Soon it was time for my eyes to be opened wider. Sanjay, my photographer, had spotted a rather enticing mountain peak which would look just grand in a picture. ‘Off Road’ mode selected, the Macan rose to its maximum ride height of 230 mm. The diffs primed for low-speed action, I crawled off the road-shoulder and on to what looked like the surface of the moon covered in dust and chocolate. Rock formations with jutting edges and shards were dealt with inch-precision; the driveline capable of funnelling all of the power to the front or the rear as the situation demanded. Nevertheless, the Macan tackled the boulder-like surface with aplomb, the body never making contact with the surface of the rocks. It had made it, and, frankly, in that climate-controlled cabin, I had broken into a sweat, not the Macan. That’s normal, they’ll tell you that at the office.
The fact that this is a true Porsche on the road is evident. Then again, its true abilities are highlighted off the road. It’s no hardcore off-roader, but it can handle more than its fair share of the rough. We didn’t test its efficiency, but a claimed overall fuel economy figure of 10 km/litre isn’t too bad. Not bad at all considering it weighs two tonnes and delivers 400 horses. What bothers me more is the price-tag: Rs 1.09 crore, before tax. It may seem reasonable to some, but it is steep by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, it’s imported completely built up (CBU). And, with our dwindling tiger population, more of these wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
For the comprehensive performance figures, please refer to the June 2015 issue of Car India.
