Porsche Macan review

All Macan models are fairly expensive to buy next to key rivals, because Porsche will not offer discounts. Resale values are among the best in class, though. Servicing and insurance costs are also slightly higher than that of other premium SUVs and, with no diesel in the range, don't expect particularly great fuel economy from any of the engines; the 2.0 unit is claimed to be capable of up to 39.2mpg, but that's unlikely in the real world.

The Macan’s emissions, while competitive given its performance, are high and, combined with costly list prices, bump up benefit-in-kind tax payments for company car users. The 2.0 engine is your best bet for keeping tax bills as low as possible.

If you’re buying your Macan on finance, you’ll pay more per month than you would for an Audi SQ5 or BMW X3 xDrive35d, because these rivals are generally available with lower interest deals and include deposit contributions from the dealer. Porsche offers neither.

The entry-level Macan includes 18in alloy wheels, a powered tailgate, cruise control, part-Alcantara seats (with eight-way electric adjustment on the driver’s side), front and rear climate control, front and rear parking sensors, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, lane departure warning, power-folding door mirrors and automatic lights and wipers. The Macan S adds sportier styling. This sporty styling is even more pronounced on GTS models, which also add 20in wheels, Porsche Active Suspension Management adaptive dampers, a sports exhaust, brushed aluminium interior trims and an eight-way electrically adjustable passenger’s seat.

Although the Turbo models weirdly drop back to 19in wheels, they get more kit over the GTS, including upgraded electrically adjustable front seats with memory function and lumbar support, full leather upholstery, Alcantara headlining and a Bose premium sound system.

At the top of the range sits the Turbo Performance Package. It’s mainly about higher performance, so you get the Sport Chrono Package with more focused driving modes and launch control, more power, lowered suspension, a sports exhaust and bigger front brakes.

For all the extra kit, the cheaper models still feel every inch the prestige SUV and make much more sense than the vastly more expensive – albeit much more powerful – Turbo versions.

The Macan proved to be one of the most reliable luxury SUVs in our latest survey, outperforming the Range Rover Sport and BMW X5. Porsche as a brand ranked mid-table at 15th out of 32.

While the Macan's three-year guarantee may look average, it is at least an unlimited-mileage policy.

All Macan models come with six airbags, including head and side airbags for the front passenger and driver, and curtain airbags that offer head protection to both front and rear occupants. They also have a tyre pressure monitoring system, hill hold assist (so you don’t roll backwards on a hill start) and the full range of electronic traction and stability aids.

In addition, there’s a system that senses if you’ve just had a collision but are still moving; it automatically activates the brakes to try to stop you from rolling into the path of another accident. Lane departure warning is standard, while lane assist and blindspot monitoring are on the options list.

Sadly, automatic emergency braking isn’t standard. Some city cars get this important feature, which can help prevent a front-end collision with cars, pedestrians and even large animals. The fact that it’s not even available on a premium SUV is unacceptable. Although when it was tested in 2012 the Macan received five stars from Euro NCAP, without this key feature the car wouldn’t have scored that high under today’s standards.

An alarm and immobiliser are standard, and Thatcham Research awarded the Macan a high rating for prevention of theft and protection from break-ins.