Porsche sold 88,362 Macans last year. That’s more than twice as many 911s Porsche shifted in 2021, even though the Macan is ancient. It’s still the best-selling Porsche and thus, there’s space for another one.
Meet the Porsche Macan T; a moniker traditionally stuck on its sports cars to denote ‘Touring’ but now applied to a small SUV. Hmm, what will the die-hard purists say?
It squeezes in between the entry-level Macan With No Suffix, and the Macan S. The GTS still heads up the range with its 2.9-liter turbo V6, whereas this T goes about its business with the same four-cylinder turbo you’ll find in a Golf R (and the No Suffix), albeit with a Porsche tune.
Indeed, Porsche tells us this engine alleviates 58.8kg of weight from the front axle versus the bigger V6, for sharper cornering. It’s not comically slow for a Porsche: 0-100kph takes 6.2 seconds—1.4s slower than the S, but 0.2 tenths quicker than the No Suffix—while top speed sits at 232kph.
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Gains are made in the chassis. It’s 15mm lower than that entry-entry-level Macan, and sits on steel sprung suspension together with Porsche’s very good active suspension management system (PASM). The front anti-roll bars are stiffer, the traction control has been tweaked with a rear bias, and there’s the option of adaptive air suspension and torque vectoring. So the T should be a little bit sportier than a standard Macan.
There are a few visual clues for the Macan T. Things like a big badge that says ‘Macan T,’ along with gloss black window trims and “sports” tailpipes, and metallic gray elements like the mirrors, side blades, roof spoiler and rear logos. Wheels come via the Macan S, mind: 20-inch dark titanium items.
There are new patterns and upholstery inside, some contrast stitching, a multifunction ‘GT’ steering wheel and the all-important stopwatch.
However, prices kick off at £53,970 (P3.7 million) in the UK, which isn’t very far at all off the £54,630 (P3.78 million) starting price of a Macan S…
2022 Porsche Macan T
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
