There’s something to be said about the practicality of a crossover for family transportation, and we certainly aren’t starved for choice in that genre. Almost every automaker sells a compact crossover, some sell two, and you can get them in almost every variant imaginable. Blocky, rotund, electric, hybrid, gasoline-powered, you name it. The trouble is, what if you love driving and just don’t want any of them? After all, with Mazda discontinuing the CX-5 Turbo, options for fun, reasonably quick, reasonably priced family crossovers are dwindling. You have the Mazda CX-50 Turbo, possibly the high-output Volkswagen Tiguan although it is expensive, and I guess technically the Dodge Hornet. While I can say with certainty that the Mazda’s rather good, if none of those float your boat, how about picking up a certified pre-owned four-cylinder Porsche Macan for under $30,000? It might be the beige-est Porsche in recent years, but that badge on the hood still means something special.
While the Boxster gave once-struggling Porsche a lifeline, the Cayenne SUV gave the brand a future by absolutely printing money. Sure, the concept of a Porsche SUV was initially heresy, the public ate it up. Plus, while the original Cayenne faced a long road towards enthusiast acceptance, it’s now properly canonized. Not only was it a solid off-roader, it helped give us cars like the 997 GT3 RS 4.0. That’s no hardship, no hardship at all.
Being sentient and possessing a business acumen greater than zero, Porsche realized that with the Volkswagen Touareg-based Cayenne being a smash-hit, it could probably do it again. This, the engineering team started with an Audi Q5 and turned it into something almost completely different. Sure, the floor pans are the same, but Porsche’s engineering team went wild, reworking almost everything to create the Macan.
It starts with a quick-shifting seven-speed dual clutch transmission that you simply couldn’t get on a regular Q5 in North America, then mates it to a radically different all-wheel-drive system. Instead of a Torsen helical center differential, the Macan features a multi-plate clutch pack that sends 90 percent of engine torque to the rear axle by default for a more rear-wheel-drive feel, but can shuffle all of the engine’s torque to the front wheels if necessary.
From there, the engineering spend continues with heavily tweaked suspension, correct directionally-vaned brake discs, and optional goodies like air suspension and a torque-vectoring rear differential. Add it all up and it shouldn’t be surprising that when the Macan launched with an initial choice of three-liter or 3.6-liter turbocharged V6s, it was something of a revelation. As Evo wrote:
Forget about the Porsche badge for a moment and the Macan is unambiguously impressive. It doesn’t feel like an SUV at all – from the driver’s seat you might as well be piloting a tall and extremely well-sorted hatchback.
Considering the Macan’s height and mass, roll is remarkably well contained, even with the chassis left in its softest settings. Our test cars were wearing winter tyres, but grip levels were impressive and the steering is both accurate and well-weighted, even if the feedback feels a little anaesthetized. Grip levels between front and rear are very well balanced, understeer can be neutralised with the throttle and – with the stability control in its more permissive mode (or switched off) it can be powered into well-contained oversteer.
No premium compact crossover of the time or regular compact crossover today handled with the poise of the Macan, although it would be wildly disingenuous to say that Porsche completely nailed the formula from the jump. The Audi-sourced EA839 turbocharged V6 in the S trim is a problem child, known for developing catastrophic bore scoring. The only real fix? Throw the whole engine out and replace it with another one at a cost of roughly one brand new Corolla. Yikes.
Thankfully, Porsche did an engine switcheroo when it launched the base model Macan for 2017. Instead of the slightly scary V6, this 25-combined-MPG model featured roughly the same sort of revised EA888 two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine you’d find in a mid-2010s Audi A4 or Volkswagen Golf GTI. Anyone who’s been around the tuning scene knows this engine is genuinely reliable and offers huge tuning potential, so think of the Macan’s standard power output of 252 horsepower as simply the starting point. Of course, a zero-to-60 mph time of just over six seconds without launch control will already feel sprightly compared to most normal crossovers, but if that isn’t enough for you, crossing the 300-horsepower threshold is simply a remap away once the warranty runs out.
Ah yes, warranty. While buying a depreciated luxury vehicle can be a bit nerve-wracking, having a little manufacturer support helps. In the case of Porsche’s certified pre-owned program, it’s a two-year unlimited-mileage bumper-to-bumper extended warranty with roadside assistance coverage, and it’s extendable should you choose. Sure, standard coverage isn’t the same length of time it is with a new car, but if you rack up huge mileage, you could really get your money’s worth.
Plus, a lot of these certified pre-owned Macan crossovers are reasonably well-equipped, and some feature unexpected luxuries. Here’s a 2018 model for sale in Dallas with 44,935 miles on the clock. With Bose audio, GPS navigation, heated and ventilated 14-way power memory front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a panoramic moonroof, and auto-dimming mirrors, it’s better equipped than just about any new compact crossover you can buy for its asking price of $27,799. For those keeping track at home, that’s $4,571 less than a base Honda CR-V.
If you aren’t a fan of beige interiors, this 2018 Macan for sale in Illinois is almost identically equipped to the Texas one, just with the standard wheels and a black interior. With 55,476 miles on the clock and full dealer service history, it seems worth a look for $28,499.
