Even in the Comfort-oriented setting, the car maintains superb stability and tackles corners tidily, but the Sport settings make a discernible difference to the vehicle’s controllability and handling, with an acceptable reduction in the ride quality.
Air suspension is also available – in Singapore, it’s a $10k option for the regular suspension or a $6k add-on if your Macan already has PASM (which is standard equipment for the Turbo variant). The air suspension system features full load-bearing and continually adaptable, situation-dependent damper-force adjustment, plus three different levels of ground clearance (High/230mm, Normal, Low/180mm). “Normal” in this case means a ride height that’s 15mm lower than the steel-spring suspension and therefore 15mm closer to the road in terms of roadholding.
Soothing and spacious for two adults, but a third occupant would be a tight fit due to the obtrusive transmission tunnel.
Air suspension also allows the Macan to have a low-loading function that “drops” the rear end for easier access to the boot compartment.
There’s 500 litres of cargo space, expandable to 1500 litres by folding down the 40/20/40 split-fold backseats. The boot is noticeably less roomy than the Cayenne’s (670-litre capacity), but its squarish shape facilitates the carrying of luggage (not necessarily the co-branded Rimowa trolley cases that come in the same colours as Porsche’s paintwork palette).
Twin-turbo 3.6-llitre V6 has 400bhp, 550Nm, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and, like the closely related 3-litre unit, dry-sump lubrication ready for circuit action.
The cabin space is similar to the Audi Q5’s, but the Macan’s classier interior architecture and nicer headliner (Alcantara in the case of the test car) ensure that passengers in the Porsche won’t mistake it for an “upper-upmarket” Audi SUV. Even the grab handles above the windows appear to retract more gracefully than those in the premium-quality Q5.
There is also the usual leather package from the Porsche factory (standard on the Turbo and optional for the other models), which spreads the cowhide more generously, including to the upper part of the dashboard. The upholstery can also be two-tone, if you wish. Trim choices include brushed aluminium, carbon and burr walnut (wood looks odd in a car like this, I think).
The cockpit is where the Macan really sets the pace in its segment. Even though the switchgear, infotainment system and sloping centre console will be familiar to Cayenne owners, the rest of the Macan cockpit feels refreshingly different and generally more exciting.
The driving position is significantly lower than in the Cayenne, or for that matter, any other German SUV in recent memory. The steering column has been placed at a sharper angle, too, and the steering wheel is modelled on the one in the 918 Spyder, Porsche’s spectacular hybrid hypercar.
Said wheel looks fabulous and feels fantastic, and the same goes for its paddles that override the PDK gearbox. Too bad the tiny ball-like thumbwheels on the steering’s horizontal spokes feel flimsy, at least on the early-production Macans I drove.
