2020 Porsche Macan vs 2018

What's the difference?

Porsche purists can turn their noses up all they like – there’s still enough sports car trapped in this SUV to keep any driver happy.

The Macan is much more than just another SUV with a Stuttgart badge. In fact, I think it could still well be the best performance SUV in its size bracket. At the very least, there would be no shame in parking this GTS next to a 911 in a particularly wealthy garage.

At around $80k this entry-point to the Macan line-up delivers in terms of equipment, practicality, and quality. And importantly, it looks, feels and drives like a Porsche should. It’s fast, light on its feet, and beautifully put together. Sorry, Bram.

The Macan was a coupe SUV before the genre really existed as it does today. A bold trailblazer? Perhaps not, but I remember it at least being far less controversial than the larger Cayenne which came before it.

It makes a bit more sense for the badge, at least dimensionally. The GTS trim is particularly macho with the gloss black highlights, fat quad exhausts, and blacked-out wheel trim helping to accentuate its low and wide profile (for an SUV…).

While the front of the Macan has had more grille space and complexity added over time, the most recent facelift really added extra appeal to the rear with the new light-strip across the back adding familiarity with the rest of the brand’s range.

Inside certainly feels a bit more claustrophobic than many SUVs in this size bracket, thanks to the visual effect of the high dash line, the raised button-laden centre console, and dark trim items.

Everything is wonderfully finished though, with leather lining running across the dash topper, nicely bolstered seats with thick leather and Alcantara trim (consider the longevity of this particular item before you tick the box…) and the slick three-spoke steering wheel, which is easily one of the best on the market, even at this tall end of the price spectrum.

There’s nothing fancy about the dial cluster, with Porsche’s modern interpretation of a classic dial design replacing the now-more-commonly-accepted whiz-bang digital dash designs.

Things like this and the basic plastic function stalks are oddities in an otherwise slick, luxurious, and modern cabin. It’s as though Porsche still wanted to have those little nods to its weight-saving, analogue history in a a two-tonne and heavily computer-assisted, performance SUV.

The Macan is substantial, but not huge. About the same size as an Audi Q5 (they sit on the same platform), with echoes of the iconic 911 all around the car, from the raked headlights to the broad hipline and slimline tail-lights.

Carefully controlled curves and contours deliver balanced proportions and a solid, confident stance. And sharp eyes will pick up the ‘base’ car’s side window trim strips in black, and similarly darkened brake calipers sitting behind the standard 19-inch ‘Macan Turbo’ alloy rims.

They’re the same wheels fitted to the S model, one rung further up the Macan ladder, and fill the muscular guards nicely.

Like all Porsches, the Macan exudes quality in everything from its design, to the fit, the finish, even the feel of things like the switchgear, seats (leather and Alcantara), and steering wheel.

The interior doesn’t follow the current trend towards tablet-style control for major functions. Yes, there’s a slick screen-based multimedia interface, but it’s relatively small (7.0-inch), and old school switches and knobs dominate the dash and main console. Basically, a button-fest.

It’s a familiar, traditionally Porsche approach, and won’t appeal to everybody. But the design and engineering effort that’s been put into how they all work is obvious, and makes you feel like you’re sitting inside a Swiss watch. 

Add top-shelf trim materials and premium metal finishes, and the result is a first class (as in, front of the plane) environment. Always a subjective call, but I for one, like it a lot.

For an SUV I’d hardly say the Macan is a particular practicality hero. A (correct) decision has been made here to lean into the coupe sportiness of the Macan’s design, rather than the wagon touring practicality of, say, Land Rover’s Discovery Sport.

Porsche has gone to great lengths to make the Macan feel like a Porsche. This means a slightly claustrophobic cabin space, with the raised console taking up a huge amount of space, which could otherwise have been for storage. The console box and glovebox are shallow, the door trims provide only a small bin and bottle holder, there’s no extra nooks or crannies for loose items, It’s all really just built around being an engaging space for the driver and front passenger.

At least the primary cupholders are large with variable edges and a slot for your phone. Porsche has even thought to leave a tiny slot for the key and 12v power outlet to sit at the base of the huge function-centre of a console.

