The article was originally produced on November 23, 2014, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Porsche Macan Turbo

The recipe makes genuine Porsche fanatics snort at its existence, yet it is the Macan that will reap the gold for the car company from Zuffenhausen.

The year was 2002 when something happened that would forever change the history of the storied car brand founded by Ferdinand Porsche. With higher ground clearance and a front-mounted engine, the Cayenne was presented. A sporty SUV intended to compete with the bestsellers BMW X5, Mercedes ML. Despite many people's distaste for the new SUV, the Cayenne was such a success that Porsche even tried to buy big brother Volkswagen. However, the deal did not go through, but it clearly showed how much cash flow Cayenne contributed to. In terms of sales, the Cayenne exceeds both the 911, Boxter and Cayman combined! Porsche doesn't spit out new models like many other brands do. On the other hand, choosing to give the Cayenne a smaller sibling feels obvious if you look at how many variations, for example, Audi or one of the other premium brands have in their model portfolio. Porsche themselves justify the Macan as the sports car in the segment. Originally, the working name of the new model was Cajun, a kind of abbreviation of Cayenne Junior. But in the end it was Macan, a Javanese name for tiger.

Compared to the Cayenne, the Macan is both smaller and tighter in every way. The engine options for the Macan are Diesel, S and Turbon at the top if you look at power. All have V6 engines but with slightly different configurations. The Macan Turbo has a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 engine with 400 horsepower. This makes it move from standstill to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.8 seconds. When the top speed is reached, the meter needle is at 266 km/h. With the Sport Chrono addition, the 0-100 time is reduced by 0.2 seconds and you also get a stopwatch on top of the dashboard and the "Sport Plus" button. Something that unfortunately the test car was not equipped with. But with the fine performance in general, fine balance and a lightning-fast dual-clutch type gearbox, this does not detract from the impression. In terms of size, the Macan classifies as a mid-size SUV. The bottom plate is shared with the Audi Q5. However, the Macan is much sportier in its chassis than the Q5, which of course is not a coincidence. To make the Macan a really lovely armchair for long journeys, the Turbo version is equipped with adjustable air suspension as standard. A detail that costs a lot of money as an add-on for other versions. The sense of quality at Porsche is as close to perfection as it gets. When you sit in the driver's seat and feel the buttons, the new steering wheel and the comfort of the seats, you become speechless with pleasure. Everything is exactly as it should be without any gaps or lack of material quality. When the key knob, which is of course on the left side of the steering wheel, is turned and the engine hisses on, the feelings of pleasure continue. Since the car is cold, there is a slightly raspy and angry sound from the four pipes at the rear end, but that quickly calms down when the engine has warmed up.

Because the size is smaller than the Cayenne, the Macan feels very flexible to get around town with, even when the afternoon traffic thickens. But to really feel how the Macan is experienced, the journey goes out of town and towards winding roads in the countryside. The way there goes via a section of motorway and the Macan really gets to flex its muscles. The changes take place sleeplessly and the power goes straight down into the asphalt via all four tires. Without the slightest hint of anxiety, speeds more befitting of the German autobahn are achieved. It is precisely here that you begin to understand what a wide range the Macan Turbo plays over. The straight highway is soon replaced by a narrower and more curvy stretch of road. This does not matter because the car goes like a locomotive on rails through every curve despite relatively high speeds. Acceleration and braking are impressed like everything else with the Macan and it's hard to understand that this is actually an SUV. The Macana's versatility doesn't end there, however. To be reminded of its competence even a bit off the paved road, we turn off and onto a lonely forest road. Thanks to the air suspension, the car is now raised so that the ground clearance is 23 centimeters. The four-wheel drive of the Torsen type worked very efficiently and did not stop the Macan even though the road was noticeably worse than desired. Probably 99 % of all Macans sold will probably never be driven on roads this bad but it is impressive to see how potent it is after all. Whether the new Macan will be such a success as the Cayenne is difficult to predict, but there is no doubt that it is a full-fledged sibling that fills a much-needed place where it will continue to impress with versatility. With the Macan, Porsche proves that it belongs to the absolute best car builders in the world!