2015 Porsche Macan Turbo Road Test & Review

Some of us still recall the cries of heresy from the unenlightened when the management team at Porsche announced the company would field a sport utility vehicle offering. Firmly entrenched in Porsche’s legacy as a builder of sports cars, these people’s fears swirled around the potential dilution of the brand. “How can Porsche build a SUV without tarnishing the luster of the badge?” they wailed.

Time, experience, and the subject of this 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo road test & review have shown that rather than diluting their brand with its SUV offerings, Porsche has actually elevated the SUV to a place people had never considered it to be capable of occupying. And, in so doing, the company has established itself as a dominant player in a very popular segment of the marketplace.

Further, the move may well have saved the company.

The fact of the matter is had the Porsche management team not done the Cayenne and doggedly stuck with building only small sports cars, Porsche may well have fallen by the wayside. Of course, given the success of the Cayenne, a smaller Porsche SUV was perhaps inevitable. New for the 2015 model year, the compact Macan (which means “tiger” in Indonesian and is pronounced MA-CAHN) has arrived.

The first compact SUV offered by Porsche, both Macan models combine all of the traits we’ve come to associate with the Stuttgart automaker. Macan S and Macan Turbo each offer sophisticated and powerful engines, exemplary acceleration and braking, outstanding agility and steering precision, as well as superior comfort and drivability.

At introduction, Macan is being offered in two states of trim; Macan S and Macan Turbo. Of course, anyone who has paid attention to the way the Porsche product planning team works knows this is just the beginning. In time, there will be a base model Macan, as well as a Macan GTS, and a Macan Turbo S. We will probably also eventually see a Macan Hybrid. For now however, we have what will eventually be the high-end entry level Macan in the S and the low-end upper level Macan in the Macan Turbo.

For the 2015 model year, Macan S pricing starts at $49,900, while Macan Turbo pricing starts at $72,300.

During our time with the Macan Turbo we were struck by how little attention it garnered from other motorists. Of course, our test Macan Turbo was clothed in one of the more demure colors offered for the compact SUV—Agate Grey Metallic—but still, even with a set of humongous 21-inch wheels and lower profile summer tires, hardly anyone gave the Macan Turbo a second glance. 

We’re guessing most people simply assumed it was a Cayenne, which has become a rather familiar sight on American roads. The familial resemblance is very strong; it’s only when you see the two side by side you realize how much smaller the Macan is, and how differently it is styled.

As with all other Porsche models, the Macan’s key design cues all hearken back to the venerable 911 series of Porsche sports cars. The shape of the side windows and the sloping rear roofline are clearly in homage to Porsche’s flagship. Further, the slight bulging of the front fenders behind the headlights is clearly 911 inspired as well. If you look closely, you’ll see the 911 in the shape of the Macan’s rear fenders too.

Macan also takes a few cues from the current Porsche supercar, the 918 Spyder. If you look at the shape of the headlights, you’ll see they pick up on the 918’s. Further, the side blades in the lower sections of the Macan’s doors mimic the lower door seams on the hybrid two-seater.

While we’re on the subject of the 918 Spyder, the Macan’s standard multi-function sport steering wheel is also modeled after the one fitted to the roadster. Behind the steering wheel are the traditional three round instrument housings you’ll find in every Porsche. In the case of Macan Turbo, they contain a centrally positioned tachometer, a high-res 4.8-inch color display reconfigurable to provide information regarding the powertrain, navigation system, entertainment system, and other key features of the Macan. The housing to the left of the tachometer contains the analog speedometer. The tachometer binnacle also contains a digital speedo.

Eschewing the dial and monitor treatment most of Porsche’s peers in the luxury category prefer for secondary functions, the controls for those systems are arrayed on the center console, flanking the transmission’s shift lever. It can be a bit daunting at first glance, but once you’ve become acclimated to its logic, operation becomes second nature.

Macan Turbo’s base price gets you a power liftgate, power adjustable and heated side view mirrors, an automatic stop/start function for the engine, smart Xenon headlights and LED foglights, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth, a touchscreen interface for infotainment functions, an adaptive suspension system, full leather upholstery (including the dash, center console, and door panels), heated front seats, split-folding rear seats, and a Bose surround audio system.

Our test model included the optional heat for the steering wheel, ventilated seats, variable torque vectoring for the rear wheels to improve cornering performance, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, Porsche’s Sport Chrono Package, keyless entry and ignition, the upmarket 16-speaker Burmester audio system, front and rear parking sensor arrays with a rear view camera, and the aforementioned 21-inch wheels with summer performance tires.

Our tester also featured the outstandingly comfortable adaptive sport seats Porsche offers as an option for the Macan Turbo. Adjustable 18 ways, these deeply bolstered thrones provided superlative support over several three- and four-hour drives. Firm in all the right places and pliable everywhere else, these seats went a long way toward generating the regard with which we held the Porsche at the conclusion of our testing.

