Porsche Macan S D driving experience

Driving along German highways (a.k.a. Autobahns in German) in a Macan, Porsche Macan.

Macan S D Acceleration

Just entered Germany – navigation screen shows no upper-speed limit on the highways, just recommended 130kph. A moment of freedom (which of course you have to enjoy responsibly). Moments later upon the third lane becoming empty – rushing for the Sport Plus button and unleash the power! The suspension stiffens making the steering feel even sharper, four pipes at the back spit out V6 rumble and I get stuck to the seat. Soon 180…200…220kph and further on. Soon at 231kph, I thought it’s limited to 230 – based on the acceleration in the 6th gear it felt like it would easily get passed 250kph mark in a 7th. However, on the other trip to Germany I managed to reach 245kph… Now let’s get back to reality – it is an SUV. Remembering myself in a Cadillac XT5 3.6 petrol giving me no much confidence above 140kph, Porsche Macan was completely opposite – stuck to the road even at it’s top speed, which did not seem much effort for it either. This car changed my perception of SUV – not all of them are boring! Porsche has proven that SUV can be agile & sporty, fun to drive and not feel heavy at all.

Macan S D versus 2.0 Petrol

Having tried different cars in my life and claiming I’m never looking to an SUVs garden (should I call it Crossover), I actually changed my mind after driving a Porsche Macan. Having said that I did have a chance to test drive and compare 2.0 petrol versus 3.0 diesel version. I can say one – 2.0 petrol – was not enough for my spirit, looking into long-range trips and hoping for some kick in a seat 3.0 SD version appeared quite an exciting compromise between power and consumption, fun too! It probably wouldn’t be as exciting if you removed Porsche Sports Exhaust, Sports Chrono Pack and few other nice features, however, I haven’t thought these things combined with Porsche PDK transmission all together would give such a joy. Switch stability management to “off” and you’ll discover no limitation on the power when at launch – it kicks even better! While 2.0 petrol vs 3.0 diesel has nearly the same power, diesel delivers way more torque, more efficiency and obviously v6 sound that is so much better than 4 cylinders. Simple comparison in the table below.

A small difference in power, but torque does make a difference. Also according to 2.0 petrol Macan owners, it consumes 11-16l/100km in real life, whereas with 3.0d it’s mostly around 8l/100km and rarely goes higher than that (unless you drive it in city traffic) based on my personal experience.

Quick summary

More than a couple of thousands of miles covered in this Euro-trip and all I can say this car did not make me tired at all. The more you drive – the less you want to leave the driver’s seat. Finished the trip with 7.7l/100km average by not going slow really, especially in Germany. Summary: simply can’t wait for my next trip.