Porsche Macan GTS
We reveal why it’s the sweet spot of sporty SUV line-up
THE Porsche Macan GTS bagged a fivestar verdict when we drove it late last year, but that was on smooth Spanish roads. Now the most driver-focused Macan has landed in the UK, does it stack up so well?
Porsche’s smallest SUV has always been a freak of a car, combining enough engineering wizardry to embarrass some of the brand’s sports cars, but with the best ride quality and usability on any SUV.
Despite a 15mm drop in ride height and a stiffer suspension set-up, the GTS still treads this line beautifully, offering staggering levels of grip and traction with a refined ride. It’s one of the GTS’ defining characteristics.
Porsche’s PASM adaptive dampers come as standard, and in Normal mode, the Macan glides over the road – especially with the optional £1,004 air-suspension fitted to our test car. This is also partly down to the 20-inch alloys – 21 inches are also available – but even the standard rims come with taller tyres, which help deliver the GTS’ relaxed feel when cruising.
Push the Sport button and the car takes on a sharper character. Sport and Sport Plus modes let the dampers reduce roll in stages, keeping the GTS flatter in bends. It compromises the Porsche’s composure over rough surfaces slightly, but it means you can carry outrageous speed through corners, with the Macan shrugging off its 1,895kg kerbweight.
Selecting Sport mode also releases a louder snarl from the standard sports exhaust. It amplifies the 3.0-litre twinturbo’s V6 sound so it growls when you squeeze the throttle and cracks on upshifts.
With 355bhp and 500Nm of torque, it’s rapid, too. It might not have the immediate punch of the Macan Turbo, but there’s more than enough performance to keep things interesting. The 0-62mph sprint takes 5.2 seconds, or five seconds flat if you go for the £729 Sport Chrono Package.
It’s not entirely necessary, as the GTS doesn’t lack pace, but this adds launch control and an even faster mode for the gearbox. The steering is relatively uncorrupted for a four-wheel-drive car, and there’s a decent level of feel. But it’s the rate of response and weighting that makes the Macan GTS a delight to throw round corners.
The seven-speed PDK dual-clutch auto is super smooth in the default mode, shuffling ratios imperceptibly. In manual mode, it snaps through the gears like a sports car, while four-wheel drive means you’ll rarely see the traction control light flicker as the engine pulls you out of tighter
bends. The GTS’ dual personality is reinforced inside. A 500-litre boot ensures there’s lots of luggage space, while the back seats offer enough room for all but the tallest adults.
Neat touches like the Gts-embroidered headrests for the leather and Alcantara sports seats set it apart from the rest of the range. A downside is that the sat-nav is a steep extra at £1,052 – on a £50,000 SUV, you’d expect this to come as standard.
“Sport mode means you can carry outrageous speed in corners”