In the Wild, It's an SUV. in Its Lines, a Coupe. in Its Handling, a Sports Car
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CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 MACAN PERFORMANCE CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 M A C A N In the wild, it’s an SUV. In its lines, a coupe. In its handling, a sports car. In everything, a Porsche. By Jürgen Zöllter 12 13 EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 12 15.01.14EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 10:50 13 15.01.14 10:50 CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 MACAN PERFORMANCE CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 S P E E D The first Porsche in the compact SUV segment sets new standards in terms of driving dynamics and pleasure 14 15 EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 14 15.01.14EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 10:50 15 15.01.14 10:50 CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 MACAN PERFORMANCE CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 rake, take the corner, hit the gas, and accelerate out of the curve at full throttle. If you counter- steer before the apex of the curve to keep the somewhat Bdrifting rear-end under control, you’ve S graduated from the Porsche school for rear- wheel-drive sports cars. Like Hans-Jürgen Wöhler, the longtime head of the Boxster P and Cayman mid-engine model lines who is now responsible for that tingling and fe- rocious feeling in sporty, yet family- and A terrain-friendly, Porsche models. Wöhler knows all about controlled driving plea- sure—he lives and breathes it. But today C he’s not driving a mid-engine Boxster with E rear-wheel drive … The basic geometry for agility: Low center e model-line director juggles the latest of gravity, 2,807 mm model from Porsche on the curvy test-track, wheelbase, 1,655 mm a compact, coupe-esque, catlike SUV: the front track width, Macan. Hans-Jürgen Wöhler drives it like a and rear track width a fraction narrower sports car, and that’s really the whole point. at 1,651 mm More precisely, it’s the rite of passage at the end of the usual rigorous development pro- cess. Wöhler’s relentless scrutiny of the car’s higher driving dynamics ends in conrma- tion that, once again, the result is a Porsche through and through. e uninitiated would be forgiven for won- dering whether this just 4.70-meter-long SUV with increased ground clearance, all-wheel drive, and excellent day-to-day usability is moving the company into a dierent world, but Wöhler calmly sets things aright: “Not at all! We’re mov- ing within the clearly dened borders of Porsche-world—we’ve just added a new feature in the landscape.” e Macan. e word means “tiger” in In- donesian, and no doubt will soon be syn- onymous with the rst vehicle that truly deserves the name of compact SUV. With the Macan, Porsche has added another in- dependent new model line to its range of exceptional vehicles. 16 17 EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 16 15.01.14EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 10:50 17 15.01.14 10:50 CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 MACAN PERFORMANCE CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 With a low center of gravity more typical of sports cars, the Macan makes drivers feel as if they’re driving a true sports station- wagon rather than an SUV. And the Macan fullls its promise with tiger-like grandeur. It bounds around corners with agility that is unprecedented in its segment. e other- wise typical body roll has been reduced to a minimum. P Porsche DNA—born in the 356, sharp- O ened in the 911, rened in the SUV, Gran Turismo, and mid-engine segments, and matured to a state of sustained ecien- W cy in the 918 Spyder—gives this tiger its typical character. e drivetrain, stability control system, chassis with steel-spring E or air suspension, and the nely-tuned precision steering received best marks for longitudinal and lateral dynamics even in R initial test prototypes. e Macan’s organs In the Macan S, work in time with the Porsche heartbeat. a three-liter V6 bi-turbo e V6 engine originally developed for the engine puts out Panamera Gran Turismo was planted in 250 kW (340 hp); the the Macan S, where the displacement was Macan Turbo provides 294 kW (400 hp) increased from 3.0 to 3.6 liters for the Tur- bo version. In the 294 kW (400 hp) Macan Turbo, you can feel the dierence. With two turbo- chargers adding oomph, the incredibly responsive V6 engine springs into action with verve. In Sport and Sport Plus driv- ing modes, the seven-speed Porsche dou- ble-clutch transmission (PDK) selects the ideal gear for putting up to 550 new- ton-meters of torque on the pavement. Fast, smooth, and precise. When the clutch grabs, the Macan propels us forward with uncommon