Macan Review (2018 GTS)
 

So I’ve had my 2018 Macan GTS for about a month, It replaced my tuned 600Hp Panamera Turbo and I thought I would post my thoughts for those considering a Macan.

Overall it’s a fun little SUV, well built, looks good and does what it’s supposed to.

The performance is “good”, very slight delay with the turbos but gets into the rev band quickly. I’ve been driving with the paddles lately, but honestly I find them a waste of time; it is an suv after all. The PDK is really good, so much better than my 2010 PTT, so leaving it in automatic works fine. I mainly drive in sport which seems normal (the non-sport is for gas savings I guess), the sport plus is a little too bumpy - I’ll come back to this.

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The suspension is very good and I love that Porsche lets you drive in the low suspension setting all the time! I haven’t tried regular height in sport plus mode to see if it changes the ride quality though (I will test it out). One thing I think Porsche could have done is bigger sway bars; there is a lot of body roll in corners, even in sport/+. It’s still fine as the Macan can really take the corners, but the body roll is a little too much

The fit and finish is typical Porsche and I was waiting for a GTS with the red stitching, Alcantara, and carbon fibre, and it does not dissapoint! Hauls the family fine, both my sons are over 6’ and fit behind me with no issues.

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The one negative I have with the drivers seat (in my build) is with no automatic seat backup when opening the door, it’s tight to get in and out over the left booster. Getting out I out a nice scrape in the bottom the leather steering wheel with my pocket knife ☹️.
Otherwise the seats are amazingly comfortable!

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I wish it had a little more hp, and I think I’ll tune it once the warranty is off (my PTT was over 600), but it is still plenty quick. The steering is very good and the brakes are ok, but I wish they had bigger brakes in the back (for the small size it’s still a heavy SUV), so just an ok not a great.

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The engine looks to be easy to work on and long term I guess we will see if the turbos in the hot V creates issues. I got into the battery compartment today which was a bit of a pain, but doable, and I was pleased to find a compressor for the spare, and yes it has a spare. The hatch has plenty of room and seems the same size as my wife’s Cayenne so lots of room for groceries, or Porsche parts.

I was a little surprised at the gas mileage as I thought with the 6 it would be better (even with the cylinder deactivation engaged), but as I said it’s heavy so…

With prices coming down I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a Macan to anyone! I have winter wheels and tires on order and I am curious how it will perform in the winter (I will post a follow-up in spring).

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There is no substitute

On the same day recently, I drove a 2022 Macan S and a 2022 911 S on the track - both in Sport+. Except for more body roll on the Macan, I was pretty surprised that it wasn’t significantly different in response and performance. The Macan S and above have plenty of GO.

Nice! Thanks.