Here in Brisbane, the high-end car community is pretty small and insular. We have a group that does regular track days together, and in that small group of no more than 20 folks (but a lot more cars), we had four Porsche owners all with the latest-generation 911s of different variants. 416,100 (without options) is within reach, and in fact cheaper than the Turbo and Turbo S. So, how does it compare? To find out, we gathered for a drive up Mt Glorious and Nebo in Brisbane and swapped around to feel the difference between the cars. There are so many different variants of a 911 that you have to wonder how anyone at Porsche can even keep track. For now, you can still buy the 鈥榦utgoing鈥?GTS, GT3, GT3 RS and GT2 RS in the 991.2 generation, alongside the new 992 generation. No other car company can get away with this, but Porsche is Porsche and this is why we are here.
Driving it, though, I thought a lot about the history of the brand. This is something I tend to do often, but, it's especially hard not to when you look down at the badge on the steering wheel. It just carries so much weight. Ultimately, the Macan is an odd sort of keeper of the flame. The 911 might be the car that most closely connects the Porsche of today with the Porsche of the past, but without the Macan, the 911 might not exist. At the very least, it might not be as good as it is today. I know I'm not the first person to make this argument鈥攑eople have been saying the same thing since the Cayenne arrived on the scene in 2002 and quickly proved to be a hit. But, I think it bears repeating. What's a little less obvious is how the Macan injects Porsche values into what is, ultimately, a very mainstream car. You get the great steering, rock-solid brake-pedal feel, sharp chassis tuning, and best-in-class build quality that made us fall in love with Porsche in the first place. Porsche would probably sell a boatload of Macans even if it drove like every other luxury crossover. The fact that it doesn't means that the engineers and designers behind recognize and value of what made Porsche great. Driving the 2019 Macan was instructive鈥攏ot because the car is mind-blowing in any particular way, rather, because it was a reminder of how important this little SUV is. And for keeping the things we love about Porsche alive, it deserves our respect.
The car is Polar Silver on navy blue with 128k miles. I am the third owner of the car as of 2015 with 125k miles. The second owner was my father, from 2002 with 23k miles. It was purchased Certified Pre-Owned from Greenwich Porsche in Connecticut. It has been driven regularly and meticulously maintained. The car is very original. Only wear items were ever replaced, and always with OEM parts. The chassis has no rust, besides the bubbles by the windshield (pictured). The motor sings a silky symphony to redline, and the shifter leaps from gear to gear. It came with the M030 sport suspension, and it is planted. It stops straight with assurance, and there is the slightest of shimmies at (quite) high speeds (suspected tie rod end, which I have a replacement for). It passed California smog last year with no tricks. The car holds proper engine temp in cold winter nights and hot summer days. Years ago, the hood and left quarter panel suffered injury from a wood pile that toppled over while the car was parked next to it. There is great suspicion surrounding a cat, but no one has yet to level an accusation.
The car has not been repaired since, as my father felt that anything but original paint "ruins the car." I think he's a lunatic. So, that's the issue with the car: the paint. There are a lot of little blemishes, and I tried to get photos of the worst. The original clutch went at 110k miles, at which point the motor was pulled and examined. 10k). In the last 20k miles, just about every fluid, belt, and filter has been replaced (excluding the transaxle). 5 years old, and the while the rear tires are newer, they're about at their limit. Brakes need no attention besides fluid for a while. The motor has some wet spots (you can see in photos), but leaves nothing on the ground or in the tray. I think the worst part of the motor is the questionable heater shroud "repair" that I claim no responsibility for.