vehemence, accompanied by an emotional sound from the exhaust tract, interrupted only by the dry roar of an upshift. In corners, it suces to hold the steering wheel still to let the Macan rip through the curve with élan. “Sports-car steering,” say the developers laconically, referring to the high steering precision for exceptional cornering for which Porsche 18 19 20 EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 18 15.01.14EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 10:50 19 15.01.14 10:50 EN_CPM_365_012-027.indd 20 15.01.14 10:50 CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 MACAN CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 MACAN TECHNOLOGY CHRISTOPHORUS | 365 When the clutch grabs, the Macan propels us forward with uncommon vehemence, accompanied by an emotional sound interrupted only by the dry roar of an upshift. 3 liters of displacement is the minimum among the three engines offered at the market launch; Technolog y the Turbo sports a 3.6-liter engine cars are known. In conjunction with e level control in the optionally fuel consumption department. True the Porsche Traction Management available air suspension chassis boosts to its nature, even beyond the realm (PTM) active all-wheel-drive system the Macan’s o -road capabilities to of dynamic motion, the tiger is always for the Tiger and standard mixed tires, the steering new heights: after all, the ground ready for the hunt, but much too intel- e Macan sets new standards. It is the Porsche is primed for sporty driving. clearance can be raised by 40 mil- ligent to waste its energy. in its segment. An all-rounder on and o the road, thanks limeters at the press of a button. e e Macan sounds just like you would loading oor, by contrast, can be low- to the engineering acumen in Weissach. expect the tiger in Porsche to sound, ered by 40 millimeters at the press of a MACAN TURBO thanks to its design in the right rear button to make loading and unloading Engine: V6 bi-turbo By Jürgen Zöllter Displacement: 3,604 cc silencer. For engine speeds below easier on the joints. Power: 294 kW (400 hp) 2,500 rpm, the so-called comfort ap Maximum torque: 550 Nm at 1,350–4,500/min remains closed. But over that and un- e Macan has met all of the devel- 0–100 km/h: 4.8 sec. Top track speed: 266 km/h (164 mph) der load, it opens and enables the tun- opment goals: it smells, sounds, and CO2 emissions: 216–208 g/km* ing ap to generate a hammering stac- moves like a Porsche, savoring unpar- Fuel consumption City: 11.8–11.5 l/100 km* cato that is uniquely captivating and alleled driving dynamics while sipping Highway: 7.8–7.5 l/100 km* unmistakable, well beyond the ranks fuel. e proven coasting and start- Combined: 9.2–8.9 l/100 km* of modern cats of prey. stop functions ensure eciency in the * Versatility depending on the tire set used e Macan also has managed to hat distinguishes the com- technology (Selective Catalytic Reduction achieve the rear-oriented setup so pact SUV from Porsche? with urea injection). is technology en- prized among sports-car enthusiasts. How did it manage the typ- ables the diesel, like the gasoline variants, e limits to which the Macan can ical Porsche panache? How to fulll the Euro 6 emissions standard. be pushed with the gas pedal are be- did the Macan get its char- yond the frontiers of the known SUV Wacteristic authority and its outstanding In order to t these turbocharged V6 en- world. is mastery of sport driving driving dynamics and comfort qualities? gines under the especially streamlined technology is predicated on a ne-tun- hood, certain prerequisites had to be cre- ing of the chassis that only engineers ated for the engine space, such as a special with the corresponding driving pre- air guide on the intake side. e cooling dilections can provide—like the tech- For the market launch, two gasoline en- headwind enters the forward area of the nicians at the Porsche Development gines and one diesel are available as driv - engine compartment through the wide air Center in Weissach. ing forces. anks to bi-turbo-charging, intakes in the front end and is then partly the 3.0-liter V6 in the Macan S delivers routed through specially designed chan- Optional features include the well- 250 kW (340 hp) and up to 460 new- nels in the hood to the air lters and ulti- known Sport Chrono Package with ton-meters of torque. In the top model, mately the turbochargers. the Launch Control race-start func- the Macan Turbo, a 3.6-liter V6 bi-turbo tion, which controls rapid accelera- engine puts out 294 kW (400 hp) and a e power of all three engines is transferred tions at the limits of tire traction capa- maximum torque of 550 newton-meters. and apportioned by a seven-speed Porsche bilities in Sport Plus mode—enabling Even the Macan S Diesel with its 3.0-liter double-clutch transmission (PDK).