It’s fast and sporty
Six things I learned driving the 2020 Porsche Macan Turbo
The malapropism, no matter how many times violated, still holds: A performance SUV is an oxymoron. Sport-utes are, by definition, heavier and higher-riding than a sports coupe or sedan, so trying to imbue the characteristics of a lithe, low sports car into a lumbering SUV should really be an exercise in futility.
Except, of course, that SUVS are all the rage and ignoring the market is futile for those in the business of engineering automobiles that consumers want. As it turns out, those who have turned in the their CLS 63 AMGS for something sport-brutish want the same throaty rumble and impossible grip, just in something that looks like a truck. Hence the existence of Porsche’s Macan Turbo, which for 2020, gets a smaller engine as its major upgrade.
SMALLER IS BETTER
The Macan’s focus for 2020 is indeed its smaller engine. Much smaller, in fact. What was once a healthy 3.6-litre V6 is now a puny 2.9L. Now I know what you’re thinking: Fuel economy and emissions. Damn environmentalists.
But no, the motivation for the down size is actually performance, and, well, fuel economy and emissions. However, it’s the power boost that Porsche will be selling. Besides the fact that people buy performance — and complain about fuel economy — there’s the fact that the 2020 Macan Turbo’s performance message is especially compelling: Despite that 20 per cent drop in displacement, there’s been a 10 per cent boost in power.
In pure numbers, that means the boosted 2.9L V6 pumps out 434 horsepower, versus “only” 400 in the previous 3.6L. There’s also 406 pound-feet of torque, says Porsche, exactly the same as its predecessor. Not a bad trick when you’ve lost a fifth of your displacement; in traditional engines, lower displacement always results in less torque.
The secret to this goodness is that, like so many new turbocharged engines, the Macan’s 2.9L V6 has its turbochargers snuggled in the ‘vee’ between the cylinder banks where, were this an old smallblock V8, a four-barrel Holley would reside.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Why is turbocharger location so important? Well, the closer a turbocharger is to the exhaust valves, the hotter are the gasses that spin its turbine. And hotter gasses are more forceful, spinning said turbo faster and harder, which ends up boosting the little V6 to the moon. In fact, more than maximum horsepower, the main benefit of such a turbocharger location — other than a more compact engine — is the minimization of the dreaded turbo lag, that shorter distance reducing the time for those hot exhaust gasses to ‘spool up’ said turbocharger.
And you can feel it in the way the new Macan Turbo drives. I doubt many people have butt dynos sensitive enough to feel the difference between 400 and 434 horsepower, especially when they’re accompanied by the exact same amount of torque. But what you will feel is an incredible response to throttle, close — darned close — to the immediacy of the very best naturally aspirated engines.
A LITTLE MORE VOLUME PLEASE, FERDINAND
I’m not sure if Porsche has been playing with its exhaust tuning again, but the new Macan Turbo sounds more lively than ever — sharper, crisper, and just a little more willing. It’s still not enough, though, to keep up with the Maserati Levantes and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglios of the world — this latter with a 505-horsepower, Ferrariderived V6 that positively sings. (I felt like I needed a cigarette every time I ripped on the Stelvio Quadrifoglio in ‘Race’ mode. — Ed.)
THERE BE BUTTONS IN THIS HERE PORSCHE
So many, in fact, that one wonders why the company even bothers putting a touchscreen inside its products. There are no less than two digital readouts, four toggles, and eight buttons for the air conditioning system alone, and that doesn’t count the four for the optional heated/ ventilated seat controls. Oops, that’s not all: a little higher up, beside the hazard lights and Hill Descent Control button, are more climate control switches — recirculation, sync, AC max, and A/C on/off. Wow!
That’s not all for the centre console. There are three more buttons for control of the suspension, one for the lanedeparture system, and another for the exhaust system butterfly valve for increased rortiness even in Normal and Sport modes. Increased theatrics are part of the program in Sport Plus, by the way.
And note that I haven’t even started with the steering wheel, which has four more buttons, two little rotating balls, and one large circular controller (for drive modes), and then on the dash, there’s some redundant switches — media, phone, apps, car, and nav settings — that are duplicates of some of the touchscreen’s functions. That’s still not all; fiddling about, I found another switch inside the rim of the steering wheel; it’s to heat up the steering wheel, natch.
The point of that exhaustive list is that Porsche remains firmly committed to physical switches rather than touchscreens. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing — I personally prefer it, as a matter of fact — but to simply point out the Macan is distinct from its immediate competition in yet another way. You can decide for yourself whether you prefer good ol’ physical buttons, or digital modernity.
That said, I count at least 40 switches between centre console and steering wheel, and there’s still not a traditional radio tuning knob to be found. Come on, Porsche! You’re saying we need a freaking button to disable the engine’s automatic start/stop function, but that we need to tap the touchscreen 18 times to get from 90s on 9 to Deep Tracks? Seriously? This is your idea of more efficient?
GET THEE TO WEIGHT WATCHERS!
I am five-foot-11. On a good day, I weigh about 80 kilograms. After a couple of medicinal mojitos and some Ben & Jerry’s Half-baked frozen yogurt — imbibed because my resolve has been moderated by mojitos — maybe 82.
Still, I find it a little tight inside the Macan Turbo. Oh, the cabin is spacious enough with ample front leg- and headroom, though things a little tighter aft. But the seats, well, they could be taken right out of a 911 Turbo — a Turbo S for that matter — so dramatically bolstered are the front buckets. Obviously Porsche takes all that 21-inch rubber — 265/40R21 fronts, and 295/35R21s out back — seriously and expect you to, as well.
I’d suggest you take those seats very seriously. If you’re five-foot-five and haven’t seen your toes in a decade or two, the Turbo is probably not the Macan to flounce around in and show off your newfound Porsche-ness. Oh, the seats are 18-way adjustable, but none of those adjustments will fit size XXXL.
YOU MIGHT WELL NEED THE BOLSTERS, THOUGH
With grippy tires and revised damping, the 2020 Macan Turbo is even more capable of challenging said side bolsters than ever before. Especially, if like my tester, it sports the Sport Chrono package, which ups the damping even further in Sports Plus mode. It also shortens the shift time of the seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission. All that, by way of saying, the 2020 Porsche Macan Turbo sticks to off-ramps like Justin Trudeau to outmoded Keynesian economics. Lose the weight — and get used to the g-forces — if you want the Turbo.
If you’re getting the impression I like the new Macan Turbo, you’re right. As an SUV, it makes a great sports car. Or is it as a sports car, it makes a great sport-ute? Either way, it’s a great vehicle. It will require you to be committed to the idea of Porsche, however. As in, it costs big bucks — way big bucks. The base price is $94,200, a whopping figure for what is officially a compact SUV.
But wait, nobody ever buys an un-optioned Porsche. This Macan — fairly well featured, but not nearly fully-loaded — won’t leave the showroom floor until you’ve forked over $117,760 (plus $1,500 for delivery). Again, for what is a compact vehicle.
For a little perspective, BMW’S gargantuan BMW X7 starts at $97,254, a top-ofthe-line Range Rover Sport — with a supercharged V8! — is but $105,000, and Mercedesbenz (hardly a company known for its parsimony) will sell you an AMG GLE 53 with a turbocharger, an electric supercharger, and mild hybridization for $87,800. For the dedicated Porschephile, that’s just the cost of playing. But my my oh my, that does test one’s resolve.
Whatever the price, the Macan Turbo is among the sportiest, if not quite outright fastest SUVS on the market. Whether it’s worth the price of admission is up to you.