The Macan Turbo is a fire-breathing Porsche sports car in an SUV body

The verdict.

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

The Porsche Macan Turbo with Performance Package is one of the most impressive SUVs I’ve ever encountered. And as you know already, it’s the best to drive.

But at $96,295 with options, it’s freaking expensive.

Our last Porsche 911 Carrera test car cost just a few hundred bucks more. And I understand that it’s meant to be the high-performance halo atop the Macan lineup. As you can tell by the name, the Performance Package is loaded with the greatest hits from Porsche’s bag of performance goodies. But for the most part, their presence isn’t really evident unless you take the Macan out on a race track. So for the vast majority of people in the market for a Macan, these features are pretty much useless.

In addition, the interior of the of the test car was dull and uninspiring. While it’s loaded with tech features, it doesn’t quite feel up to snuff for a premium vehicle in its price range.

It should be noted that our particular car was originally brought to the US for the buff books to conduct performance testing. So the performance options and the somewhat spartan interior are understandable.

You may be a bit confused at this point. Does he like the car? Or does he hate it?

In truth, I’d say if you’re looking for a fun compact premium crossover, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one better executed than the Porsche Macan. But what I’ll also tell you is don’t buy this particular Porsche Macan.

Instead of spending $96,295 on the Turbo with Performance Package, save $30,000 and buy a 300 hp Macan S. It’s not as quick as the flagship Turbo with a 0-60 time of 5.0 seconds, but it delivers 95% of the experience at two-thirds the price.

And if you really want a track focused Porsche, use the $30,000 you just saved on a second 911 or Cayman.

So, my verdict on the Porsche Macan Turbo with Performance Package is to buy a Macan S instead.