Who offers the best mid-size performance SUV? Audi with its muscular turbo-diesel SQ5 or Porsche with its barely-restrained biturbo petrol Macan S? Let’s find out…
Mid-size SUV masterclass
Is there any reassurance to be found in the fact that the 2022 Porsche Macan is the least-expensive model from the German sports car marque that money can buy?
As the only product from the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen company that can be bought new for less than $100,000, it’s certainly the most realistically aspirational Porsche.
For many, whether or not the Macan is a legitimate Porsche is immaterial. The fact that it wears the vaunted badge, even though it shares much with other Volkswagen Group products such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Kodiaq – and, yes, the Audi Q5 – is simply enough.
On sale since mid-2014 and easily the company’s biggest seller, the Macan is the Porsche of premium mid-size SUVs.
That’s a title it holds securely, despite its age and even though it’s outsold in Australia by the Audi Q5 and other contenders such as the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and Lexus NX.
For sheer sales numbers – and even for sheer performance – it’s not dux of the class. But as an SUV with true sporting DNA it belongs in a tight-knit peer group.
Arguably the version that best encapsulates all that’s desirable about the Porsche mid-size SUV is the twin-turbo V6 Macan S, which sits above the entry four-cylinder Macan and its new companion, the jazzed-up Macan T (for Touring), but is a step down from the steroid-fed Macan GTS flagship.
The Macan S has performance, on-road dynamics and street appeal in spades.
In the mid-size high-performance SUV segment, its closest competitor is the recently updated, single-model, top-of-the-class 2022 Audi SQ5 Sportback, which came onto the market late last year.
The Audi SQ5 departs from the norm by bolting in a torque-rich 3.0-litre diesel V6 that employs 700Nm of mid-range muscle to swap punches with the more powerful but less grunty Porsche Macan S.
Subjecting the two German mid-size SUV hot-rods to a real-world face-off would seem a reasonable thing to do. In a milieu where the seemingly improbable has become the virtual norm, it’s hard to think of two closer-linked competitors.
Bells, whistles and cash registers
Although for some there’s cause to celebrate the fact that the 2022 Porsche Macan S opens bidding at $105,800 plus on-road costs while the 2022 Audi SQ5 Sportback doesn’t get out of bed unless the customer is prepared to stump up at least $116,400, there’s a bit of an imbalance in standard spec levels.
Adding items to the Porsche Macan S that are standard on the Audi SQ5 Sportback, including a panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, self-parking capability and, most significantly, paired autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and adaptive cruise control, ups the price closer to the SQ5 at just under $112,000.
And there are still some standard features in the Audi – Android Auto connectivity, wireless phone charging and a head-up display, for example – that are simply not available in Macan land.
In fact, while our test Audi was fitted with only one option – the $2500 customisable, high-contrast digital OLED tail-lights which brought the as-tested price to $118,900 plus ORCs – the Macan S as supplied by Porsche was crammed to the hilt, asking $131,930 plus ORCs as tested.
The Macan’s options included not just the aforementioned equalisers, but among other items too numerous to mention were 21-inch Turbo Design wheels ($4860), a sound-enhanced sports exhaust system ($4540), Sport Chrono Package ($1880), Porsche’s LED-based Dynamic Light System Plus ($850) and magnificent, 18-way adjustable adaptive sports front seats which are a steal for $580.
While some of the options verge on frivolous, there are obvious must-haves including the $1620 AEB/adaptive cruise, sports front seats, dynamic LED headlights and the long-familiar, track-oriented Sports Chrono package which sharpens up the engine, transmission and suspension via a button on the steering wheel and comes with a stopwatch display atop the dash.
Of course, the Macan S isn’t exactly sparse. Standard gear includes sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, 10-speaker Bose audio, two 12-volt power sockets, four USB ports in the front and rear of the centre console, three-zone climate control, power adjustment for the steering wheel, and LED cornering headlights.
Add leather trim and an automatic tailgate and you have an agreeably complete list of standard gear.
All that said, the Audi SQ5 Sportback is clearly better-equipped. There’s an exhaustive list of standard features including the aforementioned AEB/adaptive cruise control, adaptive suspension damping, 21-inch Audi Sport wheels, Matrix LED headlights, Nappa leather trim, heated front seats, wireless phone charging, gesture control for the power tailgate and self-parking capability.
Warranty conditions clearly favour the Audi too. It comes with five years of unlimited-kilometre coverage where the Porsche lags behind with three years/unlimited, although that does include roadside assist for the full period. Audi’s roadside assist only applies for a year.
It seems Audi also has an edge in terms of servicing costs. Although neither company talks a lot about servicing plans, our investigations showed the respective tallies over five years/75,000km were $3170 for the Audi and a heftier $6075 for the Porsche, although costs may vary from state to state.
