The Porsche Macan is the most celebrated high performance sports SUV on the market offering a great balance of capability and performance. We often overlook the day to day driving needs of owning a highly capable SUV and how well that balances with the needs for in the snow performance.
Daily Driving Performance
There are only a few truly high performance daily drivers in this category including the Porsche Macan, BMW X4, Jaguar F Pace, and Alfa Romeo Stelvio. These unique SUV’s offer more of a sports sedan type performance defying the laws of nature with a higher center of gravity. Each can be tuned up to accelerate faster than you may ever want to go, and corner in a manner to smash your groceries to a pulp. The nice thing about the Porsche Macan is that it offers top scores for acceleration and cornering, but also an especially smooth ride around town…. especially if you elect the air suspension.
Just back from my test drive of the Macan and it’s quite clear that it’s the category leader by a long shot. I literally can’t stop grinning…. This SUV out-drives my BMW 428i xDrive around corners and at the same time smooths out the bumps of the road with grace and ease. This is a true sports car, just sitting up a bit higher.
The PDK transmission with Sport Chrono is a blast, and like other reviewers highly suggest this $1,200 upgrade. You don’t need to use the shift paddles with this transmission as you always feel that you’re in the right gear, ready to accelerate or decelerate. Sport + mode is the winner on settings, and you can smash the corners, accelerate, decelerate via transmission, all without hesitation.
In the Snow Performance aka Utility:
The Porsche Macan does offer up to 9″ of ground clearance with the air suspension scoring quite high in this category. Many in this category offer 6″ or less clearance which can cause some problems driving on the side roads. In addition to ample clearance the Macan offers a world class traction system that can handle the icy roads and slick snow conditions. We recommend the Pirelli Scorpion Zero All Season Plus to get a great all around ride and maximize on snow, rain, and summer performance.
There is good storage in the Macan and you can fit 190 cm skis in the back at an angle with the seats folded. The true diagonal dimension is 78 inches / 198 cm, but you need a bit of a buffer to fit the tips, not scratch, etc. The Macan is best suited to take 2-3 skiers or boarders up to the hill if you want to pack a cooler, baggage, etc without the need for a roof pod. If you regularly take 4 skiers to the hill you should consider a larger vehicle. The back seat is very small, and everyone would need to be about 5’9″ or smaller if you want to squish in 4 adults. This is really a 2 seater that can accommodate 4 people.
The Macan has plenty of room in the back for your skis with the seats down. So, you don’t necessarily need a roof rack with 1-2 passengers. The measured dimensions of the Macan with seats down is 68″ deep, 41″ wide (at the narrowest point), and 78″ on the diagonal.
Overall & Style
The Porsche is one of the best looking SUV’s in this category offering a very sporty, and comfortable ride. The inside is great, but snug – so be sure to test drive to ensure you fit well into the car. The only drawback for the Porsche is the price, and depending on how you get it equipped you’ll end up spending $65,000 – $100,000. Some of the features you should consider include
- Air Suspension – allows you to raise and lower the suspension 2″, and also offers a smoother ride on bumpy roads
- Premium Sound Bose – You’ll want this upgrade for those long rides up and back
- 20″ Rims are not the most practical but really make the car look awesome. It’s worth the style points for sure
There are 3 main versions of the Macan and it’s really a factor of what you can really afford. The Base model offers a powerful 4 cylinder engine which is plenty powerful to excite most drivers, from there you move up to the S and GTS versions which offer an insanely fast 6 cylinder engine variations that will keep your back pressed firmly on the seat.
Macan Base Model – $65,000 or so if you want air suspension, good stereo, leather seats, and 20″ rims. 261 HP, 0-60 in 6 Seconds
Macan S Model – $75,000 fully equipped with air suspension, stereo, leather seats, and 20″ rims. 375 HP, 0-60 in 4.6 Seconds
Macan GTS Model – $85,000 fully equipped with everything you really want and need. 434 HP, 0-60 in 4.3 seconds
Here are a couple of good video reviews I found on the web to review: