Porsche Macan Review & Prices

The Porsche Macan is the poster child for doing something right the first time. It was Porsche’s first compact SUV, and has been around since 2014 with only minor changes - yet even twelve years on it’s still a fantastic car that’s amazing to drive, practical enough and posh-feeling, with all the badge kudos you’d hope for. Only aging technology and a steep price tag hold it back from being an instant recommendation.

Despite being the elder statesman of the SUV world, the Macan is still as versatile as ever - like a crisp polo shirt, it can go from the golf club to a posh dinner to the supermarket and not look or feel out of place at any of them.

The Macan has competition from within Porsche - the much newer and more in-vogue Porsche Macan Electric is the car’s direct replacement. Other posh SUVs you might consider are the BMW X3, Mercedes GLC, and Audi Q5 - though they’re a lot cheaper and don’t have the same laser-focus on driving pleasure. The Maserati Grecale or Genesis GV70 are more left-field choices, while the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is a more hardcore offering.

While some of those cars are rather good-looking, none of them quite hit the Porsche’s level of handsome minimalism. It’s a really handsome car, with simple, curved lines, a distinctive grille and headlights and not too much fussiness.

The same is true of the inside, which features classic Porsche styling traits such as a high centre console and analogue rev counter. It’s in here where the Macan does show its age most, though. The central touchscreen is both clear and easy to use, but it doesn’t have the latest smartphone connectivity (lacking Android Auto entirely) and the interface is rather dated.

Elsewhere, certain bits of switchgear really betray the Macan’s 2014 origins - the column stalks feel very cheap, the rear-view mirror doesn’t auto-dim and the huge gear selector wastes a lot of space in the centre console. The single-panel buttons running down either side of it aren’t very easy to use either.

Moving further rearward, the Macan isn’t quite as practical as a BMW X3 or Mercedes GLC. Space for rear passengers is a bit limited (though vastly better than in any of Porsche’s sports cars) and the 488-litre boot is adequate rather than hugely capacious. An X3 and GLC have 570 and 620 litres respectively.

Both of those cars offer a wider engine range than the Macan, too. Further showing its age, the Porsche doesn’t have any hybrid or PHEV options, though there is the all-electric Macan EV as an alternative. Instead you get a rather weedy 2.0-litre petrol in the base model and a much nicer 2.9-litre V6 petrol in the S and the GTS.

The S is the sweet spot, as it gets that wonderful engine, is far cheaper than the GTS and a bit less hardcore to drive. But all versions of the Macan are incredibly impressive behind the wheel.

It strikes a near-perfect balance between comfort and handling on a twisty road, feeling more agile than many full-blown sports cars. And with 440hp on tap from the GTS, it’s quick enough to leave them in the dust, too. The payoff is that it’s a little firmer over bumps in town and the steering is quite heavy.

Still, for keen drivers, there are few SUVs better than this - just bear in mind that even the top model comes with precious little standard equipment, and so the price you see is unlikely to be the price you pay after you’ve added some essential kit on.

Verdict

Despite its advanced years the Porsche Macan is still well up there with the best SUVs you can buy. It’s not as practical, nor as comfortable around town, but the badge kudos, understated style, fantastic interior and amazing driving experience make it worth it.

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The basic 2.0-litre Macan starts at just under £61,000, rising to £66,000 for the posher Macan T, £68,000 for the V6-powered Macan S and a whopping £80,000 for the range-topping GTS.

You should also bear in mind that Porsche doesn’t typically include much standard equipment at all, even things that would be quite basic fare on much cheaper cars. The Macan is better than some of its older cars, coming with heated seats, LED headlights, wireless phone charging and a rear-view camera.

However you’ll probably still want a few upgrades to ensure your posh SUV feels worth it. A surround-view camera system, keyless entry, Bose sound system and perhaps an upgrade from the standard all-black interior are a reasonably-priced set of options, though bear in mind that no model comes with adaptive cruise control or Android Auto connectivity. Tick every box and the Macan GTS can easily top £100,000.

Still one of the best-handling SUVs you can buy, although the base engine doesn’t feel particularly special

Around town

The standard 265hp Macan and Macan T make the most sense around town, because their 2.0-litre engine is smooth and has more than enough performance for everyday driving. The seven-speed PDK automatic gearbox is slick and every version gets four-wheel drive, but the Macan doesn’t waft over broken roads quite as convincingly as a Mercedes GLC. It’s firm rather than uncomfortable.

Visibility forwards and to the sides is good, although the thick rear pillars create some fairly sizeable blind spots. Front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are standard, while a surround-view camera and self-steering park assist are available if you want a bit more help squeezing it into spaces.

On the motorway

The Macan settles down nicely at motorway speeds, feeling extremely stable and secure even in poor weather thanks to its four-wheel drive. The suspension is comfortable enough on a long journey, although you’ll hear more tyre noise than you would in the quieter Mercedes GLC.

It’s a good long-distance car, then, but comfort isn’t really why you buy a Macan. If that’s your priority above everything else, there are better alternatives.

On a twisty road

It’s on a country road that the Macan really earns its Porsche badge. The steering is quick and accurate, there’s far less body lean than you’d expect from an SUV and the brakes give you plenty of confidence. Even after more than a decade on sale, few SUVs of this size feel as natural or entertaining through a series of corners.

The 380hp Macan S makes much better use of that excellent chassis than the rather ordinary-sounding four-cylinder car, while the 440hp GTS is the most focused version. It gets sports air suspension as standard, sitting 10mm lower with firmer GTS-specific tuning, so it feels remarkably agile but gives up a little ride comfort in return.

