Auto review: Porsche Macan GTS is a go-fast, high-strung crossover that works
There is no shortage of high-horsepower performance crossovers, from the recently announced 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to BMW M Series and Mercedes-AMG in crossovers big and small. Call it the rise of the PUV, performance utility vehicle.
It would make sense for Porsche, who makes the world’s best sports coupe in the 911, to plant its performance DNA in the Macan compact crossover, which is the world’s best-selling segment. In 2016, just three years after its debut, the Macan became the best-selling Porsche in North America.
Would you take a crossover for spins on the track if you could take a 911? No. But you could haul people, you could haul gear, and you can haul ... you know, only the last of which you can do in a 911.
The Macan GTS hits 60 mph in five seconds, but that number can tick up or down as easily as ticking some Porsche option boxes. Understanding the brand family of Ferdinand Porsche is about as complex as configuring a pickup truck. There are only six models, yet there are endless variations with S, GTS, Turbo and other designations. The GTS is a performance grade above the Macan S, which is an upgrade from the base model that starts under $50,000.
It has more standard performance flourishes than the S, but is not as blistering as the Turbo. The main differences of the GTS, aside from some black trim finishes, are a recalibrated engine to boost horsepower and torque, a sport exhaust, standard 20-inch RS Spyder wheels and an active air suspension. It’s about $12,000 more than the S but that much less than the Turbo.
With that active air suspension, which can be controlled with a button on the smorgasbord of buttons on the console, it rides half an inch lower than the S. An average-sized man could rest his elbows on the roof of the Macan GTS.
The key selling point of the compact crossover is a taller ride height, and compared with the 911, it’s a giant. But the Macan rides lower than other crossovers, which means it looks and handles more like a Porsche than other crossovers. With its coupelike roofline, long wheelbase, short overhangs and low stance, there is no mistaking the Porsche performance DNA.
Most importantly, it drives like a Porsche. The twin-turbo V-6 engine makes 360 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, improvements of 20 horsepower and 30 pound-feet over the same engine in the Macan S. Paired to the peerless seven-speed PDK transmission, the Macan is a blast to drive, effortlessly shrugging off its 4,178-pound weight and attacking cloverleaf ramps and corners without the top-heaviness you get in other crossovers. It’s refined around town, acting like a sophisticated adult while dropping off the kids at school, but then it hits the twisties with a rebel yell that is anything but domesticated. It’s a lovely two-face.
On road trips, however, the proposition of the performance crossover is watered down. The stiff chassis and sensitivity to the road can be unsettling. On the three-hour way to our destination, the girl needed me to pull over. The image of projectile vomit on the gorgeous black suedelike Alcantara interior had me hugging the shoulder. Our 80 mph cruising speed, which very well could have been 100 mph without noticing a difference in ride quality, dropped to 60 mph. I hoped it was motion sickness and not something going around in the petri dish known as grade school.