Driving the Porsche Cayenne & Macan off-road

We drive the Porsche Cayenne and Macan off-road, after all this is the perfect season for off-roading.

It’s that time of the year when the weather is just about pleasant in the NCR region. The perfect time to go off-roading I would say as you do not have to scorch under the midday sun while being able to enjoy the extremely pleasant and constant breeze going around these days. At least that’s what I mostly do after I am done driving and spend time watching off-road junkies plough around these tracks on weekends.

But today wasn’t the same and I wasn’t here to watch anyone or drive my own car for Porsche was lent us their Cayenne and Macan in order to once again exhibit the off-road credentials of their SUVs.

autoX loyalists would know by now that our April issue which has recently hit the stands features a Porsche Macan on the cover as well. That one is from a rather exciting road trip we undertook recently. And from that I can tell you that the Macan R4 which we have here is an extremely comfortable car to go cross country in, while its 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine packs in decent punch.

Although when it comes to off-road driving I was honestly expecting the Cayenne with its larger stance and higher clearance to be far more capable than the Macan which is lower to the ground. But I am happy to report that the Macan proved its mettle as a true Porsche SUV as it cleared every obstacle just as well as the Cayenne on this off-road obstacle course which was purpose built for the occasion.

All you need to do is depress that off-road button located in the centre console to the – On - setting and without so much as a flicker anywhere the car sets up its drivetrain for optimising traction over slippery surfaces via its torque vectoring system while further optimising its electronic vehicle stability management system. And even though the Macan has only 198mm of ground clearance its independent suspension offers a fair amount of travel and wheel articulation to allow the vehicle to traverse rather intimidating terrain.

Off-road obstacles on the course included steep hill climbs and descents, a small slush pit, axle benders, ruts and gravel traps. And the Macan took to all of them like a fish to water. Over the ruts the Macan’s suspension was a tad louder than I would have expected. And while the Macan’s clever electronics distribute power ever so intelligently when one or two wheels are in the air, there is a little delay at initial revs between you feeding in more power and the wheels getting it at the right time to propel the SUV out of the gravel traps. But apart from this it is rather impressive the way the Macan’s powertrain regulates power between all four wheels no matter how slippery the surface, how steep an incline or the occasional lack of contact between tyre and driving surface. The only tricky obstacle was a banked surface which really tilts the vehicle to one side to such a degree that I was always ready to put in some opposite lock to prevent the vehicle from tipping over. But both the Macan and the Cayenne overcame the banking with no bother at all.

There was also a sprint section on dirt which allowed us to test acceleration over loose sand. This was quite a bit of fun in the Macan R4 as it sprints forward with the soundtrack of a fine German sports car as it heads towards the braking zone where you can absolutely stand on the brakes but the way Porsche’s electronics prevent even the slightest wheel lock up over loose surface is a testament to their engineering, allowing you to bring the car to a halt in no time and without any drama whatsoever.

The Cayenne if anything felt even more comfortable to drive off-road as the suspension is quieter over ruts but more importantly throttle modulation and response is more accurate allowing you to have better control of the car over tricky surfaces and obstacles. The Cayenne’s 215mm ground clearance of course also gives you more confidence and capability.

In conclusion though gauging by the potential of these SUVs, all of these obstacles were designed to showcase the vehicles capabilities and but not entirely justify them, for they truly have potential for much more challenging off-road terrain.