I haven't personally driven them, but I've heard that Mazda's SUVs can be pretty fun to drive.
Yea the new CX-50 especially is tempting, but I keep coming back to slushbox auto only. And I don't need huge power but 190hp on a 4000lb suv is pushing into painfully slow territory.
Have you considered the VW alternatives? I'm not sure I'd call them "sporty" but they're not not fun to drive. And about the same quality interior but cheaper and don't hold their value as well. If that's too far to the utility side of the sporty-utility scale for you, then yeah, the macan is probably about it. I'm guessing you're aware, but one of the things that always turned me off of the macans is that they all at least claim to require 93 octane, which gets expensive fast in a normal use vehicle.
I have looked at them but yea, they seem to be too far off the sport side of the scale for my preference. The Audi Q5 gives up the PDK tranny and sports suspension tuning for a torque convertor auto and softer suspension. Whatever magic makes the Macan feel special seems to be gone. At that point I'd honestly probably steer towards a Mazda instead. I have considered something like the S4 though. I've driven one of those with a DCT and I like it better than my E90 BMW.
Macan rear seat room is very small. Not sure if you plan on having people back there or not. If you like that style and performance, check out an SQ5.
I don't have more than 1 passenger very often so not a massive priority, I mostly just want to be able to leave a bike in the back and have it secure while I'm at work. SQ5 I'm assuming would have similar room in the back since it's the same chassis. The Macan is basically an even sportier model of the SQ5 so that's what draws me to it.
I think something from the Audi Avant line would meet many of your requirements, most of the others will lack one of those things...
Is that just the RS6 or are there other Avants? I would love one of those but a little outside of my budget haha. I recently learned that the A6 Allroad could be had with the supercharged V6 and a DCT. Those seem like they might give the Macan a run for its money but they're also pretty pricey right now.
The Mercedes E400 wagon we have ticks all of those boxes without being an SUV. The auto is excellent as the drive modes really make a difference in tuning of the whole car between comfort and sport plus. AWD, 330hp twin turbo V6, and it has been totally reliable. Look for a 2017+
The slushbox auto kind of kills it for me, but otherwise it does check a lot of the boxes. Not sure I'd spend similar money to get one of these over a Macan.
Macan is just small. Small back seat, small cargo area. You're not carrying a bike inside it without folding down the back seats and removing the front wheel from the bike. You can't get a manual in it. If I were you, I'd look at a small wagon instead, like a BMW 3 series wagon, Audi A4 or A6 allroad, VW sport wagon etc.
All of that is true. I turo'd a Macan S for a weekend and it does need back seats down and front tire off to fit my mountain bike in it, but that said I'm not sure a fun-to-drive car that can fit an intact mountain bike inside exists. It seems by the point you don't need to pull the tire you're at cadillac escalade proportions. The rest of the cargo space situation doesn't bother me, I'm mostly just using it as a commuter or for doing day trips with 1 other person. The lack of manual sucks, but nothing else in the class offers a manual either and the PDK seems like a close second.
In terms of wagon options I would love one and it honestly seems a better fit to me than a CSUV but I'm not sure what exists anymore that's sporty and AWD. AWD 3 series wagons have been auto only for a while unless I'm mistaken? The Audi allroads are likewise auto-only and while they have the same DCT as the Macan, I'm imagining they don't handle as well as the Macan (there is some logic there, I've driven an S4 and assuming the allroad versions aren't up to that standard). VW sportwagon I didn't realize existed, I've got to research more about it now but thanks for pointing that one out. It's a lot cheaper than a Macan and can actually be had AWD & manual.