2019 Porsche Macan S Test Drive Review – Best Handling SUV

Performance – The Porsche Macan S is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 turbo engine that also does duty in the Cayenne. Producing 354 HP of power and 480 Nm of torque, the Macan S also gets an Overboost function which when activated (with a press of a button on the steering wheel), works for 20 seconds to give you more punch from the motor. Performance, as you would expect from a Porsche, is mind-blowing, as the sports SUV squats down at the rear and lunges forward, taking just 5.1 seconds to do the 0-100 km/hr sprint with the Sports Chrono Package (sans which it takes an additional 0.2 seconds).

The refined 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 motor provides punchy performance along with a sporty exhaust note

Outright performance is naturally a given with the launch control working brilliantly well to get you from standstill to as far as you would like to go or 254 km/hr which happens to be the top speed. The engine is terrifically refined, can be barely heard at low engine speeds but emits a sporty snarl as you whizz past the mid-range, redlining close to 6500 RPM. There are 4 drive modes – Normal, Individual, Sport and Sport+, the latter most ensures the engine remains on the boil and the 7-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox snaps through gears even before you can blink.

You have the option of manually shifting gears too using the tiptronic function or the steering mounted paddles but you don’t need to exercise this option at all, the transmission on its own is super quick. The fuel economy is between 6-9 km/hr, depending largely on your driving style and there is a stop-start system too.