Whoever says Porsche says sports cars. At least, that’s still the general picture. In reality, Porsche is now more the brand of the SUVs, so it is high time to investigate what the cheapest high-legged of the brand has to offer.
Porsche Macan – € 101,368
The most affordable SUV in question is of course the Porsche Macan. The little brother of the Cayenne has been there since 2014, received a fairly solid facelift in 2019 and is also doing relatively well in our country, although 2020 was not a Macan year here. Perhaps the arrival of the electric Taycan is a bit in the way of the somewhat older SUV, but a Macan is certainly not really exclusive here.
Not surprisingly: you cannot really call the ‘cheapest’ Porsche SUV in the Netherlands really cheap. A basic Macan – Porsche simply calls it ‘Macan’ – now costs more than a hundred thousand here even without options. For that money you get it with a blown two-liter four-cylinder with 245 hp on board. A PDK automatic transmission is standard, as is all-wheel drive. Even so, it is very easy to save thousands of euros on upgrading the driving experience, because things like an adaptive suspension, air suspension and ‘torque vectoring’ are on the option list.
Unique wheels
The simplest Macan is given its own wheel design according to good Porsche tradition. The 18-inch ‘Macan’ wheel is exclusive to this base version. The cheapest upgrade is the 18-inch Macan S wheel at € 578, but it is also no problem to spend about 5 grand on beautiful light metal. The bodywork is optionally available in uni-white or uni-black without additional payment. LED headlights are just as standard as the continuous LED light bar at the rear, but in a simple variant. Adaptive units are a pricey option.
The interior of a bare Porsche Macan is not covered with leather, but with a combination of artificial leather and ‘race-tex’. The Alcantara-like material can be found on the seat center panels. In terms of color, there is now a choice of the standard black or the ‘free’ Agate gray, a shade that is immediately applied over the entire dashboard and the door panels. For those who want to know: partial leather upholstery costs € 1,635, the most expensive full-leather interior costs € 4,650.
Agate gray
Levers and knobs
The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable at all times, but in ‘only’ eight different directions. That leaves something to be desired, because the optional 14-way electrically adjustable seats are available. In addition, you have to pay extra for a memory function and the passenger in the basic Macan has to work old-fashioned with levers and knobs.
Furthermore, it may feel a bit cool, because seat heating is missing. More notable items on the missing items list: adaptive cruise control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and ‘Entry & Drive’ (keyless entry and start). In addition, we find a package with lighting for storage compartments and the make-up mirrors on the option list, which means that those mirrors normally have to do without lighting. Certain compartments are even optional, as evidenced by a stowage compartment package including the storage nets in the passenger’s footwell. Especially remarkable is the fact that floor mats are on the option list. The good news is that there is a choice of standard models or more luxurious mats with a leather trim.
Without additional payment, your Macan is white or black.
Not quite make do
So there is quite a lot to criticize about the standard equipment of a Macan, but it is not really difficult. For example, climate control with three zones is standard, as is navigation and an audio system with ten speakers. There is also always a lane assistant and an electric tailgate.