Porsche Macan Review

Porsche entered the SUV market when they launched the Cayenne back in 2002. It was one of the fastest SUV’s and still holds its own today. But this was a big full size suv. Porsche decided to take on the the mid-size SUV segment with power, aggressive looks and well suv stance and driving dynamics of a sports car. The Macan was launched in 2013. Macan stands for Javanese name for Tiger. Quick, Agile yet Strong. With the SUV market flourishing in India, Porsche Macan came the very next year in 2014. Porsche has launched almost all of its models in India to capture the market but this does indeed have a steep price.

Porsche Macan Price

For a mid-size SUV this is surely not a mid-size pricing. Family jewels would be at stake. Well this car is a CBU and the import duty is to be blamed for. Vehicles like this would be way lesser than they are if not for the high taxes that cost almost 3 times the vehicle cost! Irony is that at this price you get full size suvs from Mercedes, Audi and BMW will almost equal performance.

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Porsche Macan Design

From the front this is a typical Porsche. The headlamp cluster is inspired from the Porsche 918 Spider. With strong muscular lines on the bonnet the Macan looks intimidating. The grill is on the bumper with added scoops on the side with twin chrome strips. Below which are the LED DRL’s with the chrome cladding in the centre. This adds a rugged look but with a lot of class. From the sides the Macan looks like a shrunk down Cayenne. The design is rather simple. The wheel arches are big enough to support the large alloys and the red painted callipers for the turbo looks gorgeous.

Porsche has stuck to its more car like side profile that gives aggressive shoulder line to the Porsche Macan. Though you can add a fibre or carbon cladding for a bit sportier look. This adds elegance with tradition. The tri-line wrap around kidney shaped LED tail lamps are typical vintage Porsche with a lot of modern touch. The bumper is raised high with twin exhaust on each side making the count 4. These are encompassed by the same chrome cladding as in he front. The one thing that always gives me a negative vibe is the small rear windscreen. It is fine in sports cars but why in an SUV. It’s time Porsche makes the necessary changes.

Porsche Macan Interiors

As a creator of sports cars, we know that driver and car must form a single entity. As such, you do not simply sit in the Porsche Macan – the ergonomic architecture integrates you into the vehicle. The three-dimensional arrangement of the controls lends the interior a cockpit-style layout. In typical Macan fashion, the sporty front seats convey a sense of height above the road but a firm connection with it. But despite the slightly stiffer feel to get be sportier the seats are very luxurious.

The leather used is top notch. The three spoke steering is well leather and chrome cladded with a tinch of wood. The centre console had buttons for every purpose and gives the feel of a cockpit. Or maybe just may be the cockpit may have lesser no of buttons.

If I have to find a glitch in the Porsche Macan, it would be that people can get confused with so many buttons. The steering has a nice feel. The infotainment display screen is big and clear and unlike most systems it is easy to use. Getting at the rear the seats are high and have excellent thigh support. Unfortunately there is the huge hump on the floor that we normally find in rear or 4 wheel drive cars. The piano wood on the doors and dash are very elegant and scream quality wood. But honestly this is a car for 4 people. The third person in the centre would have an issue on long drives.

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Porsche Macan Colours

The Porsche Macan is available in the following colours

• Agate Grey
• Sapphire Blue
• Rhodium Silver
• Black
• Mahogany
• Jet Black
• Dark Blue
• Palladium

Yes there are to blacks, but the Porsche Macan is one of those designs that looks great in any colour. It is just the difference of elegance or sport.

Porsche Macan Engine

For India the Porsche Macan comes with 3 engine options two of which are petrol and one diesel. Normally the word Turbo would be associated with the diesel engine but it isn’t so here. The R4 is the base model with the Turbo being top of the line for India . R4 being a 2 litre generates a wooping 252 bhp and 370 nm torque that kicks in as early as 1600 rpm all the way to 4500 rpm.

Now that is a good initial and mid range torque. City driving and feq highway stints are amazing, specially in traffic it is a stress free suv. The 3.5 litre turbo is a beast! 400 Nm is no joke and 550 Nm torque hitting as early as 1350 rpm is unimaginable. The 0-100 4.8 sec is what we expect from sports cars. Last but not least is the forever loved 3-litre diesel. The bhp is not much at 245 but the 580 Nm torque again is sports car stuff. Using this car to overtake in tough situations is a breeze. 

Porsche Macan Mileage

All three variants of the Porsche Macan have different efficiency, but not much different from each other considering they are miles apart in term of performance. What blends performance with efficiency is the 3 litres diesel. With top notch performance and overall mileage to rival many mid range cars this is an excellent value for money.

I know you wouldn’t look at mileage in these car but if a vehicle is providing it why not. Approx 460 km for the petrol and an mind boggling 700 km fuel range for the diesel make the diesel brilliant for long drives. All the cars come with the same 60 litre tank.

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Porsche Macan Dimensions

At just 4.6 meters long the Porsche Macan is not a huge suv. That’s what makes it agile and amazing to drive. Still the Macan manages a good wheel base for excellent stability. It is a heavy car at 1955 kgs this is what some Indian SUV’s weight being full size. I guess the heavy and powerful engines make the difference. Despite the amazing drive the Macan is still 198mm of the ground and can be raised more with the air suspension to 230 mm. This is some crazy GC for even decent offroading. The 4 wheel drive option makes this easier too. The Porsche is well built and the weight says so even though is is a small vehicle.

Porsche Macan Drive and Handling. 

This is one area where it is really really really hard to come close to a Porsche let alone beating it. Each Porsche is made for a purpose and yet delivers an amazing driving experience even if the person wants to drive it like a sports car. This goes for (Panamera, Cayenne and now even the Macan). Panamera being a super luxury car and the Cayenne being a full size maniac SUV handle like a sports car or rather like how  a Porsche should handle. The steering feedback is precise and so is the suspension. Just that sometimes the steering tends to oversteer.

Despite the high ground clearance Porsche has made no compromise in comfort or drive. The suspension is soft in comfort mode and a bit still on sports mode. Sadly when you do a bit of offroading is where the flaw shows. The suspension feels too soft and the cabin feels like a rollercoaster. The braking of the Porsche Macan is excellent and stops like any performance car should. There were times when I may have required adult diapers and the brilliant handling of the car got me out of those situations with ease. The cushion of the suspension also depends on the type of tyre. Eg the Turbo comes with low profile that are very hard and you do feel some undulations specially on our INDIAN roads.

Verdict

You must be wondering why only three stars. Yes, the Porsche Macan is an amazing car. Yes I was all praises about it and yes it ticks all the right spots but……… There are many other equally good brands offering the same if not more for much less. Also those brands have cars assembled here hence parts would be cheaper and easily available. What the Macan can get you is the exclusivity which depends on you if it really is worth paying.