You need to be prepared to go to the mountains, so extreme tourists choose lifted SUVs as their means of transportation. They will help you drive where there is no asphalt. We decided to break this tradition and went to conquer the high-mountain plateau of Bermamyt in Karachay-Cherkessia in stock Porsche Macan crossovers.
Automobile tourism in the mountains of the North Caucasus used to be something extreme. Romantics came here with tents and guitars. Mountain fans can live in Spartan conditions for several days for the sake of beautiful scenery and the cleanest air. It’s one thing to go to the mountains in an old Soviet UAZ for about a hundred thousand, and quite another to choose a Porsche Macan crossover for your trip, a set of wheels of which costs as much as four such UAZs. Only a very rich or completely reckless person can go to a Porsche where the dirt roads are strewn with sharp stones.
It is difficult to imagine a glamorous premium crossover in the mountains. But Porsche Russland decided that their crossover can not only drive quickly on asphalt, but also climb mountain paths among sharp stones, unafraid flocks of sheep and cows wandering alone. Well, let’s try to climb the Bermamyt plateau behind the wheel of a Porsche Macan to see the highest peak in Russia and Europe – the two-headed Elbrus.
During the mountain mini-adventure, all possible variations of the Macan crossover were presented – both basic and sports versions. In the standard configuration, the Macan is equipped with a gasoline engine with a working volume of two liters and a power of 252 horsepower. In the Macan S version, the crossover will have a three-liter engine with a power of 354 horsepower. There are also two charged versions of GTS and Turbo. The first develops a power of 380 horsepower, the second – 440. The price of the basic Macan starts from 4.3 million rubles. For the top Macan Turbo with a 2.9 engine, you will need to pay at least 7 million 118 thousand rubles.
Add here all sorts of options and the cost of the car can exceed 10 million rubles. Only the exclusive paintwork of the body in the corporate colors of Porsche can cost about 650 rubles. For fast driving, you can additionally equip the crossover with the Chrono sports package for driving on a race track. With all this expensive set, we set off to conquer the North Caucasus.
The participants of our Macan Highlands Experience expedition had to overcome about 60 kilometers across rough terrain to get to the Bermamyt plateau.
The starting point of our route was Kislovodsk. Having sat down in the crews, we set off towards the Malokarachaevsky district of Karachay-Cherkessia. There are several roads leading to Bermamyt and some of them are quite simple, but we are not looking for easy roads, and therefore, having left the asphalt in the area of the Kabardian village of Kichmalka, we drove onto a mountain road with sharp stones.
Then through the village of Kichi-Balyk we head to the half-abandoned Karachay village of Khasaut. From the village there is a difficult rocky road to the plateau. This road is considered one of the most difficult, which leads to the Bermamyt plateau. Not everyone will dare to go here on their own. There is no connection in the mountains, and the risk of tearing off the bumper and ripping the wheels is very high, especially if you have low-profile tires and branded alloy wheels.
Surprisingly, the Macan proved itself to be a worthy climber. The scariest thing on this trip was not only tearing a tire on a mountain slope but also flying off it, so in some places on a difficult mountain trail it was necessary to drive no more than 10-15 kilometers. Sharp stones are especially dangerous in such places, which can make a side cut on the tires. I really didn’t want to stop on a slope and put on a spare tire, especially since the Porche Macan has a non-full-size one.
Sharp stones had to be thrown between the wheels or driven over in the center of the wheel, so the risk of tearing the tires was minimal. However, during the movement, the hill descent control system, parking assistant cameras and air suspension that increases ground clearance helped out, and the bottom of the Macan is absolutely flat. The Bermamyt plateau offers a wonderful view of Elbrus. Its beauty is mesmerizing, but you shouldn’t stare at it, especially when taking photos. Several years ago, a Voronezh blogger died here after falling off a cliff with his car. Mountains do not forgive mistakes.
The way back from the Bermamyt plateau was even more difficult than on it. Here you really had to go at a goose step so as not to tear the tires. Sometimes the descents and ascents were truly extreme. On the way back, our route ran through an abandoned village, the inhabitants of which were evicted by order of Stalin in the 40s. Also on our route, we came across the dacha of the Minister of Light Industry of the USSR Alexei Kosygin. This place is called “Chinara”. Once upon a time, Soviet government limousines drove past it, and members of the Politburo visited the dacha. Our motorcade of several Porsches looked quite appropriate here.
Back on the asphalt, you can feel the capabilities of the Macan not only off-road, but also on the asphalt serpentine. Here the crossover is especially good. The Macan confidently draws a trajectory and fits into turns, the suspension is precisely tuned, and thanks to the stabilization system, the crossover neatly dives into turns. The Macan can only skid if you turn off the stabilization.
The goal of the mini-expedition Macan Highlands Experiens was to show that this crossover feels great both on smooth asphalt and on a jagged mountain route. So, if any of you have the opportunity to try your hand at passing the same route, then definitely do it. If not in a Porsche, then at least as part of a tour group.
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