Porsche’s options list is one of the most exhaustive—and exhaustively easy to spend too much money on—in the car industry. You can splurge on LED lighting, leather-wrapped air-conditioning vent slats, paint-matched key fobs, and, yes, even fancy exhaust systems. Should you not feel like delving into Porsche’s labyrinthian order guide, there’s always the brand’s GTS trim level, a one-stop-shop grade offered across nearly every model in the lineup that includes all the performance add-ons you want and none of the cosmetic frills you don’t. If the GTS formula sounds appealing, and you’re in the market for a compact Porsche-branded crossover, then meet the latest Macan GTS.
The GTS returns to the Macan lineup for 2020 after a one-year hiatus. Like the GTS models before it, the new Macan GTS sits above the Macan S and below the Turbo model. Porsche has extracted 15 more horsepower from the GTS’ 2.9-liter turbocharged V-6 than before, bringing peak output to 375 ponies. Along with the revised PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, the enhanced V-6 helps the GTS sprint to 60 mph in as little as 4.5 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package. (We didn’t say the GTS lacks all options, just that it renders many of them unnecessary . . . ) Without the Sport Chrono kit, the Macan GTS still scampers to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and either way it tops out at 162 mph. Porsche’s estimates are typically quite conservative, however. Our friends over at MotorTrend recorded a 4.4-second rip to the mile-a-minute mark in a pre-refresh 2017 Macan GTS on summer tires.
The GTS comes standard with Porsche’s adaptive air suspension, which can lower the ride height of the car by 10 mm (0.4 inch), along with big ol’ stoppers measuring 14.1 inches in diameter up front and 12.9 inches in the rear. As before, Porsche’s excellent carbon ceramic brakes are optional. So, other than the power upgrade, does the GTS have much more “new” about it beyond the same cosmetic updates gifted to the entire 2020 Macan family? Well, up front, the headlights have been darkened slightly, complementing the more aggressive front fascia. The rear light bar looks a little stealthier, too. Porsche is asking customers to cough up $72,650 for the newest Macan GTS, a fairly minor increase over the 2018 version’s $69,950 MSRP. See? Provided you show some restraint with its ordering guide, the GTS is all about skipping options and value.
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