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Today's Drive: 2015 Porsche Macan

The eye of the tiger
2015 Porsche Macan
2015 Porsche Macan.

With the Macan, Porsche has expanded its range into a whole new class of vehicle. The Macan is the first Porsche compact SUV and this is a significant entry and launch point.

Porsche is not afraid of the comments by critics claiming that the Macan is not a “true” Porsche. Porsche believes, given some time, those doubters will recognize that the Macan is a true representation of its brand’s 60 years of experience building the 911, Boxster, Cayenne and Panamera. In fact, from my own perspective, the Macan — and especially the Macan Turbo version — have more of the Porsche DNA than any other non-sports coupes Porsche has ever produced.

 

Macan means “tiger” in Indonesian, and Porsche feels it embodies the spirit of a tiger through its speed, power, elegance and agility.

Porsche hopes the Macan will appeal to a larger number of people and welcome a whole new set of customers to the brand.

To start, the Macan will be available in two models, the Macan S and the Macan Turbo.

Design
Porsche chief designer, Michael Mauer admits to feeling a lot of pressure while designing the Macan. “Since we are doing so many cars that don’t have any predecessor,” he said, “it is a little bit more challenging because you are always basically inventing the car.”

The philosophy for the Macan was to make sure it was the sportiest in the compact SUV segment.

Porsche first focused on the proportions of the Macan to ensure it retains Porsche branding while providing the muscular, agile look. As a result, it is low and wide and has an aggressive stance that is perhaps the best combination of Porsche sleekness and SUV toughness.

They also made sure that the Macan carried over familiar design elements from its other products, such as the sloping roofline of the 911.

The tail of the Macan is especially interesting; the tail lamps have a interesting three-dimensional character and the whole rear end is very clean but powerful.

While the Macan shares the same platform as the Audi Q5, it feels and looks like a completely different vehicle.

Performance
To effectively make the claim of being the first “sports car” in SUV segment, the Macan needs to offer proper sporting potential. Both available engines certainly provide that character, and its suspension spell out “drive me” loud and clear.

The Macan S comes equipped with a 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 delivering 340 hp. This enables it to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 5.4 seconds, or 5.2 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package.

The Macan Turbo is the most powerful compact SUV on the market. It is also the first Porsche vehicle to use a 3.6-litre twin turbo V6.

This produces 400 hp and rockets to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds, or 4.6 seconds in Sport Chrono trim.

The standard seven-speed PDK transmission is excellent. Whether it’s in auto mode or you’re changing gears using the steering wheel mounted paddles, shifts are quick and smooth.

It probably goes without saying but the Porsche Macan is not the best compact SUV in terms of off-road capabilities. To be fair, it is more than capable for most buyers.

Regardless of the road condition, the steering is sharp, precise and has just the right amount of road feel — something other automakers have not been able to replicate when the foundation utilizes electric-powered steering feel.  

This means the Macan is genuinely fun to drive and toss around. In fact, the Macan delivers a level of performance well beyond what I’ve experienced with say, the Audi SQ5 or BMW X3. (We will see how it fares against the X4).

The Macan is terrific on highway as well, with smooth, highly refined ride that masks its true potential.  It is definitely designed to be driven on long journeys along the autobahns; I should know since I was driving the Macan in Germany during my evaluation periods.

The Macan is easily manoeuvrable around the city, thanks to its tight turning radius allowing you to traverse around busy traffic and small parking spaces.

The optional air suspension system allows the Macan to be comfortable and adaptable at the same time. In Comfort mode, the Macan handles bumps nicely, but at the push of a button, the suspension stiffens and it becomes sporty again. This also gives you the ability to raise and lower the ride height.

Environment
There’s no denying the cabin of the Macan is a pure Porsche. It carries on the interior concept started on the Panamera.

The cabin is beautiful, materials are robust, fit and finish is exemplary. Even though modern Porsches use a bewildering number of buttons on the consol, everything is within easy reach while driving.

And while the Macan feels like a sports car on the move, you get many useful features not found in a typical sports car.

Unlike some other compact SUVs, the Macan’s rear wheel arches are not too intrusive, allowing for easier entry and exit.

Once inside, rear passengers have plenty of legroom, and headroom is adequate. However, models with the panoramic sunroof will have a little less rear headroom, making it tight for people over six-feet tall.

Even though it shares a platform with the Audi Q5, its sloping roof means the Macan has slightly less total rear cargo space. But the rear seats are split 40/20/40 and lay flat when folded to help with larger items.

Features
The Macan S has a starting price of $54,300 and the Turbo starts at $82,200. These are actually very competitive prices.

Standard equipment includes two-zone climate control, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated exterior mirrors, an auto start/stop system with coasting functions, power tailgate, Bluetooth, and HomeLink.

Additional features, available as options or on higher trims, include ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, front and rear Park-Assist with colour rearview camera, automatically dimming mirrors, panoramic roof, a lane departure warning system and much more.

Thumbs Up
The Macan offers usable versatility while providing best-in-class driving character.

Thumbs Down
The total cost of the vehicle can quickly add up with options.  

The Bottom Line
The Porsche Macan is the highest performing premium small SUV you can buy at this point in time.