If you really want a Porsche Cayman, but you are required move around children and items larger than a laptop bag, the next best thing is the Macan. For 2017, Porsche is making its compact crossover more accessible with a turbo-four motor and a starting price of $47,500.
Porsche is set to debut the updated Macan at the New York International Auto Show, and it replaces the Boxster atop the throne as the least-expensive car in Porsche’s lineup. The base Macan will have a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque mated to a seven-speed PDK gearbox.
Porsche claims a zero to 60 mph time of 6.1 seconds when equipped with the optional Sport Chrono Package, featuring launch control. At 3,902 pounds, it is also the lightest Porsche crossover. In a very Germanic fashion, Porsche says that “overtaking maneuvers are completed confidently.”
Normally, Porsche base prices are a bit of a tease. Once you start adding options, the numbers climb rapidly. But despite the fact that the $1,050 destination fee makes the real price $48,550, the entry-level Macan will come standard with a lot of the things you should be getting for that price anyway, like bi-xenon headlights, eight-way power front seats, seat centers in Alcantara, the newest generation of Porsche Communication Management, Piano Black interior package, and a lane-departure warning system. I imagine once you start adding the upgraded wheels, special paint colors, and other tempting Porsche goodies, you are looking at close to $60,000 for your turbo-four Macan.
There’s an argument that says that if you buy a crossover, you are somehow sacrificing your identity. But if you absolutely have to get one (maybe there’s a gunman holding your entire family hostage until you get a slightly-lifted four-door car, for some strange reason, I don’t know), who cares what they say?