Porsche Macan versus Cayenne: Which one is better?

Last Updated on September 19, 2023 by Victor A

There aren’t many SUVs that can compete against the Macan and the Cayenne, these two have proven to be extremely well-engineered cars that boast wide popularity, thanks to their quality, engine offers, and attractive designs.

The Porsche Macan is the small brother of the Cayenne, it also comes in fewer versions and it has been in the market for a shorter time.

What many people wonder is that if you compare the Porsche Macan versus Cayenne in what situations is each one better than the other? Well, here we answer your question.

Macan vs Cayenne Exterior and Interior Design

Both SUVs aren’t that different in terms of design, they both follow Porsche’s design philosophy faithfully, which leads to elegant good-looking cars. 

The Macan is smaller, it has a lower height, length, and width, which makes it a great car for the city.

While the Cayenne Coupe has a lower height and it’s a bit lengthier than the standard Cayenne.

These are the dimensions:

Now, design is subjective but in our opinion, the Macan has a design that has always aged better than the one found in the Cayenne, yet, when Porsche presented the Coupe, it was clear that they wanted a sleeker version of the Cayenne that would age better, and they made a good job.

For the interior, the Cayenne is the clear winner. Even though both cars are quite similar on the inside, the Cayenne has a more complete interior where it’s clear that there was less cost-cutting going on.

Versions and Prices

In 2021, the Macan received a slight facelift that gave a power pump to each version but found the Turbo version disappeared. 

The Cayenne is more complicated, it’s been in the market for a while so it makes sense that there are more versions. First of all, the Cayenne can either be purchased in its standard form or the Coupe form, the Coupe is slightly more costly and it adds a sleeker design.

Then in terms of versions, the Cayenne has some hybrid offers that the Macan doesn’t have, it also got way more powerful versions.

In terms of pricing, the base Macan is priced at MSRP $54,900, and if you want a power boost you can get the Macan GTS for $79,900.

For the Cayenne, the base model starts at $69,000, while the most expensive version, the Cayenne Turbo GT will set you back at $180,800. Also, note that each Cayenne model has a Coupe version that gets a price bump.

As you might see there’s an important price difference between both SUVs, this is one of the main reasons why the Macan’s sales are way higher than the Cayenne’s. 

Find below some tables with the prices and power output for each one.

For the Macan, here are the prices:

For the standard Cayenne:

For the Cayenne Coupe:

Porsche Macan versus Cayenne Specs

Since the Macan and the Cayenne have an important disparity in the number of versions they offer, we are limiting the comparison to the base, S, and GTS models.

Starting with the base versions we find a Macan that could be considered underpowered, this is something that many pre-facelift owners used to complain about. Thankfully the facelifted model raised the horsepower from 248 to 261, however it’s still not a lot for a car that starts at $54,900.

In terms of acceleration times and Top Speed, the Cayenne is a better car, although is expensive, it’s way more powerful, with 335 hp we could say this is the better option if you’re opting for the base model.

When looking at the S models things start to change, as the Macan S manages to accelerate 0.1 seconds faster than the Cayenne S, and its top speed is quite close to the Cayenne S.

Yet, the Cayenne S has an important power advantage which comes with a price, the price

disparity between both SUVs is higher, way higher than in the base models. Here we would say that the Macan S would be the better choice.

And for the GTS models things get really interesting, the Macan GTS has better acceleration, a better top speed, a very close power output, and all at a lower price. 

The Macan GTS is the clear winner here, even though it has 19 hp less than the Cayenne GTS, it is lighter, and that results in 0.2 seconds less in its 0-60 mph. Add to it, a decent price, and we have a clear winner.

Porsche Macan or Porsche Cayenne, which one to choose?

If we had to choose we would go for the Macan GTS out of every option, the reason why is because you’re getting the same engine as the one used in the pre-facelift Macan Turbo at a lower price.

It’s also a car that for its price you get incredible quality, and great driving dynamics, for $79,900 you might get SUVs that have more power, but Porsche offers more than that.

Also, note that Porsche is planning an electric Macan that could replace the current model, there isn’t much information about this yet but Porsche has been spotted testing it many times. It was rumored that it was about to come in 2021 but it seems like we will have to wait a bit more.

Source: Porsche