Performance SUV comparison: Porsche Macan S v Audi SQ5 v BMW X4 30d

Two-tonne SUVs with sportscar-like handling. Ultra efficient diesel engines with enough straight line mumbo to worry a supercar. If ever there was a sportscar dichotomy, this trio takes the cake.

While the trusted petrol V8 station wagon is still enshrined by many as the ultimate mix of family and performance car, a new battleground is forming.

Thanks to emerging technology partly derived from endurance races such as the Le Mans 24 Hour, the Audi SQ5, BMW X4 and Porsche Macan promise functionality, lots of good gear and a slightly loftier view of the world – and are all wrapped in stylish European bodies.

They prove, if nothing else, that the present day performance genre knows no boundaries.

All three competitors are relatively new to the Australian market, are priced between $80,000 and $90,000 and send power to all four wheels via potent six-cylinder turbo diesel engines.

They also promise the vague possibility of off-road capability, even though these vehicles rarely muddy their tyres, and are rated to tow 2400kg.

Based on individual testing, we know all three are sporty and, to an extent practical, but which offers the best mix?

Audi SQ5

The SQ5 is considered a pioneer in this category, and for good reason.

It first hit the Australian market in 2013, touted as the world's fastest diesel SUV.

Its powerful edge is ever present in this company thanks to a secondary turbocharger bolted to its 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine (both the X4 and the Porsche have single turbochargers).

The additional plumbing endows the Audi with a superior 230kW of power and 650Nm torque, corresponding with an official 0-100km/h dash of just 5.1 seconds.

The Audi set the acceleration benchmark during in-house testing, breaking away with a 5.7 second time in the nought to 100 sprint – a credible post despite being well outside Audi's official claim.

With a sharp eight-speed Tiptronic (torque converter) transmission keeping the engine on the boil, it also offered the best usable mid-range punch out of corners and during headier applications.

As well as its edge in power, the diesel offers another unique feature. It elicits a rumbling V8 petrol-like sound into the cabin with the help of sound actuators that adjust the sound and volume depending on which Drive Select mode you're in. Likewise, there are four adjustable settings for the steering, engine and transmission; from the sharp and peaky dynamic setting to the everyday Comfort or Efficiency configurations.

Across all settings the steering felt a little unconvincing; too light off centre in the standard comfort mode and then becoming artificially heavy in Dynamic mode without bringing meaningful changes in feel and feedback.

Rocking the scales at a hefty 1920kg, the Audi was the heaviest vehicle on test. It still felt impressively agile through corners and offered resounding lateral grip, even if it was a little portly over the front wheels compared with the X4 and Macan.

Bringing the SQ5 to an abrupt halt – when called upon – were powerful brakes that felt well modulated and predictable through the pedal.

The bigger problem resided with the Audi's ride comfort. With one fixed setting for its suspension, it was the harshest vehicle on test, its optional 21-inch wheels making the ride jiggly over low speed bumps and tending towards sharp as the tempo increased. The Audi also suffered noticeably more road noise than its competitors, particularly on coarse-chip surfaces.

The SQ5 won points back for its more unified approach to exterior styling and friendlier interior proportions. It offers better head room and marginally better leg room than both competitors, and a superior 540-litre cargo space that opens up to 1560 litres with the split-fold seats stowed. Storage space is commendable throughout, with deep door pockets and adequate cubby holes.

The SQ5 offers an electric rear tailgate as standard, as well as rear air vents.

The Audi's interior is far from perfect, however. The instrument cluster and centre fascia are a generation behind the latest Audis, with curiously-placed buttons and a minimalist climate control layout that requires you to push multiple buttons to adjust the fan setting or air direction.

The SQ5 also does without a USB socket, instead persisting with an Audi proprietary cable that costs hundreds of dollars and, even then, has its limitations. It does get multiple 12-volt outlets and levers positioned in the boot to instantly retract the split-folding seats.

