Porsche sharpens up the base four-cylinder version of its ageing Macan mid-size SUV with this sportier ‘Touring’ version
It’s no secret the Macan has been a runaway success for Porsche. The mid-size sports-luxury SUV notched up 88,362 global sales last year, ensuring it retained the status of being the Stuttgart marque’s biggest seller. In total, more than 680,000 Macans have been sold since the vehicle launched in 2014. It’s interesting to note that the four-cylinder entry model accounts for more than 70 per cent of the Macan’s worldwide sales. Porsche is now seeking to build on the four-pot’s popularity via the launch of the new Macan T (short for ‘Touring’), which slots in between the base model and the mightier V6 twin-turbo Macan S. Although using the same powertrain as the bread-and-butter Porsche Macan, the T ups the ante via a raft of upgrades to suspension, wheel-and-tyre package and cosmetics. Without any extra muscle on board, is it enough?
Priced to a T
The 2022 Porsche Macan T is due to land in Australia by mid-year, priced at $91,500 plus on-road costs.
This places it $6700 higher than the standard Macan, but $14,300 less than the V6-powered Macan S.
Some quick background on the ‘T’ badge. It was first affixed to the Porsche 911 back in 1968 and this variant was offered until 1973 before being mothballed. The T suffix then remained dormant for more than four decades until it was reprised on the 911 in 2017.
In 2019, Porsche also launched T variants of the 718 Boxster and Cayman.
However, the Macan is the first four-door model to be adorned by the T badge.
According to Porsche’s global Macan spokesperson Ben Weinberger, the T philosophy is to offer “lean engines with sporty driving characteristics” and, in keeping with this ethos, the Macan T uses the same 195kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine as the base model.
Nevertheless, the Macan T comes standard with the Sport Chrono pack, which means it dispatches the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.2 seconds – 0.2sec quicker than the bogger. For what it’s worth, top speed is quoted at 232km/h.
But straight-line performance is not really the Macan T’s forte, as the more telling number to note is that it carries 58.8kg less over the front axle than the V6-powered Macan S and GTS.
This endows it with better balance and sharper turn-in, but more on this later.
The Macan T’s goodies bag includes bespoke steel springs that drop ride height by 15mm, and supplementing these is Porsche’s PASM adaptive damping system. There’s also a firmer front ant-roll bar, along with titanium grey 20-inch alloy wheels shod with 265/45R20 rubber at the front and 295/40R20 boots at the rear.
In addition, the all-wheel drive system has been tweaked for more rear bias, making the Macan T a livelier and more chuckable device on winding roads.
If you have particularly deep pockets you can tick the box for the optional air suspension, which lowers the ride height by a further 10mm vis-a-vis the steel-sprung car (and then another 10mm in Sport Plus mode), and this set-up also adds a firmer rear anti-roll bar.
The Macan T isn’t too difficult to differentiate from the base model as there’s badges spelling out its identity on the flanks and rump, plus there are agate grey metallic highlights on the front fascia, side mirrors, skirts, spoiler and rear logos.
There’s also sports exhaust tips, blacked-out window trims and the aforementioned 20-inch titanium grey rims.
The bespoke treatment carries through to the interior, which features eight-way electrically adjustable sports seats, Sport Chrono stopwatch on the dashboard and a multifunction GT steering wheel.
The front seats and outer rear seats have a Sport-Tex stripe down the centre and the Porsche crest is embossed into each of the head restraints.
Surefooted offering
The 2022 Porsche Macan has a maximum five-star safety rating from ANCAP’s European affiliate Euro NCAP, although this dates back to the SUV’s launch in 2014.
The Macan comes with eight airbags as standard – front airbags, plus side and overhead protection for the front and rear – and in terms of active safety, the long-standing ABS, EBD and stability control systems are supplemented by adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane change assist and park assist.
The Macan T doesn’t add any features to this list, but its broader footprint on the road (courtesy of chunkier rubber) makes it a more surefooted offering, especially in slippery conditions.
Position counts
Porsche opted not to upgrade the standard base powertrain for the 2022 Porsche Macan T, so what you get is a willing, yet tame-sounding, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.
