MACAN EXCELS IN MULTIPLE WAYS
Porsche’s ‘sports car SUV’ delivers power, room and handling with beautiful balance
Almost as inevitable as death and taxes, it should come as no surprise that Porsche has introduced a GTS version of its Macan. It’s the 10th such application of the Gran Turismo Sport moniker.
This GTS is based on the S version of the Macan, the entrylevel 3.0-litre V6 that sports 340 horsepower and not the Turbo — a horrible appellation because all Macan engines are turbocharged — that sees 400-hp from its 3.6-L twice-turboed V6.
The GTS, in fact, is just a 20-hp bump up from the base model S, its resulting 5.2-second scoot to 100 kilometres an hour just 0.2 seconds quicker than the base S. What will intrigue dedicated Porscheophiles more are the handling upgrades. The GTS’s air suspension system is lowered some 15 millimetres compared with the base model. It’s also available with a Sports Plus mode not available on the S. Not that many Macan owners are taking their SUV to a racetrack or chasing Ferraris through twisty switchbacks, but, were they so tempted, the GTS is better equipped than the S.
Body roll is minimal, traction incredible and, if you select just the right combination of engine/ transmission/traction control mode selection — there really are far too many buttons to choose from in the centre console — you can actually get the rear tires to slide under power. Try that in a Range Rover Evoque.
Yet the GTS does not exact a penalty on the ride, Porsche’s suspension calibration being a miracle of compromise. Hardcore 911 aficionados may balk at anything less than a pur sang coupe, but the modern Porsche — the company, not the car — is based on expanding its envelope to customers who may never strafe a twisty road or clip an apex. That they are able to manage both handling and comfort — in an SUV no less! — so adroitly is testament to Stuttgart’s engineering skill.
Nor is there much else to complain about. Roominess is not an issue, especially for those in the front two buckets. Ditto the seats’ comfort: firm as always but commodious nonetheless. The rear storage hatch is both spacious and accessible hands-free. That the controls fell readily to hand, a tired old cliche, doesn’t change the fact that the Macan’s ergonomics are excellent. I’d prefer a better audio system; the standard system, despite being made by Bose, lacks the timbre of a good B& O tweeter. But overall, the Macan feels more sprightly than the Cayenne while not quite so overwhelming. Even those given to hating SUVs on principle will find they like the Macan.
My complaints of the GTS are two-fold, one the company’s fault, one not so much. The decision I would question from Porsche is the Macan’s aural deficit. This is supposed to the Porsche of SUVs and yet the Macan’s exhaust note doesn’t excite. Oh, it’s more melodious than most I suppose, but compared with the Maserati Levante — similarly equipped with a twin-turbo V6 — it’s a bit of a drudge.
My other complaint will be more contentious, namely because it is we — or, more accurately, you — the consumer to blame. The base price of a Macan S may be $59,200, but absolutely no one leaves a Porsche showroom having written a check for less than 60 large. And as I mentioned, with but a 20-hp increase, the GTS costs almost $14,000 more than the S.
Lest you mistake this as a diatribe against Porsche, let me be absolutely clear that this is a simple case of buyer beware. We live in a free-market economy and automakers are free to charge whatever they wish for their products, just as we consumers are equally free not to choose to buy them if we find the price tag unjustified.
Economics lesson aside, the Macan GTS is a wonderful vehicle. .