Porsche Macan 2014 Review - International

Porsche Macan S, Diesel and Turbo

The heaviest factor weighing in any assessment of Porsche's new Macan is whether it measures up as something other than an Audi Q5 with some Porsche tweaks. Fortunately for Porsche, the Macan not only achieves that, it also exceeds the expectations created by Porsche's own PR hype.

Porsche flew Aussie journalists to the Macan's home base in Germany this week to sample the new SUV – and overall impressions were positive from the word go.

Macan's three variants start from just below $85,000; each one with a specific role to fill and all three are as equally capable on the road as off it. The entry-level model in the range is the Macan Diesel, powered by a 3.0-litre V6 and trimmed to the same level as the Macan S with a turbo-petrol V6, also displacing 3.0 litres. Above both is the Macan Turbo with a 3.6-litre petrol V6, which is also turbocharged, as the name indicates.

The diesel is almost supernaturally quiet and offers a good turn of speed; but where the two petrol models are still galloping away at double the Aussie open-road limit, the Macan Diesel is running out of puff. It's more of a slogger, which Porsche demonstrated for us when they let us loose on the off-road track at the Leipzig facility, behind the wheel as the diesel ascended a grade angled at 40 degrees.

Whether the diesel could repeat that feat on typical Aussie bush tracks with a lot more roots, ruts and rocks than the Porsche test track remains to be seen. But for the moment at least, we're impressed.

Both the petrol models will be much more to the liking of Porsche enthusiasts. There's simply more of the sports car brand heritage infused in the petrol models. The note from the two petrol V6s is a delight to the ear. While many V6 powerplants sound exciting and evocative, the Macan's two petrol engines actually recall Porsche's six-cylinder racing legacy. In the mid-range and at higher revs, they sound pure thoroughbred six; with nary a hint of vee-configuration compromise.

Kudos to Porsche (and ZF) for the PDK; it's smooth and capable in all circumstances, and keeps the engines on the boil usually – the only exception occurring when the transmission and the driver both choose to shift up a gear at the engine's redline. This will leave you in a higher gear than desired. Drivers will quickly learn to leave the PDK to look after upshifts, leaving the downshifts for the nut behind the wheel.

With a larger contact patch and the air suspension ('luftfederung' in German), the Macan Turbo was demonstrably faster and easier to drive around the race track. This was due to the flatter handling and lower ride height afforded by the air suspension – to say nothing of the extra 44kW of course.

While the Macan Turbo proved its mettle around the track, the Macan S scored a result on the road. Mixing it with German traffic reduced the performance advantage of the Turbo, and the lower-powered Macan's steering feedback felt a little more delicate and tactile. Steering was lighter across a range of speeds, but both cars turned into corners promptly and were easily and precisely place in corners.

It was only around the race track that the dynamic strengths of the Turbo really shone. It was immediately apparent that the flagship offered more grip and was more secure when being pushed harder on the track.

Inside all variants of the Macan the designers have achieved an impressive conclusion to all their labour. Seats are very well shaped and comfortable, with the Turbo in particular delivering a high degree of flexibility to accommodate different builds and preferences – thanks to its 18-way power adjustment.

Ergonomics are rational in the Macan, with controls located where they should be, and instruments that are easy to read, yet the overall presentation is stylish and 'intimate', for lack of a better word. Porsche has not 'progressed' as far in interior design as other prestige brands, so you use a thumb-operated dial to scroll through trip computer functions, and buttons to change interactive dynamic driving settings – none of this drilling-down through a menu via means of a single-point controller for the Macan owner.

Yet the Macan's interior is not unduly busy, and there won't be much that new owners have never seen before; graphic icons on the buttons and switches are clear and easily understood, for instance.  It's all good then, although the traditional key in a lock barrel on the dash may stump those who are now in the habit of pushing a button to start an engine.

The 'intimate' nature of the cabin can't be left written without the qualification that the Macan can be tight for headroom if a sunroof is fitted. There's adequate rear-seat accommodation for adults too, provided the passenger or driver in front isn't taller than average.

On balance, however, the concessions to own a Macan are minor ones. It's a genuinely appealing car that owners won't have to justify buying. Comfort, looks and dynamics are all traits befitting the Porsche brand, but in an affordable (not cheap) prestige SUV.