Porsche Macan vs Bentley Bentayga

What's the difference?

Competent and comfortable, the Macan T delivers that amazing Porsche double act of crisp dynamic response without compromising refinement. It’s well equipped for the price, neatly packaged, and entertaining to drive. But there are holes in its armour. Active safety comes up well short and a three-year warranty now stands out like a sore thumb. It’s good, but could be better.

The Bentley Bentayga Azure may look a bit awkward and it surely isn't great value for money, but it is a true Bentley and a very good family SUV that not only provides terrific practicality but superb performance and comfort.

Michael Mauer has been Porsche’s chief of design for close to 20 years, overseeing the look and feel of every product the brand has produced in that time. And he’s been successful in massaging particular forms and signature elements to work across the line-up. 

For example, you can see more than a hint of 911 in the Macan T (and other models, for that matter), from the elongated four point headlights, to the gentle curve at the rear of the roofline, as well the distinctive tail-light treatment.

Since launching internationally in 2012, the Macan has been tweaked in 2016, before a full-blown refresh in 2021. Mauer and his team have somehow transplanted a Porsche sports car’s stance and personality to this mid-size SUV, which incidentally boasts a drag-coefficient of 0.35 (not bad, but still a fair way off the 911’s 0.29). 

For car-spotters keen to tick the Macan T off their list, the thing to look out for is exterior elements finished in ‘Agate Grey Metallic’. Specifically, the middle section of the front apron, the side ‘blades’ running across the lower section of the doors, the roof spoiler, and the exterior mirrors (including their V-shaped bases).

Then it’s all about high-gloss black on the side window trims, exhaust outlets and parts of the rear diffuser. But the biggest giveaway is the Porsche logo and model designation finished in, you guessed it… Agate Grey Metallic.

In looking at the Macan T’s interior design it’s important to call out our test car’s optional leather trim package ($3280) and carbon interior trim package ($1600), combining to dial up the cabin’s racy, premium feel.

A relatively simple dash design incorporates Porsche’s iconic three-dial instrument layout housed in a compact, curved binnacle. On the right-hand side a 4.8-inch configurable info display takes the place of what would have traditionally been an analogue gauge.

The wide centre stack houses a 10.9-inch media display above (big tick) physical ventilation controls. A sloping centre console is filled with touch controls under a piano black finish. Looks good in the showroom, but fingerprints are its enemy.

The front sports seats feel as good as they look, and overall the design is premium, functional and focused.

You'd think of all automotive brands Bentley, with its beautiful swooping and powerful saloons, would be able to floor us with something just exquisite in SUV form. But right from the 2012 concept the Bentayga has struggled to stun the world with its design.

So, while there are Bentley family traits all over the Bentayga, from the intricate headlights and mesh grille, to the oval tail-lights and body which squats over the rear wheels, the overall design looks awkward to my eyes.

To me it appears the boxy design with the tall, flat roofline and elevated ride height favours practicality over the sleekness possessed by a lower, more coupe-like SUV.

I favour dark coloured clothes because it hides my shapes, creases and bulges, but these are the things you want to see in a car and our Bentley's 'Onyx Black' paint, despite being a beautiful colour with a blue hue added, make it a featureless blob in the sunlight.

A lighter shade or something outlandish like a turquoise or yellow would look amazing, and even better, upset your neighbours.

Let's look at the interior design which is lavish with all the quilted leather and Mulliner customisation, but lacks the modern look of many contemporary cabins with its smallish media screen and busy mosaic of buttons.

I like the little chrome plungers for the air vents, the winged styling to the dashboard and the stitched leather upholstery, but it's easy to spot parts that are shared by other members of the Volkswagen Group (which owns Bentley).

For example, there are the indicator and wiper stalks, as well as the steering wheel buttons, all from Audi. Surely Bentley should have its own crafted parts?

The interior colour scheme on our Bentayga is 'Beluga' (black) and 'Camel' (tan) and the Mulliner option split the colours with a cream tone.

From a family perspective the tan and black will hide dirt, although the cream will struggle. It's possibly the best leather on the planet, however, coming from cattle living high enough that their hides are unblemished by insect stings.

At just over 4.7m long, around 1.9m wide, and a fraction more than 1.6m tall the Macan is a large medium-size SUV, but inside it feels more like the former than the latter.

Plenty of breathing space for the driver and front passenger, with a broad centre console dividing the space. Storage is good, too.

The glove box is a handy size, there’s a decent lidded box between the seats (that doubles as a centre armrest), as well as two large cupholders in front of it, and a handy oddments tray just behind the gearshift. Big door bins with space for large bottles are also a welcome inclusion.

