In very hard driving, those brakes exhibit negligible fade, and even the engine coolant temperature barely goes up three degrees after numerous hard laps. Durable performance, and all that. It’s not a stretch to suggest that the track-bred durability and ability to keep the fluids cool and deal easily with harsh conditions can be useful to a crossover owner that’s, say, hauling a heavy trailer on hilly terrain.

So, I drove this Macan S in the summer, on the highway, and on a race-track, and on an off-road course with rollers to simulate a challenging zero-traction-under-two-wheels situation, in which the Macan walked up and away without much fuss. In all of these conditions, an athletic and comfortable confidence shone through.

I’ve just had another shot at the Macan, taking the tester home to Sudbury for a second time, now in mid-January, for a winter test.

Wearing a set of Pirelli Scorpion Winter tires to generate more grip for Macan’s rear-biased AWD system, the winter driving character to the machine is apparent from even a quick spin in the snow.

As expected, the AWD and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) systems work in seamless sync. You’re pulling out of a snowy parking lot onto a bare road with your boot down a bit. There’s no traction, then, suddenly, there is.

“Bro, could you fire some more power up front?” says the PSM system to the AWD. “Looks like you’ve got grip up there, and I don’t wanna put on the brakes cause that’s a pain in the ass and driver-dude seems to want to hustle”.

“Ya sure bro, I got it, no probs!” the AWD system replies, clamping its clutches together to send more power frontwards to the now-gripping front wheels.

This happens in milliseconds, and negates the need to apply braking or throttle-numbing, which are lousy when you’re trying to get moving. Macan, in most situations, first tries hard and often effectively to find traction with some power redistribution in the AWD system, rather than by cutting power and adding brakes. There’s even a slick torque-vectoring system in the rear differential that mechanically over-drives the outside rear wheel in hard cornering, helping the Macan turn, in addition to your steering inputs. This makes it feel even livelier, still.

And that’s the core of the playful feel you’ll find here, and part of the reason the Macan maintains its connection with the enthusiast driver, even in the winter. Where some crossover models are tuned and calibrated to feel as clamped-down, locked-on and bolted to slippery roads as tightly as possible, the Macan prefers to dance around a little. It takes little in the snow to get a naughty, squirmy, tail-happy and active dynamic going on, and the PSM system leaves drivers alone if they get a nice slide happening, provided they hold it well, and don’t panic-steer or panic-brake.

Or, if you prefer, tap the PSM OFF button and everything shuts down, in a single stage, without having to hold the button for seven hours, enter a secret code, fax some paperwork to Porsche, and provide a DNA sample.

Connect with Autos.ca