Its biggest downfall though is price. At $90,600 plus on-roads it is comfortably the dearest vehicle here. Its features list helps offset some of that premium – it is the only vehicle with standard 20-inch wheels, plus keyless entry – but otherwise it is line ball with the Porsche and the X4, offering leather seats (powered front seats), Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, electronic park brake, xenon lights with LED daytime running lamps, sat-nav, sports steering wheels, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Nuts and Bolts

Audi SQ5

Price: $90,600 plus on-road costs

Engine: 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel

Transmission: Eight-speed auto; AWD

Power: 230kW at 4500rpm

Torque: 650Nm at 1450rpm-2800rpm

Fuel use: 6.8L/100km

Warranty: Three-year/unlimited km

Servicing intervals: 12 months/15,000km

Porsche Macan

If, like many people, you still harbour some concern about the authenticity of the Macan, simply take a look at some of its standard performance components.

It is the only vehicle here fitted with adaptive dampers – which firm or soften across three settings depending on your driving mood. It features impressive six-piston front calliper and single-piston rear calliper disk brakes, and its optional 20-inch alloy wheels are shod with 295/40 R20 Michelin Lattitude Sport 3 Rubber.

However, none of that really prepares you for what the Macan delivers on the road. It is simply sublime, be it for an SUV or be it for a sports car.

All-wheel drive grip, highly reactive steering, breathtaking dynamics, immensely powerful stopping force. It stands above the rest in the handling department, with ultra sharp turn in, terrific mid-corner poise and excellent outright balance. It does all of the above while tipping the scales at 1880kg.

The fact the Macan is based on the same Audi Q5 architecture that underpins the SQ5 makes its handling prowess even more remarkable.

With 190kW/580Nm, the Macan is in the middle ground in terms of power. During our test, it was the slowest of the three cars to 100km/h, but it has a handy ally in its seven-speed PDK transmission. The gearbox is decidedly more fluid in its shifts and generally more intuitive than the Audi or BMW. It will hold a gear under load, for instance, instead of peddling back through ratios to maintain speed.

What is equally impressive is the Macan's day-to-day ride and handling. It was comfortably the most liveable vehicle of the three in daily conveyance, transferring undulations through the cabin generally without being harsh or crashy.

Road noise is suitably subdued and overall refinement is a notch above the X4 and SQ5, with no rattles or vibrations, and a general solidity to the cabin.

The interior itself feels more premium than both the Audi and BMW. Despite being festooned in buttons, the centre fascia is still clean and classy, employing quality buttons and switchgear. Even the out-of-sight panels are devoid of cheap, hard plastic.

That the Porsche Macan does all this at a price of $84,900 plus on-road costs is something to remark upon in itself. Its price tag is only $1000 off the X4. It is also comfortably the cheapest Porsche currently on offer in Australia.

As is the case with most SUVs of this ilk, the optional equipment list is long and extensive inside the Macan – totalling $25,000 in our vehicle. But even so the standard equipment list is good, with the most notable omissions being a push button start. The Porsche's seats offered the best lateral support and overall comfort of the bunch.

Its cabin space, most notably headroom is heavily compromised compared with the SQ5, though with a 500-litre boot space that expands to 1500 litres, and an electric tail gate, it is still functional.

Safety equipment is essentially on par with the Audi and BMW: a five-star safety rating thanks to myriad airbags, stability control, traction control and anti-lock brakes.

Nuts and Bolts

Porsche Macan diesel

Price: $84,900 plus on-road costs

Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel

Transmission: Seven-speed auto; AWD

Power: 190kW at 4000rpm-4250rpm

Torque: 580Nm at 1750rpm-2500rpm

Fuel use: 6.1L/100km

Warranty: Three-year/100,000km

Servicing intervals: 12 months/15,000km

BMW X4

If you're out to make a fashion statement – good or bad – the BMW X4 certainly makes a stand.

Introduced earlier this year as the smaller sibling to the divisive X6, the X4 features a swoopy coupe-like roof line that won't appease everyone's tastes.