I hope you like USB-C because it is your only option for connectivity in the Macan. Porsche have deleted the USB 2.0 ports.

The screen is neat in the way it seamlessly integrates with the dash, and I like how big shortcut touch panels for the major functions surround the Apple CarPlay window. My complaint here, though, is similar to this car’s cousins at Audi, the screen is so high-resolution that navigating the icons within the CarPlay space can be a real pain while you’re moving.

Rear-seat passengers haven’t been forgotten with the same contoured seat trim, dual USB-C ports for phone charging, big cupholders in the drop-down centre console and their own climate control module with adjustable vents.

Legroom was okay for me at 182cm tall, but headroom was notably tight. The plastic seat backers, while great for those with kids, seemed uncharacteristically cheap, and had no storage pockets. Thanks to the tall transmission tunnel, I would not want to be a passenger in the centre seat…

Where the Macan does score points, however, is in the boot, with a whopping 488 litres of space available (expanding out to 1503L with the second row down). Not bad at all for something with such a swooping roofline, but that’s thanks to the depth of the load area. Under the floor there’s even a space-saver spare wheel.

The irony of the Macan purchase decision is the car appeals to people who admire Porsche’s racing and sports car heritage and love the idea of a 911 or 718, but actually need the practicality of five seats and a big boot. So, they’re buying into the agile, lightweight sports car brand dream by purchasing a 1.8-tonne SUV.

But it’s the cash rolling in from the sale of these SUVs that funds the ongoing development of Porsche’s more focused, high-performance machinery. And fact is, the Macan does a multitude of practical things with typical Teutonic proficiency.

Along with all the ‘controls’, Porsche has managed to integrate a useful amount of storage for front seat occupants, including a generous glove box (with cooler), a lidded box between the seats (housing a USB port, ‘aux-in’ socket, and 12-volt power outlet), and big door bins with enough room for large bottles. There are two decent-size cupholders in the console… even a cigarette lighter (naughty!).

Slip into the back seat, and there’s heaps of head and legroom on offer. I was able to sit behind the driver’s seat set for my 183cm position with lots of space in front of the knees and above the bonce. And there’s enough shoulder room to accommodate three full-size adults for short to medium journeys, without too much discomfort.

There are two cupholders in the fold-down rear armrest, map pockets on the front seatbacks, sizable door bins (again, able to hold big bottles), twin air vents (with temp and flow control), and a USB outlet.

With the rear seats upright cargo space runs to 500 litres, enough to accommodate our three-piece hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 litres), or the CarsGuide pram, with lots of room to spare.

Fold down the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat, and that figure grows to a healthy 1500 litres, with a storage recess under the floor adding extra, out of sight space.

The hands-free ‘smart tailgate’ function is welcome when your hands are full, and hardware in the back includes four tie-down shackles, a pair of compartment lights, multiple bag hooks, and a netted pocket on the driver’s side (including a first aid kit). The spare is a racy red 18-inch space-saver.

If you’re keen on towing, the Macan can haul a braked trailer weighing up to 2000kg, and 750kg without brakes. 

This Macan may be the entry-point to Porsche’s Australian range, but there’s plenty of standard fruit on board including leather trim with Alcantara inserts, 10-speaker audio (with digital radio, internal hard drive and two SD card readers), three-zone climate control, and auto parking.

You can also expect the latest generation version of the ‘Porsche Communication Management’ (PCM) multimedia system, with a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen and voice control, providing access to navigation, mobile phone connectivity, and audio interfaces including Apple CarPlay.

On top of all that, you’ll pick up cruise control, eight-way power adjustable front seats (with memory for the driver), a leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, LED DRLs and tail-lights (although the headlights are bi-xenon rather than LED), rain-sensing wipers, rear privacy glass, and a bunch of active safety tech covered in the safety section below.

Our test vehicle was fitted with three options: a sports exhaust system with black tailpipes ($5390), ‘Agate Grey’ metallic paint ($1990), and an ambient interior ‘Comfort’ lighting package ($720).

