- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.0DT, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
190kW, 580Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 6.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Porsche Macan S Diesel new car review
Still shocked by the concept of a Porsche SUV? Then you're probably outraged all over again by the new Macan.
You shouldn't be surprised, though. The popularity of the German brand's freshman effort, the Cayenne – now the top-selling Porsche in the range – and the normalisation of SUVs meant another was always going to be an inevitability.
And this one could well end up being more popular than the Cayenne. Not only are more eyes likely to find it a more attractive example of the German brand's aesthetic being stretched onto an SUV canvas, it has the honour of being the cheapest Porsche you can currently buy.
What do you get?
The S diesel kicks off the three-tiered Macan range at $84,900 plus on-road costs, so if SUVs like Audi's Q5, BMW's X3/X4 duo and Range Rover's Evoque are in your sights this Porsche can be, too.
The base Macan's list of standard kit includes dual-zone climate control, leather, touch-screen CD/DVD/MP3 infotainment system, 19-inch wheels, power adjustment of the front seats/steering column and a power tailgate. Key safety features round out to eight airbags (including rear-side bags), stability control, parking sensors and a reversing camera. In both respects, that's more or less what you get in similarly priced alternatives.
The next Macan, the $86,700 S petrol, shares its specification hard points with the S diesel but trades that model's 190kW 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 for a frisky 250kW twin-turbo petrol V6 of the same capacity.
The topline Macan, the $122,400 Turbo, packs a 294kW 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and a host of extra trinkets, including a higher-grade Bose audio, air suspension, front seat heating, alcantara roof lining and 20-inch alloys.
If you'd like your Macan with safety technology such as lane-departure warning/assist or adaptive cruise control – or kit like digital radio, TV or a panoramic sunroof – you'll need to get out the chequebook and play the options game.
What's inside?
The Macan's core functionality, much like its specification, isn't a whole lot different to other prestige SUVs in its price bracket.
Its 500-litre boot has exactly the same capacity as an X4's (or just a little less than what you get in the Q5, X3 and Evoque) and expands to an almost-flat 1500-litre box with the back seats folded down (again, right in the thick of things). The back seat's 40/20/40 split is more versatile than traditional 60/40 setups.
The Porsche is far from a limo in the back but has enough space – not to mention the amenity of a reasonably pampering bench and air vents – to keep two strapping occupants quite satisfied. Regular three-up duties are beyond its call due to the lack of width and narrow centre seat.
Up front, the Macan could almost be any current-era Porsche with its driver-orientated instruments, prominent centre console and high-quality materials and ambience. The console's frenzy of buttons bucks the current minimalist trend and the touch-screen setup encompasses fewer functions than the most contemporary setups, but there are no brow-furrowing ergonomic nags.
The Macan's body-hugging, highly adjustable seats mean there are no serious comfort nags either, though an intrusive driveline tunnel means foot space isn't particularly generous.
There are a few areas where the Porsche falls down. Rear vision, while not diabolical, isn't brilliant and more small-item storage spots would be nice, though the big, partitioned door pockets are handy. It also has a space-saver spare tyre.
Under the bonnet
Just like the Cayenne shares some key underskin similarities with Audi's Q7, the Macan has a mechanical relationship with that brand's smaller Q5.
It's especially prominent in the S diesel, which has the same 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 as a Q5 3.0 TDI with the same 190kW power and 580Nm torque peaks.
The Porsche, though, is quicker than its Audi cousin (6.3 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint versus 6.5) and more economical on the official scale (6.1L/100km versus 6.4L/100km).
The latter, in particularly, is a competitive number in wider terms but the diesel Macan isn't a performance benchmark. The X4 xDrive30d undercuts key sprint number by half a second; Audi's most mental Q5, the SQ5, by more than a second. The gaps remain, though are reduced, if you tick the box for the Sport Chrono option, which has a launch-control function that cuts the 0-100km/h time to 6.1 seconds.
Not that you really notice any shortfall on the road. Like most modern diesels there's a slight delay between planting your foot and getting response, but the S diesel's vast low and mid-rev shove, fuss-free flexibility and the smooth, quick shifts of the mandatory seven-speed double-clutch auto mean there are absolutely no holes in its performance portfolio.
The Porsche's lack of aural bluster and the dual-clutch auto's pleasing lack of stutters and hesitation add more gleam to a punchy, refined drivetrain. A similarly polished auto start/stop system helped our car achieve a reasonable 7.2L/100km economy average on our urban/highway test.
On the road
Porsches have always been about driving and the company's expertise in this area is obvious here, where you'd never pick the Macan as a relative of the Q5.
Unlike that car, which has steering and ride niggles that keep it from being a driving benchmark, the Porsche ticks all the boxes. The brakes are powerful and the steering is well-weighted, unerringly precise and communicative. It's nicely balanced through the bends, with commendably restrained body roll for its height and significant road-holding abilities from its 19-inch rubber.
Next to the company's famed sports cars the Macan might feel slow-witted and ponderous. By SUV standards it's a blast.
It doesn't resort to a go-kart ride to achieve its cornering talents either. The big hoops pitter-patter over sharp low-speed joins and make plenty of noise on coarse-chip surfaces, but most lumps and bumps are despatched without much in the way of fuss. Its pampering qualities, the traction of its all-wheel-drive system and an off-road mode mean it's not unhappy on dirt either.
Verdict
The Macan isn't quite a prestige SUV revolution. It's merely in the zone for space, practicality and value, not a benchmark. It's not the quickest diesel SUV you could buy for this kind of cash, which some might feel is a slight against its badge.
But these niggles are really just lost opportunities rather than negatives or deal-breakers. Ultimately the Porsche stands as an exceptionally well-rounded, well thought-out SUV package that adds to its fundamental handle of most things with a sky-high dose of driving, visual and emotional appeal.
If we had a hankering for a compact prestige SUV with a sporty flavour, we'd be struggling to find reasons not to place it ahead of its obvious alternatives.
Porsche Macan Diesel S pricing and specifications
How much? From $84,900
Engine: 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6. 190kW/580Nm
Fuel use: 6.1L/100km
Emissions: 159g CO2/km
What's it got? Eight airbags; Stability control; Parking sensors; Reversing camera; Dual-zone climate control; Power front seats; Power steering adjustment; Power tailgate; Satellite navigation; CD/DVD/MP3 stereo; Bluetooth; 19-inch alloys