2016 Porsche Macan GTS First Drive: The sporty one is here

2016 Porsche Macan GTS (photo: Mark Richardson for Autofocus.ca)

You knew it was coming, right from the beginning. Porsche announced the Macan in late 2013 for the hugely-popular premium compact SUV market, and it has been flying off the lots since its launch in the spring of last year. And now, there’s a GTS version, sitting squarely between North America’s base Macan S and the powerful Macan Turbo.

The GTS is the sporty version, with 20 extra horsepower and suspension tuned for better handling.

Walkaround

There are a few unique styling cues for the GTS, but the shape is the same as the regular Macan. The air-adjustable chassis sits 15 mm lower to the ground, though nobody would to notice from the outside.

The quickest way to tell the GTS apart is the matte black paint in the lower aprons of the side panels, and the blacked-out rear spoiler. In fact, lots of parts are blacked out, including the 20-inch wheels, the front air intakes, smoked rear lights and the headlights, which are available now with optional LEDs.

The whole package looks terrific and is clearly a Porsche. The black horse crest sits squarely at the front of the curved hood as it should, because that’s a big reason why anyone buys this SUV over its Audi or Mercedes competition.

Interior

No disappointments inside, with sport seats and “GTS” logos on the headrests. If this isn’t enough, you can upgrade to black leather trims and fancy stitching, with GTS floormats and contrasting red-and-silver GTS emblems on the headrests.

Like any Porsche, the options are almost limitless if you’re happy to pay. Want more adjustable, 18-way sport seats? That’s $1,960 please. Ka-ching! Want your seat belts in an espresso colour? No problem – $580. Ka-ching! Personalized, illuminated door-sill guards in carbon fibre? Absolutely – $1,920. Kaaaa-chiiing! You get the idea.

The cabin is none-too-shabby in standard trim, though, and the regular seats are quite comfortable. There’s reasonable space, too, unchanged from the regular Macan S.

Tech

Porsche finally catches up with connected technology in the GTS with a touch-screen display similar to that in the new 911. This is as good as it gets, but no better than the systems already available in the competition.

The real tech is under the hood and in the chassis, where the all-wheel drive juggles power between the wheels. Normally, the Macan GTS is powered through only the rear wheels, which saves fuel when you’re cruising the highway, but the transfer case can move as much as 100 per cent of the power to the front wheels if needed.

There’s even a party trick possible, for “ambitious” GTS drivers who have the optional differential lock: switch to Sport Plus and it’s possible to oversteer with the throttle through corners. Just give that a try in any other AWD vehicle.

Sport Plus isn’t available with the base Macan S. It provides an extra degree of adjustability to the throttle response, suspension stiffness, engine sound and transmission shift points. The only transmission available is the 7-speed paddle-shifted PDK (unlike the tamer 8-speed in the larger Cayenne), and it’s lots of fun to flick through the gears on a mountain road – like a video game with consequences.

Driving

Forget the poseur trims – it all comes down to the driving for the GTS. There’s an extra 20 hp over the Macan S, with which it shares a 3.0L, six-cylinder bi-turbo engine, boosting the total to 360 hp. Torque is also up an extra 39 lbs.-ft., to 368 lbs.-ft., and it’s available from just 1,450 rpm.

This all means the Macan GTS pulls like a train up hills, which was apparent on the mountain roads here in Tenerife. Overtaking the many tourist buses and rental cars was not a problem.

The true value comes in being able to hold the power through corners. On Spanish mountains, the roads are filled with hairpins and 90-degree turns that can throw most cars if their drivers are unprepared, so sensible tourists drive slowly and cautiously, acting as moving road blocks. When the way was clear ahead to overtake, the GTS ate them for breakfast and drove like the sporty vehicle it is around the curves.

It has the stronger brakes of the Macan Turbo, too, for when everything needs to be hauled down in a hurry. It’s not a 911 or Cayman, but it’s a lot more practical and comfortable for back-seat passengers.

Fuel consumption is not yet announced, but it’s not going to be a major consideration for buyers. I saw a horrendous average of 17.1 L/100 km after an afternoon of driving, but most of that was achieved “with enthusiasm” on mountain roads. Let’s just say, your average consumption won’t be much worse, and will likely be much better.

Value

The GTS is the “handling” SUV. It’s lower, more adjustable, and slightly more powerful than the Macan S, while pulling back from the brute force of the 400 hp Macan Turbo. It also sits right in the middle of the three-model price range. The Macan S retails for $59,200 and the Macan Turbo for $85,800, while the GTS will cost $73,100 when it comes on sale in late spring of 2016.

If you live here in Tenerife, or next to a racetrack, I’d absolutely recommend the GTS for the extra edge it’ll give you on tight and curving roads. In normal use, however, you probably won’t notice its additional agility, nor the 0.2 seconds shaved off the zero-to-100 km/h time of the Macan S.

For practical, daily use, you’ll be just as happy in a Macan S, and you can spend some of the almost-$14,000 you saved on some nice options for it, like better wheels and a sportier interior. It won’t take long to get through the money.

However, you’ll not get the Sport Plus adjustment to the drive, nor the lower ride height, nor the GTS emblems on the head rests. You won’t have the oversteering party trick. It’s one thing to justify buying a GTS instead of the more expensive Turbo because you want the better handling, but it’s another to justify the Macan S over the GTS because you want to save money. If you’re looking for bragging rights, they start with the GTS.

As for the competition, the Mercedes GLE Coupe starts at $72,300 for the diesel, and the BMW X4M is not even officially announced yet. The Audi SQ5, on which the Macan’s platform is based, is much less expensive at $59,390, almost as powerful, and with many similar features, but it’s not a Porsche. How important is that badge to you?

Conclusion

It’s indisputable that the Macan GTS is a better vehicle than the Macan S in most every way that counts toward the actual drive. Many would argue that it’s better than the more expensive Turbo too, because it’s a better drive in more practical conditions.

Is it worth the extra $14,000 above the Macan S, though? And realistically, what will the price difference be once you’ve optioned the two trim levels as you’d like them? That’s a question only you, and your wealth manager, can answer. And if you don’t have a “wealth manager”? Best to leave it for now, then.