The only way to know the answer to that one is to switch on the Macan S’ three-litre turbocharged V6 engine. It’s quite contrary to expectations really. There isn’t any of the sporty thrum that usually comes when you fire a sports car engine. Or at least a vehicle that’s expected to behave like one. No. The Porsche engine under that bonnet and the huge shroud sounds refined. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not as if the engine lacks character or sounds bad. It’s just that the engine doesn’t reek of sporty aggression as you would expect from a car wearing the iconic badge.
Transmission is via a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung or PDK, which is essentially a dual-clutch gearbox that ensures rapid gear changes to help keep pace with the vehicle’s brisk acceleration. Although Porsche say that the advantages of this gearbox are especially evident in off-road conditions where shifts happen without any perceptible changes in tractive force; honestly, we can’t really say because we didn’t get an opportunity to indulge in the kind of off-road ventures where we would have been able to notice that.
Technicalities apart, from the way it drives it becomes crystal-clear that the Macan is a Porsche. We did after all manage to get to 100 km/h from standstill in just 7.22 seconds, charging through the thick sheets of water that the heavens were pouring on us. Availability of power is immediate and despite the forced induction that is now de rigueur in diesel engines, there is no hint of a lag or break in the straight line of the power delivery. You step on the throttle and away you go in the Macan to wherever your heart desires (or where the sat-nav guides you).
Handling, of course, is superb but more of that later. What is a bigger surprise is its ease of driveability. The steering is relatively light, making for comfortable going through chock-a-block traffic or when parking, but weighs up nicely as the numbers on the digital speedo rise. Feedback is precise and you are never in any confusion about where your front wheels are pointed. Traction available is ample, courtesy that all-wheel-drive system Porsche have thrown into the mix along with the fat tyres. The ride quality too is pliant. Here there are none of the jarring head smackers of sports cars going over ruts. Instead a series of muted thuds lets you know that you’ve just passed a rumble strip. The fact that the seats you’re on offer an excellent combination of comfort and all-round support only helps to enhance the drive experience in the Macan.