Swapping to the back seat, sitting behind the driver’s seat, set to my 183cm position, I had heaps of leg and headroom. There’s even enough room for three full-size adults on short to medium journeys, although the full road trip experience would be too close for long-distance comfort. A trio of up to teenage kids will be laughing. 

For storage there are two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest, bins with enough room for large bottles (and a bit more) in the doors, and adjustable air vents with temperature control as part of the three-zone climate-control system. No map pockets on the front seat backs, though.

Power and connectivity runs to a 12-volt outlet in the front centre console and another in the boot, as well as a SIM and SD card slot in the front, supplemented by two USB-C jacks in the front and another pair in the rear. 

Speaking of the boot, it’s generous, with 488 litres (VDA) available with all seats up (measured to the upper edge of the rear seats). Fold the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat and that number grows to 954 litres. Measure volume right up to the roof in that configuration and you have no less than 1503 litres to play with.

The boot space is properly illuminated, there are four tie-down anchors to help secure loose loads, and a small netted space lurks behind the wheel tub on the driver’s side.

Our test car was fitted with the optional adaptive air suspension system ($2790) which allows lowering of the car’s rear when stationary to make shuffling heavy loads into the back easier. And the standard auto tailgate is super helpful.

Maximum towing capacity for a braked trailer is 2.0 tonnes (towbar preparation and ‘Trailer Stability Management’ are standard), and the spare is a space-saver.

Being shaped like a bus does nothing for the Bentayga's beauty but makes it spacious for cargo and roomy for people.

With its large doors and elevated ride height (the car can be lowered for easier access) it's great for families.

Our Bentayga is a five-seater, which is fine for my little family of four, but there are four- and seven-seat configurations available, too.

Second row legroom is exceptional, even for me at 189cm tall, and sitting behind my own driving position there's still plenty of room.

Headroom is also outstanding throughout. We could be a family that loves top hats, on our way to the top hat championships, and not have to remove our top hats. That's how good headroom and hat room is.

Sun blinds in the second row are vital in Australia, and the electric ones in the Bentayga raise and lower quickly, not just offering protection but also more privacy.

Storage is good throughout with big door pockets and five cupholders.

It seems the cabin space eats into the cargo area because the boot isn't overly large at 484 litres with all seats in place.

Buttons in the cargo area allow the rear of the car to be raised and lowered to make it easier to hoist items in the boot.

For devices there's a wireless phone charger up front along with USB ports in both rows.

Reviewing every type of car on the market provides a pretty good perspective, but when it comes to Bentleys we enter a realm where value-for-money often isn't as crucial as it is for more mainstream options.

The same goes for the price. Bentleys are among the most expensive cars in the world. So if, like me, you flinch at the thought of paying more than half a million dollars for an SUV, it may not be the car for us right now.

With that I can tell you the Bentley Bentayga Azure's list price is $475,000 and our car with all of its options comes to $515,000.

That's more money than any SUV from Mercedes-Benz and BMW costs. Even Range Rover can't quite reach that mark.

Only the likes of Aston Martin's DBX 707 and Lamborghini's Urus can match the price.

There are always bigger fish, though, and Rolls Royce's Cullinan swims in at $700,000, making the Bentayga's price seem quite reasonable.

Let's look at the standard features.

Coming standard on the Bentayga Azure are the prettiest LED headlights in the world. There are LED tail-lights, too, as well as a proximity key, roof rails and a panoramic glass roof, plus a hands-free tailgate.

Inside there's the 10.9-inch media screen, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.

The diamond quilting to the door trims is also standard and so are the Bentley sports pedals.

Many of these features are standard on lower grades in the Bentayga range, but the point in choosing the Azure is that many of the optional bundles on offer are fitted as standard here.

So, while leather upholstery is of course standard the 'Colour Specification' package gives you a choice of all interior colour combinations and an extended choice of hide colours.

The 'City Specification' brings extra safety tech like rear cross-traffic alert and a top view camera.

The 'Front Seat Comfort' specification adds 20-way power front seats, ventilation and massage as well as comfort headrests.

The 'Touring Specification' brings adaptive cruise control, a head up display, lane keeping assistance and 'Night Vision'.

And then the 'Sunshine Package' adds electric sun blinds, which are great for kids in the back.

Despite the multitude of standard packages there's plenty left to option on the Azure.

Our car was fitted with about a dozen options including piano black veneer ($5884), 22-inch alloy wheels ($4733), rear privacy glass ($2617), LED welcome lights ($2238), self-levelling wheel centre caps ($1208), a heated acoustic windscreen ($1094), luggage management for the boot ($937) and a heated steering wheel ($543).

Then there's Mulliner, Bentley's in-house customisation division which will personalise your Bentley.

