Porsche Macan raises bar for compact SUVs
Detroit Free Press
The 2015 Porsche Macan turbo highperformance SUV is good news for Porsche fans, but great news for other luxury brands.
That’s because the Macan resets the bar for prices on compact luxury SUVs. Up. Way up.
Although brands like Audi, BMW and Cadillac flirt with top prices just above $60,000, Porsche boldly sets sail for six digits with the Macan.
All Macans have all-wheel-drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Prices start at $49,900 for an S model, which comes with a 340-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Macan turbo features a 400-horsepower 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6. Prices start at $72,300. I tested a nicely equipped Macan Turbo with Bluetooth phone and audio compatibility, Burmester audio, lane-departure assist, blind-spot alert, adaptive cruise control, red seat belts, ventilated seats and more. It stickered at $96,075 with a few boxes on the option list left unchecked.
Executives at other luxury brands must have squealed in glee when Porsche announced Macan prices: “You can charge how much for a compact SUV? Throw the window stickers away and warm up the printers. We’ve got work to do.”
The Macan has no real competitors, although there are plenty of luxury SUVs its size. That’s because none approach the Macan Turbo’s power, performance and, yes, price. The Macan uses the same architecture as Audi’s Q5, but it’s different in looks — longer, lower, wider — and performance.
The Audi SQ5 is the only serious performance model among compact SUVs. It falls well short of the Macan Turbo’s power and performance. The popular BMW X3, Cadillac SRX and Infiniti QX 70 don’t offer anything approaching the Macan Turbo.
The larger Land Rover Range Rover Sport supercharged and Mercedes ML63 AMG both deliver more power and room than the Macan Turbo, for prices in the same neighborhood.
The Macan Turbo snaps to life with a bubbling exhaust note that invites you to see just what 406 pound-feet of torque
See MACAN, Page 2CL