Ever since I saw the Lamborghini Countach I knew that no other car company could ever come close. I also knew that I had to own one. I am pretty sure my drive to succeed came from my desire to afford a Lamborghini. I had the thrill of purchasing the Diablo when it came out, satisfying a long life goal. But now that i have rented the Murcielago when i was in Los Angeles on vacation, i am fairly sure i will be adding another Lamborghini to my collection. A little known history about Lamborghini is that originally they used to manufacture tractors. Until one day when Ferruccio Lamborghini, an extremely successful business man went to complain to Enzo Ferrari about the clutch of his car. But when Enzo responded with something like this "What does a tractor maker know about super cars? Go back to your farm and leave the super cars to me," .
The GTS also rides lower than other Macans (including the turbo) to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. And the brakes are as hefty as you might expect for a vehicle that weighs 4,177lbs (1,895kg)鈥攕ix-piston calipers and 360mm discs at the front, 330mm discs at the rear. Our test car also featured the optional Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus system, a brake-based alternative to a mechanical limited slip differential or the clutch-controlled torque vectoring system used in cars like the Audi R8 or Ford Focus RS. From the driver's seat, the Macan GTS feels instantly right. The seat holds you firmly in place, with good side bolsters and plenty of adjustability from the standard 8-way power seats. The wheel, pedals, and PDK gear selector are all well-positioned, and visibility is good. I'm a fan of the way Porsche has designed the rather minimalist multifunction steering wheel. On the side spokes are little metal scroll wheels that feel wonderfully tactile; behind each side spoke are the paddle shifters.
At a time when the rest of the industry is moving toward a single multifunction screen for the main instrument display and as few physical buttons as possible, Porsche is determined to do things its own way. In front of you is the main instrument display鈥攁nalog physical dials for the speedometer (left) and tachometer (center), plus a small, also circular, multifunction display on the right. Just about every function gets its own button鈥擨 count 32, including the driver- and passenger-side climate controls. Ahead and either side of the gear lever are things like hazard lights and your climate controls. Farther back, on the driver's side, you'll find the ones that tweak the engine and suspension management. On the passenger side are the buttons to select off-road, to switch off auto stop-start and lane keeping, and to turn on the sports exhaust. Atop our particular Macan's dash is a little analog clock, which indicates this particular vehicle has been specced with the Sport Chrono package鈥攖he clock will double as a lap timer at the track. Sport Chrono adds more than just that stopwatch, though; you also get a Sport Plus button, which puts the car into its most aggressive mode.
Finally, in the center stack is Porsche's most recent infotainment system, which is now based on VW Group's MIB II. It is leagues better than previous Porsche infotainment systems and comes with Apple CarPlay. Android Auto is rumored to be on its way via an update, but it's not here yet. Were it not for the fact that you sit relatively high up, you'd be hard-pressed to tell that the Macan GTS is actually an SUV, based on the way it drives. If anything, it feels more like a (very) hot hatch like the Golf R or Ford Focus RS. Even with the Macan's electronic brains set to Normal, it holds the road well and resists roll in the corners. Things get more interesting when you put it in Sport or Sport Plus modes. These remap the throttle pedal, steering weight, the gearbox response time, the ride height and suspension damping, as well as altering the thresholds at which the car's traction and stability management software intervenes.
During my week with the Macan GTS, I unsurprisingly spent most of my time in either Sport, or Sport Plus mode. Sport Plus is perfect for those times when you're having fun on a back road (or on track), but for less committed driving it can be a little much if you have the PDK transmission in automatic. That's because it will stay in each gear much longer before shifting up or down; that's great for engine braking or attacking a corner, but it also means you're burning more gas and hearing the engine more. Then again, if you're in Sport Plus it probably means you're in a hurry or want to have fun, in which case you should be choosing your own gears. There's no getting around the fact that this is not a cheap vehicle. But, then, what did you expect from something wearing a Porsche badge? As with all Porsches, it's the options list that'll kill ya. 4,790), both options that you could almost certainly live without. 1,300 and a monthly fee that varies depending upon which services you want. 66,975 of options on top of the GTS' base price, should you wish to go absolutely crazy. Still, while it is possible to almost double the base price, most of us could live without custom paint colors, crazy contrast stitching on the seats and dash, or a leather-wrapped rearview mirror. 80,000. And that's more than rivals like the Jaguar F-Pace, Audi SQ5, or Volvo's XC60. But let's be honest鈥攎ost Macan GTS customers are buying it because they want a Porsche and a practical car that can carry five people and their luggage. And in that regard, the Macan GTS excels.
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