Legroom is offered in abundance for the occupants of the Macan’s two front seats. Denizens of the Porsche’s back seats will be highly dependent upon the generosity of the two people seated up front for legroom. Further, that sloping rear roofline—while ever so sleek and chic in appearance outside of the Macan—does eat into available headroom for the rear-seat passengers.

Upholstered in leather, punctuated with brushed aluminum trim, and crowned with an Alcantara headliner, the Macan Turbo’s interior treatment is straight-up first class. The moment you settle into this Porsche—whether you were impressed by the exterior styling or not—you’ll know you’re in an expensive ride. Quality is evident everywhere you look. Cargo capacity with the rear seatbacks folded completely is 50.3 cubic feet. With the seatbacks deployed, you get 17.7 cubic feet.

Macan Turbo’s standard suite of safety features includes antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, front side airbags; side curtain airbags, and knee airbags for both front passengers.

The options list also contains the front and rear parking sensors and the rearview camera we mentioned earlier. There is also a frontal collision warning and mitigation system (with automatic braking), blind spot monitoring, and lane departure warning and lane keeping assist. Porsche also offers active cruise control, which can bring the Macan to a complete stop if required.

Neither NHTSA nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have crash tested the 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo, so we can’t quote crash test ratings.

Macan S uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 capable of 340 horsepower and 339 ft-lbs of torque. While this is more than adequate for producing scintillating acceleration, the twin-turbocharged Macan Turbo gets a displacement increase to 3.6-liters, for 400 horsepower and 406 ft-lbs of torque.

Macan Turbo’s top speed is quoted at 164 miles per hour, Macan S is quoted at 156.

Automatic stop/start technology is applied to both engines to help improve fuel efficiency by shutting the powerplants down when the Macan comes to a stop; then restarting them when the vehicle needs to move again. Electro-mechanical power steering is also employed to assist in fuel conservation efforts. What’s more, the engine decouples from the transmission when the driver lifts off the throttle to avoid parasitic losses.

Speaking of the transmission, Porsche’s seven-speed PDK automated manual transmission is employed with both Macan S and Macan Turbo. Both models also use an all-wheel drive system biased to the rear in steady state motoring. In extreme situations when loss of traction by the rear wheels is evident, the system can apportion torque to the front wheels as required to maintain traction.

Macan Turbo is said to accelerate to 60 in just under five seconds (our testing bore this out) and Macan S is quoted at just over five seconds. Towing capacity, if properly equipped is 5,291 pounds. Macan Turbo is rated at 17 miles per gallon in the city and 23 on the highway. Over the course of our testing we averaged 18.5 miles per gallon.

At startup, Macan Turbo emits a very healthy growl, apprising you immediately of its performance potential. Underway, the compact Porsche SUV is preternaturally smooth in operation and in day-to-day driving the Macan Turbo, is well, docile.

Around town, you’d never know this SUV is capable of sprinting to 60 miles per hour in just under five seconds. The engine does not goad you into doing everything like you’re trying for a hot lap of the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife. Further, the Porsche’s ride quality is exceptionally comfortable. Even when encountering severe surface irregularities, the Macan Turbo’s adaptive suspension system absorbs them without transmitting discomfort into the passenger compartment.

On the highway, the Macan Turbo is quiet, smooth, fleet, and stable. The confidence you’ll experience driving Macan Turbo—even in rain and snow— is absolutely extraordinary. The only way to adequately describe the feeling you get driving the Macan is it’s very Porsche-like.

With outstanding balance, otherworldly roadholding, absolutely precise steering, and demonically resolute braking, Macan goes exactly like you expect a Porsche to go. What’s more, the adjustable suspension system fitted to our Macan Turbo test car gave us the ability to specifically select the desired degree of firmness needed for the task at hand. Additionally, the Macan Turbo offered Sport and Sport Plus modes for the powertrain and steering, which could be activated independently of the suspension system.

This enabled us to precisely tailor the response of the Macan Turbo to various situations. For example, on extremely rough roads we could set the suspension system to comfort, while still taking advantage of the more aggressive throttle and steering calibrations afforded by the Sport and Sport Plus settings. On smooth pavement, we could dial up the most aggressive suspension settings in concert with the most aggressive throttle and steering selections.

Long story short, this is one extremely enjoyable automobile to drive—regardless of category.

Thoroughly living up to its name, the Porsche Macan is endowed with all of the power, grace, and athleticism of the large striped jungle dwelling feline.

It is also one very pricey automobile—regardless of category.

All told, with all of the options it featured, our tester came in at just over $98,000 and change. And while the base Macan Turbo, at $72,300 is a wonderfully equipped ride, over the course of our testing, we found every option fitted to our Macan Turbo to be a useful feature.

In other words, there was a justifiable case for all of the extras. Now whether or not the overall driving experience warrants an expenditure of this caliber for you is a question only you can answer for yourself.

But we will say this is one very sweet driving machine.

Pros: It does exactly what you expect a Porsche to do.

Cons: It costs exactly what you expect a Porsche to cost.