lighting on the doors (we were partial to lilac) and door projectors that shot out what looked like robot wings onto the ground every time we hopped out of the X4 at night walked a fine line between futuristic cool and “parked out the front of a nightclub entrance” chintz, but over time the scales tipped more to the former. 

The big differentiator between the X4 and X3, of course, is the sloped coupé roof, a design feature that may make the X4 look a little cooler, but at the expense of cabin space, but more of that in a moment.

There’s a freshened-up new look right across the Macan range, though it definitely falls into the realm of evolution over revolution.

The changes are most noticeable at the front, where a new black bar splits the front-end, running from headlight to headlight, with the effect looking more aggressive on the S and GTS models than it does on the base Macan.

The lights are LEDs, as are the daytime running lights, and there’s no doubt this new Macan looks a little sharper, and a little angrier, than the model before it. 

But perhaps the biggest changes are in the cabin, with the interior of the new Macan pretty extensively updated. The newly designed centre console now uses touch-sensitive surfaces in place of conventional switches on the centre console, making the cabin look a little less cluttered.

But... it still doesn't look all that modern. In a world in which some car makers are shooting for pared-back minimalism, the Macan's interior still feels a little busy, and the gear selector (and the materials that surround it) feel a little like yesteryear, too. 

For a car that is very much a mid-sized SUV on the outside, the interior can feel a bit too snug, like you’re driving a compact car that’s tried on a suit a few sizes too big (for reference, I’m 175cm tall - above-average height drivers may find the snugness soon turns to claustrophobia). 

While comfortable - it is BMW we’re talking about, after all - there’s not an overly abundant amount of headroom available, a feeling that becomes more pronounced should you shut the big moon roof.

My two children felt slightly too close to “you’re annoying me” distance from one another, which is to say this isn’t really the kind of car you should be getting if you plan on regularly ferrying about passengers in the rear who are bigger than a child. But I really don't think many people with kids would choose the X4 over the X3.

Boot space also takes a hit when compared to the X3 (550 litres versus 525-litres in the X4 - I was surprised the difference wasn't larger - although that expands to 1430-litres with the rear seats folded down. 

The boot opening is also mouth-shaped, which makes packing in wide-load items more of an issue.

Cupholders are plentiful - two in the front, two in the rear, and bottle holders in each door - and there’s a decent-sized storage cubby in between the front two seats. 

The sloped roof, and big fat A pillars, also result in the X4 being a bit more pinched at the rear, which is not especially great for visibility, with the vehicle’s blind spots taking some getting used to.

Arguably the second-most practical Porsche on offer, the Macan measures 4726mm in length, 1927mm in width and 1621mm in height. 

That's not massive, and nor is the boot space on offer, with between 453L and 488L on offer with the seats in place, or between 1468L and 1503L with the seats folded flat. The Mercedes GLC, as a point of reference, serves up 550L of space. 

But it is a tall-opening and usable boot area, and the rear seat - though not massive - can fit four adults in comfort, even if the raised tunnel and protruding air vents would pretty much rule out carrying five full-size humans. I'm 175cm, and sitting behind my own driving position, I had enough headroom and legroom without feeling cramped.

The cupholder count sits at four (including the two in the pull-down armrest that can divide the rear sear), and there's bottle holders in each of the doors, too.

You'll find an ISOFIX attachment point in each rear window seat, and backseat riders can also make use of rear-facing air vents, though without temperature controls. 

The bad news? There are price increases across the range here, with the most significant jump reserved for the Macan GTS model. The method to Porsche’s madness here, though, is that with no flagship Turbo model this time around, the GTS has been tuned up (and priced up) to fill that top-of-tree void. 

The new Macan range now spans the entry-level Macan, which has increased by $500 to $84,500, the mid-spec Macan S, which has increased by $5000 to $105,800, and the top-spec GTS, which has increased by a very substantial $17,500 to $129,800.

The Macan opens proceedings with 19-inch alloy wheels, auto-dimming mirrors, keyless entry, rear privacy glass, push-button start, Apple CarPlay support (but no Android Auto) via a 10.9 inch central screen, wireless charging and a gloss-black interior trim.

The Macan S adds a premium Bose surround-sound system, 20-inch alloys, a bigger engine and sportier suspension, while the GTS then adds 21-inch RS Spyder alloys, sports seats, the most power and the most impressive performance kit, including air suspension.

Now, prepare to be confused. In the past, the 3.0 in the xDrive3.0i nomenclature might have led you to believe you'd bought a BMW with a 3.0-litre straight six engine. But in this case, you have not, the 3.0 just means you have a more exciting version of the 2.0; a TwinPower turbo 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder engine, making 179kW and 353Nm that the xDrive system delivers to all four wheels. 

