2015 Porsche Macan S: The SUV For Drivers Who Hate SUVs

If I had asked you last year to identify the most affordable member of the Porsche family, you probably would have pointed your finger at the Boxster, the brand's entry-level compact roadster.  As logical as that seems, you would have been mistaken - it was actually the Cayenne SUV, albeit in a rarely-seen manual-transmission base model.  For 2015, the situation is 'the same, but different,' as the shift-it-yourself Cayenne has been banished from the order sheet but an SUV once again serves as the least expensive way to get behind the wheel of a Porsche.

It's name is the Macan, and it's an all-new effort from a company known for its sports cars but funded by the phenomenal sales of its sedans and sport-utility vehicles.  It would be a mistake, however, to think of the 2015 Porsche Macan as merely a smaller take on the Cayenne formula, as this compact people mover features far more exotic DNA.  It also happens to deliver, to a much greater degree than its larger sibling, on the promise of performance that is made when you hand someone the keys to an automobile bearing the Porsche crest.

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Standing On Its Own

It's no surprise that the 2015 Porsche Macan shares at least a few of its chassis details with its corporate cousin the Audi Q5.  A similar formula was employed when the Cayenne was initially built as well, with the Volkswagen Touareg donating its bones to help make Stuttgart's SUV project a reality.  Despite this, parking the 2015 Porsche Macan alongside the Q5 reveals that the only discernible similarity between the two models is their wheelbase, as more than 80 percent of the parts used to assemble the Macan are entirely unique to the Porsche.

There are important styling differences that help to further set the Macan apart from other SUVs that share its bloodline.  The flat front visage with its curved hood and canted headlights unmistakably ties the vehicle to luminaries such as the Porsche 911 and of course the Cayenne, but its shorter roofline, which slopes down to a wide tailgate, is less truck-like and more sporty than the bigger 'ute.

The closest link between the Cayenne and the Macan is found in the passenger compartment, where the new SUV adopts the brand's familiar strategy of populating the centre console with an admittedly bewildering array of buttons all identified using the same size font.  It's confusing at first when trying to find the climate or vehicle controls you are looking for at a glance, but Porsche makes up for it with a very nice gauge cluster that features a prominent tachometer positioned directly in front of the driver.  I will also never tire of the round gauge to the right of the tach that can display an exceptional amount of vehicle data, including a full-color navigation screen that compliments the touchscreen found on the centre stack.

Mechanically Delightful

There are two versions of the 2015 Porsche Macan's drivetrain available in North America, both of which are based around turbocharged V-6 engines.  The Macan S - which is the model I drove - squeezes 340 horses and 339 lb-ft of torque from a 3.0-litre mill, while the Macan Turbo (confusing name, I know) produces 400 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque from a 3.6-litre unit.  All-wheel drive is standard with each, as is a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission that Porsche dubs PDK.

Rest assured that sticking with the base Macan S is no consolation prize.  Capable of sprinting to 100 km/h in roughly five seconds, and featuring only the barest hint of turbo lag when launching off of the line, the Macan S feels every inch a Porsche from a power perspective.  When set to Sport mode, the vehicle's PDK gearbox shifts at an impossibly quick interval, and the all-wheel drive system's ability to direct most engine torque to the rear wheels unless absolutely needed to enhance grip up front helps to preserve a fun-to-drive character for the SUV.

The Macan S' drivetrain is backed up by handling that is surprisingly sticky for such a tall-riding vehicle.  Although my tester lacked the option of Porsche Active Suspension Management it stuck to the tarmac no matter how hard I pushed it.  Better yet, it didn't punish my spine with a rough ride while doing so, with the Macan's shocks and springs delivering luxury levels of comfort even as they dealt with the high centre of gravity inherent in all SUVs.  It's even possible to forget that the Porsche has any performance pretensions at all if you choose to just putter around town going from one errand to another, and it's this transparency of capability that helps it serve its dual thrill ride/soccer taxi role.

Daily Dose

The 2015 Porsche Macan S manages to offer performance that's a cut above most other SUVs at its price point while still featuring the utility that one requires on a regular basis from this type of vehicle.  There's even decent passenger room in the rear of the Macan S as long as you don't haul around any tall front row riders, and cargo space expands easily by dropping the back seat.  If you need a crossover in your life but hate the idea of dulling your senses every time you slip behind the wheel for your morning commute, then the Porsche Macan S offers the antidote to your daily driving blues - and with a starting price of $54,300, if you can resist the lure of the options sheet you won't have to take out a second mortgage to afford one, either.