This is largely the same unit you’d find in a Volkswagen Golf GTI, but the key difference here is that it sits longitudinally in the Macan.
Peak power of 195kW is on tap from 5000-6500rpm, while the healthy torque quota of 400Nm is accessible all the way from 1800-4500rpm.
Drive is relayed to all four wheels via Porsche’s brilliantly calibrated seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.
As alluded to earlier, the Macan T isn’t a rocket-ship by today’s standards, but a 0-100km/h sprint in 6.2sec is hardly shabby for an 1865kg SUV that can comfortably tote five occupants and 458 litres of luggage.
More importantly, the flat torque curve and the quick and intuitive seven-speed PDK transmission ensures there’s always enough squirt under your right foot, whether you’re negotiating cut-and-thrust traffic or carving up winding mountain roads.
Finding its place
Porsche’s events team could not have chosen a more challenging drive route for the international launch of the 2022 Porsche Macan T, as the outward leg (97km) would take us from our hotel on the outskirts of Nice and up to the 1607m summit of the spectacular Col de Turini.
In case that name rings a bell, it’s because the sinuous mountain pass features each year in the Monte Carlo Rally.
First things first, the cabin layout is top-notch as the Macan T gets sporty part-leather, part-‘Sport-Tex’ Alcantara-mimicking trim, with silver contrast stitching and embossed Porsche logos on the head restraints.
Following updates to the Macan range in the second half of 2021, there’s a new centre console that replaces the old physical buttons with a touch-sensitive panel. It makes for a much cleaner look than before and it’s also more intuitive to use.
The centre of the dash is dominated by a 10.9-inch infotainment screen.
The GT steering wheel is lovely to hold and behold, and the eight-way adjustable seats enable you to conjure up a perfect driving position.
I initially chose a car with the optional air suspension, and even in Sport and Sport Plus modes, ride quality doesn’t teeter towards the bone-jarring end of the scale, even across some of the poorly surfaced roads we traversed.
As it turned out, the drive route provided the perfect testing arena for the Macan T as its nimbleness vis-a-vis the V6 Macan models was immediately evident. The ribbon of tarmac that snakes up the Col de Turini is strewn with tight hairpins, where you need to get the car rotated virtually on its own axis.
The fact the Macan T carries 58.8kg less over the front axle compared to the Macan S and GTS really paid dividends here as it can be flicked through these 180-degree turns with minimal tyre scrub at the front-end.
Porsche does electrically assisted steering arguably better than any other manufacturer and the Macan T’s tiller is both accurate and feelsome, enabling you to instantly connect with the car.
The return leg from our lunch halt at the peak of the Col de Turini proved particularly dramatic and insightful as snowfall and sleet had set in, compromising visibility and making the descent treacherously slick.
These conditions suited the Macan T to a… er, T, as its high grip levels and impeccable balance made for a brisk yet non-taxing drive down the mountain. For these roads and weather, outputs of 195kW and 400Nm were more than enough.
Also, I was now mounted up in a car with steel springs and it’s fair to say this set-up is virtually as good as the air-sprung car. There isn’t a discernible gulf between the two in terms of dynamism or ride quality, so we’d suggest saving your dollars and opting for the former.
The Macan T gets 350mm steel discs at the front and 330mm stoppers at the rear, and these, too, were up to the task of repeatedly hauling up the SUV without any noticeable fade.
Sweet spot, or not?
Whether the 2022 Porsche Macan T represents a good buy could be looked at in two ways.
There’s little doubt it’s worth every cent of the $6700 premium it commands over the base model, as optioning up the stocker to similar specs would end up costing you more.
On the other hand, the much more potent and better-sounding Macan S costs only $14,300 more.
Our verdict? We’d suggest the Macan T’s combination of brisk – yet not breakneck – performance, relatively frugal consumption and impeccable chassis balance puts it in a sweet spot, which is exactly where Porsche intended to position the car.
How much does the 2022 Porsche Macan T cost?Price: $91,500 (plus on-road costs)Available: Mid-2022Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrolOutput: 195kW/400NmTransmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automaticFuel: 10.7L/100km (WLTP)CO2: 242g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2014)
Keyword: Porsche Macan T 2022 Review – International