Porsche Macan SUV (2018 - ) review

Porsches aren’t cheap, and the Macan will go northwards of £50,000 quickly with a few options. Choose the top GTS version (which effectively replaces the previous Turbo flagship) and as well as the extra outlay on price, your fuel, VED/road tax and insurance costs will go through the roof. Really, the only mitigating factor here is the depreciation on the basis residual values for Porsches are traditionally stronger than for those of competitors like the Jaguar F-Pace.

Porsche doesn’t have a particularly great record for reliability, although the company's relatively small size means it’s often absent from the larger reliability surveys. This can make it difficult to get meaningful insight into the Macan, specifically. Warranty Direct’s Reliability Index ranks Porsche close to the bottom of all the manufacturers, and owner reviews on Auto Trader show several customers that have had reliability problems. Should anything go wrong, Porsche offers a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

The standard safety package isn’t that generous, but has evolved. All Macans now come with parking sensors and visual warnings, and a fully automated self-parking function is an option. Adaptive cruise control is thankfully more sensitive than before, but you have to pay extra for a speed limit display, a heated windscreen and lane-change assist. You obviously get the intrinsic safety benefits of any SUV too, including good visibility of the road ahead and all-wheel drive.

The interior is light with plenty of leg and head room for four adults. Porsche suspension is a great blend of firm and comfy, especially in fancier models with the adjustable air suspension. Saying that the settings on the GTS feel rather too stiff, even for a sportier model, to the point where bigger bumps actually make the body shake. There is also quite a lot of tyre roar on the bigger wheels but overall the Macan is more fun to drive than any other car of its type and combines genuine sports car feel with SUV stance. Boot space is fine but rivals like BMW and Audi offer slightly more. The rest of the interior might strike some as a bit Spartan, considering the evident joy some car manufacturers take in providing cubby holes, pockets, cup holders and trays. The experience seems to shout ‘Driver first’ rather than ‘Family first’, but that’s always been the Porsche way.

New for the 2021 Macan is a large glass touchscreen replacing most of the fiddly switches of the previous model while, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the analogue clock on the dash is now standard. There’s also a new sports steering wheel. The result is a smarter, more contemporary and satisfying cabin. Standard equipment isn’t overly generous, though you get plenty of USB charging points and the usual sat-nav, DAB and suchlike. Weirdly, however, you get a wi-fi hotpot as standard but have to pay more for CarPlay . On our test GTS, the surrounds for the ventilation in the front and rear was bright red, to match the red seatbelts and stitching - you’ll either love it or hate it. The GTS also has a different rev counter and lettering, plus the logo stitched on the seats.

The range now consists of three models: Macan, Macan S and GTS with 265 horsepower, 380 horsepower and 440 horsepower respectively. Power is significantly up on all three models versus the previous 2018 generation. The Macan S and GTS share versions of the same twin-turbo, 2.9-litre V6 engine and when you start to accelerate you wonder if that’s all there is, given the surprisingly sluggish response. However, just as you’re starting to lose hope the engine wakes up and thrusts this heavy SUV forward with impressive guts. It feels and sounds like Porsches should do, too. The seven-speed PDK automatic gearbox is rapid but smooth with its changes and the clever all-wheel drive system shifts power from the front to the rear axles and back again as conditions demand. For the performance the GTS is the one to have, if you can afford it, and is a worthy replacement for the Turbo.