Petrol power is making a comeback and Porsche are more than pleased to bring in a sensible Macan to try and bite off a sizeable piece of the pie. We go test it out.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Not so long ago, the world was ranting and raving about how diesel is the fuel of the future and how clean a modern diesel could be. Well, turns out those who had all their eggs in one carbon-dioxide basket failed to realise that there’s more to emission than just CO2. Global warming, greenhouse gases and old carbon dioxide… If only they’d paid attention to carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and unburned hydrocarbons. Petrol burns cleaner. It’s assisted with a spark and, coupled with direct injection, is, in the present state of logic and technology, going to be cleaner to burn than green oil. Since there isn’t any soot or particulate matter involved, it’s cleaner and lower on maintenance too. And because it doesn’t rely entirely on compression for its combustion, it will be more refined. Besides, petrol engines are lighter, and that means the car is usually faster.
Porsche have brought in the Macan R4; the suffix literally referring to its engine layout in German: ‘R’ for ‘reihen’ meaning ‘row’, and ‘4’ referring to the number of cylinders. It’s a Porsche compact SUV with a motor borrowed from the Volkswagen Group, primarily used in the Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI overseas. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is turbocharged and has direct fuel injection that allows it to make 252 PS and rev all the way up to 6,800 rpm, where it sounds absolutely fantastic. Then there’s the hefty 370 Nm of torque that accompanies it, and that’s available from a low 1,600 rpm.
The Macan is styled akin to its S Diesel sibling in India. There aren’t too many differences save for the 18-inch alloy wheels and the cladding on the doors. Our car was equipped with a few optional extras, including the Porsche Dynamic Lighting System with its LED daytime lights, a panoramic glass sliding sun-roof, park assistance, Porsche Active Suspension Management with air suspension and an ‘Offroad’ mode too. The standard fare is also quite good, with the three-zone automatic climate control, an eight-way adjustable driver seat, Lane Departure Warning system, Porsche Communication Management, and even a powered tail-gate making the check-list.
All of that makes the interior a comfortable, yet purposeful place to be. It’s not overly spacious but it offers more than enough. It feels elegant in its beige and black two-tone layout with the essential elements of smooth aluminium trim adding a dash of contrast as well as quality feel. The centre stack is loaded with buttons that tweak everything from the air-conditioning to the suspension setup and ride height. The tall gear-lever has a commanding stance, and, after an almost silent ignition — the key needs to be pushed in and turned to start it — was slotted into ‘D’ and off we went.