The GTS brings a 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 to the Macan line-up, and, oh boy, is it a strong unit. On tap is an absurd 280kW/520Nm, which can propel the (two tonne, did we mention?) SUV to 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds; 4.7 seconds with the Sports Chrono package installed.

The Macan is all-wheel drive (with a variable torque-split) via Porsche’s Doppelkupplung seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Further performance enhancements come in the form of variable height and self-levelling active suspension as fitted to our car, and variable power steering tied into the drive modes, which we’ll touch on later.

The Macan is powered by a Porsche-fied version of the Volkswagen Group’s (EA888) 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.
 
In the VW Golf GTI Edition 1 this unit produces 180kW from 5000-6200rpm, and 370Nm from 1600-4300rpm. And under the Macan’s bonnet, those numbers shift only slightly to 185kW from 5000-6800rpm, and 370Nm, available between 1600-4500rpm.

The engine features direct injection and the ‘VarioCam Plus’ cam and valve timing system, sending drive through a seven-speed ‘PDK’ dual-clutch transmission (with paddle shifters) to all four wheels via the ‘Porsche Traction Management’ (PTM) active all-wheel drive system, incorporating an electronically-controlled multi-plate clutch, automatic limited-slip differential (ABD) and traction-slip control (ASR).

As though proving this is not just another commuter SUV, the Macan is a thirsty unit.

The 2.9-litre twin-turbo is rated to consume a hardly impressive 10.0L/100km, but our weekly test had it drink 13.4L/100km.

The Macan has a large 75-litre tank, so at least you won’t be constantly filling up, and another fact which a Porsche buyer is unlikely to blink at is the fact it requires top-shelf 98RON petrol.

Porsche’s claimed fuel economy for the combined (urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.4L/100km, the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol emitting 172g/km of CO2 in the process. Start-stop is standard.

That’s pretty handy for an SUV of this scale, the only snag being we recorded 11.6L/100km (at the bowser) over 355km of city, suburban and freeway running.

Be prepared to shell out for the required premium 98RON unleaded, too, and you’ll need 75 litres of it to fill the tank.

The Macan is stupidly fast considering its shape and weight, but you wouldn’t know it kicking around town.

Things like the fiddly dual-clutch auto, emissions-reducing stop/start system, and heavy stock steering make it a tad cumbersome in stop-start traffic and when you’re just trying to maneuver in the confines of a city.

Get out on the open road though, and the Macan comes alive. There’s the soul of a sports car in its V6 drivetrain, with lightning-fast gear shifts, dead accurate steering, aural assault from its sports exhaust, and once it’s rolling you can really start to feel the depth of capability.

Plant it, and suddenly the sub five-second 100km/h sprint time becomes quite vividly real, but what blew me away the most was the almost unreal levels of grip on offer.

Sure, it has the advantage of being heavy but ‘wow’ doesn’t quite cover the feeling this car gives when pushed in the corners. It just sticks like no other SUV I’ve driven.

If the computer’s AWD torque indicator is to be believed, the Macan routinely sends much of the drive to the thick rear tyres, helping curb the imminent understeer, or front-heavy feel which many SUVs in this class are plagued by.

The steering, once heavy at low-speed, becomes a pleasure at high speed. The weight is still there but goes from being a burden to a confidence-inducing wrestling match between you and sheer physics.

Mind you, this is all without turning the dial to Sport, or Sport +, which makes the steering even heavier, and with the suspension package fitted to our car, lowers the ride further, for seemingly unnecessary further performance cred.

And that’s the issue, really. You can’t utilise the Macan’s performance on Australian roads, and it’s not quite the right bodystyle for the track. This is the kind of car which yearns to stretch its legs on the autobahn … I couldn’t help but feel like it’s like buying a thoroughbred racing horse and chaining it up in a yard.

It might measure 4.7m long and tip the scales at 1770kg, but if you think the Porsche badge is just for show, you’re wrong. The Macan is quick, nimble, and sounds good.

Porsche claims this turbo four-cylinder will sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.7sec (6.5 with ‘Sport Chrono’ package), which is agreeably swift, and while power isn’t huge (185kW) and peaks high in the rev range (5000-6800rpm), maximum torque (370Nm) is available from just 1600rpm all the way to 4500rpm.

