2019 Porsche Macan

It's midcycle refresh time for the 2019 Porsche Macan, which sees tweaks to its driving characteristics and a mildly updated appearance both inside and out. But the biggest updates come in the form of new technology features. The Macan also gets Miami Blue and Mamba Green Metallic paint options, which are great colors and make the Macan worth considering if you like happiness.

Minor Face-Lift

The Macan's looks have been massaged to be more in line with Porsche's current design language. The exaggerated light bar across the rear tailgate stands out as the most dramatic visual change, but if you look closely you'll notice some nips and tucks on the front fascia. LED headlights are now standard, and new 20- and 21-inch wheel designs are available.

Also newly offered is the GT sport steering wheel from the 911, which includes the Sport Response button that sharpens powertrain response temporarily and induces LOLs. The GT wheel will come as part of the Sports Chrono package. Other than the added oomph that Porsche claims the Sport Response button can conjure up, there are no powertrain updates for the 2019 Macan. We're OK with that, though, as the Macan has always had plenty of motivation for a small SUV.

Major Tech-Lift

It's the technology upgrades that take center stage in the 2019 Macan. The one you notice first is the new 11-inch touchscreen, but adaptive cruise control with Traffic Jam Assist has also been added, as have new app and connectivity features such as live traffic and "intelligent voice control."

Even more intriguing is the "Here Cloud" connection, which makes the Macan part of the Volkswagen Group's swarm-based data system. Essentially, "swarm data" means that your Porsche will send road and traffic data (and potentially other information) to a central server. Think of it as a bit like your car joining Waze. For this system to be effective — in terms of both providing useful information for drivers and gathering valuable data for the company — it needs to be running in a large number of vehicles. To that end, it's already in several Audis and the new Cayenne. And we have to assume it will continue to roll out across Volkswagen's products. If every nav-equipped Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche on the road is gathering data, the service might just have a shot in a marketplace that has increasingly shifted toward smartphone-based solutions.

Of course, there's more than one way to create value with all that fresh, sweet data your car gathers, and most methods have nothing to do with giving you better traffic info. Just ask Facebook what user data is worth.

Am I Macan You Want One?

Well, we don't have official pricing or an on-sale date yet. The safe bet would put the 2019 Porsche Macan in showrooms sometime this winter. Stay tuned to Edmunds for more details, including our usual full rating and review. In the meantime, maybe get comfortable with the idea of being surrounded by a "swarm."