REVIEW | The outgoing Porsche Macan still delights

Porsche does not intentionally aim its wares at the mass market but the special hallmarks of the brand are more attainable than one might think.

You just need to consider the Macan portfolio as a prime example. Launched nearly a decade ago, the model is the Stuttgart firm’s answer to products such as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Audi Q5, BMW X5, Lexus NX, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Volvo XC60.

Chances are readers of this article who were shopping in the premium, medium-sized SUV arena have scoped out these rivals but perhaps never considered that a Porsche could also be contemplated for similar money.

Everyone with an inkling of petrol in the veins hankers to hold the keys, long-term, to a car bearing the famed crest at least once.

Over its life cycle the svelte Macan, with its taut proportions and sporting persona, has done well for the German carmaker.

Its successor will be reinvented as an exclusively electric vehicle (EV) model, but if you are not sold on the touted benefits of EV motoring or the inflated initial outlay that models of the breed require, you can still have the outgoing Macan with a petrol engine derivative.

The standard four-cylinder model kicks off at R1,393,000 and the middle-range Macan T, which uses the same 2.0l unit, will cost R1,524,000. Next in the range is the 2.9l six-cylinder S, going for R1,658,000. At the top of the range is the GTS, deploying the V6 from the S but with added firepower — and that will cost you R1,960,000.

These prices are with the default three-year Driveplan maintenance package (a five-year duration is also available); and before you add your preferred options.

LSM Distributors, the custodians of the Porsche brand in South Africa, offered a unit of the Macan T for testing last week.

Looking resplendent in a shade of grey, a first glance at the vehicle was a reminder of how gracefully it has aged from an aesthetic point of view.

The Porsche brand has never been one for superfluous design elements or an over the top sense of aggression, and where there is a sense of visual flamboyance — the huge wing on a 911 GT3 RS, for example — such trappings serve functional purposes.

Even at such an advanced stage of its life cycle, the Macan still looks contemporary, with its sculpted curves, aerodynamic prow and taut proportions. It is instantly recognisable as a Porsche.

Extensive screen placements and capacitive surfaces are widespread in the modern automotive world. Some executions from various brands are more user-friendly than others.

If you are partial to the traditional fixtures of car cabins, you might appreciate the physical buttons, analogue dials and an ignition key that is inserted and twisted in the Macan.

Being the T model — “Touring” — the principle is one of a slightly pared-back, less complicated machine that focuses on driving purity, instead of gratuitous creature comforts.

Not to say the amenities are missing: our tester had heated seats, a panoramic sunroof, navigation and a digital panel inset on the instrument cluster, among other things.

There are aspects that evidence the simpler constitution. The fabric upholstery inlays, for example.

Planting your backside into the contoured, shapely driver’s seat, the Porsche sports car DNA is immediately felt — there's the chunky three-spoke steering wheel with its exposed rivets and the tucked-in driving position, a vantage point from which the front wings are clearly visible.

Twisting the car-shaped key fob in the ignition, the 2.0l engine buzzes into life with promise. It might be the baby Porsche — and the middle-grade contender of the Macan range — but it still tickles the important parts of the brain and heart.

The output of the engine is 195kW/400Nm, which facilitates a brisk — if not tar-scorching — standstill to 100km/h in 6.2 seconds. Launch control is a foolproof process. Twist the driving mode selector into Sport Plus, hold the brake and accelerator, there you go. True, there are hot hatchbacks out there that may eat the Macan T for breakfast, but they would not be able to touch the Porsche for sheer dynamic ability.

The Macan has exceptionally sharp reflexes, aided by a quick-witted steering system and four-wheel drive that, while grippy, encourages a playfulness from the rear axle in Sport Plus setting.

Yet it never feels as though the driver is out of depth. In real world terms, this could be all the performance you need from a medium-sized premium SUV.

It also does the sensible stuff well: refined motorway cruising, a decent 488l boot for grocery forays and a fuel consumption figure under 10l/100km when finessed.

Years after its introduction, the Macan remains competitive in the segment and the forefront choice for the buyer who wants a pedigreed performance slant.