2021 Porsche Macan

That said, the Porsche Macan does face some stiff competition from the likes of the Audi Q5, the BMW X4, and the Volvo XC60 T6. All the crossovers have seen a significant rise in their market share in the past few years, along with a massive influx of performance-oriented upgrades as well. 

The 2021 Porsche Macan is available on four trims, with each trim taking the performance notch up by quite a bit. The range starts at $52,100 for the Base and stretches up all the way up to $84,600 for the Macan Turbo which does give a very bonkers proposition on offer with a twin-turbocharged mill under the hood that gives stiff competition to some of the faster coupes in the market. 

As standard, the Base trim does come loaded with a lot of features that make it more than enough for a person who is out in the market looking for a quick ride to enjoy their daily commute as well as enjoy the weekends in the canyons. The German manufacturer does give a couple of packages to add to the Macan - Premium Package and Premium Package Plus. The former costs $4,720 and the latter costs $7,400 and both bring quite a lot to the table like panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, BOSE surround-sound system, PDLS+, power seats with memory, front ventilated seats, etc. 

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For what the Macan brings to the table, the Base trim is sufficient for most people but for someone who is looking to feel how well a Porsche handles and performs, the jump to the bigger V6 in the Macan S is a wise choice. The trim does add in the performance-oriented bits and bobs but adding in the Premium package further enhances the amenities’ portfolio that one expects of a luxury car manufacturer. 

The 2021 Porsche Macan is offered in three engine flavors, with the base offering being a turbocharged 2.0L Inline-4 that is powerful enough to churn out 248 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. The next step-up is the Macan S’ turbocharged 3.0L V6 that bumps the output figures to 348 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. 

Porsche’s final offering is a twin-turbocharged 2.9L V6 that is further available in two state of tunes - the Macan GTS has an output of 375 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque while the range-topping Macan Turbo gets the higher state-of-tune at a bonkers 434 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. Regardless of the engine option one goes for, Porsche has offered All-Wheel Drive as standard while the 7-Speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) remains a standard fitment as well. 

The Volvo’s twin-charged mill means it utilises both turbocharging and supercharging, also giving out the most power and torque but when it comes to acceleration, the pace is rather slow. Here, the Audi Q5 outperforms the competition by quite some margin, while having a lower output than the Volvo’s. The Porsche and the Bimmer show very similar times on the chart, with the former producing more torque on tap. 

How well does it handle?

Porsche, as a company, is known for some of the best handling machines out there and the Macan is no exception with its excellent ride quality, good steering feedback, quick gearbox, and performance-oriented engine options. Putting the drive system to Sport mode livens up the powertrain and the throttle response becomes very quick, while the suspension stiffens up to negotiate the turns and curves. The AWD system is rear-wheel based which also adds to the fun in the drive. 

On the city roads, the suspension system might feel a bit stiff but is more towards the comfortable side of stiffness. It doesn’t feel wafty and the steering’s weight makes the drive feel a bit more engaging. The visibility is great out the rear window along with big wing mirrors and a big windshield, causing not too much of a blindspot. The gearbox might feel a bit jerky at low speeds but shifts quickly when needed. The response is instant and the power rush makes the driving experience a lot of fun. 

Braking Performance

The 2021 Porsche Macan is one of the sportier crossovers out there in the market and being bent towards performance, the brakes do live up to the hype and provide exceptional braking performance. The brake pedals provide good feedback and the slack is sufficient to ensure optimal braking performance every time it is needed. That said, the braking is handled by a pair of 13.6-inch rotors at the front and 13.0-inch rotors at the rear which bring this 4,099 lbs crossover to a halt, from 70 MPH, in just 163 feet. 

The Macan gets the biggest rotors in the competition which also translates to superb braking performance, stopping the crossover 7 ft before the Volvo XC60. The lightest car in the rivals, the Audi Q5, stops nearly as well as the Volvo while the BMW’s braking performance does need some improvement. 

The 2021 Porsche Macan is powered by a turbocharged 2.0L Inline-4 which should automatically translate to good fuel economy, but that is not the case here. The 4-cylinder engine under the Macan’s hood is rated at 19 MPG in the city and 23 MPG on the highway, for a combined of 21 MPG from its 19.8-gallon fuel tank. The MPG figures aren’t nearly as good as the rivals but the range is rather decent given the fuel economy figures.

Despite the twin-charged nature of the Volvo, the MPG figure in the city is similar to the Macan’s but out on the highway, the range provided is one of the best. That said, the most frugal car is the Bimmer which is closely followed by the Audi Q5 where the latter takes the win for the most range due to a bigger fuel tank. That said, the Macan’s engine is going to do no good in terms of fuel economy due to the lower range, and costly fuel ups. 

The interior of the 2021 Porsche Macan looks a lot more than the MSRP it demands - the whole cabin looks posh and the fitment quality is top-notch and feels excellent. The Base gets a leatherette treatment on the dashboard while there’s suede on the door panels to add to the luxury appeal. Moving on to the Macan S and above, the leatherette and suede material is replaced by a soft-touch leather which looks and feels impressive to the touch. The centre console does have an old school vibe to it with buttons around the gear knob, while the arm rest has leather padding on it for better comfort. 

The seats are super comfortable and offer a lot of comfort and support via the strong bolstering it has on offer. The leather on the seats is very soft to the touch and has a certain design to it, aiding the visual appeal of the cabin. The seats come with 8-way power adjustability as standard whereas the optional packages add in heating, ventilation, and 18-way power-adjustability along with driver-side memory function. Similar comfort levels are seen on the rear seats as well with soft leather and a lot of room for the occupants to sit in comfortably.