So, what are the real downsides here? Well, in addition to giving up some practicality in favor of a great driving experience, you may need to have Apple CarPlay activated on an early four-cylinder Macan, although there are tools out there that let you do it at home for essentially free. Otherwise, premium gas is an added expense over regular, insurance premiums may vary over a new, regular crossover depending on where you live and what level of coverage you desire, and servicing costs are higher than for a regular crossover. For instance, it’s generally worth changing the fluid in that dual-clutch gearbox every 60,000 miles, and you’ll probably want to pay an independent shop to do it, considering the procedure is like in most modern automatic transmissions, requiring certain temperatures to be reached.
However, if you’re passionate about driving and your family’s slightly outgrown the sports sedan or sport compact car you have as daily transportation, a certified pre-owned four-cylinder Macan is worth a look. Especially now that they’ve dipped into regular car pricing territory, but still come with manufacturer-backed benefits. Buying a crossover often means settling for space over handling, but a base Macan is so confident and agile, it’s almost like having your cake and eating it too. Perfect for the parent who knows what trail-braking is.
Top graphic image: Porsche
Seems like a good way to one up the neighbors’ used BMW for cheap if your life has those social pressures. But if not…weeeeelllll…
I started out excited, but when numbers started to get thrown around it quickly went away.
I was expecting CPO vehicles that were 3 years old. It’s crazy that Porsche will CPO a vehicle from 2018. That’ll be a 9 year old car in a few months.
CPO Cadillacs have been on my radar for my wife’s car. I’d like to get her into a CT4, but there’s a lot of XT4s from 2023/2024 in the mid/high 20s. As nice as a Macan? No. But a nicer place to sit than a base model generic crossover.
Man, you just sold the hell of the Macan.
You answered your own question. If I want to go fast in a crossover, find a CPO CX-5 Turbo. I bet it’s cheaper to service and insure than this.
I greatly appreciate all the cold water the comments suggesting is throwing on this.
Wow, surprised to see MIB here. You really did your homework. That is not for the faint of heart, though. I used it on both my cars to enable the map in the virtual cockpit while navigating with Android Auto and if you don’t get it just right you’re off to the dealer because you bricked your infotainment. Also gotta be careful with component protection or you could brick your sound system (especially with Bose).
FWIW I don’t think the bore scoring issue is all that bad. It’s nowhere near S85 rod bearing or IMS failures. There are buttloads of EA839’s running around out there doing just fine and they’re good for 700+HP on the stock bottom end without making inspection holes. You run out of fueling headroom on those before you bend a rod or something.
It certainly has its charms vs a mainstream crossover. But you’re looking at Porsche service costs for a GTI engine, and combined with the tight packaging this just doesn’t quite cross the line into a serious temptation for me. Performance crossovers generally don’t, they’re trying to bridge two worlds.
We got a ’23 Seltos SX Turbo and I gotta be honest – it’s a lot more fun to drive than expected. Having faster 0-60 than the MKV GTI I had was also surprising.
Stay away from any of the Macans from before 2019, you pretty much have to dismantle the entire front end to do anything but oil changes.
My mom has a four cylinder Macan (in red!), and my dad had a Macan GTS until a couple weeks ago, when he traded it in on a Cayenne. I’ve driven both, and for a daily driver I think I’d prefer the four cylinder. It’s not exactly slow, and the GTS is just too…intense. It just wants to GO all the time, I’d be on the highway and realize I was going 100 without even realizing it. Maybe it’s just me, but that much power is too tempting to have on tap all of the time. Especially when there’s nowhere to safely experience that power without shattering laws. My dad just happily shatters laws. His advice to me when I started driving at 16 was that it’s only illegal if you get caught. And then he bought me a GTI.
I am impressed with the suspension tuning on these though. Even in my mom’s, without the adaptive suspension, you feel more like you’re driving a hatchback than an SUV. You can’t hide the SUV characteristics entirely, but they did a damn good job.
Yea, 2 years until the repairs break you. Still a cool suggestion.
I was thinking the same thing.
If I wanted a vehicle with high maintenance costs and an appetite for shop visits, I’ll buy a Hornet…. At least Dodge shops are more plentiful than the Porsche ones!
And the parts and labor are “hopefully” cheaper.
You can definitely hope lol
A Macan has less rear seat and trunk space than a GTI…
For twice the price. Yeah… And nowhere near as good to drive as my e91 BMW wagon. And when service time comes, the “Porsche Tax” is as real as a heart attackackackack.
“Special” is the right word for this nonsense. If you must, just get the Audi version.
Sort-of, depending on which dimensions you look at. While the Mk8 GTI has 2.2 more cu.-ft. of cargo space with the seats up, the Macan has an extra 9.6 inches of cargo area length with the seats up, which really makes a difference for loading a stroller. With the seats down, the Macan pulls handily ahead with 53 cu.-ft. to the current GTI’s 34.5 cu.-ft.
As for the rear seats, headroom is definitely tighter in the Macan, but it gains a few tenths-of-an-inch of legroom on the GTI, making it basically a wash if someone’s putting their kids back there. Add in a proper 40:20:40 rear seat on the Porsche, and it’s a more practical family vehicle than a new GTI despite some general packaging decisions working against it.