Porsche Macan 2022 Review

Set to land in Australia in the final quarter of this year, the 2022 Porsche Macan is subject to price rises across the board. But sweetening the bitter pill is more power and equipment across the range.

Few will quibble over the extra $500 buyers of the entry-level Macan (from $84,800 plus on-road costs) will be charged, especially since its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine now produces an extra 15kW, with total power boosted to a healthy 195kW.

More difficult to swallow is the Macan S now commands an extra $5000, with Porsche charging a punchy $105,800 plus ORCs for its mid-series model that, again, sees power swell by 20kW to 280kW.

The biggest sticker shock comes with the Macan GTS, which has copped a grisly $17,500 increase that pushes it up to $129,800 plus ORCs.

But with no sign of an updated Macan Turbo, the GTS – with an extra 44kW elevating it to 324kW – becomes as powerful as the previous Turbo, not to mention faster, better equipped and around $15,000 cheaper.

All 2022 Porsche Macan variants gain new LED headlights with Porsche’s Dynamic Light System and a variety of cosmetic changes including SportDesign door mirrors and larger wheels – 19-inch alloys on the base model, 20-inch for Macan S and, at the top of the tree, 21-inch rims on GTS.

Other goodies thrown in include a new touch-sensitive panel around the (shorter) gear lever, an analogue clock on top of the dashboard and a new multifunction GT sports steering wheel you’ll recognise if you own the latest Porsche 911.

All models get a large 10.9-inch touch-screen infotainment system that is now linked to the internet and offers Wi-Fi.

Extra standard equipment for Macan S buyers and above include a larger 75-litre fuel tank, 14-way Comfort seats, a Bose surround-sound system, metallic paint, body-coloured SportDesign front and rear bumpers, plus side skirts and ‘blades’ that feature within the lower half of the doors.

Further justifying its price hike, Macan GTS gets the lion’s share of new tech, with lane change assist, ParkAssist (front and rear) and surround view cameras fitted standard.

It also comes with rear side airbags, privacy glass, auto-dimming mirrors, Apple CarPlay and the Sport Chrono Pack, along with a 19-inch collapsible spare wheel.

The Macan is backed by a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia, at a time where more European marques including Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are adopting more generous five-year provisions.

Servicing intervals for the Macan GTS are spaced every 12 months/15,000km. According to Porsche, a basic service will set buyers back $695, an intermediate service costs $995 and a major service $1750.

As far as towing goes, the least powerful Porsche Macan can tug up to 2000kg, while the more powerful twin-turbo V6 Macan S and Macan GTS can haul up to 2400kg.

As we’ve already mentioned, it’s good news all around with the facelifted 2022 Porsche Macan when it comes to power and performance.

The entry Macan gets the Volkswagen Group’s latest version of its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that’s claimed to bring weight savings over the previous 2.0T, plus a 15kW/30Nm power and torque improvement.

Now producing 195kW/400Nm, the base Macan takes just 6.2 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint, 0.3sec quicker than before, while top speed increases to 232km/h (+7km/h).

There are big changes with Macan S too. Gone is the previous model’s 3.0-litre single-turbo V6 and in its place is the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 that was developed by Porsche but also lives under the bonnet of other VW Group stablemates, like the Audi RS 4.

In the Macan S the biturbo V6 produces 280kW (+20kW) and 520Nm of torque. With launch control, the mid-spec S can now hit 100km/h from rest in just 4.6sec and top out at 259km/h. That’s a substantial 0.5sec quicker to the performance benchmark, with a 5km/h gain in top speed.

Finally, the Macan GTS steps up to effectively replace the previous Macan Turbo.

Claimed to be the sportiest SUV ever created by the German brand, the GTS now pumps out an additional 44kW/30Nm, with total output rising to 324kW and 550Nm. Those figures are identical to the previous Turbo, but engineers says significant under-bonnet revisions have taken place to produce that power while enhancing responsiveness.

Against the clock, the Macan GTS takes just 4.3sec for the 0-100km/h dash before topping out at 272km/h – 0.4sec quicker than before, with an 11km/h higher top speed.

A seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission is fitted standard to all three engines, as is the car-maker’s rear-biased Porsche Traction Management all-wheel drive system that sends power to the rear axle most of the time and only shuffles torque up front when slip is detected.

A new Sport Pack for the Macan GTS has also been introduced that adds a limited-slip differential and torque vectoring to boost agility further.

Let’s not beat about the bush. The Porsche Macan, since its introduction back in 2014, has been among the very best-handling SUVs money can buy. Fast-forward to 2021 and it’s hard not to argue that the German sports car brand’s mid-size SUV still tops the class for its dynamism.

Which is good news, as the incoming MY22 Porsche Macan is really feeling its age in the cabin, where it’s hard to excuse its lack of a fully digital instrument cluster, the dated graphics for the infotainment and Porsche’s general last-gen approach to interior design.

