The gas Macan is nearing its end, and that changes the used-car conversation
Porsche’s Macan has been one of the brand’s biggest success stories, but the market around it is changing quickly. The source says the Macan was Porsche’s top seller in 2025 and that production of the gas-powered version will end in summer 2026. It also says Porsche is not expected to have a direct replacement ready before 2028, leaving the all-electric Macan as the only option for now.
That production gap matters because it can shift more buyers toward the pre-owned market. When a popular model loses its gasoline variant before a direct successor arrives, demand for recent used examples can rise. That, in turn, makes reliability, maintenance, and owner-reported trouble spots much more important than they might be in a normal product cycle.
Recent Macans still carry a strong reputation overall
The candidate source does not portray the 2021-2024 Macan range as fundamentally troubled. In fact, it says recent Macans have posted strong customer-reported reliability results. J.D. Power is cited as showing “great” quality and reliability for three of the four model years discussed, while Kelley Blue Book buyers reportedly praised quality and reliability across all four. The source also says Consumer Reports ranked the 2024 Macan as the highest-rated SUV in its class for reliability.
That broader context is important. It suggests the Macan’s most-discussed issues are not necessarily evidence of a weak vehicle line overall. Instead, they are the kinds of repeat complaints and known trouble areas that matter to a buyer considering a used example in an increasingly supply-sensitive market.
The water-pump issue stands out among mechanical complaints
One of the clearest problems highlighted in the source concerns the water pump on 2019-2024 Macans equipped with the twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6. According to the article, a failed water pump can allow coolant to leak into the Porsche’s vacuum lines. That can trigger a chain of problems that eventually affects the turbochargers’ wastegates and limits boost.
For a performance-oriented vehicle, that is not a minor nuisance. The Macan’s appeal is tied heavily to its driving character, and anything that interferes with turbo response or power delivery directly cuts into what buyers are paying for. The source does not quantify how widespread the issue is, but it identifies it as a noteworthy owner concern in the relevant model years.
Transmission complaints and brake noise also surface
The article points to several other owner-reported complaints. Some 2022 Macan owners described transmission behavior that felt like shuddering or jerking, particularly in lower gears and in reverse. Even when such issues do not appear across an entire lineup, they can shape how shoppers evaluate specific trims and drivetrains on the used market.
Brake complaints are also mentioned, including at least one owner who reported low-speed brake squeal in a 2021 Macan. That kind of issue does not carry the same weight as a powertrain fault, but it can still affect the ownership experience, especially in a premium vehicle where buyers often expect polish as much as performance.
Another complaint area is the rearview camera. The source says some 2022 owners criticized the camera image quality in unusually strong terms, while also noting that this problem was separate from a more recent backup-camera recall affecting other Porsche models.
Strong dynamics still define the model
Even with those complaints, the source’s overall portrait of the Macan remains favorable. It describes the vehicle as highly dynamic and recalls it as feeling like a sport sedan pretending to be a crossover. That line captures why the Macan has remained attractive in a crowded luxury SUV field: it is not simply another premium utility vehicle, but one with a performance identity.
That identity helps explain why used demand could remain firm as the gas version exits production. Buyers who still want a compact Porsche SUV with a conventional combustion powertrain may see the 2021-2024 window as especially relevant. Those are recent vehicles with strong reputation indicators, but also with enough time in service for owner experiences to reveal recurring issues.
What this means for the near-term market
The practical takeaway is not that buyers should avoid the Macan. The source does not support that conclusion. Instead, it suggests that shoppers should approach the 2021-2024 models with a sharper checklist. On one side of the ledger are strong reliability scores, broad owner praise, and Porsche’s well-established driving appeal. On the other are specific issues involving the water pump on certain V6 models, some transmission complaints, occasional brake noise, and weak backup-camera quality.
As gas Macan production winds down in summer 2026, those details become more consequential. A shrinking pipeline of new gasoline models means the used market has to carry more of the demand. In that environment, the difference between a generally good vehicle and a carefully chosen good vehicle can matter a great deal.
This article is based on reporting by Jalopnik. Read the original article.
Originally published on jalopnik.com
