Every Porsche with a ‘Turbo’ badge on its decklid is bonkers. The 911, for example, feels like it can eat supercars for breakfast and even the all-electric Taycan, despite being obviously devoid of turbochargers, is capable of injecting its driver with a large dose of adrenaline in Turbo and Turbo S guise.
Sitting at the top of the Macan range, the Macan Turbo starts at $84,600. That’s 718 Cayman and Boxster territory, although in theory, the sporty premium compact SUV should smoke both of them.
It certainly has the numbers to do so, with 434 HP (440 PS / 324 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque available on tap thanks to its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6. This enables a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint of 4.3 seconds and a 167 mph (269 km/h) top speed.
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For a high-riding vehicle, that’s not bad at all, especially since the steering is very responsive, the Macan stays planted through corners and the optional air suspension makes the daily commute more pleasant. However, it lacks the insanity of other Porsche Turbo models, according to ThrottleHouse, whose tester came packing around $30,000 in options, which lifted the price to roughly $115,000.
On the plus side, it looks good, has lots of features and top notch interior build quality. Those who are fond of pushing buttons rather than using the touchscreen display to control most functions of the car will have lots of them at their disposal. Space at the back is decent, although the sunroof does eat into the headroom, although unlike the company’s sports cars, you also get a big boot.
All in all, is the Macan Turbo worth the premium over the rest of the lineup? The Macan GTS, for one, starts at $72,100, has 375 HP and does the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.7 seconds, while the S adds 0.4 seconds to the acceleration time, drops the output to 348 HP and comes from $60,200. The entry-level Macan has an MSRP of $52,100, packs a 248 HP 2.0-liter four-pot and needs 6.3 seconds to hit 60.