So, the big five-seater get up and runs, with the seven-speed dual-clutch keeping things in the mid-range sweet-spot, with the wheel-mounted paddles delivering crisp and positive manual shifts along the way. And our car’s optional sports exhaust dialled up the blurty pops and bangs accompanying high rpm up and downshifts.

Not only that, Sport mode sharpens up the gear shifts and throttle response, and amplifies the exhaust note even further.
 
Suspension is double wishbone front, multi-link rear, and despite the low-profile 19-inch Michelin Latitude Sport3 rubber (235/55 front, 255/50 rear) ride comfort and overall refinement, even on broken suburban goat tracks, is excellent.

Porsche claims this turbo four-cylinder will sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.7sec.

The electro-mechanical rack and pinion steering is direct without being overly sharp; a mix of great road feel, quick turn-in and linear response.

The tricky active all-wheel drive system typically sends all drive to the rear, but can send all of it to the front if required. Even on an enthusiastic backroad blast it puts the Macan’s power down with fuss-free confidence. 

And at this point it’s worth pointing out the sports front seats are grippy and supportive, while the classic three dial instrument cluster (with multi-function digital screen in the right-hand circle) is crystal clear.

Big disc brakes (335mm front, 330mm rear) are ventilated all around, with four-piston alloy calipers at the front and single-piston floating calipers at the rear. They consistently wash off speed with a progressive pedal and reassuring power.

This combination of buttoned-down body control, smooth ride, and exceptional dynamic response can only be achieved by a car company that knows what it’s doing.

Hit the off-road button if you’re keen on getting those shiny wheels dirty and the default drive split changes seamlessly to 50/50.

Porsche quotes a maximum clearance of 300mm “between ground and water-sensitive parts”, and an outright ground clearance of 185mm.

And if you’re really serious, the approach angle is 17.9 degrees, ramp over is 15.3deg, and the departure angle is 23.6deg.

Most of the important active safety tech boxes are ticked, with ABS, EBD, ESC, ASR, lane-departure warning, rollover mitigation, a reversing camera, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive brake lights (flash automatically in hard braking) and trailer stability control included. But AEB’s going to cost you $2990 extra as part of the optional adaptive cruise control pack.

When it comes to passive safety, all Macans are fitted with front and side airbags for the driver and front seat passenger, with side airbags also in the rear, and curtain airbags covering both rows.

There are three top tethers for child seats across the back, with ISOFIX anchors in the two outer positions.

ANCAP hasn’t rated the Macan, but its EuroNCAP affiliate awarded the car a maximum five stars when it was tested in 2014.

Porsche now lags behind with a three-year warranty which, annoyingly, still seems to be the standard with luxury automakers. Will Mercedes-Benz change the tide with its announcement it would move to a five-year warranty as is accepted by the rest of the non-premium market? Only time will tell.

I somehow doubt Porsche buyers are lining up to demand a warranty increase, and I understand that it makes a big difference to bean-counters, yet it’s still a glaring oversight when it comes to owning one of these sorts of vehicles past the three-year period.

Porsche does offer extended warranty options (up to 15 years) provided you are willing to pay a significant premium for the peace of mind.

You’ll also be left guessing on the service front, with Porsche offering no capped price service programs for its vehicles.

The Macan is covered by Porsche’s three year/unlimited km warranty, with paint covered for the same period, and a 12-year (unlimited km) anti-corrosion warranty thrown in for good measure.

Porsche Roadside Assist provides 24/7/365 coverage for the life of the warranty, and after the warranty runs out is renewed for 12 months every time the vehicle is serviced at an authorised Porsche dealer.

The main service interval is 12 months/15,000km, and indicative scheduled costs for the first four years/60,000km line up as follows: 12 months/15,000km (annual) - $695, 24 months/30,000km (intermediate) - $995, 36 months/45,000km (annual) - $695, and 48 months/60,000km (major) - $1750. 

A brake fluid flush is recommended every two years at an additional cost of $270.