The best thing about the 2022 Porsche Macan is the drive, I didn't want to stop driving it!! It feels like cars used to in its responsiveness, agility and connection to the road but all while being super smooth as you'd expect from a luxury SUV. There wasn't the disconnection you usually get with SUV's and that is where the magic of the 2022 Porsche Macan lies for me! This goes straight to the top of my cars I want to own list alongside the equally good (but a little bit different in fuel consumption)Â Hyundai Ioniq5!
The Porsche Macan looks great too and not in a showy, shoulder-padded way. It even goes a little undetected, not attracting too much attention and like last time I drove one I realised how many more there are on the road.
The updated interior of the 2022 Porsche Macan is clutter-free, tasteful and understated like the exterior, with good quality tactile finishes and subtle branding. I am pleased to see the Macan retained one of my favourite features; the adjustable front headrests, so you can wear a ponytail while driving!
I got to test the rear seat with Infasecure child seats this time around and found I could fit three Infasecure Attain More seats across the back seat which is fantastic!
The Porsche Macan has ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats and top tether anchorages across all three seatbacks. Installing child seats was straightforward. It is a tight fit with the three child seats across and you will definitely need to check any other three-seat combinations will fit. To learn more about the child seats used in this review you can click on the link here.
Legroom is good in the Porsche Macan and with rear-facing child-seat installed, a 176cm driver could sit in front.
The Macan felt very full with three seats in the back and when we were just using two child seats with our daughters it felt perfectly spacious.
The 2022 Porsche Macan is also very practical for families in terms of its boot space too and you would easily fit your medium-size family dog in the boot.
When empty, the boot of the Porsche Macan fits thirteen shopping bags, which is comparable to the Range Rover Velar and BMW Alpina XD3 which both hold fourteen shopping bags, the Jaguar F-Pace which holds thirteen shopping bags and the Audi Q8 which holds fifteen.
The Bugaboo Bee 6 fits really neatly in the boot with nine shopping bags alongside it.
The New Bugaboo Donkey 5 mono with seat or bassinet detached fits in the boot with four shopping bags.
The Bugaboo Donkey 5 duo with seat and bassinet detached fits in the boot with four shopping bags.
The Bugaboo Donkey 5 twin with both seats detached fits in the boot with three shopping bags.
To learn more about the Bugaboo prams used in this review go to the expandable “storage” section at the end of this review.
The 2022 Porsche Macan is very enjoyable and functional as a five-seater family SUV. In fact, I think it's pretty hard to beat! It has an excellent media system that is easy to navigate and use and has Apple CarPlay for accessing your phone's communication, audio and navigation apps.
I particularly like how easy it is to drag and drop the kids' music to the rear speakers!
The reversing camera image is crystal clear, with lots of options for different view angles down the side of the screen too.
The rear aircon vents are a welcome addition to keep the rear passengers comfortable in all climates.
Storage is quite minimal yet functional throughout the Macan. In the back, there are no map pockets just two cup holders in the central seatback and good size door bins for refillable water bottles.
In the front, the door bins are bigger and will hold an iPad as well.
A generous glove box and cup holders give ample space for iPads, purses and our coffee!
The 2022 Porsche Macan makes a luxurious, practical and thoroughly enjoyable five-seater family SUV that goes a little under the radar!
The Porsche Macan is yet to be given an ANCAP safety rating. In fact, good luck finding a Porsche that has!
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the 2022 Porsche Macan?
The Porsche Macan is practical for families in terms of its boot space and you would easily fit your medium-size family dog in the boot.
From empty, the boot of the Porsche Macan fits thirteen shopping bags, which is comparable to the Range Rover Velar and BMW Alpina XD3 which both hold fourteen shopping bags, the Jaguar F-Pace which holds thirteen shopping bags and the Audi Q8 which holds fifteen.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub's lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The Bugaboo Bee 6 fits really neatly in the boot with nine shopping bags alongside it.