The new touch-sensitive gear-lever surround might cull the button count but still feels ancient beside the clean, minimalist tech-obsessed Porsche Taycan.

That said, the cabin layout is actually logical and very straight forward to use. The old-school dials are clear and easy to read, meaning you don’t have to dig around in some fancy infotainment system to raise or lower the temp.

And there’s the same excellent small-diameter multifunction steering wheel from the latest 911 that is pretty much perfect.

It also helps, as part of the facelift, that the humble 2.0-litre turbo-powered Macan now runs closer to its more expensive Macan S sibling in the performance stakes, particularly in mid-gear acceleration.

Other highlights of the most basic Macan include its precise steering, the response of its seven-speed PDK and the unrelenting traction served up by the all-wheel drive system, even on roads with standing water.

Ride comfort has never been a strong point of the Macan, and even with our test car’s adaptive air suspension, even on smooth roads you suspect engineers have stuck to their guns with the facelift and sacrificed the ride for both agility and less roll in corners.

Climb behind the wheel of the Macan S and it is possible to feel the incremental increase in performance. It also sounds more exciting than the worthy, but dull, 2.0-litre turbo.

As well as its cultured growl, the twin-turbo V6 offers sharp throttle response and more punch in the mid-range, making it a more relaxing companion, with effortless overtaking.

It’s hard not to consider, with the better engine under its snout, that the Macan S is the new darling of the range, especially when factoring in the big bump in price for the GTS.

Its recalibrated air suspension, meanwhile, features active dampers that can individually tailor their responses to the road beneath and is claimed to offer a broader bandwidth between comfort and more dynamic driving.

To be honest, it’s difficult to tell on the aforementioned smooth Norwegian roads we drove that lacked the imperfections really needed to test comfort.

Python Green paint ($4480) is normally a colour reserved for the most extreme track-bred Porsche GT models but it’s now available on the Macan GTS. And for good reason: engineers are confident they’ve created the sportiest SUV ever with the Macan Turbo-replacing flagship.

Sitting 10mm lower on large 21-inch gloss black rims, with a menacing black grille, large rear diffuser and rear tailgate spoiler that was once reserved for the Turbo, the GTS certainly looks the part.

Completing a comprehensive overhaul is an all-new sports suspension that includes stiffer front and rear springs (up 10 and 15 per cent front/rear respectively), new active dampers and thicker anti-roll bars.

Our car also had the GTS Sport Pack ($16,640) that is only available on the top-rung Macan. This adds GT 21-inch rims, torque vectoring and a limited-slip rear diff, plus a set of extreme Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres.

The same pack also introduces a raft of cabin features, including a set of 18-way adjustable sport seats.

The latter are pretty wonderful, but we have huge reservations over whether the new chassis set-up of the Macan GTS will translate well to Australian conditions.

Let’s start with the positives. The Corsa tyres offer huge mechanical grip and the new high-output biturbo V6’s responses suggest Porsche is being conservative with its performance claims.

But the way the suspension on the Macan GTS battles even Norway’s billiard-smooth highways and byways make us question whether it is now just too compromised for Australia’s typically appalling roads.

It’s a shame, because grin and bear the ride and we can think of few faster SUVs cross-country, including the recently refreshed Jaguar F-PACE SVR.

The Brit, along with the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 are both worth mentioning here as they offer more drama, thanks to their thunderous V8 soundtrack, but the Macan pips the V8 duo with its drive – just maybe not in GTS guise anymore.

Speaking to a Porsche engineer about the new set-up, it’s perhaps telling that he replied that a ‘comfort’ sport suspension will be offered on GTS that is claimed to offer levels of ride quality of the previous Macan Turbo, even though the set-up is completely different.

The good news is we’ve checked with Porsche Australia and the comfort suspension will be offered at no extra cost, so we implore you try both before you buy.

Where once the Porsche Macan GTS was the pick of the range, it’s now easier to make a case for either the much quicker base model or the now more accomplished Macan S that finally gets the V6 engine it always deserved.

In its bid to become the sportiest, it feels like engineers have thrown the baby out with the bathwater with the 2022 Porsche Macan GTS, ruining its terrific all-round capabilities.

But don’t rule it out just yet. The comfort-spec sport suspension could save it. We just need to sample it to be sure.

What can’t save the Macan, at least against its more youthful rivals, is the feeling within the cabin that it’s getting well past its sell-by date.

Despite that, its lightly refreshed looks, improved performance and dynamic brilliance continue to shine bright.

If you have more than $100K burning a hole in your pocket, it would be hard not to choose a Macan S over, say, the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 or BMW X3 M40i, and for a model this old that’s a remarkable achievement.

As for the final word on GTS, let’s wait and see.

How much does the 2022 Porsche Macan GTS cost?
Price: $129,800 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Final quarter 2021
Engine: 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 324kW/550Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 11.3L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 255g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2014)