AS AN SUV, IT MAKES A GREAT SPORTS CAR, OR VICE VERSA
Smaller engine boosts its power while saving fuel, David Booth writes.
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 ignoring the market is futile for those in the business of engineering automobiles that consumers want. Hence the existence of Porsche’s Macan Turbo, which for 2020, gets a smaller engine as its major upgrade. Here are six things I learned from driving the Macan Turbo.
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 V-6 is now a puny 2.9-L engine. I know what you’re thinking: Fuel economy and emissions. But no, the motivation for the smaller size is performance, and, well, fuel economy and emissions. Despite a 20 per cent drop in displacement, there’s been a 10 per cent boost in power.
The boosted 2.9-L V-6 pumps out 434 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The secret to this goodness is that, like so many new turbocharged engines, the Macan’s turbochargers are snuggled in the vee between the cylinder banks.
Location, location, location: The closer a turbocharger is to the exhaust valves, the hotter are the gases that spin its turbine. And hotter gases are more forceful, which ends up boosting the little V-6 to the moon. In addition, the location also helps minimize dreaded turbo lag. You can feel it in the way the new Macan Turbo drives. It’s quite amazing to punch the throttle on what is, after all, a fairly hefty SUV — it weighs 1,945 kilograms — and have it respond like, well, a true Porsche.
A little more volume please: 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. But, it’s still not enough. Come on, Porsche. Punch a hole in the muffler.
There be buttons in this here Porsche: So many, in fact, that one wonders why the company even bothers putting in a touch screen. There are 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. And 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.
There are three more buttons for control of the suspension, one for the lane-departure system, and another for the exhaust-system butterfly valve for increased rortiness, even in normal and sport modes.
The steering wheel has four more buttons, two little rotating balls, and one large circular controller (for drive modes). On the dash, there’s some redundant switches — media, phone, apps, car and nav settings — that are duplicates of some of the touch screen’s functions. .
The point is that Porsche remains firmly committed to physical switches rather than touch screens. I prefer it. You can decide for yourself.
Get thee to Weight Watchers:
I find it a little tight inside the Macan Turbo. Oh, the cabin is spacious enough, with ample front leg and head room, though things are a little tighter aft. But the front seats are dramatically bolstered. Obviously Porsche takes all that 21-inch rubber — 265/40R21 fronts, and 295/35R21s out back — seriously and expects you to, as well.
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 new-found Porsche-ness. The seats are 18-way adjustable, but none of those adjustments will fit size XXXL.
You might need the bolsters:
With grippy tires and revised damping, the 2020 Macan Turbo is even more capable of challenging the 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.
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.
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).
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.