Porsche Macan Review 2024

Porsche Macan At A Glance

4/5
Honest John Overall Rating
The Porsche Macan is a car that can drop your kids at school and your labrador to the dog-sitter’s, and then thrills your socks off on the way to work.

+The best car of its type to drive hands down, plush-feeling interior, great engines and a fabulous automatic gearbox.

-Rivals are considerably more practical not to mention considerably cheaper, some key equipment is optional including automatic emergency braking.

Insurance Groups are between 45–50
On average it achieves 75% of the official MPG figure

If you want your sporty SUV to be as sporty as it can possibly be, the Porsche Macan is the only choice. It drives with a level of polish that no rival can even come close to matching, making it terrifically enjoyable and hugely desirable. Yes, rivals like the Audi Q5, BMW X4 and Mercedes GLC are more practical, and better equipped, and although they’re also really good to drive, they can’t get close to the Macan for fun. Read on for our full review of the Porsche Macan.

Cynicism is a funny old thing. The cynic in you might suspect that the Macan is nothing more than Porsche being, well, cynical.

After all, SUVs - especially small ones, and especially ones with prestige badges - have been flying out of showrooms for a number of years now. So surely, the Macan is nothing more than Porsche attempting to cash in on this success and get a bigger slice of the pie than the larger Cayenne can get on its own, right?

Well, maybe, maybe not. But whatever the case, that doesn’t stop the Macan being a proper Porsche. As we’ll discover, the Macan isn’t perfect by any means, but at doing the things that Porsche is famous for, it’s pretty much flawless.

Obviously, there’s one area above all others where a Porsche has to deliver, and that’s in how it drives. And on that score, the Macan is nothing short of sublime.

It displays physics-defying levels of body control when you change direction, and with massive grip and wonderful balance from a rear-biased four-wheel drive system, it’ll simply drive away from any rival along a twisty road, putting a broad grin on your face as it does so.

Even better is the steering, which just like all the best Porsches, immerses you in the action every step of the way. What’s more the ride is comfortable enough for family car duties, and refinement is good enough to make long stints at the wheel an absolute pleasure.

All the engines punch hard, with more and more punch as you progress up the range, so performance levels are easily worthy of the Porsche badge. All in all, this thing isn’t just great to drive by SUV standards, it’s great to drive by any standard.

The other area in which a Porsche must dazzle is quality: after all, if you’re going to pay so much for a car, you want it to feel worth it. The Macan might be one of Porsche’s most affordable models, but it doesn’t feel like a poor relation, with a sumptuously trimmed and substantially built interior. 

In fairness, there are a fair few areas in which the Macan isn’t quite so dazzling. As we’ve said, it’s pricey compared with most rivals, and most of those rivals are considerably roomier, considerably more practical and considerably better equipped, particularly when it comes to safety (automatic emergency braking isn’t provided as standard, which defies belief at this money).

However, if the areas that are important to you are the areas in which the Macan does well, or you simply want to know that your family SUV is the sharpest-driving SUV on the face of the planet, then the Macan is your only choice.

Ask Honest John

Should I replace my summer tyres with all-season?

"We have a Porsche Macan fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres which need replacing. We find the tyres superb with great grip and reasonably quiet. We wonder if we should be considering all-season tyres as a replacement but would be reluctant to lose current grip levels or increase in noise levels. Your views will be very useful."
All-season tyres will generally offer improved grip in wet weather and low temperature conditions, as well as on ice and snow. However, this means they will also generally offer reduced grip in dry conditions compared to a summer tyre such as the Pirelli P Zero, and their tread pattern usually means they are noisier than summer tyres also. Ultimately it is a matter of compromise between the two, unless you choose to have two sets of wheels and tyres to suit the season.
Answered by David Ross

I am thinking of selling my Porsche Macan, is now a good time to sell?

"I am considering selling my 2015 Porsche Macan with 46,000 miles on the clock, I would like £26,000. I am thinking of asking a local car sales to sell it on my behalf, is now a good time to sell with the economy as it is? Or should I wait and see if things settle down?"
Generally speaking the economy does not have a huge effect on the boyancy of the used car market, barring a full-on recession, particularly with a luxury car such as the Porsche Macan. Even if market conditions results in used car prices firming up, it is unlikely to result in the market value of your Porsche going up - it is a used car and its value decreases with time, so there is little to be gained by waiting for the economy to improve. How you sell your car is a matter of balancing the effort you are willing to put in against the selling price you want to achieve. Selling privately would likely get you the best price, but would require you to place an advert and deal with any enquiries. Using a local dealer or an car-buying website would be a lot less effort but would mean a smaller return.
Answered by David Ross

Do I have to tell my insurer if I attend a speed awareness course?

"I was recently caught and sent a speeding notice for doing 80mph on a dual carriageway. I accept this but, should I let my insurers know and also is it best to pay the fine/take the points or the driver awareness course so that our insurance doesn't go up? I would be most grateful for any advice at all as there are so many conflicting opinions."
You only need to inform your insurers if you have been convicted of a motoring offence, but at the moment this is not the case. If you accept the fine and points you will have to declare this to your insurer as it is a conviction. However, if you are offered a speed awareness course (which we would certainly advise) and accept the offer, you are not fined or given points and this does not need to be declared to your insurers. We would also recommend the option of a speed awareness course as they are quite successful in educating drivers and reducing the likelihood of further offences.
Answered by David Ross

Can I get a regular garage to service my Porsche with official parts?

"I have a Porsche Macan S 2019 we bought from a main dealer and they have said it’s due a service and want £2000. I want to know if I get the parts from Porsche and get my garage to do the service and stamp the book is that OK?"
If you take official Porsche parts to a reputable garage and get them to carry out your service, there is no reason why you will not receive the same quality of work that will keep your Macan in good health. However, in terms of the value of the vehicle, a full Porsche service history will always be more reassuring to a private buyer than a full set of stamps from a regular garage. It's impossible to put a value on this, but it is a judgement you have to make. Alternatively you could seek out a Porsche specialist, who have a good chance of being cheaper than a Porsche main dealer but will offer almost as much reassurance to those who recognise the value of independent specialists.
Answered by David Ross
More Questions

What does a Porsche Macan cost?