Price from £40,276
MPG 46.3
Top speed 142mph
I have an antique mantel clock which I inherited from my grandmother. It sits in silence on a dusty shelf in our kitchen. My wife finds its resonant tick “depressing – like my life’s slipping away”. I know what she means, but I find that time-embalming tick and answering tock reassuring, soothing even. Either way, it’s not a sound you expect to hear in the cockpit of one of the most dynamic and technology-crammed vehicles on the road.
The clock in the centre of the dashboard of Porsche’s new Macan has a very loud tick. And it’s odd to be put in mind of my old Scottish granny – non-driver, teetotaller, church-goer, giggler – as I contemplate the empty road ahead of me and the totally psyched 3-litre V6 258bhp diesel that’s about to thrust me down it faster than a school boy shovelling stolen sweets. And it’s great having her with me, in spirit, at least. It’s also strangely appropriate, because of all sports-car manufacturers, Porsche is endlessly alive to its history.
The Macan is Porsche’s seventh model series and its first to venture into the compact sports utility vehicle segment. The small SUV pitch is already crammed with serious playas – there’s Audi Q3, BMW’s X3 and Range Rover’s Evoque. So Porsche has determined its Macan will set new standards for performance, both on and off the road, not least because its award-winning traction management has produced one of the world’s most powerful drive systems. The Macan champions all that Porsche holds dear: eye-bulging acceleration and jowel-trembling braking coupled with extreme agility and optimum steering precision.
For lovers of thrilling, tarmac-skimming roadsters, Porsche’s shameful secret is that its bestseller is the elephantine 4x4 Cayenne – a car so ugly my eyes sting and my nostrils water whenever one barges past me (hey… I didn’t realise how well-named it was). And, yes, at first sight, the Macan does seem to be a shrunken version of its older, uglier sister. But look again. Its neater proportions and broader profile accentuate its sporting elegance. The wraparound bonnet and sculpted haunches all point to an SUV that’s more sports car than 4x4.
The Macan is built at Porsche’s Leipzig factory. The Germans have invested €500m in the plant and established an entirely new production line. They intend to make 50,000 every year. There are four models to tempt you: Macan, S, S Diesel and Turbo. I tested the S Diesel – the economical, long-distance runner of the pack. Its turbocharged engine accelerates to 62mph in 6.3 seconds and then on up to 143mph, yet it will do 46.3mpg. On the road the ease of its throttle matched by the savagery of the response is exhilarating. Standard equipment on all includes the super-smooth seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission, ParkAssist, multi-function steering wheel, electronic tailgate, three-year warranty… I’d run out of space to list everything here.
The Macan is named after the Indonesian for “tiger”, apparently. A supple, fierce, apex predator – hey, this one is well-named, too…
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
