2020 Porsche Macan Review

The Porsche Macan is a small, five-passenger SUV and one of the best arguments for accepting crossovers as performance vehicles. We've been consistently impressed with how well Porsche has translated its engaging driving dynamics into the Macan, even if it's not the most practical vehicle in the field.

The Turbo is the most powerful version of the Macan, and up until 2019 it was powered by a 400-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6. For 2020, Porsche is swapping out that engine for a smaller 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 that actually makes 34 more horsepower. This 434-hp, 405-lb-ft engine promises to get the Macan Turbo from zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, or 4.1 seconds if paired with the Sport Chrono package (a 0.3-second improvement over the old engine).

While we understand the change, we're a bit ambivalent overall. We've driven the twin-turbo 2.9 in other Volkswagen Group applications. And while it's smooth and powerful, it doesn't have a lot of personality. We'll have to wait and see how it feels in the Macan Turbo, but it hasn't quite delivered the emotion we expect from fancy trims (like the Turbo) that promise extra excitement for your money. A new sport exhaust has been included for 2020, which should add a bit of much-needed aural stimulation.

The other significant upgrade for the 2020 Macan Turbo is the addition of Porsche Surface Coated Brakes (PSCB). The PSCB use rotors coated with tungsten carbide to sharpen response and, as a bonus, reduce brake dust. These brakes are costlier to maintain, but buyers who are springing for the Turbo anyway will likely appreciate the exclusivity.

The changes to the Turbo model for 2020 are indicative of larger shifts in the automotive market. Smaller engines are the future of accessible performance, thanks to both fuel economy imperatives and taxes in markets such as China that punish higher-displacement motors. In this day and age, most cars must be designed to be sold globally, and the Macan Turbo is no exception. And, hey, the more vehicles Porsche sells, the more money it will have to keep building the wild enthusiast variants we love.

We're very interested to see what kind of personality the 2020 Macan Turbo will have. It may be quicker, but being quicker doesn't necessarily mean holding on to the character that makes a vehicle feel special. With the popularity of SUVs today, we like the idea that SUV buyers can still make an emotional choice.

The Macan competes in a crowded class, with small luxury SUVs available for every sort of buyer, from the luxurious Mercedes-Benz GLC to the family-friendly Volvo XC60 and the sporty Acura RDX. But the big-power Turbo puts the Macan in more rarefied company.

The recently announced BMW X3 M and X4 M come with turbocharged inline-six motors that make 417 hp. A Competition package will be available that bumps power to 503 hp. BMW released its acceleration estimates in metric, giving us a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 4.1 seconds with the Competition pack. That makes the Bimmer twins more powerful and quicker than the Macan Turbo. But will they be more fun?

Of course, Mercedes-Benz and Audi both make hot versions of their respective GLC and Q5 SUVs, and the Mercedes can be had with a 469-hp V8 that brings all the noise. The Porsche's appeal lies in its razor-sharp dynamics, though, so raw power isn't the whole story.