Porsche Macan Turbo - long-term-review

This month I’ve been understeering. Not because I’ve been having those slow-motion, washing-wide-across-a-wet-track horror scenarios. No, my moments of understeer have been both much more sedate and humbling.

My excuse is thus: the Macan we’re now running doesn’t have rear-axle steering, whereas the Macan Turbo (on TG’s fleet until last month) did have the £1,445 option. Spend the extra and up to 50mph the back wheels steer by up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts; thereafter they turn the same way for high-speed stability. You also get a 15 per cent faster steering rack.

Porsche reckons it cuts a metre off the turning circle and reduces the steering angle needed by almost a quarter. Which explains why I nearly drove the Macan into the Macan Turbo when I switched one for the other. A few weeks on and parking is still comparatively hard, as are tight junctions.

You’re probably scoffing, but I reckon if it was an entirely different car my brain would compute the difference. Yet from behind the wheel there’s little visual distinction from this Macan to the last, so the ol’ bonce hasn’t quite caught up yet. Either that or eight weeks of having the kids at home through summer has fired my circuits.

What would be interesting (or at least, I’d be curious even if you’re not) would be to try a Macan Turbo without rear steer, and this other-end-of-the-range Macan with turning back wheels. In fact, whereas the Turbo has adaptive air suspension as standard, and on its replacement adaptive dampers (£899) or adaptive air (£2064) are both extras, what would this silver car feel like with one of those option boxes ticked too? I’m not sure they’d feel that different going through a corner…

Which is a knock on the Turbo, I know. But eye-widening acceleration aside, the Macan Turbo doesn’t quite elevate the emotional connection to where I’d want it to be for a six-figure performance SUV. If you’ve come from something with a snarly V6 or rumbling V8 to this, you’d be missing the noise.

However, this new Macan that’s with us, while it’s a whole Golf GTI down on power to the Macan Turbo, it conversely does elevate the everyday electric SUV experience. As everyday cars, EV are great: they’re quiet and refined so you can hear your music or your kids, and the instant torque and lack of gears makes driving easy – but too many also feel just like any other EV. Yet the Macan, this entry level one, still has the Porsche sparkle, that sharpness of response, to steering, throttle and brake pedal.

Long may that continue, whatever the method of propulsion.