Land Rover Discovery vs Porsche Macan [2014-2019]

Although a brilliant family car, the previous-gen Land Rover Discovery (the LR4) was underwhelming to drive and felt utterly old-school. The fast-evolving competition didn’t do it any favours either and with the buying trends changing significantly all the time, Land Rover has had to add to the Disco’s arsenal, while retaining all its practical attributes and off-road ability.

When we drove the Porsche Macan especially in the racy Turbo guise, we were zapped by how this SUV was able to feel more like a sportscar than a jacked up crossover. It feels like a Porsche in every way, be it in the way it drives, to the way it looks and the way it feels solidly put together too. But the Rs one crore plus rupee price tag was a big shame and that meant, the German manufacturer was never able to sell it in good numbers. Now with fresh competition in form of the Jaguar F-Pace, Porsche has come up with a cheaper version on the SUV called the R4. But does it feel every bit Porsche like its more powerful brothers? We drove the R4 over two days to find out.

The Porsche Macan might be the second SUV Porsche has ever made, but compared to its first, the Cayenne, it is a completely different animal. And a more desirable and likeable one at that. In India, the Macan is sold in three trims – the Macan S in diesel guise, the Macan Turbo, and the Macan Turbo with a performance pack. Our car is the Turbo. It retails for around Rs 1.18 crore ex-showroom and honestly, at this price point, it doesn’t really have any competition.