Comfortable up front and reasonably practical, but rear-seat and boot space lag behind newer alternatives

The Macan has electrically adjustable front seats as standard, with plenty of movement for tall drivers to get comfortable. Optional 14-way comfort seats and 18-way adaptive sports seats give you more adjustment and support if you’re prepared to spend extra.

There’s plenty of headroom despite the sporty roofline, although a bulge in the driver’s footwell slightly limits the amount of space available for large feet.

Storage isn’t one of the Macan’s strongest points. The door bins and glovebox are fairly modest and the cupholders aren’t enormous, although there’s a useful cubby beneath the centre armrest with USB-C connections inside.

Space in the back seats

The Macan isn’t as spacious in the back as newer SUVs such as the BMW X3. Adults will fit, but six-foot passengers don’t have an abundance of legroom or headroom, and the large transmission tunnel makes life awkward for whoever draws the short straw and sits in the middle.

The relatively narrow rear-door openings don’t help when you’re climbing aboard or fitting a bulky child seat, although ISOFIX mounting points are clearly marked in the two outer rear seats.

Boot space

Porsche quotes 488 litres of luggage space with the rear seats in place. That’s useful enough for the weekly shop, a pushchair or several suitcases, but it’s well behind the latest BMW X3’s 570 litres and Mercedes GLC’s enormous 620 litres.

There’s no awkward load lip and the boot itself is a nice square shape. The rear seats fold in a useful 40:20:40 split, so you can carry long items between two passengers, although there aren’t levers in the boot to drop them remotely.

Fold all three sections down and capacity increases to 1,503 litres. That’s still short of the X3’s 1,700 litres, but the Macan gives you a flat load floor which makes sliding long or heavy objects inside straightforward. There’s also some extra storage beneath the boot floor and a 12V socket.

A high-quality cabin overall, but some of the controls feel dated and awkward to use

The Macan’s interior still feels expensive in the places that matter, with plenty of leather, metal trim and a low driving position that gives it more of a sports-car flavour than most SUVs. The dashboard design has aged reasonably well, too, even if it’s clearly from an older generation of Porsche.

The centre console is less successful. It looks like a huge touch-sensitive panel at first glance, but it’s actually a collection of individual buttons sitting beneath one glossy sheet of plastic. It works, but the buttons don’t fall naturally to hand and you still have to glance down to make sure you’re pressing the right one. The upside is that Porsche kept proper physical controls for the air conditioning, which are much easier to use on the move than burying everything in a touchscreen.

The column stalks are another weak point. They feel cheap and insubstantial compared with the rest of the cabin, which is especially disappointing in something wearing a Porsche badge.

You can spend a spectacular amount dressing the interior up, with numerous leather, aluminium, contrast-stitching and carbon-fibre options available.

The 10.9-inch infotainment screen looks crisp and is reasonably easy to use once you know your way around it, although there are few physical buttons, so changing settings while driving can be fiddly. Apple CarPlay is standard, but Android Auto isn’t available on the petrol Macan, which feels increasingly outdated in 2026.

The standard stereo is decent enough, while Bose and Burmester upgrades are available if you want something much more powerful.

Fuel economy isn’t one of the Macan’s strengths. The 265hp Macan officially manages up to 28.2mpg, while the Macan T is rated at up to 28.1mpg. The 380hp Macan S manages up to 25.8mpg, while the 440hp GTS tops out at 25.2mpg.

We managed around 28mpg in the GTS on a long motorway run, which is actually pretty respectable given its performance, but economy falls dramatically in slower urban driving. Spend most of your time around town and you can expect the number on the trip computer to tumble well into the low-20s.

CO2 emissions are correspondingly high, so every petrol Macan sits in the top Benefit-in-Kind band for company car drivers. If you’re choosing one through work, the Macan Electric makes vastly more financial sense.

Road tax is painful too. Under the 2026/27 VED rates, lower-emitting Macan models attract a first-year bill of £4,850, while versions producing more than 255g/km cost £5,690. From the second year onwards the standard rate is £200, but every petrol Macan also attracts the £440 expensive car supplement in years two to six, making the annual bill £640 during that period.

The petrol Macan received a full five-star Euro NCAP rating when it was tested, but that result dates all the way back to 2014, under standards that were much less demanding than today’s.

It’s also important not to confuse that rating with the five-star result awarded to the newer Macan Electric in 2024, because the two cars are completely unrelated beneath the skin.

The petrol Macan’s age also shows in its driver-assistance equipment. Lane-departure warning, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are standard, but adaptive cruise control is optional, and it lacks some of the more sophisticated active-safety systems that are now commonplace on newer premium SUVs.

Neither Porsche nor the Macan generated enough responses to appear in the 2026 Driver Power rankings: Porsche isn’t among the 30 manufacturers ranked this year, while the Macan is absent from the top 50 individual cars. So there isn’t a meaningful current Driver Power percentage or position to quote rather than relying on much older Porsche results.

The petrol Macan has been on sale in one form or another since 2014, so this late-production version is at least a very well-established car. There have been several recalls during that long life, although the most recent is tiny: an August 2025 campaign covered just two UK cars built between June 2024 and June 2025, because the front-seat airbags might not have been correctly fastened to the seat backrests. Dealers inspect and rework the screw connections where necessary.

An earlier 2023 campaign similarly affected just three cars because of incorrectly secured rear seat-belt mounts. The biggest Macan recall was much older, covering more than 7,000 cars built between 2013 and 2018 because the fuel-pump service cover could damage a fuel line, so it isn’t relevant to somebody ordering a new Macan today.

New Porsches get a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and three years of Porsche Assistance. You can then buy a Porsche Approved Warranty to extend the cover, which is reassuring given that repairs and servicing at a Porsche Centre are unlikely to be cheap.