The Macan’s interior dimensions aren’t out officially but the crossover’s shape does make it easy for the people to sit in comfortably without feeling cramped whatsoever. That said, the Audi has the most comfortable interior with the most space inside. All the crossovers have good levels of comfort and amenities inside. In terms of cargo, the Audi provides the most space while the Porsche has the least. Nonetheless, the Macan’s cabin is a very posh place to be in with high levels of comfort and craftsmanship, highlighted by the following features:

• Tri-zone climate control
• Heated steering wheel
• 18-way power-adjustable front sport seats with driver-side memory settings
• Faux suede headliner
• Heated sport seats
• 40/20/40-split rear seats
• Optional front ventilated seats

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2021 Porsche Macan comes standard with a 10.9-inch HD infotainment touchscreen which is loaded to the brim with all the modern connectivity features one comes to expect of a car at this price point. Talking of the layout, the infotainment features a fairly logical one which displays all the required information in the form of small cards. The overall touch response is as smooth as butter and the menu loading times are negligible. 

In terms of connectivity, the Macan gets wireless Apple CarPlay for the 2021 model year but there’s no Android Auto yet. This system also gets features like AM/FM/SiriusXM radio, Porsche Connect (which lets you connect your phone to the car and communicate with the car remotely), navigation system, four USB ports and a 12V socket. The standard music system is a 10-speaker setup which can be further upgraded to a 14-speaker Bose audio system that is renowned for impeccable sound quality. All that said, some of the most highlighting features of this system are:

• 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Navigation
• Four USB ports
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• 10-speaker audio system
• Upgraded 14-speaker Bose audio system
• Optional 16-speaker Burmester audio system

After Porsche’s mid-cycle styling tweaks, the 2021 Macan now gets bigger air intakes in a more aggressive front bumper design. The front camera is mounted in the front and does look a bit out of place but is very negligible when compared to the overall brutish design of the Macan. The LED DRLs and the LED headlights also add to the Porsche charm and look good when compared to the sloping hood with simple and clean lines.

To the side, the Macan stands true to its Scottish meaning and looks like a handsome kid in Porsche’s line-up along with 18-inch wheels that come in as standard. These alloys can be upgraded to either 20- or 21-inches depending on the trim chosen. The sloping roofline also adds to the SUV looks and complements the overall sporty aesthetic. The rear of the MAcan is rather simple with the LED tail lights and a light bar that stretches between the two tail lights.

The Macan weighs in heavier than the Q5 but hides its weight very well while on-the-go due to the impressive chassis and the responsive powertrain that also help in making it quite the handler around the bends. The crossover is wider than the competition which helps in the shoulder room inside while the smaller wheelbase also helps in maneuvering in the city. That said, the proportions and the design do make the Macan a very appealing package and to highlight this, some features are:

• 18-/19-/20-inch wheels
• Optional 21-inch wheels
• Front brakes with six-piston calipers
• Quad tailpipes
• Adaptive air suspension 
• Adaptive headlights
• LED tail lamps
• LED DRLs

The 2021 Porsche Macan is all bits a Porsche in terms of the agility on offer which is all kudos to a well-engineered chassis which offers impressive rigidity while also saving on some lbs of weight. The Macan comes with all the safety frills that a crossover should have at this price but when it comes to standard driver-assistance features, the list is rather scarce - including only parking sensors and lane departure warning. That said, the higher trims do add some features in the list, and so do the packages of which some of the highlighting ones are:

• Front and rear parking sensors 
• Lane departure warning
• Adaptive air suspension
• Adaptive headlights
• Optional auto-dimming mirrors
• Optional blind-spot monitor
• Optional surround-view camera system
• Optional adaptive cruise control 
• Optional lane keeping system 

2021 Porsche Macan Vs. 2021 Audi Q5

The Macan and the Q5 share the same platform since both come under the VW umbrella and despite that, the Audi’s base engine is a more powerful unit than the Porsche’s that posts impressive times and also better fuel economy. The Audi also has a bigger trunk to load in more stuff than the Porsche. On the flip side, the Porsche brakes better, is a better handling machine overall, and boasts of the best powertrain setup in terms of quickness and gear shifting. 

2021 Porsche Macan Vs. 2021 BMW X4 

The BMW X4 and the Porsche Macan are very similar in terms of the power delivery and the overall performance, with the former posting a bit better time during the 0-60 MPH run. The BMW’s cabin is bigger and has more space, along with a slightly bigger boot and better interior materials whereas the Porsche’s cabin is rather sporty and well laid out. It also brakes better than the X4 and boasts of an equally good infotainment screen, albeit Android Auto.

2021 Porsche Macan Vs. 2021 Volvo XC60 T6

The Volvo XC60 T6’s engine is a unique proposition and is twin-charged, making it the most powerful on paper but in terms of acceleration, the numbers are just a bit better than the Porsche Macan. It is heavier and the cabin space inside isn’t as much but the safety record and the long list of driver-assistance features does give it an advantage over the Porsche. The Macan, on the other hand, has better cabin quality and a very sporty demeanour which also helps a lot in the driving experience. 

The 2021 Porsche Macan does make a very good proposition in a market which mostly consists of family-oriented crossovers. The Macan brings a big dose of youthfulness and sportiness to the table with the variety of engines on offer along with an excellent PDK transmission. The interiors are nothing short of a perfect mix of sporty and luxury, while the exterior looks typical Porsche with clean lines and an appealing overall design. These traits do count in and add to the excellent driving dynamics to make the 2021 Porsche Macan the best fit in your garage.