ALISTAIR WEAVER: Hi, Alistair Weaver
here for Edmunds with the new 2022 Porsche Macan.
It's actually Porsche's second significant update
of its diminutive SUV that debuted all the way back
in 2014.
Today, we're going to find out whether the latest tweaks keep
it competitive against such luminaries as the Mercedes GLC
and BMW X3.
Want to know what one of the biggest changes
is to the new Macan?
Piano block haptic controls inside,
which never, ever look clean.
Honestly, they're like caffeine for my OCD.
Drives me nuts.
But the fact that this is probably the second or maybe
the third biggest criticism of the new Macan
tells you just how good we really think it is.
But before we get into review proper,
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Now, let's get on with it.
The version we have here is actually
the Macan S, which at $67,000 it's
neatly between the entry level Macan at $56,000
and the flagship GTS at $81,000.
Prices across the range have gone up.
The S is now $5,000 more than before.
And the range topping Turbo with a capital T is no more.
Finito.
But what about the much vaunted electric version of Macan,
I hear you say?
Well, that's currently in development
and will debut next year.
But it will be an entirely different SUV,
designed from the ground up to be an EV,
much like the Taycan was.
And what that means is that for the next few years,
you'll have a choice between this aging rocker, fueled
from a gas pump, and a new young upstart
Macan fueled from a plug.
This car will likely soldier on until we
no longer want or aren't allowed to buy gas cars anymore.
It's a brave new world, my friends.
When the Macan last went under the scalpel for the 2019 model
year, it gained this horizontal strip of light
that is now a feature of every new Porsche.
This remains but is joined by a black rear diffuser, which
helps improve the aerodynamics by controlling the flow of air
under the car.
The front of the Macan gets a new mouth,
molded from black plastic.
It's a bit of a token gesture, as if the designers were told
they had to change something.
There are also some new wheel designs,
but that's pretty much it.
You'll have to be a proper Porsche geek
to spot it on the road.
As we discussed earlier, the bigger changes
are actually in here.
Now, you may remember in the old Macan
that the center console was home to an army
of different plastic buttons.
The problem was that unless you specified everything
on Porsche's gargantuan options list,
then you always ended up with a whole series of blanks.
And if you spent over $60,000 on a small SUV,
you don't really want to look like a cheapskate.
So piano black plastic it is.
You also got a new steering wheel pinched from the latest
911, but it's a shame that they couldn't also borrow
the screen from the sports car.
The Macan's technology is actually
a generation behind pretty much every other Porsche,
bar the 718, and what that means is although you
can get Apple CarPlay to replicate
the functions on your iPhone, there's no Android auto.
So if you're a Google fanboy, tough.
The rest of the cabin is pretty much
as it was back in the days of Obama.
It still looks and feels great, although the impression
of quality is boosted on this press demonstrator
by $5,850 worth of optional leather with what Porsche calls
deviated papaya stitching.
Yes, that's almost $6,000 worth of dead cow to go hand in hand
with the $1,500 worth of racetex headlining--
that's kind of suedish--
and $1,700 worth of sport seats, which feel great, by the way.
And they're just some of the $40,000 worth of options
fitted to this very car.
Love those 21-inch wheel rims.
They're almost $4,500.
Don't let anyone tell you that this isn't a proper Porsche.
The Macan's lofty price tag, with or without all
the options, really throws into sharper focus its Achilles
heel-- the lack of space.
Now, this front seat is set up for our six-foot producer.
I'm 6 foot 4, and as you can see, it's not terrible.
I can get my knees in, and there's plenty of headroom.
But you'd really struggle to fit three people
across this rear bench.
There's definitely less room in here
than you'd find in a rival Mercedes GLC, not to mention
larger alternatives for the same money, such as Mercedes GLE.
The trunk's also a bit pokey.
With these rear seats up, you get 17 cubic feet
of capacity, which is 2 cubic feet less than a Mercedes GLC.
And that's the equivalent of an extra carry-on bag.
If you really want to carry lots of full-size adults
and their luggage, you really need to upscale
to the Porsche Cayenne.
But there is a flip side to those diminutive proportions.
The Macan has always succeeded in feeling
like a proper Porsche in the way that the larger Cayenne,
to be honest, never really has.
Even if you were trading out of a Boxster or Cayman
into the Macan, you could do so without resenting your kids.
For 2022, these driving dynamics have been enhanced
by an extra dollop of power.
This new S now boasts the same engine as the outgoing GTS,
while the new GTS pinches its motor from the old Turbo.
While the moneyed enthusiasts might gravitate
towards the ultra sporty GTS, we reckon
this S model might just be the sweet spot of the new range.
Alongside those 375 horses, you also
get to 383 pound-feet of torque from the 2.9 liter twin turbo
V6.
Porsche claims zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds
if you choose the optional Sport Chrono package that's
fitted to our car.
It's about $1,200.
And to be honest, Porsche's claims tend to be pessimistic.
Honestly, for a road-going SUV with performance pretensions,
it's a really nice mix.
If you watch these videos regularly,
you'll know that I'm a bit of a stickler for steering feel
and precision, and nobody does it
better than Porsche, even when you're
talking about Porsche's SUVs.
There's just a lovely, linear feel
to the steering that really helps you place
the car accurately on the road.
And of course, its small proportions help as well.
The whole thing has a real feeling of agility,
poise, and just fun that, to be honest,
no other rival SUV in this class could
match-- not even Mercedes' otherwise excellent AMG GLC.
Every S-level Macan gets PASM as standard now.
What that basically means in layman's speak
is electronic down-ping.
You can choose between a stiffer ride quality, if you're really
trying to press on, or a bit more comfort on the highway.
It's a sunny day in California, so it's no great surprise
that these car's displaying plenty of drift.
But of course, all-wheel drive is standard
on whichever Macan you choose.
So it's pretty handy, and in bad weather, too.
And this PDK gearbox, which I can never pronounce properly,
so I'm not even going to try, is common to pretty much
every Porsche now and remains terrific,
whether you leave it in auto mode
or whether you play with the floppy paddles on here.
And on top of that, this car also has over $7,000
worth of extra performance gubbins.
That includes air suspension, Porsche torque vectoring--
that's a system that actually helps its agility in tight
turns--
and a sports exhaust that cost the best part of $3,000.
I mean, it sounds great, but does it sound $3,000 great?
Well, it kind of depends how rich you are, I guess.
If you doubt how important the Macan is to Porsche,
then consider this.
For every 718 Boxster or Cayman they
sell, they flog 5.6 Macans.
It outsells the 911 two to one, and 60%
of people who buy them are new to the Porsche brand.
Should you be one of them?
Well, piano black plastic aside, this car
really has two things running against it.
One is the lack of interior space,
and the second is of course the price.
Most shoppers will end up spending over
$70,000 on a Macan S. Now, that's
about $10,000 more than an equivalently specced
and snappily titled Mercedes AMG GLC 43.
But-- and it is a big but--
the Macan has always retained its value better
than almost any other car.
That speaks to its long term desirability and the benefits
of gentle evolution.
It might be getting on a bit, but this latest trip
to the cosmetic surgeon has only enhanced its appeal.
The mechanic is the automotive Jennifer Aniston,
getting better with age.
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