THRILL RUNS IN THE FAMILY
The Porsche Macan S delivers the thrill of a sports car and the stability of a family car, as Anthony Yong discovers
It is not every day that you get to test-drive your Christmas present before you receive it. That is what Anthony Yong’s wife, Siow Yin Yin, did last December when she road-tested two cars he had chosen, while he sat in the back. A second practice run confirmed what they already knew: the Porsche Macan S was the car for the family. They put in an order that same day. The sporty Macan S is one of six variants of the five-door compact SUV model, and features distinctive recessed headlights and sideblades referencing the marque’s super sports car 918 Spyder. It made the cut not just for its good looks, but also because it offers safety and stability, two key criteria for the couple as they have two children, a 13-year-old son and eight-year-old
“The Porsche Macan S is comfortable and makes the family feel safe because it’s sturdy. I feel secure with the kids inside”
daughter. “The Porsche Macan S is comfortable and makes the family feel safe during drives because it’s sturdy, with good braking and handling. I feel secure with the kids inside,” says Anthony. Curiously, Yin Yin does not like big SUVS, but “the Macan S feels more like a sedan to her”, says Anthony. “It’s very comfortable, but has the taller view and sturdier control of an SUV. It was a combination of these factors that made the car attractive to her.” Anthony and Yin Yin also like the roomy trunk, which has “lots of space for shopping and items needed for family road trips”. As a gauge, two pieces of check-in luggage and two pieces of carry-on luggage will fit in easily. Specifically for Anthony, who owns several supercars, horsepower is prime. So he appreciates the Macan S’s 340hp. “Its cruising speed is much faster, but it remains very stable.” He is also unabashedly thrilled by the car’s top speed of 254km/h and acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4sec (5.2sec with the Sport Plus button). On weekends, when he is not driving the kids, Anthony switches the car’s drive mode from Comfort to Sport and Sport+ with the optional Porsche Active Suspension Management system, and enjoys the change in power and handling. “The suspension of the car stiffens, giving you a stronger sense of confidence in driving the vehicle at higher speeds and through sharp turns.” Both husband and wife drive the car, so they appreciate that the system remembers their personal preferences of seat position, steering wheel, temperature and more. The best part is that the memory is stored in the key, which means that as soon as they unlock the car with their personal key, it automatically adjusts the settings according to their individual tastes. Anthony has a slipped disc, so he feels uncomfortable when seated for a long period of time. However, with the Macan S, the ride for rear passengers is comfortable and smooth. So smooth that during the June school holidays, the family decided to drive up to Kuala Lumpur in the Macan S. “Previously, I would drive up in our car while my wife and kids would fly there as the kids found the long drive intolerable,” says Anthony. “With the Macan S this time, the ride was not bumpy so the kids were much more comfortable in the back. We plan to drive further soon, maybe to Penang or Ipoh.” Clearly, the Macan S was the perfect Christmas gift not just for Yin Yin, but for the family.