LuxuryCarMagazine En Luxury Car Review and News
So you’ve decided on a Porsche Macan to fill in the other spot in your condo building’s parking garage. You’ll have likely spent a little time considering the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and a few others of the Porsche’s competitors but you concluded that it’s just about impossible to argue against the Macan.
2017 Porsche Macan test drive
You may be a successful person but spending over $140k on your dream Macan Turbo with Performance Package and all the options is a bit much. Given that you live and work in the city, a 400-horsepower Turbo is far from necessary but you don’t want your Macan to look like it’s not the Turbo. Long ago, Porsche figured out that a discerning luxury vehicle buyer loves to customize and thus makes nearly every possible option available on even the lowliest version.
Review Overview
Performance - 80%
Driving Experience - 90%
Comfort - 80%
Security - 90%
Rominess - 80%
Prestige - 80%
83%
Porsche substance
At $52,700, the base Macan is all Porsche on the outside with one exception: the 18” wheels need to be replaced by any other set of alloys, and the bigger the better. As tested, the 19” Turbo wheels are a good place to start. And if I may, avoid getting it black – it dulls the subtle design cues including the lower door blades, which are truly unique and something only Porsche could pull off.
If you have any doubts about the level of quality or craftsmanship you will receive with your Macan, as you peruse the showroom, make a quick stop in a Panamera or Cayenne to compare. There, no need to worry.
What you’ll notice by sampling other products is that all Porsches feature a very similar dashboard and center-console layout. At first glimpse, the large array of controls can seem daunting but it is all quickly tamed. The best cabin aspects are reserved for the driver where the 918-inspired steering wheel perfectly frames the signature gauge pod.
Supportive and comfortable front seats enhance the Macan’s default sporty nature. As well, the cabin is contentedly roomy for four adults and the trunk will gobble all the gear you need to take to the cottage for the weekend.
2017 Porsche Macan test drive
4-cylinder power
The drive to the countryside will be far more exciting than you expect. The VW-family derived turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder offers a sustained amount of zest. From a near standstill, the engine produces 273 lb.-ft. of torque and holds it until 4,500 rpm. By 5,000 rpm, 252-horsepower arrive full on all the way to near redline.
On paper, these stats pale in comparison to a large number of V6-powered competitors but the Macan has a secret weapon: the 7-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission. With it, and despite the roughly 1,800 kgs it has to haul around, the Macan will reach 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds with the mandatory Sport-Chrono package ($1,480).
If you’re the streetlight racer type, get an S or a BMW X4 M40i; otherwise, bask in the easy drama-free frugality and power of the 4-pot. The PDK is seamless, effortless and brilliantly geared. The Macan’s AWD system is mated to Porsche’s Traction Management (PTM). The gist of it is that this compact luxury crossover is talented, capable of maintaining momentum in all driving conditions.
Feeling the drive
The Macan does not isolate the driver from the road – this is a Porsche after all, and you love driving. Vibrations and harshness are filtered out but with the steering wheel held firmly in both hands, the road’s surface and tire grip levels are communicated enabling the person at the helm to participate in the experience.
The Porsche’s electromechanical steering is one of the finest of its type in any utility vehicle. Its immediate responsiveness and precision are vastly superior to the recently reviewed 2018 Audi Q5, with which many components are shared. What’s more, the Macan’s standard suspension with steel springs displays nearly as much poise with controlled damping as does the new Q5’s optional air suspension.
Performance-wise, you can always count on Porsche to provide solid brakes. The base 2.0T’s front discs are scarcely smaller than the S’ with two fewer pistons in the callipers. The S tips the scale at over 200 lbs. more than the base meaning all things are equal. Brake pedal response is immediate and stopping power is tremendous.
Sense of pride
There truly is a sense of pride that comes with owning a Porsche. The same can be said with BMW, Audi and Mercedes but at no time will you ever look at your Macan sitting in your underground garage and think you’ve made a mistake.
