There was once a time when the idea of a Porsche SUV was so unthinkable, so offensive even, that the very mention of it had Porsche enthusiasts seething. Letters were written, articles were published, vows were made never to buy such a thing. But, reasoned Porsche, it could no longer survive on the thin margins its sports cars generated alone. It needed more.
The Cayenne (pictured above) was certainly more. More power, more weight, more height: more Porsche in every way. And it was the shape of things to come. The plan worked. Porsche had been a financial basket case on the verge of bankruptcy in the early 1990s; by 2010, it had conquered the world on the Cayenne’s broad shoulders.
It was around this time that Porsche decided that there was space in the market for a smaller, more affordable version of the Cayenne: the ‘baby’ Porsche SUV. It took four years for the Macan to come to fruition, and it was an instant hit. And when the shift to fully electric powertrains gathered pace, it was the Macan that spearheaded the transition for Porsche.
Now, Porsche has announced that the petrol Macan is to be, well, (Ma)canned, leaving only the electric version (pictured above) on sale. A petrol-powered replacement is in the works, but it won’t arrive for a couple of years at least, which means that when dealers’ stocks of the existing model run out, you won’t be able to buy a new, combustion-engined Macan for a while yet.
Unless, that is, you turn your attention to the second-hand market. And well you may, because it might surprise you to learn that there are cracking deals on Macans these days.
Looking for a petrol model will score you the best deal, though be aware of course that petrol Macans will demand visits to the petrol station far more frequently than those of the diesel persuasion.
Mind you, fuel consumption on entry-level 2.0-litre turbo versions, simply badged Macan (pictured above), is not horrendous, so depending on your mileage, getting a good deal on one of these actually saves you money.
I found a 2018 Macan with a below-average 62,000 miles, a full service history, on at £28,690. Now, that might not sound like bargain-basement money, but the CarGurus Instant Market Value, or IMV – our in-house tool that helps you work out whether a car’s a good deal or not – places this car’s actual value at a whopping £5,928 more than that, which makes it something of a steal. It’ll take you a long time to make up that discount in fuel savings were you to buy a pricier diesel instead.
But what if the base model just won’t do it for you? Well, how about a 2021 Macan T (pictured above) in red with a full Porsche history, and a scant 19,000 miles on the clock, freshly reduced by a whopping £5,505, and now stickered at £38,994: a whopping £4,449 less than it’s worth, according to its IMV?
These sorts of savings aren’t restricted to older Macans, either. My head was turned by a 2023 Macan S (pictured below), with a full-fat 2.9-litre twin-turbo engine pushing out 370bhp under the bonnet.
This one comes with a tonne of options, including the highly desirable adaptive air suspension system, and it’s covered just 21,000 miles. At £50,998, it’s just had its price slashed by £3,000, which means it’s now a not-inconsiderable £3,457 below its IMV, making it a lot of car for the cash.
But for my money, the best bargains of all are to be found with early GTSs (pictured below). These cars actually feature much the same powertrain as the later S – admittedly, down on power by 15bhp, not that you’d notice – but you get Porsche’s steel-sprung adaptive suspension as standard, and a setup that’s livelier and more sporting, not to mention smarter looks.
Better still, an early GTS doesn’t have to set you back a lot of cash. I found a 2016 example with a very reasonable 65,000 miles on the clock going for an even more reasonable £25,999: that’s £2,146 below its IMV, after a recent £2,000 price drop.
