Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • The Porsche Macan is clearly not sports car. And it's not a practical, family-friendly

  • SUV either, but it very much splits the difference between those extremes to create a compromise

  • that should appeal to a lot of people.

  • For now there are two models available: the Macan S and the Macan Turbo. Despite their

  • names, both actually have turbocharged V6 enginesalong with standard all-wheel

  • drive and Porsche's PDK transmission. The 3.0-liter S produces 340 hp, which is more

  • than everything in the segment except the heavier, 354-hp Audi SQ5. Both go from 0-60

  • in about 5 seconds.

  • Needless to say, then, that the 3.6-liter, 400-hp Turbo blows the doors off every other

  • compact luxury crossover. It simply does not have an equal, and really, no other SUV comes

  • as close to feeling like a sports car than the Macanbe it the Turbo or the S. Whether

  • you're bombing along a back road or just running errands around town, it corners flat, its

  • hefty steering offers lots of feedback and all its mechanical-feeling controls make you

  • feel connected to the car and the road.

  • It has roughly the same length and wheelbase as competitors like the Audi Q5 and BMW X3,

  • but it's wider and not as tall. There's also a significant difference in interior space.

  • The back seat is cramped and its cargo capacity, with the seats up or down, is essentially

  • tied with the Lexus NX and Range Rover Evoque for class worst.

  • Its cabin quality is amongst the class best, though, giving up nothing to pricier Porsches.

  • Construction embodies the term precision, the materials used are excellent, and the

  • design, right down to the ignition being to the steering wheel's left is pure Porsche.

  • Now, we could probably do with fewer buttons on the rising center console and a more user-friendly

  • touchscreen. It can all be a little overwhelming.

  • The same could be said of the price. Until a base model Macan comes along, pricing starts

  • at just under $50,000 and few hundred more than a base Cayenne. That's a lot, but it

  • does match the SQ5. Just beware of the lengthy and hilariously expensive options listtens

  • of thousands can be added to the bottom line like that. Which is really just another way

  • that makes the Macan a true Porsche.

  • For more information about the Porsche Macan, go to Edmunds.com and specifically its long-term

  • test page.

The Porsche Macan is clearly not sports car. And it's not a practical, family-friendly

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it