Skip advert
Advertisement

Porsche Macan review - performance and 0-60 time

No Macan is slow, S and GTS models are genuinely rapid

Evo rating
RRP
from £46,913
  • Powertrains; poise; the Porsche badge…
  • It’s not dated, but perhaps a bit too familiar?

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.

Advertisement - Article continues below

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.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money
Lotus Exige S V6
In-depth reviews

Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money

For the S3 generation the Lotus Exige got a lot brawnier, trading the four-cylinder engines it had hitherto utilised for a supercharged Toyota V6
21 Aug 2026
Horsepower Wars: are 1000bhp supercars repeating a fatal 1990s music mistake?
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Manthey Kit
Opinion

Horsepower Wars: are 1000bhp supercars repeating a fatal 1990s music mistake?

The Horsepower Wars are getting worse, says Porter, but EVs make them tolerable
20 Aug 2026
BMW i3 Touring spied – will this be the most desirable daily EV?
BMW i3 Touring
News

BMW i3 Touring spied – will this be the most desirable daily EV?

BMW will expand its i3 offering in all the usual ways it does with the 3-series. The upcoming Touring has been spied testing with a thin disguise
19 Aug 2026