Porsche Macan 2014 review

For a company that mocked the idea of four-door passenger cars, diesels or SUVs with a Porsche badge, they do a bloody good job of making them.

The latest addition to the Porsche fold, the four-door turbo diesel Macan SUV is a most compelling example of how the Porsche engineers (with help from Audi and VW) can elevate such a concept.

Just because it's the cheapest of the current range - you'll have to go back to the 1980s to find a new Porsche with this sort of price - doesn't make it a stripped-out shopping trolley.

VALUE

At $84,900, the Macan S Diesel is not short of kit - it starts with 18-inch alloy wheels (for the optional 20-inchers on the test car add $2130), four 12-volt sockets, 11-speaker touchscreen infotainment system with 40GB hard-drive and satnav.

There is adjustable and adaptive suspension, automatic bi-xenon headlights, tyre pressure monitor, automatic tailgate and eight airbags.

The most handsome Porsche SUV yet (OK, that's not a big task), the Macan carries it off with suave aplomb inside and out, with a broad road stance and a hint of menace.

The test car's custard-coloured leather trim joins $7330 worth of full leather treatment for the interior, $3790 panoramic sunroof and front seat ventilation and heating for $2880.

The Sport Chrono Package (to sharpen up the drivetrain and add a stopwatch and launch control) adds $2690, metallic paint is $1990 worth of ouch, there are trim tweaks inside and out and three-zone automatic climate control comes for $830. As tested it's $110,300.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

The V6 diesel is no slouch with 190kW and 580Nm. The soundtrack (or lack of it) does nothing to betray its oil-burning origins. Audi's SQ5 rival shoves harder but the Macan's chassis and driveline more than compensate.

The Porsche has some clever bits to help reduce thirst and emissions - a particle filter, stop-start, active radiator grille shutters and the transmission's coasting function among them - and when optioned up with the Sport Chrono package it claims 6.1L/100km claim.

DRIVING

Our time in the Macan wasn't entirely spent on the open road, nor was it being driven with sympathy for economy - and it was drinking 9.3L/100km from the 75-litre tank at the end of our time in the car, not as thirsty as the slightly-heavier SQ5.

But where the Audi can get a brutal on the behind, the Macan has had a bit more black magic applied, giving the adaptive adjustable suspension an almost-supple ride quality.

Yet it still has the muscles to control body roll and fire through the bends with unnerving nimbleness for a passenger wagon, let alone an SUV.

Even without the height-adjustable air suspension and any of the clever (and optional) torque-vectoring trickery, the active all-wheel drive system from the 911 drives the Macan with enthusiasm.

The Macan opts for a seven-speed double-clutch transmission and Porsche says 100km/h arrives after 6.1 when the Sport Chrono package is on board and a 230km/h top speed is on offer.

Being rear-biased puts it well ahead of the pack as the Porsche can send as much as 100 per cent of the drive to the front wheels using the electronically controlled multi-plate clutch but the rear isn't ever offline.

Add to that a set of serious stoppers that - when not wiping off speed with great effect - supply a braking function that stops wheel spin and transfers drive to wheels with grip and you have an extremely competent package.

On sealed roads it can hustle with composed pace, or on unsealed surfaces for that matter. Engage Sport Plus mode and back off the electronic nursemaids and its rear-drive preference will be roundly cheered by anyone who likes to drive on dirt.

Packing the family in won't cause any more grief than would normally accompany such a road trip - it's no packhorse given its overall size but rear occupant room is sufficient - just for my 191cm frame to sit behind my own driving position.

Cargo space to the tune of 500 litres (or 1500 litres when only two-up) and a braked towing capacity of 2400kg all mean there's a level of ability not often seen in this segment.

Just how much difference can a Porsche badge make? Plenty, apparently, but it's not just the badge - this kissing-second-cousin-twice-removed to the Audi SQ5 might not have quite the shove of its Ingolstadt relation, but it's the mannerisms that matter. There's scuttlebut that says Porsche "disobeyed" its VW Group like a petulant teenager, except the renegade Stuttgart team were on the right track it seems.

Flipping the Porsche percentage from 30/70 to the reverse and adopting the all-wheel drive system from its supercoupe cousin the 911 has had a major impact on the Macan and its road manners.

A rear bias to the drivetrain is not immediately apparent in demure day-to-day running but once onto a more entertaining piece of bitumen, the dynamic prowess over its four ringed cousin become apparent.

The helm has genuine feel and appropriate weight to it, but the virtues of the set-up are most obvious on fast unsealed roads, where it has an attitude akin to a rally car.

The nose is weighty but turning it in at pace and giving the diesel a prod for a solid surge of torque is all the excuse it needs for some buttwork to rival Miley or J-Lo.

Even with the electronic backups quelled, the intelligent AWD system makes it child's play to scythe through a series of bends regardless of the surface; despite the dynamic prowess the ride quality is firm but with good compliance.

Rear seat space is snug but sufficient, as is the boot area. Interior quality oozing all over, optional leather trim and Germanic ergonomic leave little to chance for features and functionality.