IN anticipation of its 70th anniversary celebration, Porsche Philippines recently asked me to take the all-new Macan Sport for a driving experience.
My first impression after driving the vehicle for just half an hour on the road was that the word ‘sport’ which the German carmaker attached to its name was very, very apt. Why? To me, the term ‘sport’ connotes that the Macan is ready to rise above the ordinary and do more than what its ilk normally does.
It seemed that the Macan Sport was in its element on the highways, zigzag roads and occasional rough stuff that we (yes, that’s right. I purposely used the term ‘we’ because it felt like the Macan Sport and I were one) encountered going to and while inside the former US Air Force Base in Clark, Pampanga. You command it through the steering wheel and accelerator, and it does your bidding. No fuss. No hesitation.
What I admired most about the Macan Sport is that it truly embodies the full legacy of Porsche. It is not just a looker with unmistakably Porsche fascia. It also resembles a muscular decathlete who has been trained to go faster, higher and stronger.
The new Porsche Macan Sport is defined by five doors, five seats, all-wheel drive and a higher sitting position, which was built in keeping with the Porsche Philosophy—where sporty style and performance are injected into everyday driving.
The turbocharged two-liter engine in the Macan delivers 252 hp from 5.000 to 6.800 rpm and comes standard in all Macans a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission. As a result, the Macan delivers impressive acceleration, reaching 100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds and running at a top speed of 229 km/h. In terms of fuel consumption, the Macan proves to be very efficient: Depending on the mounted wheel and tire combination, the Macan consumes 13.9 km/l according to the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle).
During my test drive, I witnessed how Porsche’s new Macan transitioned effortlessly from winding roads, dusty trails, to the shallow and rocky streams leading to Sacobia River.
Its distinctive design has that iconic SUV look coming from the flared fenders, signature body lines and a tall stance. So it’s not just a Macan-look-a-like SUV but rather a vehicle with a character of its own.
The new Macan Sport is highly recognizable by its distinctive sporty appearance, and offers Porsche customers a myriad of standard features designed to immerse driver and passengers in the full Porsche experience. This ever-reliable sports car SUV brings a high level of sporty performance with newly-added adaptive air suspension with the Porsche Active Suspension Management. This setup provides for a high level of comfort and tremendous dynamic performance that can take on all-road conditions. The self-levelling function also helps to keep the ride height constant.
The new Macan Sport rolls on impressive 20-inch RS Spyder design rims, providing an outstanding look that is instantly recognizable. Fulfilling the requirements of a sports car, the new Macan Sport follows the Macan principle of active safety. Also, integrated in this SUV is the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) that helps ensure stability at the limits of sporty performance. The brakes set standards for deceleration.
The Macan’s cabin is simple and has an easy-to-navigate layout with a small gauge cluster, seven-inch infotainment screen with only a few steering wheel-mounted controls. The interior architecture of the new Macan integrates its driver and passengers perfectly into the vehicle. This is exemplified by the three-dimensional arrangement of the controls and the ascending center console with control buttons for the most important comfort functions. At the push of a button in the instrument cluster, drive mode can be switched into Sport or Sport Plus. Wrapped with leather seats, the Macan also features a 40/20/40-split folding rear seat for extra cargo space.
The multi-function sports steering wheel with 918 Spyder design also provides the ideal hands-on experience. With an unladen weight of 1.770 kilograms, the Macan is the lightest SUV made by Porsche, which translates into agile handling. The front seats are electronically adjustable in all directions, and side bolsters on the seat backs and bottoms can be positioned how you want them to.
Built for an intensive life, the new Macan Sport offers a more thrilling Porsche driving experience. With this model, Porsche is once more underlining its claim that the Macan is the sports car among compact SUVs.
Its unrelenting power of the Macan made overtaking easy. Even during ascents, the acceleration was likewise consistent. When I encountered endless twisting roads, the Macan further revealed more of its impressive driving dynamics. It handled the winding roads very well with good steering feedback although the braking seemed a little vague, meaning, the pads felt like they weren’t generating enough friction when you applied pressure on the pedal and it cost me a bit of my confidence as I had that tinge of apprehension at the back of mind that I may not be able to sufficiently slow the vehicle in time when I need to. I’m not sure if this is the way Porsche’s version of ABS works but such systems on other cars produce a slight vibration on the pedal when they are invoked. As a result, I had to adjust my driving style a bit by braking way earlier than usual. Notwithstanding the brakes, the vehicle’s overall performance did not disappoint me at all.
I am convinced that the Macan is everything you need in an SUV—power, comfort, safety, technology, ergonomics and entertainment. For more information, visit any Porsche showroom in Alabang, Global City, Greenhills and SM Seaside City Cebu.