The New Bugaboo Donkey 5 mono with seat or bassinet detached fits in the boot with four shopping bags.
The Bugaboo Donkey 5 duo with seat and bassinet detached fits in the boot with four shopping bags.
The Bugaboo Donkey 5 twin with both seats detached fits in the boot with three shopping bags.
How good is storage inside the 2022 Porsche Macan?
Storage inside the Porsche Macan is quite minimal in both the front and rear seats, but what is there is practically sized. There are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup. In front of them is a small well I used for my glasses as there is not a glasses case in the ceiling.
The central console storage box is small and has two USB-C sockets. It is the only place to store your phone.
The glove box is a good size and will hold my wallet with the manual and iPad.
Both the front visors have vanity mirrors.
The door bins are a good size in the front to hold a refillable water bottle and my iPad fits too.
Storage in the second row is very minimal. There are just two cup holders in a fold-down armrest in the central seatback. They will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup.
The rear door bins are smaller than the fronts but still will hold a refillable water bottle.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the 2022 Porsche Macan?
The Porsche Macan is not a noisy car at all. Apart from the enjoyable purr of the engine, there are no particular beeps or alarms to warn of. The ride is smooth and quiet and like most luxury cars you are more insulated from the usual road and exterior noise, which makes long drives less tiring.
I really like the media system in the 2022 Porsche Macan, it is quite in-depth and although I didn't get to touch the surface of its capabilities I found it easy to use and intuitive to navigate.
With Apple CarPlay, it was easy to access my phone's navigation, communication and audio apps.
I found the sound screen handy to quickly drag and drop the sound to the back speaker for the children's music.
The sat-nav was fantastic, filling the whole screen…
…and the parking camera has a lovely crystal clear image and various angles you can choose from.
The steering wheel in the Porsche Macan moves up/down and in/out electronically.
The cruise control in the Macan is on a stalk behind the steering wheel. I was very surprised to find in the model I tested there was no adaptive cruise control, and that in this day and age it is an expensive optional extra. I also found the cruise control was not very accurate at lower speeds around 60km/h on undulating roads. I always expect much more from luxury SUVs when it comes to cruise control and safety features because when you are paying these prices I expect to see the best technology, so am often surprised and disappointed to find the two don't always go together.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The indicator volume wasn't at all baby-waking in the Porsche Macan, and the auto engine cut-out can be easily turned off down in the touch panel in the central console.
The doors and windows of the Macan close gently, so they do not make much noise and are not baby waking.
The doors close quite easily with a gentle close, which was surprising for a car of this size. With baby asleep you can get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy. The same for the windows their mechanism is not too noisy and I didn’t notice them having a loud opening or closing sound.
With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up!Â
The Macan feels fantastic to drive anywhere! It's easy around town, on suburban roads and in car parks and then once you've dropped the kids off it is a lot of fun on the open roads too! I just don't want to stop driving it!
There is a seatbelt removal alarm and display on the screen in front of the steering wheel.
You can lock the doors and windows from the driver's door control panel.
The screen in front of the driver tells you your distance to empty in km too, which is really handy.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the 2022 Porsche Macan?
There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three of the rear seatbacks in the Macan. They are in plastic guides, clearly labelled and easy to connect to and reach through the boot.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats, they are within plastic guides and easy to connect to.
I could fit three rear-facing or forward-facing Infasecure Attain More child seats in the back of the Porsche Macan, which is excellent news! It is s snug fit so you will need to carefully check any other combination of three seats.
We found it more comfortable to just have our daughters' two child seats in the back and only had two child seats installed (the Infasecure Attain More and Aspire More). With two child seats installed, I could just sit between them.
With a rear-facing child seat installed we could sit a 176cm driver in front, so that's worth bearing in mind if you're tall, but there is more space in front of a rear-facing seat on the passenger side, where someone of 186cm or more in height could fit in.