The claimed zero to 100km/h time of 4.9 seconds feels completely realistic as this engine has plenty of poke. Put it in the Sport setting and you'll get some serious shove. Indeed, the switch between Comfort and Sport is very noticeable and changes the character of the car entirely.

The transmission is an eight-speed conventional torque converter automatic gearbox that’s both smooth and responsive. 

You get what you pay for, of course, and that starts with the base-model Macan, which gets the only four-cylinder engine on offer here – a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol that will produce 195kW and 400Nm, and deliver a sprint to 100km/h in 6.2secs.

Step up the S and GTS, though, and you get a cracking 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6. It's a peach, this engine, and one that spits out a different power level depending on which of the sportier models you spring for.

In Macan S guise, expect 280kW, 520Nm and a 0-100km/h dash of just 4.6secs. In the GTS, those numbers increase to 324kW and 550Nm, dropping your sprint to just 4.3 seconds. 

All engines pair with Porsche's Very Good PDK seven-speed automatic and AWD.

The X4’s 65-litre tank needs to be 95-octane at a minimum, and BMW’s claimed combined fuel consumption is 7.9 litres per 100km. The temptation to use its rorty little engine is going to push you higher, though - you chose the one with the 3.0 badge on it after all - and we averaged 10.9 litres per 100km in our week together, which was mainly city driving, to be fair. 

Every Porsche Macan is on the thirsty side, with the base model requiring 9.3L/100km on the combined cycle, while the S and GTS increase those numbers to 10.2 and 10.3 litres respectively.

The entire Macan range is fitted with a 75 litre fuel tank.

The impressive trick that BMW continually pulls off with its SUVs is giving them the same sensual, muscular steering as its sedans, and an impressively similar ride and handling balance.

The steering is the highlight here, but it's also noticeable how planted to the road it feels.

The X4 speaks to its looks, in fact, by feeling sportier and more alive to drive than you'd expect an X3 to be.  

This is less an SUV for soccer mums and dads, and more a bastard love-child that’s into loud leather and bright neon - a CEO who dressed punk rock-lite on weekends, if you will. 

If those weekends are bereft of child taxiing and loading up the boot with several tons of kid stuff, then you’ll have a blast in the X4. 

It might not be the newest SUV in the stable, but the Macan still achieves something few others can manage, and that is a pretty sublime blend of sportiness and grip, without ever feeling overly harsh and brittle.

My pick of the bunch here is the S model, which serves up plenty of sportiness, but forgoes the eye-watering price jump attached to the GTS.

It's the sweet spot in the range, no doubt. Because the best thing about an SUV this size, and this Macan S in particular, is the fact that it behaves much more like a hot hatch than a SUV, without any of the side-to-side rocking you might expect from a taller vehicle when you're pushing through corners.

Our several-hour test route took in some of the great driving roads in Sydney’s north, which are also a little shoddily patched in places, and the Macan S just soaked it all up, with no mid-corner weirdness or suspension surprises, instead just flowing through bends.

There’s also a seriously addictive sporty undertone to the Macan S, which is enough to make you forget - if only for a moment - that you’re all grown up and have made a sensible SUV vehicle choice.

Put it into Sport or Sport + and there’s a really bass-heavy burble to the exhaust, a heft to the steering and a responsiveness to the accelerator. If it was me, I’d be leaving it glued in sport at all times.

It was always impressive, the Macan. And to be honest, this new one is more of the same, just better.

Still, if there's a weak point in the Macan family you'll find it in the base model.

I don't want to sound overly harsh, given I'd just stepped from the GTS and into the four-cylinder model - which is not something most owners would do - but I found the entry-level Macan isn't just less powerful, but also far less sporty, with more body sway, less assured suspension and just a more doughy personality that would be fine in the city, but less so on your favourite twisting road. 

Let’s get the big one out of the way. AEB is still an optional extra, available as part of the Active Cruise Control option pack. And that’s a head-scratcher for a car aimed at families.

It will no doubt be standard fare when a new Macan arrives, as it is on newer Porsche models, but for now, you’ll either miss out, or be asked to pay for it. 

What you do get, though, is multi-collision braking, six airbags, a surround-view reversing camera and parking sensors, Lane Change Assist, Lane Departure Warning and standard cruise control.

It’s worth pointing out here that the Porsche Macan is technically unrated as far as crash testing goes. It was last tested in 2014 by EuroNCAP, but that body says that rating has since expired. 

Despite all the brouhaha about other car manufacturers offering more generous warranty periods - seven years for Kia, for example - BMW has not shifted its stance, still offering its standard three-year unlimited-kilometre warranty. Frankly, it's just not good enough.

BMW also offer a Service Inclusive package for $2010 that covers owners for five years, or 80,000km.

The Macan is covered by Porsche’s three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and demands servicing every 12 months or 15000kms. There’s no capped-price servicing. All of which is now off the pace in Australia.