Porsche unveils new Macan 20 | 11 | 2013
PORSCHE HAS UNVEILED its sporty new mid-sized 4x4, the Macan, which will go head-to-head with the BMW X3 and Range Rover Evoque when it enters Scottish showrooms next April (see more official photos of the all-new Porsche Macan).
Prices will start from £43,000 for both the Macan S and £43,300 Macan Diesel S, with the range-topping Macan Turbo costing £59,300.
All models — which is expected to attract family car buyers, as well as dyed-in-the-wool Porsche fans — are fitted with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and permanent four-wheel drive as standard.
Based around the same platform as the Audi Q5, both models share a similar high-strength steel floorpan, bulkheads and body structure, together with various driveline, chassis and electrical components. Significantly though, the Macan will be built at Porsche’s Leipzig factory, separately from the Q5.
The Macan S, with a kerb weight of 1865kg, is 200kg lighter than the Cayenne S — on which the Macan has clearly been styled — while the Macan Turbo tips the scales at 245kg less than the Cayenne Turbo, at 1925kg.
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With its aggressive stance and appearance, the Macan — whose name is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger — is 4699mm long, 1923mm wide and 1624mm tall. That makes it 146mm shorter, 16mm narrower and 82mm lower than the second-generation Cayenne, which is due for a midlife facelift in 2014.
Compared with the Q5, the Macan is 70mm longer, 24mm wider and 30mm lower.
At launch next Spring, a choice of three V6 engines will be available: two in-house direct-injection petrol units and a single Audi-sourced turbodiesel.
The 245bhp, 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel fitted in the Macan Diesel S covers the 0-62mph sprint in 6.3sec (6.1sec with the Sport Chrono pack) and continues to a maximum of 143mph. It'll also return 46.3mpg and emit 159g/km of CO2.
The mid-range 335bhp Macan S gets a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6, which is good for 0-62mph in 5.4sec (or 5.2sec with the Sport Chrono pack) and a 158mph top speed.
The most powerful is the newly-developed twin-turbo 3.6-litre V6 in the Macan Turbo, developing 394bhp, and with figures of 0-62mph time in 4.8sec (or 4.6sec with an optional Sport Chrono pack) and a 165mph top speed.
More engines will follow in 2015, with a new entry-level 280bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol unit being joined by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel.
Roadtest: Audi RS Q3
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Jim McGill