If you were to look at all of our Porsche coverage over, let's say, the last year, you'd find a lot on the 911, a little less on the Boxster/Cayman and a fair bit to the upcoming all-electric Taycan. You wouldn't find much on the Macan. In just this past year, we've only written one article dedicated to Porsche's smallest SUV鈥攁 review of the GTS variant. Well, it's an SUV. We cover performance cars, and while that does include performance SUVs, they're not our focus. But maybe we should pay more attention to the Macan. At the Mallorca launch of this facelifted model, a Porsche spokesperson reminded me that this relatively small SUV is the company's best-seller by some margin. In 2017, the Macan outsold the 911, Boxster, Cayman and Panamera combined. Just this year the US鈥擯orsche's second largest market鈥攖he Macan has accounted for 42 percent of the brand's sales.
So, the Macan's pretty important to Porsche. On the surface, there's not much new on the 2019 Macan. The most obvious change is a new full-length rear light bar that brings the Macan design closer to the rest of the current Porsche lineup, while a slightly restyled front fascia, plus new colors and wheel designs round things out. Bearing its popularity in mind, it's understandable why Porsche didn't change styling much. Inside the big change is front and center鈥攁 10.9-inch infotainment screen shared with the new 911 running Porsche's new infotainment system. It works quite well. Beyond an optional smaller-diameter steering wheel taken from the 911 and, uh, new air vents, that's about it. Finding more significant changes requires a look beneath the skin. Sebastian Staiger, lead chassis engineer for the Macan, told me the dynamic goal for the 2019 was to make it feel sharper, with a more neutral handling balance.
To that end, the steel forks that connect the spring and damper to the front-axle carrier were replaced with stiffer aluminum units that reduce unsprung weight slightly. The widths for 19- and 21-inch wheels increase a half-inch at the front for better turn-in, and it has newly developed tires. The Macan S gets slightly larger front rotors than before, while the actual brake pedal hardware has been redesigned for better feel. As before, the base Macan uses the same Audi A4-sourced 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which makes 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. Previously, the Macan S used a Porsche-developed 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, but now, it's been replaced with an Audi-sourced single-turbo 3.0-liter V6 making 348 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. It's the same basic engine found in the base Cayenne and Panamera, as well as the Audi S4, S5, and SQ5, though it gets some software changes. Both engines are paired with Porsche's seven-speed PDK dual-clutch, which has been retuned to offer quicker shifts, and a fully variable all-wheel drive system.
As a driver's car, an SUV is inherently compromised by its high-riding heavy nature, no matter the badge on the hood. Yet, the way the Macan drives actually hints at great Porsches of the past. The steering is crisp鈥攖hough not darty like an Alfa Stelvio's鈥攁nd it actually provides some real feel, which is increasingly rare in SUVs. All the cars I tested sported 21-inch wheels with Pirelli P-Zero summer tires measuring 265/40 up front and 295/35 out back. Turn-in is sharp, and unsurprisingly, I never found the grip limits of the tires. Air-springs are optional on the Macan, though luck of the draw meant that I only drove models with traditional coil springs and adaptive dampers. The anti-roll bars and engine mounts were retuned for the 2019 Macan, and body control is generally very good, though there's pronounced pitch under acceleration. Staiger told me that if it's ride-quality you're after, get the air springs; the traditional coils are better for more direct handling.
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