The Porsche Macan has been in our lives since 2014, and it’s proven to be a wallop for the German automaker. More than 350,000 examples of the baby SUV has sold since it hit the road four years ago, and now, the facelifted model is making its own waves after being captured in camouflaged form in Lesotho as its underbody got acquainted with the salts of the earth at heights reaching 3,400 meters (11,155 feet) above sea level.

Porsche describes the Macan as a “sports car masquerading as a compact SUV," and it’s easy to see why the description fits it to a tee. The Macan is smaller than the Cayenne SUV, but it rides higher than any of Porsche’s line of sports cars. That two-hit combo puts in the sweet spot that we refer to these days as the crossover segment. Since its arrival, the Macan has been a resounding success for Porsche, so much so that last year alone, it sold three times as many units as the iconic Porsche 911.

The Macan’s success is a big reason why its facelift version is coming earlier than expected. If you have a goldmine in your hands, you’re going to make it as relevant as you possibly can. That’s what we have here, and judging by how the Macan appears to be at ease tackling the roads of Lesotho, a kingdom surrounded by South Africa, without any hitches in its giddy-up. It even goes all the way up high-altitude to prove its point, and prove its point it did.

We don’t have the full details yet about the upcoming 2019 model, but reports indicate that the crossover will receive power increases across its entire range. That includes the base model, which could have as much as 300 horsepower on tap after “only” getting 248 ponies in its previous form. The hotter Macan S is also getting a jolt of extra juice amounting to 20 extra horsepower. That could put its total up to 355 horses. Even the range-topping Macan Turbo is expected to get in on the fun with a new output of 434 horsepower, 40 horsepower more than the current model.

The crossover’s design is also getting some changes. We don’t get to see much of it in the exterior, but there are some discreet styling tweaks in there to go with similar upgrades found in the interior of the crossover. Even the suspension is getting upgrades, especially the use of more aluminum in order to cut down the crossover’s weight. Improved handling dynamics are also in order, as are new options, including the choice to go for tungsten-coated brakes with white calipers.

We can see in the video what all these changes have done to the Macan. It may still be called the Cayenne’s “baby brother,” but there’s nothing childlike about how the Macan was able to tackle the roads and mountains of Lesotho. If anything, Porsche’s compact SUV looks all grown up. That should spell trouble for the rest of the models in its segment.

References

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Porsche Macan.

Read our full review on the 2018 Porsche Macan.

Read more Porsche news.