BRING INTO QUESTION

It’s all too easy to feel conflicted about the Macan. For some time, this compact sports utility vehicle has been one of the main breadwinners for Porsche, a company now building more SUVs than sports cars. Many of you will consider those words gut-wrenching. At the same time, it’s impossible not to acknowledge the Macan’s brilliance. Ever since the model arrived back in 2014, it has been the best medium-sized luxury SUV money can buy. It has also been the most exciting to drive. Put simply, no other compact SUV has mixed the Macan’s practicality and quality with such impeccable dynamic ability.

The Macan is, however, getting long in the tooth. Moreover, its rivals are becoming ever more talented. For example, Jaguar has made enormous progress with the latest-generation F-Pace, while the BMW X3 has stepped out of the X5’s shadow to become a terrific all-rounder. With such accomplished opposition effectively trying to play Porsche at its own game, the engineers in Zuffen hausen are having to make constant updates in a bid to keep their golden child at the head of the pack. Enter the Macan’s second facelift, a development which could be construed