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- third spring
- Subtle adjustments on the outside and inside are intended to keep the Macan fresh; after all, he brings many new customers to Porsche. 40% are women, more than any other model.
- A dance out of line
- Porsche Macan GTS
- Porsche Macan GTS
Porsche Macan
third spring
The Macan is Porsche's most popular model and brings many new customers to the brand. Therefore, the SUV is refreshed for the second time.
Subtle adjustments on the outside and inside are intended to keep the Macan fresh; after all, he brings many new customers to Porsche. 40% are women, more than any other model.
When people say Porsche, they usually think of the 911. After all, the rear-engine sports car has been the car that has been intended to define the values of the brand for decades. A classic and a fixture in the automotive landscape. Most people who buy a Porsche don't buy a 911, but a Macan. The compact SUV has been available since 2014 and is the gateway to the world of Porsche; with a basic price of 77,000 francs, it is slightly more expensive than the 718 Boxster (from 70,200 francs), but with all-wheel drive, five seats and up to 1,503 liters of cargo space, it offers significantly more utility, which means that it does not have to be a second car for families either. More than 600,000 pieces have already been sold since 2014; more than 80% of these went to customers who had never driven a Porsche before. And models that bring new customers to the brand are particularly important for a manufacturer. That is why the Macan is a model that should not be underestimated by Porsche, even if it will always be overshadowed by the legendary 911 in terms of prestige.
A dance out of line
The development of a new car usually takes around four years – and costs the manufacturer a lot of money, which then has to be recovered over the model cycle. Therefore, a model generation of a car is available for much longer than is known from other technical devices. Nevertheless, customers always want the latest technology. As a rule, a car is on the market for around eight years, and in half of this time the car is refreshed with an overhaul. With the Macan, this refresh was due in 2018; as usual with such revisions, the model received new front and rear lights, a slightly adjusted design and a new infotainment system. There were also adjustments to the engine and chassis. The successor to the current Macan generation is not likely to come onto the market until 2023 – then with a purely electric drive. It is not known whether and for how long the current model series with a combustion engine will be built.
17 images
Porsche Macan GTS
But the Macan is still supposed to keep its top position in the Porsche sales statistics, which is why it has now been refreshed a second time, it is experiencing a third spring, so to speak. On the outside, this is reflected in new colors and rims, as well as some small details on the body. In the interior, Porsche installed a new center console; the most important functions are now controlled via modern touch surfaces and no longer via classic buttons. The chassis has been refined with new damper tuning, and new sports air suspension is used in the Macan GTS. Because: The "GTS" is the new top model in the Macan series, the "Turbo" as the previous top variant has been deleted. A lot has happened in the sporty compact SUV segment in recent years; the most powerful models from Mercedes, BMW and Alfa Romeo have over 500 hp; bringing the Macan to a similar level of performance would be a considerable effort that Porsche does not want to afford. So you withdraw from the race for the most powerful SUV in its class – and consequently delete the traditional "Turbo" lettering on the rear. For this, the Macan GTS is significantly strengthened – and gets the 440 hp 2.9-liter V6 engine that was previously installed in the top model; that means an increase of 60 hp compared to the predecessor. Customers in Switzerland in particular should be happy about that – around 40% of all Macan were sold as GTS in 2020. You don't notice that the Macan isn't one of the strongest in its class. It accelerates spontaneously and powerfully, also due to the quick-acting double-clutch automatic. With the renewed fine-tuning of the chassis, the GTS, which has been lowered by 10 millimetres, sits even more firmly on the road and is also fun to drive on winding roads. Even if the new top model in Switzerland will continue to be very popular with buyers, the Macan was completely convincing in the test drives, even with less power. The Macan S now also has a 2.9-liter engine with two turbochargers instead of the previous 3-liter engine with just one turbocharger. This provides more power (380 instead of 354 hp), but above all for better response.
Above all, it is pleasing that the basic variant already offers sufficient power: A 2-liter four-cylinder engine is still used here. It now has 265 hp (+20 hp). Due to the lighter engine, the SUV appears a little more light-footed in corners and continues to accelerate sufficiently quickly; however, the engine sounds a bit strained.
With the facelift, the Macan remains an interesting entry-level model. Although it is expensive compared to the competition, it also offers very good driving characteristics and excellent workmanship. Unfortunately, only electrified drives are missing – for now.
Porsche Macan GTS
Engine: V6 biturbo, 2894 cc
Power: 440 hp/550 Nm
Drive: auto 7-speed, 4×4
L×W×H: 4726×1927×1596mm
trunk: 458-1503l
Weight: 1960kg
0-100km/h: 4.3 sec.
Vmax: 272 km/h
Consumption WLTP: 11.3L/100km
Price: from 108,600 francs
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