What is more universally tasteful is its starting price. At $83,900 plus on-road costs, the BMW is the cheapest vehicle on offer (though it still represents a circa $6500 premium on the X3 SUV with which it shares its underpinnings) and features a strong standard equipment list in line with its peers.

Much like the Macan, but even more like the SQ5, the X4's 190kW/560Nm turbo diesel engine is a real highlight out on the road. Despite being down on power, it felt like the quickest vehicle immediately off the mark on test – a sentiment reinforced by official 0-60km/h timing – with barely any semblance of turbo lag and little hesitation from its eight-speed automatic transmission.

The X4 is the only vehicle on offer to feature standard launch control function. It works by engaging Sports-Plus in the Performance Control menu, flicking the gearbox to sport mode, holding the brake down with your left foot and pushing the accelerator flat with your right foot.

The BMW also returned the best fuel reading on test, going close to its 5.9L/100km claimed while the Audi and Porsche hovered closer to double that figure.

Despite its obvious sporty pretensions and a benchmark 1820kg kerb weight, the X4 simply isn't as communicative as the Macan or the SQ5 through corners.

In isolation, it's an agile machine with crisp, well weighted steering. But there's more body roll present, its sits higher through corners and the floating twin piston front brake calipers aren't anywhere near as effective when pushed.

Even with a torque vectoring function that brakes the inside wheel through corners to keep the car planted, the X4 tends to squirm under heavy duress and feels less reassuring than the SQ5 or Macan at the limit. But up until that point, it is poised and confident in sporty driving.

The X4 was middle of the road for bump suppression; busier than the Porsche but decidedly softer than the Audi.

It was also at the halfway point for road noise and overall refinement. But where it seemed to fall behind most was in cabin space. It features inferior proportions for rear seat passengers, despite a notably smaller central transmission tunnel. There is less leg room, poor head room and the centre seat sits noticeably higher than the rear outer pews.

The X4 offers a 500-litre boot that folds out to a still-commendable 1400 litres with the split-fold seats stowed. And it offers an electric tail gate.

The BMW's interior presentation is excellent, if a little generic. Its ultra clear 8.8-inch display screen sets a benchmark, and the iDrive rotary dial is among the most effective going. It also offered the best door storage of the three and a vast array of cubby holes and storage spots.

Nuts and Bolts

BMW X4 30d

Price: $83,900 plus on-road costs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel

Transmission: Eight-speed auto; AWD

Power: 190kW at 4000rpm

Torque: 560Nm at 1500rpm-3000rpm

Fuel use: 5.9L/100km

Warranty: Three-year/100,000km

Servicing intervals: Condition based

Verdict

Despite a compelling starting price, the BMW is neither particularly sporty or particularly practical, which more or less rules it out of the running.

The SQ5 offers far and away the most potent engine, the most space and its muscular diesel acoustics alone will be enough to entice some buyers – but its pricing premium and brittle ride take away some of the shine.

That leaves the Macan. It's competitively priced, the most refined and easily the best driving machine of the bunch. Its interior space is middle of the road, and its diesel engine lacks punch in certain areas, but as a vehicle tasked with mixing form and function, it's the venerable Macan that challenges the diesel dichotomy more than any other.

Against the stopwatch

Still finding it hard to believe the words "two-tonne diesel SUV" would ever share the same sentence as "performance vehicle"? Check out the times from Drive's in-house testing…

Audi:

* Claimed 0-100km/h time: 5.1 seconds

* Tested 0-60km/h time: 2.5 seconds

* Tested 0-100km/h time: 5.7 seconds

BMW

* Claimed 0-100km/h time: 5.8 seconds

* Tested 0-60km/h time: 2.5 seconds

* Tested 0-100km/h time: 6.0 seconds

Porsche

* Claimed 0-100km/h time: 6.1 seconds

* Tested 0-60km/h time: 2.6 seconds

* Tested 0-100km/h time: 6.3 seconds