Porsche Macan GTS 2020 Review – International

When the Porsche Macan appeared in late 2013 it raised almost as many eyebrows as the German sports car maker’s original SUV, the Cayenne, did in 2002.

But unlike the big Cayenne, which is now into its third generation, the smaller Porsche Macan is yet to be renewed and has instead just received a midlife makeover, with the facelifted model arriving in Australia in base and S forms early last year and in Turbo guise last October.

Wrapped in an updated exterior design, the latest Porsche Macan brings upgraded powertrains and more equipment, but dumps diesel power, costs more than before and lacks autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard.

Still, that didn’t stop the Macan from being Porsche’s top-selling model Down Under in 2019, when it found more than 2000 Aussie homes, accounting for more than 48 per cent of the brand’s sales and single-handedly increasing Porsche’s local sales by 6.4 per cent in a declining local luxury vehicle market.

Now, the 2020 Porsche Macan GTS completes the mid-size SUV range update, replacing the performance-focussed variant that first joined the Australian Macan line-up in 2016.

Bringing it into line with the rest of the range, the first update for the Macan GTS in four years will arrive here in mid-2020 with fresh interior and exterior styling and more technology.

The latter is led by a new 10.9-inch touch-screen infotainment system with advanced voice recognition, Apple CarPlay including Siri voice control, 10-speaker/150-Watt Sound Package Plus, DAB+ digital radio, navigation and Connect Plus including WiFi hotspot (which requires an extra-cost data-enabled SIM card hotspot) and Porsche Connect online services, which is free for the first year only.

In Australia, the Porsche Macan GTS' standard equipment also extends to a driver memory package, ParkAssist with reversing camera and Surround View, privacy glass, rear side airbags, a larger 75-litre fuel tank and auto-dimming mirrors.

In line with the black-look of the Macan GTS, other standard features include new Sport Design exterior package with black front and rear highlights and unique side skirts, a gloss-black tailgate spoiler, rear diffuser and exhaust outlets, and darkened LED headlights (with Porsche Dynamic Light System or PDLS) and tail-lights with LED light bar.

Continuing Porsche's GTS theme inside are plenty of brushed aluminium highlights, a multi-function leather-trimmed steering wheel with shift paddles and Alcantara trim for the centre armrest, door trims and centre panels of the exclusive GTS front sports seats, which come with eight-way adjustment and beefier side bolsters (14-way comfort seats are a no-cost option).

However, relegated to the options list are adaptive cruise control and highs-peed (30-210km/h) auto-braking ($2070), air suspension ($3100), Porsche Entry & Drive ($1470), Alcantara roof lining ($2750), 14-speaker/665W BOSE Surround Sound, front seat heating ($880) and other items like Lane Change Assist, Carmine Red or Crayon leather trim, a heated windscreen and ionizer.

In line with its 'Gran Turismo Sport' brief, the latest Porsche Macan GTS again brings specific tuning for the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) damping system and a 15mm-lower ride height.

It rides on 20-inch RS Spyder Design satin-gloss black wheels with 360x36mm front and 330x22mm rear brake rotors and red callipers, while tungsten carbide-coated Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB) or Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) systems are optional.

But the big-ticket item is a downsized twin-turbo 2.9-litre petrol V6 that brings more power and torque, at 280kW (up 15kW) and 520Nm (+20Nm), the latter over a broad 1750-5000rpm.

Also seen in the Panamera and Cayenne, the Porsche-designed V6 replaces the 3.6-litre biturbo Volkswagen V6 in the old GTS and is basically a detuned version of the same engine in the 331kW/600Nm Audi RS 4 and RS 5, and the 324kW/550Nm Porsche Macan Turbo with which it shares its seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Porsche says its most dynamic (but not its quickest or fastest) Macan variant can hit 100km/h in 4.7 seconds in Sport Plus mode, on its way to a 261km/h top speed. That makes the latest GTS 0.3sec quicker to 100km/h than before and once again positions it well above the entry-level turbo four and between the 3.0-litre twin-scroll turbo V6-powered Macan S ($98,200 plus ORCs) and the $142K Turbo.

Priced at $109,700 plus on-road costs, the 2020 Porsche Macan GTS is covered by a par-for-the-course three-year/unlimited-km warranty and requires servicing every 15,000km or annually. It's priced lineball with the BMW X4 and Mercedes-AMG GLC 43.

Compared to newer rivals like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, BMW’s latest X3 and X4, and Audi’s second-generation Q5, the Porsche Macan is beginning to look a little dated. But within its rounder, more organic body is an interior that takes a big step up in terms of technology and, especially in GTS form, presentation.

The lack of standard AEB and the availability of other important driver aids like a head-up display is disappointing, but the aluminium and Alcantara-lined cabin of the Porsche Macan GTS gives it a real sense of occasion.

And the specific sports seats, with GTS logos to match those on the tacho and door sills, is the perfect place from which to enjoy the best part of the Porsche Macan GTS: its chassis.

Even on 10mm-lower optional air suspension, the GTS delivers a ride/handling compromise that’s damn near perfect. It sits as flat in corners as the Turbo and even the new X3 and X4 Ms, yet ride quality is far superior to the (dis)comfort offered by the Bavarian SUVs.

This is an SUV not a sports car, so there’s no hiding its lardy 1910kg kerb weight and slowish steering gear, but the level of feel and feedback at the wheel – and the absence of unwelcome interference like bump or torque steer – is another example of Porsche’s delicate handiwork here.

So while Macan might start life on an Audi Q5 platform, the GTS balances performance and comfort like few other high-riding wagons and, with more power, would surely be among the quickest point-to-point SUVs on the planet.

That said, its new engine is the highlight here and means the GTS gets a bigger upgrade of any Macan variant. The all-Porsche unit might lack the aural drama of Alfa’s and Jaguar’s force-fed V6s, but it makes up for that with usable punch from right off idle and peak torque at just 1750rpm.

Its substantial 520Nm – just 30 short of the Turbo – remains on tap all the way to 5000rpm and the V6 revs to almost 6500rpm, so in-gear flexibility feels just as lively standard-start acceleration, which is aided by the smooth but rapid-fire PDK auto.

Perhaps even more so than the Turbo flagship, this new GTS engine feels perfectly suited to its well sorted chassis. That said, given there are no mechanical differences, it’s only a matter of time before aftermarket code-crackers are able to give GTS owners Turbo-levels of performance, or more.

Even better, the upgraded Porsche Macan GTS comes with a modest $200 price increase over its forebear, making it just $11,500 pricier than the Macan S and more than $32K cheaper than the Turbo.

So the upgraded GTS is not only more Porsche than ever, but the pick of the Macan family.

How much does the 2020 Porsche Macan cost?
Price: $109,700 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Mid-2020
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol
Output: 280kW/520Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 9.6L/100km (NEDC)
CO2: 218g/km (NEDC
Safety rating: N/A