Five Things I Liked About the 2019 Porsche Macan S
Before Porsche Italy very kindly gave me the Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid Sport Turismo to drive across Italy for 10 days, they lent me a new 2019 Macan S to use for a day to drive around Milan and Lake Como while the Panamera was getting ready. While I didn’t have enough time to do a full road test it was enough time to figure what I liked and what I didn’t like about it.
1. It’s Basically A Porsche Hot Hatch
If Porsche made a hot hatch it’d pretty much be like this. The Macan remains the single best handling SUV I’ve driven. It says Porsche on the back and it certainly does drive like the Porsche of SUVs. Body roll is kept to a minimum, the steering has actually has feel to it if not a little heavier than rivals, and the new 3.0-litre turbo V6 has more than enough oomph worthy of the Porsche badge. With 260kW and 480NM of torque it’s enough to get this little pocket rocket from 0-100 km/h in just 5.1 seconds all while returning a claimed 8.9L/100km.
2. Interior Is The Best Mix of New and Old
The facelift Macan adds Porsche’s crisp new 10.9 inch touchscreen with the latest Porsche Communication Management infotainment system. It’s got Apple CarPlay but even the built-in satnav (which uses Google Maps) is one of the best I’ve used. The screen is super HD, smartphone responsive, and the user interface is one of the most intuitive. Plus, there are plenty of physical buttons for those who get annoyed by all the touch sensitive non-sense in so many modern cars.
3. PDK Is Still The Best In The Business
Porsche’s dual-clutch gearbox is still the benchmark for lighting fast shifts all while being perceptively smooth. It doesn’t get much better than this, there weren’t any times I could fault it. Even at low speeds where many dual-clutch systems fall short, the Macan never missed a beat.
4. It’s The Perfect Size For All Occasions
While other SUVs have bloated in size, the Macan is just the right size for most people’s needs. That is, if your main purpose for having a SUV is mainly driving around town. It’s not as gargantuan as, say a Mercedes GLS, but not so embarrassingly puny as an Audi Q2. Sure, a Cayenne has more space but that compromise the handling.
5. That Awesome Rear Light Bar
That’s perhaps the most notable difference between the facelift Macan and the original. It ties it up nicely with the rest of the Porsche range and just makes it look mega at night.
Five Things I Didn’t Like About the 2019 Porsche Macan S
1. Not The Most Practical In Its Class
Rear seat space isn’t exactly the best for carrying adults and sloped roof line means you can’t carry too much in the boot as say a BMW X3 or Mercedes GLC, but who cares when it’s a Porsche.
2. Hefty Starting Price and Plenty Of Options
My test car had a starting price of $125,900 but with all the options on it ended up costing an eye water $192,500. Ouch.
3. Doesn’t Have The Cayenne/Panamera’s Fancy Gauge Cluster
It’s not a big deal but the newer generation of Porsches have a brilliant fancy LCD instrument gauge cluster with a central analogue tach. The Macan has the more old-school analogue four-dial gauge cluster with the fifth LCD driver’s info gauge. It’s all down to personal preference.
4. Not Much Else Really
No really, the Macan was that good.
5. It’s The Best Small Posh SUV On The Market Right Now
If you’re looking at a small premium SUV in the $100k price range don’t consider anything else, just get a Macan. Even if you’re looking at a posh hot hatch from Mercedes, BMW, or Audi add the Macan S into your shortlist. It’s that good. Just go easy with the options list.
porsche macan is a fantastic car