Tech News

I drove the ludicrously quick Porsche Macan GTS – a speedy SUV that’ll knock you back in style

THE only thing I disliked about my 10-day stint with the Porsche Macan GTS was giving it back at the end.

It’s chock full of tech, brims with immense German automotive power, and looks a treat too.

The Porsche Macan GTS is a force to be reckoned withCredit: The Sun / Sean Keach

It's a classic Porsche from every angle — It’s a classic Porsche from every angleCredit: The Sun / Sean Keach

Google Blasts Chrome Sale as ‘Extreme’ Remedy at Odds With Law — It’s a classic Porsche from every angleCredit: The Sun / Sean Keach

No Porsche is “cheap”, but the Macan is on the budget-friendlier end of the lineup at £48,970.

The Macan GTS is pricier still at £64,770, but it’s got plenty to tempt you up.

You’ll almost certainly have seen a Macan on the roads – even though the range only dates back to 2014.

It’s more commonly sighted than the much bigger (and far older) Porsche Cayenne – with good reason.

Inside Gordon Ramsay’s incredible car collection from Ferraris to £650k Porsche

Hamilton backs Audi and Porsche to join F1 as expansion plans revealed

After all, the Macan has the oomph and sex appeal of a sports car, the practicality of a mid-sized SUV, and a price point that isn’t totally ruinous.

So what do you actually get for your money?

The power almost isn’t worth talking about – it’s got more than you’ll ever really need in a family SUV.

Its beating heart is a highly performant 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbocharged engine that offers up 440 horsepower and 550Nm of torque.

This all-wheel-drive monster has a top speed of 169mph, and will blitz to 62mph from a dead stop in 4.5 seconds. Frighteningly quick for an SUV of this size (and price).

Better still, the Porsche I tested came in a delightfully bright Papaya Metallic paint job, so you’d never miss it – even at pace.

It’s got a 7-speed automatic transition, although you can operate the gears manually using shift-paddles attached on the steering wheel. Thrills aplenty.

You can also whack it in Sport Mode for truly vigorous acceleration that will knock you to the back of your seat.

But it’s not just quick in a straight line.

One of the options fitted to my Macan GTS was Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus.

This is an automatic cornering feature for the rear wheels, braking gently on the inside and allowing for greater push on the outside.

It helps on tight bends, which is handy on an SUV – not best known for their cornering.

With all this power, you’ll rightly fear crashing it. Thankfully, there’s plenty of tech to stop that from happening.

The Macan GTS I tested also feature ParkAssist and Surround View.

Both of these are designed to stop you crashing into things when parking. Ideal really, given this is a costly motor.

You have warning beeps, full 360-degree camera coverage, and even a brilliant top-down view that makes it basically impossible to bungle a parking manoeuvre.

There’s also cruise control with a speed limiter, a lane departure warning system, and alerts for when you’re about to drive into another car.

When it’s not beeping at you to save your life, the Porsche interior is actually very peaceful.

There’s three-zone climate control (and even a cooled glovebox) as well as a built-in ioniser.

The cabin is very insulated from external noise, but a powerful Bose Surround Sound System will really help you shut out the din of traffic.

You’ve got a built-in SIM card reader and wireless internet, plus two USBs in the front and another two in the back.

Naturally, the Macan GTS comes with Apple CarPlay built-in.

That means you can emulate your iPhone inside the car, so you can enjoy your favourite apps, phone calls with your contacts, and Apple Music to boot.

And it also includes Siri voice recognition, letting you control the system by shouting at it. Great fun, and what you deserve if you fork out this kind of money for a car.

Really, the Macan GTS has it all.

It looks good, goes really fast, and is extremely practical.

The eco-minded might want to hang about for the fully electric version expected in 2023.

But if you’re still up for a gloriously noisy petrol ride, the Macan GTS will give you years of fun.