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
I’m generally not interested in these ‘you can buy an X-year-old German whatever for the cost of a new Japanese equivalent‘ articles, because the risk inherent in buying a ten-year-old (or whatever) Audi/Benz/BMW/etc… is too hard to deny for my tastes. With newer BMWs being so ugly, and Audis being built (and therefore aging) like VWs, and Benzes so full of ugly shiny and silver-painted plastics and colored LEDs… few if any of these recent German offerings are desirable enough to justify the risk involved in buying a late-model used one. And let’s face it, these cars are so full of tech that wasn’t exactly bulletproof when it was new and under warranty, let alone now, a decade later when you’re the second or third owner.
With that said, I like Macans, though honestly, I’d rather have a two or three-year-old Mazda CX-5 nicely optioned for about the same price as driving all the way to the midwest to pick up one of these cheapish used four-cylinder Macans. I say this feeling certain that the total cost of ownership when the Mazda is 5, or 10, or 15 years old will be much lower than that of an equivalent Macan.
And the Mazda has four cylinders too! 😉
4 cylinder Porsche? No thank you.
The Macan in general drives very well. I’ve instructed in it and it’s nice. It is also absolutely tiny inside and will happily bankrupt its owner who tried to buy a cheap ride.
I would never choose this over an X3 or X4 M40.
Four cylinder engines have their place in Golf gtis and cool stuff like Hyundai Ns, but not Porsche-price products.
Here’s a nice video of what Porsche considers acceptable design of their cars, which should serve as a warning to anyone who considers getting one out of warranty:
https://www.tiktok.com/@crissmotorsports/video/7330044743356812590