I’m not going to claim a car that costs $94,120 is “practical” in every sense, but if you’re cashed up and want an easy-to-use luxury vehicle that’s fairly fun to thrash–and basically elite at everything it does–the Macan Turbo is undeniably impressive. Purist Porsche it ain’t, but, I’m a performance crossover cynic and I can’t deny that this thing is just good.

: Porsche offered to loan Jalopnik several vehicles to test and review, and we have decided that the pandemic situation is at such a point where the risk of spreading illness is minimal with Point-A-to-A safe driving. Both Porsche and the press fleet companies have stepped up sanitization efforts and I personally am convinced necessary pandemic precautions were satisfied.)

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The Macan is a medium-small “crossover” that feels something like a sports car, which is to say the advertised billing is accurate. Now I say “crossover” because while a crossover is typically classified as a cross between a car and a sport-utility vehicle, the Macan’s more of a cross between a luxury sports car and, well, a crossover.

It is a Porsche, after all.

The Turbo spec we have here is the top of the range, with a healthy 434-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6. Porsche’s naming system is sort of goofy these days, because even the base-model Macan has a turbocharger. But only one, and it’s on a four-cylinder engine, which can only cough up a comparatively paltry 248 HP.

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The paddle shifters are made of a light metal alloy (not a plastic as I originally thought), and they’re mounted with the steering wheel rather than the column. Here’s why both those things kind of suck: The experience of clicking them isn’t satisfying. And when they spin around with the steering wheel... I know people have strong opinions about this, but I hate it. A control as critical as shifting needs to happen in the same place all the time.

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I’m not a manual-only fanatic, and while I certainly think many cars would be better with three pedals, the Macan Turbo isn’t one of them. It’s fine to just stick it in drive and have fun steering.

The Macan’s only other citable weakness is its relative lack of... flavor. There’s an intangible aura of awesomeness that many “driver’s cars” at this level (about $100,000 list price) exude, including many Porsches, but I wasn’t getting strong whiffs of it in the Mac T.

That said, of course, you’re going to feel a hell of a lot sportier and excitable in a Macan Turbo than any other car in this category. Which is, of course, the whole point.

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I’ll admit it’s a little bizarre to mention the Supra twice in a Macan review, but having driven it right before this Porsche was an effective reminder of how stiff modern sports cars can still be. (Ouch, by the way, the new Supra’s like a dang tuner car.) But the Macan really, really isn’t. On the contrary: In fact, it’s very nicely balanced between “responsive” and “soft” for busy city driving.

Seat comfort and visibility are also pretty good. I’m neutral on the interior design, which will be pretty familiar to anyone who’s been in a Porsche in the last five years or so. It’s button-heavy and simple enough to age well, I guess.

The Porsche Macan’s been getting favorable reviews since the first version came out, circa 2014. Jalopnik Editor Emeritus Travis Okulski the 2015 model was better on a racetrack than it was on the road. over the last Macan Turbo back then, too. (Can’t believe I used “On Steroids” in a headline, though. God that’s lame.)

More recently, I said the was Subaru-like (Porsche probably hated that, though it was meant as a positive), and just the other day called the Mac T a “luxury rally car.”

All this to say: Macans have consistently been amusing and comfortable machines and the current model’s no different.

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The high-end performance crossover community has been steadily swelling, but the Mac T still has a critical edge. The Lamborghini Urus and Audi RS Q8 are larger, more expensive, and a lot angrier. The F-Pace SVR, a better-scaled rival, is far less dignified. The Macan looks good without being flashy beyond its Porscheness, which is the correct posture for such a car. Similarly: It’s perfectly pleasant around town, but when you want to turn up, the car rewards driving enthusiasm.

2020 Macan Turbo

2020 Macan Turbo

+

Earnest fun while still erring on the side of "comfortable"

-

Just doesn't have the same inherent coolness that a 911 or Cayman exudes

TL;DR

A high water mark for practical performance crossovers

Power

434 HP • 405 LB-FT

Weight

4,430 LBS

Price

$83,600 List • $94,120 As Tested

( I originally thought the paddle shifters were made of plastic, they felt like it to me, but Porsche’s people have informed me that they’re made of a metal alloy! Really sorry about that error!)