It’s cold. I’m trying to take a photo of my ice white test car perched upon the upmost hairpin bend of the Franschhoek Pass, but its paintjob is disappearing into the mist. Also, I can barely feel my nose.
Odd, Cape Town is meant to be fairly warm in April but here I am wishing I’d packed a jacket.
There’s not too much to digest here though. Let’s begin with the obvious upgrades to the ‘new’ Macan – those are all-new headlamps, and you get a choice of five types of personalisable side blades (the plastic swishes along the flank – available in body colour, gloss black etc.) plus a sharper front-end and new wheels that go all the way up to 21-inches.
Volkswagen Group interior means one thing... Quality
Hop aboard (where it is notably warmer) and you’ll encounter a multi-function GT wheel, driving mode switches if you’ve opted for the Sport Chrono Pack, a 10.8-inch screen dubbed the Porsche Communication Management Multimedia System, and a flurry of Alcantara and leather finishes.
Also, here lives reams and reams of features and tech including connectivity options for Apple Car Play and Android Auto.
But you’re more concerned about the stuff under the bonnet, right?
I’m in the base car and that means 180kW and 370Nm from its VW Golf-like two litre turbocharged petrol engine – not very Porsche, hey? This means your R849,000 Porsche SUV will sprint to 100kph in a respectable 6.5 seconds which is decent – but not quite the 5.1 seconds the Macan S will do.
Speaking of, that makes 260kW and 480Nm but then, the price of entry to that particular gun show is R1,149.000. Yours with a fiery 3.0 V6 mated to a 7 speed PDK – much like the one in this base car, mind you.
Handling across the board looks favourable when you consider Porsche’s willingness to include mixed tire widths, torque vectoring (with Torque Vectoring Plus being optional), traction management, ceramic composite brakes and air suspension. They’ve also introduced Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) plus Lane and Park Assist for safer manoeuvring.
Wait, did you say Franschhoek mountain pass?
There I was, hard charging to the best of my ability, what with misty conditions, greasy roads, national speed limits and such, on what is one of the land’s favourite driving reports. I can report a typically-Porsche helm, meaty and full of feedback. Also, a gearbox and power plant combination that really works, swapping the optimal gear and providing linear acceleration on par with the best of the Volkswagen-Audi Group.
And that’s not a slight, but yes – the Macan feels like a more athletic Audi Q5 and I’d argue that that was the very point of the car. Tackle a set of corners and it feels light, car-like if from a somewhat (mildly) raised seating position, flat and composed with the aforementioned ‘just right’ steering feel.
Early verdict?
Consider this; Porsche managed to sell over 400 000 units of the previous Macan in just five short years and garnering several accolades (including South Africa’s Car of the Year) along the way. This car is better in every way. Sharper, smarter, and now available in Mamba Green (see gallery above). I mean, why wouldn’t you?
Porsche Macan Spec:
Price R849,000.00
Engine 2l inline 4-cyl, turbocharged petrol,
Power 180kW
Torque 370Nm
Driven Wheels All
Gearbox 7-speed PDK
0-100km/h 6.5 seconds
Top Speed 227kph
Average Fuel Consumption 8.9l/100km
CO2 Emissions 204g/km
