Much has been made about the Macan. From our launch party this past May, to the scads of reviews that auto journalists have published since then, this small SUV has undergone a lot of scrutiny: Is it fast enough? Is it light enough? Is it Porsche enough? The consensus among reviewers has been as united as they get: the Macan is a Porsche through and through.
In fact, the Macan has done so well that they’ve been sold out continuously here at Leith Porsche. Macans have been claimed before they even show up at our doorstep, so when a white, nicely-optioned Porsche Macan Turbo in Raleigh happened to arrive without a buyer, we seized the day like it was made out of chocolate, grabbed the key, and headed out for a brief spin in the hottest Porsche of 2014.
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Porsche
This being December, red ribbon and green garlands are everywhere you look. Many people have their decorations up, the air is colder, and the scarves and wreaths about town make it feel like the holidays. We want to test the Macan’s performance, but we also want to test it in everyday driving. As we admire the deeply cut LED taillights and open the door with keyless entry, we have an epiphany about where to take it.
Every year one of the songs on the radio lists a bunch of things: three French hens, two turtle doves, a partridge in a pear tree—you might know it. It’s an old song, and no one buys those sorts of things anymore, at least not for their special someone. It is, however, a large amount of stuff to haul, and the Macan is designed to haul a lot of stuff. You can probably see where this is going.
We’re dreaming of a white Macan, plus some hot cocoa
Salem Street in downtown Apex is quaint, charming, and has a number of shops. In those shops, we want to see if we can find all items from our song, which are:
1 Partridge in a Pear Tree
2 Turtle Doves
3 French Hens
4 Calling Birds
5 Gold Rings
6 Geese-a-Laying
7 Swans-a-Swimming
8 Maids-a-Milking
9 Ladies Dancing
10 Lords-a-Leaping
11 Pipers Piping
12 Drummers Drumming
Piece of cake, right? Well, let’s look at what we have to haul it in. Our Macan Turbo has an air suspension for an incredibly comfortable ride; it has an off-road button to raise it up; it has a lowering button for fast highway driving; it has a twin-turbo V6 engine; dynamic lighting, carbon fiber inlays, 3-zone climate control, BOSE sound, privacy glass, and rows upon rows of other options that you don’t have time to read. Yes, we’re pretty well equipped.
Our list of holiday items, however, is going to require some modern interpretation. Even if we drive out to a farm, we’re probably not going to find a milk maid, let alone eight of them. Lords went out of style, oh, around the time America was invented, and pipers might be legal in Colorado and Washington, but this is North Carolina. We regretfully leave our heated steering wheel and seats parked off Saunders Street to see what we can find.
Shopping isn’t a chore if you have the right sleigh
With the rear seats folded, we have 53 cubic feet of cargo space. Maximum cargo weight is about 1,400 pounds. Six of the twelve items are birds: hens, swans, partridge, etc. Thankfully, there are a number of gift shops on Salem Street with a number of decorative birds. They might be bookmarks, paper weights and tree ornaments, but we’re going to say that they still count. Plus, we don’t want to chance swan feathers or other leavings on the interior of our Macan. Let’s say that all of these will take up about 20 cu. ft. and 300 lbs.
The five gold rings are probably our easiest purchase. Sophie and Mollie’s Boutique, Virtuoso Jewels, or any of the other shops would do nicely. Seven maids-a-milking is a harder find, but between the Ice Cream Shop and Buttercream’s Bakery, we think we have dairy covered.
Nine ladies dancing sounds difficult, but a short drive away is the Infinity Ballet Conservatory and Theatre: dancing ladies found. Ten lords-a-leaping is a stretch but what is a dancing lord besides a happily-monied man? Edward Jones Financial Advisors and Woomer Financial Services are probably full of people going about their financial business.
With 10 out of 12 items found on or nearby Salem Street, we were surprised at how easy the Macan made finding them. With a massive panoramic roof and easy navigation system, zipping around town would be a snap. At the same time, the super-wide rear tires and massive air intakes up front were put there by Porsche for a reason: when it’s time to move, the Macan Turbo can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
Water-cooled Porsches don’t jingle sleigh bells so much as crush them
Pipers piping were found at Peak City Bar & Grill via a poster advertising jazz flutists on Tuesday nights. Drummers drumming were on the other side of the street at the Rock Harbor Grill. To make sure we weren’t leaving anything out, we kept walking north until only houses lined the sidewalks. Wreaths, twinkling lights, and signs for a holiday walking tour dotted the picket fences on either side.
We circled back and came to our Macan on the side of the road, brushed with the last of the fall leaves, silver letters catching the light in a faint echo of sleigh bells. Could it fit everything from our list? Maybe. What really matters is your list, and what you plan to put it in. In that case, we bet that this 2015 Porsche Macan at Christmas won’t go unsold for long.
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