Test Drive

This review is based on my experience during a test drive. It reflects my first impressions behind the wheel rather than long-term ownership.

What is there to say about a Porsche?

Before you even get behind the wheel, you expect a certain level of quality, refinement and driving experience from the badge.

The Macan S delivers exactly that.

What surprised me wasn’t that the Macan felt premium. It was just how successfully Porsche managed to make an SUV still feel unmistakably like a Porsche.

First Impressions

From the moment you get inside, there’s no mistaking what you’re sitting in.

The interior has the premium feeling you’d expect from Porsche. The materials feel excellent, everything feels solid and well put together, and the cabin gives you an immediate sense of quality.

Nothing about it feels like Porsche simply took an ordinary SUV and added a prestigious badge to the steering wheel.

It feels properly engineered as a Porsche.

And once you start driving, that becomes even more obvious.

Behind the Wheel

The combination of the 3.0-litre engine and Porsche’s PDK transmission is heavenly.

It’s one of those combinations that simply works.

The gearbox is smooth when you’re driving normally, but when you ask more from the car, it responds quickly and confidently. The engine and transmission feel perfectly matched, and the entire drivetrain has a level of refinement that makes the Macan S incredibly satisfying to drive.

But the thing that impressed me most wasn’t actually the engine.

It was the chassis.

You have to remember that this is an SUV. It’s not a 911 or a 718, and you shouldn’t expect it to behave exactly like one.

Yet the Macan S feels remarkably flat and planted on the road.

There’s very little unwanted body movement, and the car gives you this feeling of being stuck to the ground. It doesn’t constantly remind you that you’re driving something taller and heavier than a traditional sports car.

That’s where the Porsche DNA really comes through.

Comfort & Refinement

What’s even more impressive is that the Macan doesn’t sacrifice comfort to achieve that.

The ride is incredibly composed.

Very little road noise or disturbance makes its way into the cabin, and the car isolates you from the outside world extremely well.

When you’re simply cruising, it feels like a proper premium SUV. It’s quiet, comfortable and refined.

Then you find a more interesting road and the chassis reminds you that this isn’t just another luxury SUV.

That balance between comfort and control is probably one of the Macan S’s greatest strengths.

Interior

The interior continues the same theme.

Quality.

Everything you touch feels like it belongs in a premium car. The materials are excellent, the controls feel solid and the entire cabin has a sense of attention to detail.

More importantly, it actually feels special sitting behind the wheel.

There are premium cars where much of the experience comes from the badge in front of you.

The Macan doesn’t need to rely on that.

Even if you ignored the Porsche crest on the steering wheel, the quality of the cabin would tell you that you’re sitting in something special.

Performance

The Macan S is certainly not slow.

The 3.0-litre engine gives it plenty of performance, and paired with the PDK, acceleration feels smooth and effortless.

But this is also where I found the one thing I wanted more of.

Power.

Not because the Macan S feels underpowered. It doesn’t.

But when you put your foot down in a Porsche, there’s an expectation of that extra oomph. That moment where you floor it and the car gives you something that feels genuinely special.

The Macan S gives you a taste of that, but I couldn’t help feeling that it could have given me a little more.

Strangely enough, I think that’s almost a compliment to the rest of the car.

The chassis feels so planted, the PDK is so good and the entire car feels so capable that you get the impression it could comfortably handle more power.

And Porsche did offer exactly that.

What About the Macan GTS?

The Macan GTS sat above the S and offered the extra performance that I imagine would suit this chassis extremely well.

On paper, it sounds like the obvious answer to the one thing I wanted more of from the S.

But there’s another side to that.

The GTS also came with a considerably higher price tag.

And that makes the Macan S interesting.

You’re still getting the Porsche experience. You’re getting the excellent PDK, the beautifully composed chassis, the premium interior and more than enough performance for everyday driving.

You just don’t quite get that final level of punch that I found myself wanting when I really put my foot down.

Whether that extra performance is worth stepping up to the GTS is another question entirely.

Things I Didn’t Like

Finding something I genuinely disliked about the Macan S is difficult.

The only real criticism I came away with was that I wanted a little more power.

That’s it.

The Macan S does almost everything else so well that I struggle to find something meaningful to complain about.

And I’d rather say that than invent faults simply for the sake of having a longer list of negatives.

Final Thoughts

The Porsche Macan S is a fantastic example of what happens when a manufacturer refuses to let practicality completely dilute the character of its cars.

Yes, it’s an SUV.

It’s comfortable, quiet, practical and refined.

But underneath all of that, it still feels like a Porsche.

The way it stays flat through the road, the way the PDK works with the engine and the overall sense of control make the Macan S feel much more special than an ordinary premium SUV.

Would I have liked more power?

Absolutely.

But that’s partly because the rest of the car feels capable of handling it.

The Macan S left me with very little to complain about. It manages to deliver comfort and refinement without completely sacrificing the driving experience that you expect when you see a Porsche badge.

And perhaps that’s the biggest compliment I can give it.

It doesn’t feel like Porsche built an SUV and tried to make it sporty.

It feels like Porsche built a Porsche that happens to be an SUV.

Nordic Throttle Verdict

Would I drive it again?

Absolutely.

Pros

✓ Fantastic PDK transmission

✓ Excellent 3.0-litre drivetrain

✓ Extremely planted and composed

✓ Very comfortable ride

✓ Quiet and refined cabin

✓ High-quality interior

✓ Still feels unmistakably Porsche

Cons

✗ Could use a little more power

✗ The more powerful GTS comes at a considerable premium

The Macan S impressed me because of how complete it feels.

It isn’t trying to be a 911 with more ground clearance, nor should it.

Instead, Porsche managed to take the qualities you’d expect from one of its cars and translate them into an SUV without losing the character that makes the badge special.

Comfortable when you want it.

Composed when you push it.

And unmistakably Porsche throughout.

The Macan S isn’t a sports car pretending to be an SUV.

It’s an SUV that never forgot it was a Porsche.