Our 2018 Porsche Macan GTS test car.Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
- The Porsche Macan GTS is one of the six versions of the Macan compact SUVs available in the US.
- The GTS sits in the middle of the Macan line up. It slots in above the Macan, Macan S, and Macan Sport Edition but below the Macan Turbo and Turbo with Performance Package models.
- The base 2018 Porsche Macan starts at $47,800 while the top-spec Macan Turbo with Performance Package starts at $87,700.
- The Macan GTS starts at $68,900. With options and fees, the as-tested price came to $81,310.
- The Macan GTS impressed with us with its traditional Porsche sporty demeanor and solid feature content.
The Porsche Macan is one of the great automotive success stories in recent memory. The Macan is Porsche’s best selling model and accounted for 39% of the German brand’s US sales last year. In fact, the only thing keeping the Macan’s sales growth in check is the pace at which Porsche can churn the SUVs out at its factory in Leipzig, Germany.
At the 2018 Paris Motor Show, Porsche launched an updated version of its hot-selling SUV. However, that car won’t appear in US showrooms until the middle of next year. In addition, the only variant of the “new” Macan we’ve seen is the base model with a turbocharged inline four-cylinder.
As a result, higher performance versions of the current Macan will remain on sale even after the new Macan debuts.
This brings us to the Macan GTS. It sits in the middle of the Macan line up in terms of price and performance.
The Porsche Macan can be had in six different flavors. They range from the relatively tame four-cylinder base Macan to the top of the line Macan Turbo with Performance Package, which boasts a stout 440 horsepower.
In between, there’s the Macan S, Macan Sport Edition, Macan GTS, and Macan Turbo.
Recently, Business Insider had the chance to experience the 2018 Macan GTS first-hand road trip from Jacksonville, Florida to Savannah, Georgia.
The base Porsche Macan starts at $47,800 while the Macan Turbo with Performance Package starts at $87,700. Our Carrera White Metallic 2018 Porsche Macan GTS starts at $68,900. With options and fees, the as-tested price came to $81,310.
Here’s a closer look:
Under the clamshell hood, lies a 3.0 liter, twin-turbocharged V6. It’s the same engine found in the Macan S but with 20 additional ponies that push horsepower output to 360.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The base Macan and Macan Sport Edition are powered by a VW Group-sourced 2.0-liter, 252 horsepower, turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine. Step up a tier to the Macan S and you get 340 horsepower.
In the Macan Turbo, you’ll find a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 that puts out a stout 400 horsepower. With the Performance Package, Porsche ups the output 10% to 440 ponies.
What’s it like to drive?
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The 2018 Macan Turbo with Performance Package we reviewed earlier this year is the best driving crossover SUV we’ve ever tested. But Macan GTS isn’t far off.
The decidedly flat coastal terrain wasn’t quite as exciting of a setting as rural New Jersey, but there were enough twists and turns to keep things interesting.
In our review of the Macan Turbo, we said:
“To drive, the Macan can best be described as confidence inspiring. While most SUVs do their best to “handle” the corners, the Macan prefers to attack them aggressively. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that you are in a 4,200-pound SUV and not a two-seat sports car.”
The same goes for the GTS.
In addition, the Macan is one of the few SUVs where you can get the rear end to step out in a controlled manner. Its active all-wheel-drive system is rear-biased and normally sends 95% of the power to the back wheels.
The verdict.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The Porsche Macan GTS is a happy medium between everyday usefulness and track-focused performance.
Earlier this year, we got the chance to check the top-of-the-line Macan Turbo with Performance Package. The Turbo was an absolute beast of an SUV with a top speed of 169 mph. However, at more than $96,000, we found it to be quite a pricey proposition.
Traditionally, our Macan variant of choice is the more tame Macan S. With 340 horsepower on tap from a 3.0 liter, turbo six-cylinder, the Macan S delivers a slightly watered down version of the Performance Package experience, but for $30,000 less.
Here’s where the Macan GTS enters the fray. In Porsche’s lineup, the GTS variant of every model is traditionally a “performance value package” of sorts. It’s no different here.
The Macan GTS is based on the Macan S but with a slew of styling and performance extras such as a sports exhaust, air suspension, RS Spyder wheels, the Sport Design Package, and the Leather Package with Alcantara all included as standard. Altogether, the GTS package saves the buyer nearly $4,000 when compared to the cost of adding these features a la carte on a Macan S. And then there’s the 20 extra horsepower.
The 2018 Porsche Macan GTS reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If the Macan Turbo is too pricey and the Macan S just doesn’t have enough go-fast goodies, then the Macan GTS is the happy place right in the middle.
