Climb a mountain without sacrificing luxury
Compact crossover corners like its sporty cousins as it traverses Pikes Peak
Strapped in, engine idling, I was ready for action . . . well, as prepared as any ham-fisted scribe can be in an unfamiliar vehicle on a stretch of pavement he’d never traversed before, much less at speed.
The walkie-talkie finally crackled to life, signalling the commencement of our ascent. No time for worry, my right foot reflexively buried the Macan GTS’s accelerator deep into its thick-pile carpeting as our Porsche convoy set off on a punishing 20kilometre trudge up one of the most famous mountains in the Colorado Rockies: Pikes Peak.
Simultaneously easing and enhancing my anxiety, the pace of this oncein-a-lifetime trip was as being set by veteran racer Jeff Zwart, a renaissance man with more talents than seems fair.
But the man’s true gift is driving. Mozart worked with musical notes and Einstein with numbers, but Zwart’s medium is speed, which became obvious by about turn three of the 156 that comprise the Pikes Peak circuit. He coolly negotiated one hairpin after another while chatting over the radio about road conditions or what’s around the next bend. Meanwhile, I’m missing apexes and sweating buckets despite the chilly morning conditions as I struggle to keep up with the specially modified 911 GT2 he’s piloting.
Cleaving the gap between Porsche’s Macan S and Turbo models, the GTS features a muscular 3.0-litre engine under its curving hood. This 90-degree V6 sports twin turbochargers, a variable-valve lift system and plenty of other technology, all of which conspire to deliver suitably muscular performance.
GTS variants put out 360 horsepower and 369 lbs.-ft. of torque, which is routed to all four wheels through a seven-speed PDK dualclutch transmission, that’s Porsche Doppelkupplung in Zuffenhausen parlance. When equipped with the optional Sport Chrono Package, this compact luxury crossover can hit 96.5 km/h in just 4.8 seconds.
My test Macan’s sporty exhaust note keeps me alert, ready for the next corner. This is one sexy-sounding crossover, with a bansheelike wail as the tachometer needle sweeps to the top of its range.
Helping manage all of its performance potential is an air suspension system, which is standard on every Macan GTS. Riding height can be adjusted, as can stiffness, allowing a driver to tailor the experience to his or her preference.
As one would expect in a Porsche, this compact crossover’s steering is tight, with a sense of heft belying its trim dimensions. How can a utility vehicle drive like this? Simple, it’s built by the same people responsible for the 911 and Cayman.
Not surprisingly, massive brakes bring this entire package to a rapid halt, though the pedal feels a bit soft; some more heft to the binders might be appreciated. Still, on our eventual descent, they remained fade-free even after repeated heavy usage, just as they should. The Macan GTS’s front rotors measure more than 360 millimetres in diameter and are clamped by fixed calipers with six pistons.
It would take me a lifetime or two to save enough to park one of these in my garage, but our trip up the mountain took considerably less time, roughly 14 minutes, which is not bad for a half-dozen automotive journalists. Unfortunately, compared to Zwart, it was an eternity. He did the same deed in under 10 back in 2015, with speeds approaching 241km/h.
Unfortunately, during our drive up Pikes Peak, we had little time to appraise this vehicle’s interior; keeping it on the intended line and away from precipices were my top priorities. But in typical Porsche fashion, the cabin is impeccably built. Everything is as solid as the granite that comprises much of Colorado and constructed of top-rung materials. Various switches and controls work with watch-like fluidity; even the seats are comfortable for hours, though more bolstering would have been wel- comed on our hill climb.
About the only downside to this Macan’s cockpit is the navigation/ infotainment system, which is needlessly complicated. Fortunately, Apple CarPlay is available for an extra charge, because Porsche wants all of your money and isn’t shy about asking for it.
When it comes to cash, the Macan GTS starts at $73,100.
But would you like Sport Design side-view mirrors? That’ll be an extra $650. How about the leather interior package with Alcantara trim? You’ll need to shell out $5,470. Nothing is free here, except the smoking package. No, I’m not kidding; it’s actually a zero-cost option, apparently because more people need a nicotine addiction.
With features like these, the model in which I tackled Pikes Peak left the factory wearing a price tag of $110,543 out the door, a price that makes it as rare as oxygen at 4,250 metres. Damp with perspiration, my knuckles bleached from attempting to crush the steering wheel for the preceding 19 kilometres, we finally round the last bend and blast across the finish line. We coast to a saner speed as we pull into the parking lot, which is scattered with potholes that serve as a muddy reminder of the dirt course that led to the summit just a few years ago. The thought of negotiating this ascent on gravel just makes the whole thing seem even crazier.
Happily, I survived my first drive up Pikes Peak, though I was dehydrated by the desert-like air and from perspiring the whole way. Upon reaching the summit, I attempted to catch my breath while standing at eye level with a smattering of clouds, but it was a lost cause, so I took a hit of oxygen provided by Porsche’s PR staff, though this turned out to be more of a humorous novelty than functional aid. Aside from my lips turning blue, at this point, all that was left to worry about was the descent, which was sure to put the GTS’s brakes through their paces.
But the Macan is up for just about anything after surmounting Pikes Peak. It’s a tremendously engaging and capable luxury crossover, especially if high-speed mountain climbing is one of your hobbies, though it’s just as much at home on long highway stretches and race circuits. If you need utility but can’t bear to live without sports-car dynamics, the GTS has your name on it.