First Reviews of 2020 Porsche Macan Are Off the Charts

May 01, 2020

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We’ve
loved the Porsche Macan since it first rolled off the assembly line in
2014, but
this is the first time this luxury SUV has gotten the brand’s GTS treatment.
The Macan is getting the performance upgrade in 2020, and while that comes with
an inflated price, it also has us waiting with bated breath, especially as the
first reviews of the SUV start to emerge. What can we expect to see in the
Macan GTS?

The Macan GTS
The
Macan might not be the biggest SUV in Porsche’s lineup — that title belongs to
the Cayenne — but that doesn’t mean the smaller of the two doesn’t have
anything to offer.
The
GTS treatment upgrades the engine to a 2.9-liter
turbocharged V-6 engine — the same one that powers the larger Cayenne — which adds to its curb
weight. It cranks out 375 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, which means
it can accelerate from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.
It
may be smaller than the Cayenne, but it doesn’t feel that way once you get
behind the wheel. With all that power at your fingertips, paired with the
newly placed turbos that make the engine more responsive, you might forget how
little the Macan actually is. It’s got a super snappy seven-speed twin-clutch
automatic transmission that is incredibly responsive. You might not even miss
the fact that a manual transmission isn’t an option.

When
you compare the GTS to the stock Macan, there’s almost no comparison. The stock
SUV’s 2.0-liter engine under the base model’s hood can get you from point A to
point B easily enough, but it lacks a little something when it comes to power
and acceleration.
Upgrades and Window Dressing
The
extra power under the hood — between the upsized engine and the upgraded
turbocharger — isn’t the only thing that got an upgrade. However, beyond the
engine, suspension, exhaust and wheels, everything else is window dressing. The
GTS’s aesthetic
upgrades
lean heavily toward darker colors, such as black accents, darkened light bars
and red brake calipers. Even the headlight housings and vehicle badging are all
black, along with black brushed aluminum trim in decorating the interior.
You
can opt for some lighter colors in your interior, such as adding red or gray
stitching and seatbelts. In general, the Macan GTS has a sleek, mean look that
we can’t get enough of, no matter what exterior color you choose. A bit of
extra window dressing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It helps give this
gorgeous SUV the borderline-iconic GTS look.

Looking Forward to Summer 2020
The
Macan GTS won’t make it to the U.S. until summer 2020, so we won’t have a
chance to get behind the wheel until then. However, if the early reviews are
anything to go by, we couldn’t be more excited. It’s not perfect by any stretch
of the imagination, but it adds a lot of power and handles like a dream.
As it stands, it looks like this is going to be a fine entry in Porsche’s GTS ranks. If you’ve got your sights set on this Macan, pricing starts at $77,100 — not bad for an upgraded SUV that will be a joy to drive every time you get behind the wheel. We’ll have more information on the new and improved 2020 Macan once it finds it’s way to showroom floors in the U.S.
Images: TrueCar, Car and Driver, Top Speed