2015 Porsche Macan S
New car rollouts have become very carefully orchestrated, and begin long before the vehicles actually go on sale. It all starts with concept cars and spy photos of disguised prototypes. Closer to release they roll out the carefully retouched photographs for public consumption—often to steal the thunder from competitors’ unveilings. There’s usually a big auto show debut too (almost de rigueur for major models), and then comes the launch at some beautiful locale for the automotive and lifestyle press corps. Finally the production machines make it to dealers’ lots, and we see not only how they look on real roads but also how they stack up against the competition. Herein I want to follow two important new vehicles — the 2015 Porche Macan S and the 2015 Chrysler 200 S AWD — through this process and see how well the reality holds up to expectations.
2015 Porsche Macan S
When I first saw photos of Macan prototypes testing I wasn’t impressed. Undisguised pictures did little to bolster my enthusiasm, either, though the specification sounding intriguing: twin-turbo V6 stuffed into a crossover the size of an Audi Q5 (from which the Macan derives some structure and electronics architecture). It would have Porsche prestige, performance and handling in a handy, sub Cayenne-priced package.
Then I saw it in the metal at Detroit and all my design misgivings were swept away. What a looker! In three dimensions the Macan took on new menace, especially at the rear, where the larger rear tires and sloping hatch suggested the captivating derriere of a 911. I couldn’t wait to drive it.
The vehicle I finally got to try in May was the more basic S model. Its 3.0-liter makes due with “only” 340hp and 339lb-ft of torque, as compared with the bigger V6 in the 400hp, Turbo model, but that was ample thrust for a 4200lb crossover, with 0-60 available in about five seconds. This is one sweet little engine, and one that plays a sonorous—if too quiet—tune, while seamlessly deploying drive through the incredibly slick seven-speed PDK twinclutch gearbox.
As good as the performance was, the real revelation was what happened down a twisty bit of tarmac, for here the Macan resets the bar for what we can expect of a crossover. While I’ve piloted some amazing SUVs that seem to defy the laws of physics when pushed to the edge of the envelope, none actually felt that comfortable doing so, and it always felt as if the electronics were doing the heavy lifting. But the Porsche, with its smaller footprint and lesser mass, drives much more like a high-riding Carrera, with intuitive, easy to predict body motions, superbly accurate steering and the most stellar body control of any crossover yet made. And my Macan didn’t have any of the fancy options like electronic damping, air suspension or torque vectoring. Yet it turned in like a sports car, stayed neutral right up to its insanely high limits, and never felt twitchy.
Simply put, the Macan is a crossover that will make average drivers feel like heroes and that accomplished wheelmen will simply be blown away by. There are prices to pay for such performance: the ride is never less than firm, and tire roar isn’t as well suppressed as I would hope (in that way it’s classic Porsche), yet those are minor gripes.
Where the Macan also moves the game on is in its interior quality. While many other luxurious or expensive SUVs have nice leather or lashings of wood, none convey the sense of solidity of fittings and materials used in the Porsche—and this was a very basic model. While there are loads of expensive options, judicious choice will net one a very practical (if small) crossover of unmatched provenance for a not-unreasonable price. Expectations exceeded.
2015 Porsche Macan S
EPA ratings: 17mpg city/23mpg highway (est)
Price as tested: $63,680
Here is what Porsche has to say.
Read the Chrysler 200 S AWD review here.
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