Porsche has finally unveiled its much-trailed Macan compact SUV, a car which the Zuffenhausen company hopes will push its astronomically profitable sales beyond the 200,000 barrier.
The Macan shares much of its structure with the Audi Q5, although the two cars will be built in separate factories. Almost all of the electrical, drivetrain and structural components are shared betwen the two cars, but the Porsche has unique styling inside and out, clearly taking inspiration from the current Cayenne, its big 4x4 brother. The Macan is slightly lower and longer than the Q5, and a full 18-centimetres shorter than the Cayenne.
The Macan uses the same double-wishbone front, multi-link rear suspension as the Audi, fitted with adaptive electronically controlled dampers, and air springs will be an option. Porsche is already describing the car as the most agile in its class, with a spokeserson saying that “overall, the features of the Macan fulfil the exact requirements of many target customers, ie. the perfect performance on the road plus the special reserve capabilities embodied by all-wheel drive and off-road performance.”
Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch semi-automatic gearbox will be fitted as standard, and will transmit power to all four wheels (a more affordable front-drive version is likely to arrive in 2015) and while the car is designed to be predominantly rear-wheel-drive, it can divert full power to the front wheels if needed. Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) will be available as an option, and car parcel out the engine’s power to each individual rear wheel to improve handling and traction.
The most significant engine for the Macan is the 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel, lifted almost directly from the Audi Q5. It produces 254hp and can accelerate from 0-100kmh in as little as 6.1secs, depending on whether or not you’ve ticked the options box for the Sport Chrono pack which includes launch control. Porsche is claiming 46mpg on the combined cycle and 159g/km Co2 emissions. Those emissions will come down significantly next year when the new 2.0-litre turbo petrol and turbo diesel models come on line - the first four-cylinder Porsches since the old 968 went out of production.
There will also be two V6 petrols available from launch - a twin-turbo 3.0 V6 S model with 335hp and a blistering 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 Macan Turbo with 400bhp and a 0-100kmh time of just 4.6 seconds.
Irish prices have not yet been announced, but a UK price of £43,000 for both the Diesel S and V6 Petrol S would suggest a price tag here of around €60,000 to €70,000.
