2022 Porsche Macan Review_ Performance for a Price.

Porsche first introduced this generation of Macan way back in 2014, giving it tweaks here and there to keep it current. But has that been enough to keep up with rivals from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Alfa Romeo? What's up, folks? I'm Dave Underkoffler, Editor-in-Chief of Autolist.com, a sister company to CarGurus. The Macan is a compact crossover, and it's been the baby brother to the larger Cayenne crossover since Porsche introduced this six years ago. In that time, it's given it some updates in 2019, and again for this 2022 model year, trying to keep things current. But just how current, and are those updates enough to justify this version's $85,000 price tag? Let's go find out. But before we go any further, be sure to like and subscribe to this channel so you can get updates on all of our future videos. So, for 2022, there are three trim levels of the Macan. There's the base, then there's the Macan S, which we're testing today, and then the Macan GTS, and that actually replaces the Macan Turbo. For 2023, another one will join the lineup, and it's a Macan T. Think of it as like a base Macan with a few more features added to it. While the biggest changes for 2022 happen inside the Macan, Porsche did make some updates to the exterior. The key change is the redesigned front bumper and clip. You've got a larger opening here for the radiator, and then back here, you've got some active grille shutters sort of hidden behind this section. For this model year, Porsche also added new wheel designs, so now there's a number that you can choose from. Our model has 21-inch spider design is what they're calling them, and they're a $2,300 option, so that's kind of pricey, but I really like the way they look. At the back of the Macan, this bumper has also been redesigned for 2022. I like it, and I really like the quad exhaust. It really gives a hint as to this vehicle's performance capabilities. Otherwise, it kind of looks like the model year before it. One thing I like is this horizontal light design. That's part of the 2019 updates, but it gives the car a modern feel that really fits into the rest of the Porsche lineup. But what do you guys think? Does this design fit into the rest of the Porsche lineup? Let us know in the comments below. One last thing to note about the exterior back here is the button to open the hatch is really well hidden. It's so well hidden, it actually took me, I'm not even going to admit how long it took me to find it. But guys, it's right here, hidden underneath the windshield wiper. Push that, and you're good to go. So my favorite upgrades for 2022 in the Macan is power, more power for everyone. The base model has a turbocharged 4, that gets more power. This is the Macan S, which actually gets the previous version's GTS output. So this is 375 horsepower, 385 pound-feet of torque from a 2.9 liter turbocharged V6. That's awesome. It'll do 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. And then what used to be the turbo is now the GTS, and that has 434 horsepower, 405 pound-feet of torque. Regardless of which Macan you choose, all of them have a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and standard all-wheel drive. So as I mentioned, some of the biggest changes for 2022 happen inside the Macan. And the first thing you're going to notice is this new screen. This is a 10.9-inch touchscreen, handles all the infotainment duties. It has wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and it's really nicely set up. It's intuitive. The screen is responsive to your touch. Everything is sort of set up where you would expect it to be, and I like that. Other nice touches, you have physical buttons for the volume and then to control the menus here. Love that. I hate it when it's all just touchscreen. Another thing that I love is that the climate control is not part of this touchscreen. It's getting more and more frustrating when automakers do that. No, everything is down here in the center console. It's nicely laid out. You have physical buttons for the fan speed and for your temperature, both for the driver and for the passenger. And then these buttons down here have sort of a haptic sound when you touch them. If you listen real carefully, you probably can't hear that. But you do have that feedback, so you know you've hit the button while you're driving without taking your eyes off the road. That's a really nice touch. One thing I don't like is that this flat plastic actually reflects a lot of glare. So if it's overcast and you're driving during the day, it can be really hard to see some of these buttons, even though they're well-illuminated right now. So as I mentioned earlier, our tester is an $85,000 Macan S. Now this car starts at $65,000. So what do you get for that extra $20,000? Well, let me point out some options that this tester has. For one, it has a $2,000 leather package. So you can see we've got stitched leather here on the dashboard with contrast stitching. You've got a leather-wrapped steering wheel. And then these seats. These are really comfortable seats. And this is Bordeaux red, which is what Porsche calls it. Really nice color, but not everyone likes red seats inside a car like this. So what do you guys think? Yes or no to the red? Let us know in the comments below. Finally, the interior is really nicely laid out. Everything is where you would expect it. It's within easy reach. But the one thing it doesn't have going for it is storage space. There's not a lot of place to put anything. You've got this sort of awkward storage compartment here, a pair of cup holders, and then a pretty small storage spot down here in the center console. Inside here, you do have two USB-C charging ports and a wireless charging station for your smartphone. But don't worry, Porsche charges extra for that wireless charging. It's $580. That should be free. And here's a fun little Easter egg we just discovered. Underneath the pad in this little storage area is a hidden accessory charger. So if you have one of the old-school chargers for your phone or any other device, there it is. All right, so here's a quick tip. Don't buy the Macan if you need a lot of interior space. Certainly plenty of space up front, but once you get in the back, it gets a lot tighter. Now, I'm 6'1". I've got the driver's seat adjusted to where I would have it anyway. So I'm basically sitting behind myself. My toes have some room, but my knees are definitely hitting the back of this seat. My head will hit if I sit up really tall. So it's tight. It's cramped. I could spend a little bit of time back here, but for maybe long road trips, you're going to get a little claustrophobic. There are some nice amenities back here. Because ours has the optional package, we do have the panoramic moonroof. That opens things up quite a bit back here. Otherwise, without it, it'd feel pretty claustrophobic. We also have heated seats back here. Again, part of the optional package. You have