The new Porsche Macan reigns in Spain
MALLORCA, Spain—When Porsche rolled out the big Cayenne SUV 15 years ago, sports car purists cried heresy. The world voted with its wallet, however, and the big luxury SUV quickly became the company’s bestselling model.
But there were still those who missed the nimbleness and overall dynamics of a lighter and more compact sports car that a huge two-and-a-half-ton vehicle simply couldn’t emulate. (Yes, even if said large SUV can accelerate from zero to 60 in a wicked 4.1 seconds.)
Enter the Porsche Macan, which made its world debut in 2014. Here is a compact crossover that’s a much more manageable seven inches longer than the iconic 911. (For perspective, the Cayenne is a whopping 16 inches longer than a 911.) The Macan is also a mere 2.8 inches wider than its sports car sibling and less than 200 kilos heavier than an all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4.
Which all means that if you’re jumping from a 911 and slipping behind the wheel of a Macan, you’ll feel right at home.
The Macan is the purest and most literal execution of a sports utility vehicle inspired by a sports car. Said another way, the Macan is the closest that an SUV can get to becoming a sports car. This is the automobile that you can carve apex after apex with surgical precision, much like what you would do with an intimate two-seater. In almost eight hours of driving over two days on various roads in Mallorca (from highways to city streets to mountain switchbacks with a lot of hairpins), the Macan accelerated, braked, and cornered almost exactly how a sports car would. The only difference is that the Macan will effortlessly do so with four people and all their gear on board.
And that’s the beauty of it. Porsche’s compact SUV has the intimacy, directness, and tidy dimensions of a sports car, but marries that with the versatility and space of an SUV.
And with further tweaks and upgrades for the 2019 model year, the new Macan gets better than ever. Some would call it a facelift, but to do so with be an injustice. The Stuttgart carmaker has comprehensively upgraded the Macan in terms of design, comfort, connectivity, and driving dynamics.
In keeping with Porsche’s design DNA, the Macan now features fullwidth 3D LED taillights, perhaps the most distinguishing new design element for the 2019 model. New LED headlamps also adorn the front.
Inside, you won’t miss the huge 10.9-inch touchscreen display (up from 7.2 inches) of the new Porsche Communication management (PCM). PCM provides access to new digital functions such as intelligent vice control and online navigation. There are also new air vents for the A/C system and an optional GT sports steering wheel from the 911—a must-have feature.
We got to try out two variants of the new Macan: the base model and the Macan S. The base Macan comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged fourcylinder engine developing 245hp and 370Nm of torque—good for a zero-to-100 km/h sprint of a brisk 6.5 seconds and a 225 km/h top speed.
The Macan S, on the other hand, is powered by a new 3.0-liter V6 engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger. This powerplant generates 354hp and 480Nm of torque—good for scintillating 5.1-second 0-100 run and a 254 km/h top speed. Now those are true sports car numbers.
Both engines are mated to Porsche’s seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission, which transfers power to all four wheels via PTM allwheel drive. Standard tires for both models are 235/60R-18 for the front and 255/55R-18 for the rear. I got to test the Macan S with the optional 265/40R-21 front and 295/35R-21 rear tires and the adhesion and grip from these super-wide and ultra-low-profile rubber is simply astonishing. On a twisty, sweeping road, an unladen Macan will be more than a match for any pure sports car.
Which all makes the Macan— particularly this newest one—such a smashing success. It’s no wonder that Porsche’s small SUV is the company’s bestseller. It’s got the moves of a sports car and the space of a crossover. It simply gives you the best of both worlds.
And Porsche hasn’t even launched the new Macan Turbo yet.