New-gen and old-school safety
We’ve mentioned the lack of standard AEB and various other things on the 2022 Porsche Macan S that can be traced back almost to another era of safety technology.
With standard, familiar electronic systems limited to lane change assist, lane departure warning and a bird’s-eye view parking camera arrangement, the Macan lags well behind in the premium SUV field.
That considered, it’s little wonder the now eight-year-old Porsche’s safety focus is brought back to old-school primary systems including anti-lock brakes, vehicle stability control and the road grip provided by the standard on-demand all-wheel drive system.
The eight-airbag count includes dual front airbags, front and rear side airbags and full-length head-protecting curtain airbags on either side, standing the Macan in good stead for secondary safety.
Unsurprisingly, a front centre airbag doesn’t make the cut, and Porsche’s mid-size SUV won’t be fully up to speed until its expected replacement arrives in the next couple of years.
Any Macan buyer in the meantime who fails to tick the AEB/adaptive cruise option box pre-purchase will be doing no-one a favour.
The Audi SQ5 Sportback, on the other hand, though it also lacks a front centre airbag, belongs to the current era of semi-autonomous steering, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control across the speed range, traffic jam assist, collision avoidance assist, front and rear pre-sensing of nearby or closing-in objects, and pedestrian and cyclist detection.
Diesel isn’t dead, but is it better?
This is a case where two cars aim at similar performance goals from quite different directions.
While the 2022 Porsche Macan S fronts with a gloriously vocal 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, the engine in the 2022 Audi SQ5 Sportback, though it’s also a similarly-sized 3.0-litre V6, is a muscular direct-injection mild-hybrid turbo-diesel that sounds very unlike a typical oil-burner.
The power figures are consistent with the configurations. The Porsche Macan’s petrol V6 – a detuned version of the engine used in the 324kW/550Nm GTS variant – squeezes out a solid 280kW at 6700rpm (and enjoying it in the process) while the 520Nm of maximum torque, developed at just 1850rpm, is none too shabby either.
For a diesel, the Audi’s 251kW, produced at a relaxed 3950rpm, is pretty impressive but its steam-train 700Nm of torque, coming in at 1750rpm, sounds almost like overkill for a mid-size SUV – until you realise the Audi SQ5 Sportback weighs in at more than two tonnes.
The 1883kg tare Porsche Macan S is no featherweight either.
Adding a bit to the Audi diesel’s efficiency and refinement is 48-volt mild-hybrid technology which provides electric compressor-aided turbocharger boost at low rpm and replaces the regular starter motor with a belt-driven alternator to smooth out the fuel-saving start/stop process.
The transmissions are different too. The Macan employs Porsche’s dual-clutch seven-speed PDK system while the Audi’s is a conventional eight-speed torque-converter auto.
On-demand AWD is standard on both models, the Macan S using the Porsche Traction Management system with a multi-plate clutch distributing power between the front and rear axle, while the SQ5 Sportback boasts Audi’s three-differential quattro system.
The Porsche also gets an electronic limited-slip rear differential as standard, while the Audi’s similar ‘sport’ diff is listed as an option.
The outcomes on the road are pretty predictable.
From a standing start the Porsche Macan S edges away from the steadily-surging Audi.
With the barely-muted, howling and popping backdrop of its sweet and eager V6, the Macan S – in Sport Plus mode – is able to reach 100km/h in 4.6sec while the SQ5 Sportback, with its sound-enhanced, basso profundo exhaust thumping away, is 0.3sec behind.
Up and running, the Audi’s monstrous and readily accessible torque makes for a feeling of invincibility that is only curtailed by the briefest of hesitations as the accelerator is prodded. The Porsche, though its torque is less omnipresent, winds up the rpm with such exuberance that on the road it feels more like a thoroughbred greyhound than a slavering rottweiler.
Fuel economy figures obviously favour the diesel. Against the Audi’s official combined-cycle figure of 7.1L/100km we averaged 7.3L/100km over three days of driving while the Porsche, against its quoted figure of 10.2L/100km, recorded 11.8L/100km.
Over the more demanding sections of our test, the Macan S, at 22.9L/100km, was well in arrears of the Audi’s 15.3L/100km.
Up to speed – and beyond
The engine philosophies are different, but there are a lot of similarities between the 2022 Porsche Macan S and Audi SQ5 Sportback in terms of size, packaging and overall savoir faire that make it clear who Audi and Porsche are speaking to.
Sporty, yes, though it’s something of a pleasant surprise to find both combine a comfortable ride with the outstanding handling and roadholding provided by their steel-spring adaptive-damper suspensions.
