Porsche Macan S Diesel review, test drive

With mixed sportscar and SUV DNA, this new Porsche is a unique package. Shapur Kotwal is the first to see how well it tackles Indian roads.

Published on Jul 21, 2014 12:30:00 PM

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Porsche Macan.

The diesel, though good, isn't the best bit. Assaulting corners is what this Porsche does best. The Macan turns in with incredible agility and it has enough grip to carry ridiculous speeds through the bends. You can’t not be blown away by the seminal driving experience in something that’s a relatively lofty 1624mm above the ground. It’s easy to forget that this is an SUV that’s also capable of playing mountain goat up a muddy slope. For now though, I’m enjoying every bit of the car on this tight, yet flowing road. What makes it even nicer is that the direct steering is simply brimming over with feedback and feel. Yes, there is some amount of understeer as the tyres start to lose traction, but this can often be cured by waiting and getting on the power when the corner opens up.

And what’s amazing is that all this hasn’t come at the expense of ride quality. Leave the damper settings in Normal mode, and even on a bumpy road, the Macan doesn’t feel bone-jarringly stiff despite the 20-inch rims and the low profile tyres. In Sport Plus, you can feel the dampers stiffen considerably and the Macan feels a bit jiggly on an uneven surface too, but never to the point of being uncomfortable. The ride is truly phenomenal.

Porsche calls the Macan ‘the sportscar among compact SUVs’, and that, frankly is what it is. This means, you get the best of both worlds with sportscar performance and SUV-like off-road ability. It’s fast, luxurious and its immense dynamic ability completely belies its body style. At around Rs 80 lakh, it’s very expensive and some may argue that it’s a bit too cramped and doesn’t buy you much road presence at that price either. However, if you want sportscar-like driving pleasure and compact SUV-like utility and clearance, in one single package, look no further.