Sunday Drive: Porsche Macan GTS

Sunday, 10 May 2020

PORSCHE MACAN GTS

• Base price: $138,900

• Powertrain and economy: 2.9-litre turbo-petrol V6, 280kW/520Nm, 7-speed dual clutch transmission , AWD, combined economy 9.6L/100km, CO2 220g/km (source: RightCar).

• Vital statistics: 4686mm long, 2098mm wide, 1609mm high, 2807mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 488 litres, 20-inch alloy wheels.

• We like: Quick and brilliantly capable, strong and flexible engine, a satisfying blend of SUV and Porsche.

• We don't like: a lot of stuff that should be standard isn't.

_**This road test was completed before the current coronavirus lockdown restrictions came into effect.**_

In this world dominated by SUVs compromises are less tolerable, with car makers honing the SUV format to stretch in pretty much every direction demanded by buyers. That is why we have luxury SUVs, small city SUVs, SUV coupes and that total oxymoron - the sporty SUV.

And it doesn't even matter what the original meaning of 'Sports Utility Vehicle' is anymore (it was only ever a marketing term dreamt up by Madmen-style ad execs in the US in the 1970s anyway…), because if a car manufacturer wants to build something and cram into a segment, then that's what it is.

Call them what you will - crossovers, jacked-up hatchbacks, abominations - they are here to stay because people buy them. And they buy them because they are great all-rounders, capable of serving a number of varying needs in daily family life.

And that is where the Macan GTS comes into the Porsche range - it is the German manufacturer's ultimate all-rounder that hits a sweet spot in terms of size, performance and practicality.

While the cheaper Macan and Macan S are quality things with some of the best handling characteristics in the medium SUV sector, they do struggle to come across as much more than more expensive Audis in a number of areas.

The top of the range Macan Turbo is undeniably a Porsche in terms of its performance, but that also applies to its hefty price tag of $165,900, but the GTS splits the difference nicely by landing at $138,900 and winding up the power to 280kW.

Actually, that should be winding down the power, because the while the last Macan GTS featured a tuned-up version of the S engine, the new one shares the same powertrain as the Turbo, but with the dial turned down from 11.

While the entry Macan uses a four-cylinder turbo engine and the Macan S a single turbo 2.9-litre V6, the GTS  and Turbo models now pack a twin-turbo version of the V6 - variants of which can be found in the Cayenne S and Panamera 4S - that employs a 'hot V' design, with the two turbochargers mounted in the valley between the cylinder banks, to reduce turbo lag.

The result is a smoothly powerful mid-size SUV with enough handling chops to be fun on a winding road if the mood strikes after you drop the kids off at school.

While it is easy to start thinking 'what's actually the difference between a Macan and a cheaper equivalent Audi?' when you compare them on paper, getting the Macan on a winding road spells out that difference in no uncertain terms straight away.

While it's not a 911, it still has a delightfully accurate nature to it that is a hallmark of the sports car and sets it apart from other mid-sizers, even the ones that share its underpinnings.  That fact that our test car was fitted with the optional air suspension that dropped it down seriously low made it even more obvious.

That detuned twin turbo V6 sees the GTS's good for the 0 to 100 sprint in 4.9 seconds (or 4.7 if you plump for the optional 'Sport Chrono' pack, but more on that later…), which is more than respectable, but it is the 80 to 120kmh time of 3.3 seconds that reveals the GTS's real nature - the mid-range shove of the fat 520Nm of torque wrung from the engine makes it a wonderfully driveable thing both on the open road and around town, where it is a capable and docile commuter as well.

Inside everything is what you would expect from a Porsche - a high quality, classy interior with minimal gimmicks, but lots of buttons.

It is all beautifully made with an almost brutally efficient approach to ergonomics that makes it a breeze to live with.

Now, I said I would get back to that Sport Chrono package, and here's the thing - it is a $2,230 option that is fantastic, as it not only adds the little dash-mounted stopwatch (that really just tells the neighbours you didn't buy a bog standard one), but also adds a switch on the steering wheel for the drive modes and the brilliant 'Sport Response' button that gives you a 20-second blast of everything turned up to 11, as well as the Sport Plus mode and launch control.

All of which is very good, but I would really expect most, if not all, of these things to be standard on a vehicle that costs $138,900.

And that is the biggest niggle I have with the Macan in general - there are a lot of options that should be standard on a vehicle pushing $140k, and indeed are standard on a lot of other $140k vehicles - and sub-$140k vehicles - from other manufacturers.

Possibly the most glaring and infuriating one is adaptive cruise control - something that even a $25,000 Suzuki Swift GLX gets as standard will sting you an extra $1,940 in a Macan.

Still, that is the Porsche way and you can't say it doesn't work for them, because their customers do like personalising their cars, cost be damned.

As it stands, however, the GTS is an excellent all-rounder that is the sweet spot in the Macan line up. It would just be even sweeter if it ticked off the basics better.