DRIVEN: Porsche Macan S Review
After a short test drive with the Porsche Macan S here is the first drive review of this exciting model from Porsche.
What’s the Porsche Macan S all about?
The Porsche Macan S is a step in a new direction for Porsche. The Macan fits into the mid-sized SUV market and it is based on the Audi Q5. Porsche say to think of the Macan as more of a larger 911 rather than a smaller Cayennne.
The Porsche Macan, in my opinion, looks pretty decent as far as medium SUVs go. It stands out from the crowd and represents the Porsche brand exceptionally well. This is certainly one of my favourite looking mid-sized SUVs on the market at the moment.
The Macan is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 supercharged engine that creates 340bhp and 460Nm of torque. All that power from the engine goes through a Porsche PDK gearbox and then through to all four wheels, as you would expect from an all-terrain vehicle. This engine and gearbox setup together will get you from 0 to 60mph in 5.4 seconds and will keep you going all the way up to 157mph.
How does it drive?
Getting into the Macan S feels pretty good, you know that you are in a mid-sized SUV, but at the same time you don’t feel a million miles away from the road.
The Macan suspension in the standard mode removes any bumps from the road and feels really comfortable to drive. The steering is nice and light, and the PDK system goes through the gears very smoothly.
This is still a Porsche product, and the Macan was never going to be a slow car. The S goes a step further as it produces 103 more bhp than the standard model. This is where it gets interesting, Porsche explained to me, as I have already mentioned, to think of the Macan as a large 911 rather than a small Cayenne, and I very much agree with this statement because the Macan and the 911 share a lot of driving characteristics. Although the Macan is technically 4 wheel drive, as default 90% of the torque goes to the rear wheels, and at best there is a 60/40 split rear to front when in the Macan is on slippery surfaces. So most of the time the Macan will drive like a rear wheel drive car, until additional traction is required.
With the above explained, the first time you find a bit of open road to test the straight line performance out you hit the accelerator and the Macan S unleashes all that horsepower with an incredible impact. It shocks your brain, and I found it hard to comprehend that I was in a car of this shape and size that still shifted this fast.
And don’t think that the Macan is a one trick pony with just straight-line performance, put the car into Sport mode, which changes the throttle response, firms up the suspension, and adjusts the PDK gearbox for improved performance, and you get a helping hand in livening the Macan up a bit, not that it really needs it. The first time I showed the Macan a fast corner I was silenced with how flat the car travelled around the corner, it can take on corners so well and you can certainly pick up aspects of the 911 from how it feels whilst doing so. The car feels very sturdy on the road and is better than you would expect from any mid-size SUV.
Being a Porsche, it has been developed to decelerate from 60mph in half the time it can accelerate up to 60mph, with that in mind the Macan S can get to 60mph in 5.4 seconds, so it takes some serious engineering to get this car to stop in half that time, but they have done it.
What’s it like inside?
Inside the Porsche Macan S is pretty much what you would expect from any mid-size SUV, just with all the finer Porsche luxuries, designs, and features. This alone makes the Macan one of the most desirable models in its sector.
Similar to the Cayenne and the Panamera, the Macan features a lot of buttons in the centre console to control all the advanced features on the car, which can look a little overwhelming at first but everything is pretty straightforward to use once you get used to them.
Sat in the front of the Macan, it feels a lot bigger than most in the sector. Even myself at 6’4 had plenty of headroom and I thought it felt spacious throughout my testing. In the back there is plenty of room to fit an additional two adults, and the centre seat is fine for a child.
The Experience
The Macan S experience is one that is really the best of both worlds; you have all the power and performance of a modern sports car, and all the practicalities of a mid-sized SUV. There is so much to love about the Macan S and from a styling perspective this Porsche will embarrass any other car in its class. The Macan is a luxury SUV with true sports car credentials; there aren’t many cars that can boast this.
Verdict
The Porsche Macan S by far exceeds what is asked from a mid-sized SUV and Porsche have gone the extra mile adding stylish design, luxury features, and highly tuned performance. The Macan is new to the market and it already has an 18month waiting list; it is surely set to be the market leader in no time.
Specification
Porsche Macan S
- Price: £43,648
- Engine: 3.0-Litre V6 supercharged
- Power: 340bhp
- Torque: 460Nm
- Transmission: PDK
- 0-62mph: 5.4 Seconds
- Top speed: 157mph
- Weight: 1,865kg
- Economy combined: 31mpg
- CO2: 212 g/km
Author: Paul Hadley