The Porsche tends to do it all with more aplomb. Where the Audi feels a little ‘joggly’ over small, regular bumps, the Macan is more controlled and, when subjected to a fast, tight corner, barely leans at all.
Both wear Pirelli P Zero tyres, uniform front and back in the Audi and staggered in the Porsche. The Macan’s wider back tyres signal where the front/rear handling balance is at.
The Audi’s adroitness is both negatively and positively affected by its lighter steering. Compared to the perfectly-weighted Porsche, it feels at first a bit light and maybe distant from what’s going on outside, but after acclimatisation its accuracy, quickness and trustworthiness – familiar Audi traits – shine through.
Over a quick, winding and variably-surfaced narrow bitumen road the Macan S feels like anything but an SUV. With razor-sharp shifting from the dual-clutch PDK gearbox, super-strong braking and quickly-available thrust from the biturbo V6, it’s always elegantly poised.
The Audi, despite its weight, is not at all ponderous but isn’t quite as brisk as the Porsche. It is more dependent on the surging torque to make quick point-to-point times. The brakes, like the steering, require less effort to apply than the Porsche but do a confidence-inspiring job.
The sound-enhanced exhausts are worth a mention. The Macan S’s optional sports exhaust system issues a refined howl while the Audi’s is very un-diesel-like.
The SQ5’s system is a bit weird: the sound issues not from what look to be conventional quad tailpipes, but from a hidden outlet below the left-side rear apron – all sleight of hand stuff, the reasons for which aren’t logically fathomable.
The cabins are obviously similarly dimensioned with plenty of room for at least four passengers, although the Audi, which is built off the newer-gen Volkswagen Group platform (MQB) than the Porsche (MLB), benefits a bit from its slightly longer wheelbase.
There’s not a lot in it, but the SQ5 Sportback offers more longitudinal space, focused mainly on the back seat, where there’s a bit of extra legroom. The boot, though slightly smaller than its Q5 wagon sibling at 500 litres, is also bigger in the Audi than the Porsche’s quoted 453 litres.
Both have a compact, inflatable space-saver spare tyre under the rear floor, and access to each cargo area is made via a power tailgate, the Audi’s a little more chic with hands-free operation available via a waggling of the foot below the rear bumper.
Another aspect that reveals the Macan’s age is the interior furnishings. Though the 10.9-inch LCD sat-nav screen is nicely integrated into the lower dash, the revised instrument cluster with its 4.8-inch colour display isn’t about to morph the Macan into a Taycan EV.
For some, that’s not likely to be a deal breaker. It will more likely attract traditional Porsche buyers accustomed to classic analogue instruments and the location of the tacho directly in front of the driver.
The Audi, with its virtual cockpit, 10.1-inch tablet-style LCD screen atop the dash, head-up display on the windscreen and an accumulation of touch-screen functions, will make current-gen buyers feel comfortably familiar.
The Porsche scored hugely with its optional sports front seats. Though the Audi’s heated, cooled, massaging and comfortably-shaped Nappa leather pews were pretty good, the Macan’s 18-way adjustable masterpieces helped no end in terms of comfort and lateral support.
It’s hard to imagine a Macan passenger of just about any shape or size being unable to find a comfortable seating position.
Germany wins, naturally
Our aim was to establish which of these two impressive vehicles is the better sporting SUV, taking into account road behaviour, engine performance, packaging, comfort, safety and pricing.
And in the end it was decided that, in all the important considerations, the 2022 Porsche Macan S impressed us more.
In numerous areas – particularly safety technology – the Macan S was its own worst enemy, but its overall balance in terms of functionality, visceral appeal and on-road capabilities was clearly in its favour.
The Porsche is faster point-to-point, more poised and arguably just as practical as the 2022 Audi SQ5 Sportback.
And although this would perhaps not sway many buyers, the fact is that, at the bottom line, the Macan S is cheaper – though if you start adding to the standard spec, in both vehicles, the targets tend to shift around a lot.
All said and done, the Porsche Macan S and Audi SQ5 Sportback share a balance of power and poise that’s rarely seen in an SUV.
Interestingly, retained values of both the SQ5 Sportback and the Macan S tend to be so close as to be inseparable.
By the way, who remembers that, in Indonesia, a Macan is a tiger?
How much does the 2022 Audi SQ5 TDI Sportback cost?Price: $116,400 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-dieselOutput: 251kW/700NmTransmission: Eight-speed automaticFuel: 7.1L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)
How much does the 2022 Porsche Macan S cost?Price: $105,800 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbo petrolOutput: 280kW/520NmTransmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automaticFuel: 10.2L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 233g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2014)
Keyword: Audi SQ5 v Porsche Macan 2022 Comparison