The highly successful Cayenne’s younger sibling gets the turbo treatment — big question here is whether it’s worth the premium over the Macan S
Photos by Azfar Hashim
Mind you, this is the full-blown Macan. To be precise, the Macan Turbo; the one with a 3.6-litre twin turbo’d V6 powerplant that whips out 400 bhp and a badass 550 Nm of torque from as low as 1,350 rpm when mated to the 7-speed PDK. And does zero to hero in 4.8 seconds.
Numbers you don’t normally associate with an SUV.
Anyway, those numbers all match the Macan Turbo’s real-world performance. It does the traffic light grand prix rather quickly, to begin with; but to be clear though, it’s not rude 911 Turbo fast. It does the deed in such a gentlemanly manner, you can weld your right foot onto the accelerator with one hand holding on to the steering wheel while the other combs your hair as you use the rear-view mirror to make sure the side parting is done perfectly. Plus, it leaves tuned hot-hatches gasping for air while trying to keep up. All these as John Legend’s ‘All Of Me’ on repeat mode. Yup, it’s that easy and effortless to drive…
But even when you cruise on the expressway within the speed limit, the Macan Turbo does it with so much refinement, it doesn’t force you to go all mad and put your driving license at risk. Leave everything on it’s own and you can have a conversation with your passenger, all comfortably cocooned as you don’t get any wind or road noise interfering. Ok, so you do get some tyre noise but that is a given looking at the high-performance rubbers the Macan turbo is shod with.
Speaking of which, this SUV gets 20-inch alloys wrapped in 265/45 R-20 Michelin Latitude Sport 3 rubbers as standard.
That said, I did brought the Macan Turbo for a short three-figure speed cruise and again, not withstanding the tyre noise, the cabin remains well insulated against other noise. You can imagine how hard the engineers have worked in this particular department.
Turning a little enthusiastic along some back roads in the western side of this island, you get to see how well this Porsche shines. Set the transmission and engine to Sport Plus, the suspension to the sportiest setting (just press that magical button twice) and off you go. Honestly speaking, it’s quite amazing to see this 1,923 mm tall Macan able to take even the tightest right hander with ease; body movement is kept well under control.
You do feel the traction control, four-wheel drive and nannies all working together to keep this car within lane as you push the car to its handling limit; this is important as, at this price point, an alert high-performance SUV is what you would need at the end of the day. Further praise must be given to the car’s steering as well: Brilliant. Just brilliant weight and feel.
In terms of interior, it’s business as usual; everything is properly put together in your typical German style, with the cockpit oriented more towards the driver. The steering wheel is lovely to touch, the seats are all comfortable and the boot big enough to squeeze the entire office in.
As a whole, the Macan Turbo is surprisingly one of those flawless cars that Stuttgart has ever produced. There is enough usability and pace, and the best part of buying this car is how you get to pick and choose the long list of accessories you would like to add on; like a buffet (albeit a costly one).
Here’s the real problem though: The cheaper Macan S has all the similar grounds covered and feels equally satisfying to drive.
