Cars Onboard: 2020 Porsche Macan
Sept 26, 2019
By Glen Konorowski
I will be honest, I am generally not a big fan of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV). My wife and I own one and it handles all our day to day needs very well. The Macan on the other hand, is the first SUV that I really had a lot of fun tossing about. Other SUVs I have driven handle well but not exceptional, whereas the Macan handles well and suites all the household needs. To be honest I should have expected this kind of performance coming from Porsche.
The Macan is the smaller SUV of the Porsche line, with the Cayenne being the larger and at a quick glance they do look somewhat similar in shape. But in today’s congested roads the Macan is just about perfect to get in and around and easily park in tight lots.
My Macan tester was the base model, which I really liked as I for the first time I could really appreciate what one gets for the base $56,100 price tag. This Porsche had all the luxury features that you’d expect plus a few things Porsche feels is necessary for their cars.
The seating is for five but four is just that much more comfortable on a longer journey. The front seats are heated buckets with 8-way power assist which I found easy enough to get comfortable and I am picky about comfort. There was plenty of fore and aft movement for taller drivers in the front. In the rear the seats comfortable and fold in a 40/20/40 configuration making it possible carrying larger items with people in the rear. Seat coverings are vinyl and Alcantara centres which is a high quality suede like material. To be honest I thought the seats were leather, and I can generally tell.
The controls, like all Porsche vehicles, were well placed and easy to get at and for the most part easy to learn their functions. The tach was place front and centre traditional to all Porsches, and other controls are placed along the centre console.
Power for the base Macan is a 2L turbo with 248hp. giving this SUV a 0 to 100kph. time of 6.7 seconds which isn’t bad for an all-wheel-drive vehicle weighing in at 1859kg. Putting all that power to the road is a 7-speed automatic that shifted flawlessly as you might expect from a Porsche. For those hills and launch ramps around your area, the Macan is also equipped with a hill holder feature which is nice when the vehicle behind you is too close. (If you plan to tow, the base Macan will handle up to 2000 kg.) Overall I found handling better than the average high end SUV but a firmer ride that most. But one does not buy a Porsche for a luxury ride anyway.
Holding this base Macan on the road are 18in. allow wheels with 235/60R18s on the front and 235/55R18s on the rear. I found them more than adequate for every day driving and the odd bit of spirited driving.
If you haul people and gear, as most boat owners do, another nice feature in the Macan are the self-adjusting/leveling headlights. The powerful LED headlights level themselves when the vehicle is loaded.
Personally I could live with the basics when it comes to this Macan. I don’t need all the bells and whistles to enjoy this fine SUV. If you have a budget the base Macan is a good place to start. At $56,100 the base Macan gets you a fine handling SUV that can keep up with many cars worth a lot more. I like to think of the Macan as a practical vehicle that is fun to drive.
Base Price: $56,100
Hp: 248 @ 5000rpm.
Torque: 273 @ 1600rpm.
Transmission: 7-speed auto
Drive Layout: All-Wheel-drive
Fuel Consuption: 11.6L/100km city and 9.3L/100km highway
Glen Konorowski is a life long automotive enthusiast and automotive journalist for 35-years. He also claims to be former Commodore of the Monty Carlo Yacht Club!