Posting Bub into their car seat easy from outside is good in the Macan because it is quite a spacious vehicle and the ceiling height makes it easy from inside too.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is plenty of room to feed Bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2022 Porsche Macan? And How good is the Porsche Macan to drive?
The front seats of the Porsche Macan are lovely and comfortable, especially with the adjustable headrests!
I could easily wear a ponytail!
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are comfortable too. Legroom is good too in the back; I had plenty of legroom behind a 186cm driver and I'm 162cm.
For the first year of Bub’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is fully and electrically adjustable in/out and up/down.
Across the front dashboard, there are four air conditioning vents, one at either end and two underneath the media screen.
There are also air conditioning vents in the back of the central console box for the rear passengers.
You can control the climate in the new touch-sensitive central console panel.
The buttons in the central console have been minimised and it is now a touch panel, which gives the cabin a much more minimal and clutter-free feel.
This is the previous model central console so you can see the difference:
2019 Porsche Macan central console
When maneuvering or parking, visibility is good in the Macan and the excellent camera image really helped.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Porsche Macan, was pretty easy to park.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2022 Porsche Macan?
The Porsche Macan is yet to be put through the ANCAP safety testing. So it has not been tested for child occupancy either.
As standard, the Porsche Macan comes with seat belt pretensioners in the driver and front passenger and outer rear seats and seat belt reminder warning for all passengers.
Full-size airbags for driver and front passenger, front side airbags integrated into the seat, curtain airbags along entire roof frame and side windows and side airbags in rear compartment. There is also rollover detection for activation of curtain airbags and seat belt pretensioners.
There is lane departure warning, the windows have anti-trap protection, and also standard are hill control, multi-collision brake, Porsche's Stability Management (PSM) that includes anti-lock brakes (ABS), anti-slip regulation (ASR), automatic brake differential (ABD), engine drag torque control (MSR) and trailer stability management and tyre pressure monitoring (TPM) as well as brake assist, precharging of the brake system and hold assist.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
The Skoda Karoq will fit two child seats and has a practical sized boot, it is fantastic to drive, has a great media system and Skoda features but lacks legroom Read More
The 2024 Kia EV9 has 5 top tether anchors, 4 ISOFix points and its boot fits the Leclercbaby one-hand fold stroller with all 7 seats in use Read More
4 Comments
This is an amazing family car. I waited 6 months to get mine and have now had it for two months. It handles extremely well. I have five grandchildren of varying ages and am frequently switching car seats – infant, toddler, and booster. The seatbelts are easy to access and the older children can find and do them up themselves. The car seat fastening points are easily accessible (not buried in the upholstery like many others). I recently fit an infant seat, a toddler seat, large twin stroller and shopping bags. We did have to leave the centre seat down to angle in the stroller, but it did fit. Overall, a great car. I am really happy with my purchase – worth every penny.
Amazing review really helpful, thank you! We are currently looking at the Macan. Do you feel there is enough room for 2x Toddler seats(44cm wide) and a Booster? We have 2 year old twins and a 8 year old.
This is an amazing family car. I waited 6 months to get mine and have now had it for two months. It handles extremely well. I have five grandchildren of varying ages and am frequently switching car seats – infant, toddler, and booster. The seatbelts are easy to access and the older children can find and do them up themselves. The car seat fastening points are easily accessible (not buried in the upholstery like many others). I recently fit an infant seat, a toddler seat, large twin stroller and shopping bags. We did have to leave the centre seat down to angle in the stroller, but it did fit. Overall, a great car. I am really happy with my purchase – worth every penny.
Love this! It’s an expensive car but such quality!
Amazing review really helpful, thank you! We are currently looking at the Macan. Do you feel there is enough room for 2x Toddler seats(44cm wide) and a Booster? We have 2 year old twins and a 8 year old.
Yes three rear facing is an extreme test so you should be fine!! Enjoy it’s a great car!