Porsche Macan changes the game
An SUV is an SUV? It has some extra space, has some extra ride height, handles okay and goes not too bad for an SUV. Right?
Not even close. When your SUV is a Porsche, and an all-new compact model to boot, you need to sit up and pay attention.
Porsche are not messing around. They are going straight for the number one premium spot by offering customers a choice of the most powerful engine range in its class along with their exceptionally good and sporty seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) double clutch auto gearbox married to Porsche Traction Management (PTM), along with a sporty mix of tyres, all fitted as standard.
You have the range-topping and segment-leading Macan Turbo, equipped with a 3.6 litre V6 biturbo engine and delivering an output 294kW and 550Nm.
We never got to sample this model at the vehicle’s local launch in and around the Western Cape but judging by how the other two models in the range behaved, this one should be a real firecracker.
As said, we did get to spend some time in both the other derivatives: the Macan S, which comes with a petrol-powered 3.0 litre V6 biturbo engine that sees 250kW of power and 460Nm of torque produced, and the 180kW and 580Nm Macan S Diesel, powered by a 3.0 litre turbodiesel engine.
The range of equipment fitted on the Macan as standard is extensive, and includes the likes of all-wheel drive for superior grip on and off road, multifunction sport steering wheel with shift paddles, large wheels, a high-performance audio system and an electrically operated tailgate to go with the expected luxury on board a vehicle in this class.
The list of optional special equipment is vast and offers the likes of the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) system that distributes varying levels of drive torque to the rear wheels and works in conjunction with an electronically controlled rear-axle differential lock, and has been specially tailored to the Macan.
Should this still not be enough for you, the new Macan offers a choice of three sporty chassis versions, one of which features air suspension – an exclusive in the Macan’s segment.
The list highlights go on to include the sought-after dynamic high beam forming part of the Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS Plus), which continuously adjusts the headlight level in keeping with the traffic ahead and any oncoming traffic along with a choice of premium-quality audio equipment that is available in the form of the optional sound systems from Burmester and Bose.
You can then always go online and delve even further into the options list and make your Macan as bespoke as one could want from a compact SUV that already starts at R862 000 and stops at R1.28 million. By now I am sure you are wondering how this Macan performed during its launch drive this past week.
I can say that from the moment you turn the key and pull off, this compact SUV feels very much like a solid Porsche. And that is a good feeling!
All too soon, it was time to attack our first mountain pass of the day and, if you thought that handling has to be compromised when you own an SUV, you would be wrong.
The Macan handles very much like a sports car without being over-firm on the road, which is a huge bonus when you are hunting for sharp handling.
Although I can’t see too many owners really going hill-climb-time-attack crazy with their Macan, at least they know that when they want to get going and the road gets twisty, their SUV will keep up with most on the road today, and they will have a blast in doing so.
The pick for me in terms of value and pace and fuel consumption would be the Diesel S.
It is the best-priced derivative, it has that massive 580Nm of torque that is such a pleasure and it barely uses fuel.
Porsche has changed the game when it comes to how an SUV should feel and behave, and the competition will be playing catch-up for some time before they bring a vehicle to market that will be able to drive around the Macan.
If there is a downside to this equation, it has to be that this package does not come cheap; the pricing for the Macan is at the top end of the segment – and that is before you go extra-option crazy.
Good things in life, I guess, don’t come for free.
Prices:
> Macan S Diesel R862 000 (3yr DrivePlan)
> Macan S Diesel R912 000 (5yr DrivePlan)
> Macan S R873 000 (3yr DrivePlan)
> Macan S R923 000 (5yr DrivePlan)
> Macan Turbo R1 239 000 (3yr DrivePlan)
> Macan Turbo R1 289 000 (5yr DrivePlan)
