Porsche Macan review - performance and 0-60 time
No Macan is slow, S and GTS models are genuinely rapid
There are four Macan derivatives available and even the least of those, the turbocharged 2-litre, can be considered fairly brisk: at its slowest, the Macan is still a car capable of reaching 62mph in 6.2sec (with Sport Chrono) going on to 141mph given a suitable stretch of autobahn.
The petrol Macan S is faster still, dispatching the 0-62mph sprint in 4.6sec and hitting 161mph flat out. But it’s the GTS model that is the most impressive: a 4.3sec 0-62mph time with the Sport Chrono package is coupled with an equally as impressive 0-100mph time of 10.5sec, and a 169mph top speed – just a few decades ago you needed a 911 to reach such velocities.
The GTS is properly brawny, and while it might lack the outright punch of a BMW X3 M or AMG GLC63 S, its pace doesn’t seem to overwhelm the chassis as it can in its rivals. As previously referenced, the Macan’s autobahn gearing means you really need to stick to Sport or Sport+ modes, keep it in the lowest few gears, and select ratios yourself for it to feel truly brisk – a conventional hot hatchback such as a VW Golf R or Cupra Leon will feel quicker with less effort.
When you're not trying to reach mile-a-minute speeds though, all of the Macan power plants are suitably cultured and blessed with smooth, consistent responses. For a car capable of worrying Boxsters and Caymans (or those aforementioned hot hatches), the way the Macan can also fade into the background as a quiet and refined cruiser is both welcome and impressive.
