The Macan S boasts exclusivity and
desirability
The Macan soaks up these onslaughts with ease, although the small
stones embedded in the road’s edge can sometimes get its trim chattering and,
like most air-sprung cars, a sharp-edged pothole will provoke suspension crash.
But there’s no doubting that it feels structurally robust. And this we are
shortly to test when we find a rough trail leading to a fat slab of rock that
looks like it might provide a fine test of axle articulation. The track is easy
enough to negotiate and, after having a few modest boulders out of the way, we
reckon that the Macan should be able to make its way on to the rock. Whose
smooth surface is uneven enough to have wheels hanging in the air, first up
front and then at the rear. With only three wheels supporting it, there’s a
fair bit of twist being applied to the Macan’s body shell, but to little
effect, its doors opening as easily as they do when all four tyres are in touch
with terra firma. Not every off-roader is as rugged.
The Macan feels like an ultra-refined
rally car with a view
Porsche's PDK gearbox is one of the best
in the business
Some have more manageable throttles, though. When you’re manoeuvring
at very low speeds under guidance, you need a progressive, sensitive
accelerator and a responsive automatic transmission. But it’s too easy to tip
between too little power and not enough, and there are times when the
transmission appears not to be transmitting at all, until we discover that
riskily big gouts of throttle will get the wheels turning again. And that’s
despite engaging the off-road mode, which alters the throttle map to suit. Land
Rovers are easier to control.
But all four-wheel drives require thoughtful forward planning for
successful off-roading, and that usually means not getting stuck. So when we
spot a modestly rocky descent that looks likely to provide a decent traction
test, we get out and inspect the lie of the land, just like serious off-roaders
should. Then we engage the aforementioned off-road button and wait for the
Porsche’s air suspension to lift it 32mm higher above the Moroccan shale. This
button also recalibrates the transmission’s shift strategy, pre- tensions the
multi-plate clutch to fire torque at the front wheels more rapidly and
marshalls the torque split between axles to tackle challenging terrain. Which,
in this case, starts with a small ridge, followed by a gentle descent on a
stony slope.
Under the hood sit three engines - a
400bhp motor in the Turbo, a petrol V6 in the Macan S, and the 'less' powerful
Diesel S
We edge forward, the Macan’s nose rises and… we stop, rear wheels
spinning, a front tyre dangling off the ground. The Porsche is beached on the
ridge, its rear wheels burrowing into shale that’s a lot softer than it feels
underfoot. It takes some digging from three helpful Moroccans and a tow from
our photographer’s Dacia Duster to release the Porsche, which has been stranded
by the shortfalls of its driver rather than any lack of mechanical ability.