USB-C charging ports down here, a pair of those, and your own climate control. So there are some things to make life a little bit better back here. One final note about the space back here. Don't plan on having anyone really sit in the center seat. That's because you have this massive center tunnel down here. There's really nowhere for their legs to go if there's someone sitting on either side of them. In terms of the cargo area back here, the Macan is 53 cubic feet of space. Now, that's good, but not great. An Audi Q5 is about 54 cubic feet. A BMW X3 has quite a bit more. It's like 63 cubic feet. So you don't have a ton of space back here. Again, this is more of a sporty vehicle, not one built around practicality. There are a few nice practical features built in, though. You have a 12-volt outlet back here. You've got the seats, which are split 40-20-40, and those do fold flat. And finally, because our Macan has the optional air suspension, there is a button back here to lower the height of the car in case you're loading in heavier items. All right, drive impressions. Is this the Porsche of SUVs? Yes, absolutely. Emphatically, this is one of the most fun crossovers you can drive that's on the market today. 375 horsepower in the Macan S. That's new for 2022. More than enough. It'll do 0-to-60 in 4.4 seconds. But again, it's not just the straight-line speed, it's the handling. Now, our test car has a couple different performance goodies that make that handling even better. One is torque vectoring, and then the second is an active air suspension. And not only is that air suspension great at keeping the vehicle nice and level when you go through turns like this— Ooh, not a lot of body roll. That's amazing. But the air suspension is great at also being supple. It picks up all the little chatter, irons that out in a really nice way, but then over big bumps, it's also able to handle those. So, a great combination. So, if you are shopping for a Macan, I highly recommend the air suspension. It really does wonders for the car's handling. And look, if you're going to have a cookie, if you're going to get a performance-oriented SUV, get one with the features that are really going to open it up and make it the best version that it can be. Another nice thing that I love about the way the Macan handles is that you don't have to be on twisty roads like this to enjoy it. If you get this on the freeway, this is one of those vehicles where you get it on the freeway, you're driving with traffic, and you look down, and suddenly you're going 100 miles an hour, and you had no idea. It's quiet, it's composed, it's serene. I've had the good fortune of driving an older Macan on the Autobahn in Germany, and we were hitting speeds of 130-140 miles an hour, and you would never even know. This car is rock-solid, and you can really tell the Porsche heritage. You know that the same guys engineering this are the ones engineering the 911 and the Cayman. Another little handling tidbit that I love about the Macan is the steering. I'm getting a lot of really good feedback from the road. You have a nice sense of where the car is and what it's doing while you're driving hard or just cruising on the freeway. That's really cool. A lot of vehicles these days, especially crossovers, are losing that kind of tactile feedback. So, kudos to Porsche on that front. And finally, brakes, right? What good is all this performance, all this handling, all this power, if you can't actually slow the car down? Good news is these are Porsche brakes. They're dialed in. They have a really nice feel to them as well, so no worries on that front. One thing I don't love about driving the Macan is the visibility. It's perfectly fine out the front of the vehicle, but the side, this B-pillar, is really big, really wide. Covers a lot of the road if you're trying to change lanes. I don't love that. And then this rear-view mirror is really small. It feels like one of the smallest I've seen in a car in a long time, so it's not great for seeing out the back. So, what does the Macan compete against? Well, that's sort of a tricky question, right? Are you shopping based on size, or are you shopping based on power or price? So, remember, this is an $85,000 Macan S that we're testing. To put that in perspective, BMW's X3 M with the Competition Package, which is an option, fully loaded, is about $80,000, and that gets you a 500-horsepower engine, 0-to-60 time in under 4 seconds, and definitely more space in this car. So, the Macan doesn't quite beat it out in terms of price or size, but performance, I would still prefer this Macan. Other competitors include the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the Jaguar F-Pace, a Mercedes GLC, maybe the AMG version of that, and even Porsche's own Cayenne, which is larger but does start lower than this $85,000 price tag. So, how does the Macan stack up against those? Well, it's smaller than all of those, and it's more fun to drive than all of those. So, if you don't really care as much about space or practicality, and you do care about performance, having fun while driving, this is your top choice. One thing to note about the Macan is, if you're into it, if you've been considering getting one, you don't have many years left to get the gas version. Consider maybe 2023 as the last year you can do so. Why is that? Because the next generation of Macan is going to be all-electric, so just keep that in mind. Standard safety features include front and rear park assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, and Porsche's hill control. Our test model had a lane change assist with blind spot monitoring as part of its Premium Package Plus. You can also add to the Macan lane keep assist, surround view camera, and self-steering park assist. All right, there you have it, our review of the 2022 Porsche Macan S. Pros? Well, it's everything a Porsche should be, despite the fact that it's a crossover. It handles like a Porsche, it sounds like a Porsche. We love that. We also really like the interior upgrades Porsche has made for 2022. And, finally, the styling. Inside and out, it's a great-looking vehicle. Cons? It's expensive. This is $85,000 as it sits right here. A loaded GTS model can hit $100,000. That's a lot of money. And a lot of the features that you would expect to be standard aren't, so that's frustrating. Finally, it's not big, so if cargo space is important to you or rear passenger space, this might not be the best choice. But overall, if you're looking for a crossover that puts performance and handling first, this is your choice. So, for a review of this or anything else you're shopping for, be sure to check out CarGurus.com. And if you have a car to sell, also check out CarGurus.com for its Sell My Car feature, where you can get top dollar for your used car, and a truck comes right to your door to pick it up. Thanks for watching, and be sure to like and subscribe to this channel, so you'll get alerts on all of our future videos. We'll see you out there.