Entry-Level Porsche Macan Packs Power

Price & Horsepower Prove 2017 Porsche Macan Is So Much More Than Just a Pretty Face, er Grill

Porsche, let’s face it, is an SUV company that happens to make some damn good sports cars as well. That does pain us slightly to say, but we also know that it is cars like the Macan and Cayenne that give Porsche the bankroll to continue on with specialty vehicles like the GT3 and 911 R.

The good news is that Porsche’s SUVs are not just money makers, they also happen to be very, very good driving machines. And the base level Macan — the most “entry level” of all the SUVs — is even possibly a bargain for the performance it offers at its price point. The base Macan starts at a decent $47,500, a number that is fairly typical for the compact SUV class. Before going into why that’s not so bad, let us all take a quick second to remember that Porsche loves charging for options, and that figure is before a single option is added: a bare naked Macan, which is not something you are likely to find.

However, included in those bare bones are some very Porsche-specific things, like the damn near perfect PDK transmission. A very comparable Audi Q5 makes due with a less-snappy eight-speed automatic. The base Macan uses a 2.0 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, good for 252 horsepower. As you continue up the Macan food chain, the 4 banger is swapped out for a few different twin-turbo V6s — the top-of-the-line Macan Turbo getting a 3.6 liter, good for 400 horsepower.

But that Turbo is out of reach for many, as it is significantly more expensive. Which, for many, means that the base spec Macan will do the trick. The team over at SF Gate  recently tested a base Macan, equipped with the premium package and a few other niceties, which brought the price to $53,110. They determined that car, despite its relatively affordable price tag was more than enough car and kept the Porsche ethos firmly in tact.

Maybe there is a reason they sell so many of these things.