The Mulliner custom features on our Bentayga Azure include the addition of an extra colour in the leather upholstery ($13,492), 'Honeycomb' stitching on the steering wheel ($5391) and contrasting stitching on the quilted areas of leather trim ($2688).

Best family features would have to be the privacy glass, temperature control in the second row and the rear sun blinds.

The second row also comes with a removable tablet which can be used to adjust the climate control, sunroof and media settings among other functions.

In the hands of children this is every parent's nightmare and there's a 100 percent chance of the tablet being lost forever, possibly on the motorway between Sydney and Canberra.

The Macan T is powered by a version of the VW Group’s ‘EA888’ turbo-petrol, four-cylinder engine, used in a host of Audi, Seat and Skoda models, as well as, most-notably, the previous generation VW Golf Mk7 GTI.

The 2.0-litre, all-alloy unit uses a combination of port and direct fuel-injection, plus variable cam timing on the inlet and exhaust side to produce 195kW from 5000-6500rpm, and 400Nm across a broad plateau from 1800rpm right up to 4500rpm. The rev ceiling sits at 6800rpm.

Power goes to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and an electronically-variable multi-plate clutch.

When Bentley stopped putting its W12 into the Bentayga this year I was unsurprised yet sad. The world is moving toward tighter fuel emissions but the twin-turbo petrol V8 in this Azure is still a beast.

The 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8 is from the Audi family and I love it as much for its plentiful torque and superb acceleration as the deep rumble of its exhaust.

Making 404kW and 770Nm the V8 can lift and throw the 2.5-tonne Bentayga to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 290km/h. I reckon you could get it to 300km/h with the wind behind you.

Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed transmission and a Torsen-type centre differential.

Default drive balance is 40/60 front to rear, with up to 70 per cent of power able to be sent to the front wheels and up to 85 per cent to the rear axle.

I don't think you'll be astounded to hear this powertrain uses a lot of fuel? Let's go there...

Porsche’s official fuel economy number for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle for the Macan T is 9.5L/100km, the 2.0-litre four emitting 217g/km of CO2 in the process.

Over a week of city, suburban, and some freeway running we saw a dash-indicated average of 10.2L/100km. A solid, if unspectacular result for a close to 1.9-tonne SUV. 

Auto start-stop is standard, but pricey 98 RON premium unleaded is required, and you’ll need 75 litres of it to fill the tank.

Using the official number that translates to a range of 789km, which drops to 750km using our real-world number.

Bentley says the Bentayga Azure with the V8 petrol engine will use an average of 11.4L/100km over a combination of open and urban roads.

But what happens if you live in the suburbs not far from the city and drive the Azure every day to do the school drop offs and trips to the shops and then take in some fun country roads? You use an average of 22.8L/100km according to the car's trip computer.

This is still not as high as I was expecting. I've driven V6-powered SUVs which use more than this under the same conditions.

That said, even when using as much fuel as Bentley says you should, an 85-litre fuel tank is only going to deliver an approximate 745km driving range.

The Bentley Bentayga doesn't have a safety rating as like many extremely high-end cars it hasn't been assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

That said, the Azure grade comes standard with an armoury of safety tech including AEB (with turn assistance), lane keeping assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, evasive steering assistance, and adaptive cruise control.

Front and rear parking sensors are standard (and the most relied-upon feature I use daily), while exit warning saved my child and myself more than a few times from leaping out into the traffic on the school run.

Porsche is the last brand standing in the local mainstream sports luxury market, offering a three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty when the rest of the segment has moved on to five-year, unlimited km cover. 

The good news is paint is covered for three years and a 12-year (unlimited km) anti-corrosion warranty is included (the Macan’s body is fully galvanised). 

Porsche Roadside Assist provides 24/7/365 coverage for the life of the warranty, and after the warranty runs out is renewed for 12 months every time the vehicle is serviced at an authorised Porsche dealer.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, which is less in terms of mileage than some others in the category.

With Porsche, final costs are determined at the dealer level (in line with variable labour rates by state/territory), but indicative pricing for the first five years is: 12 months/15,000km (annual) - $695, 24 months/30,000km (inspection) - $1300, 36 months/45,000km (annual) - $695, 48 months/60,000km (inspection) - $1300, 60 months/75,000km (annual) - $695. Not exactly cheap, but not outrageous in this part of the market.

A brake fluid flush is recommended every two years ($290), as well as spark plugs ($450), air filter ($200), and transmission fluid and filter ($850) every four years. So, be ready for those ‘extras’.

The Bentayga is covered by Bentley's three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 16,000km.

The good news is all new Bentley's have five years regular servicing included in the cost of the vehicle.