Four-cylinder Porsche Macan — shrewd or sacrilege?
Asia, specifically China and India are huge markets for automobiles and more manufacturers are tailoring their products to suit these markets while toeing the line to keep costs low. The myriad of compact SUVs and sedans launched to conform to India’s sub-four metre tax exemption are clear examples. Even engine capacity is limited to under 1.2 litres for petrol engines and 1.5 litres for diesels, to play nice with the excise policy.
China has similar tax exemption laws for diesel vehicles under 3.0 litres and even legendary German sportscar manufacturer, Porsche, appears to have bowed to this constraint. The recently concluded 13th Beijing International Automobile Exhibition saw Porsche reveal a Macan meant for Asian markets with the Golf GTI-sourced four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine developing 233bhp between 5000 and 6800rpm and 350Nm of torque at 1500 and 4500rpm. The transmission options are limited to Porsche’s slick seven-speed ‘PDK’ enabling this compact SUV to hit the ton in a respectable 6.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 222kmph. Though the Golf GTI manages the 0–100kmph run in 6.5 seconds, the four-pot engine has to lug an additional 420 kilos and all things considered, the four-cylinder Macan’s performance isn’t bad. The range topping Macan S, whose 3.0-litre V6 petrol churns out 335bhp and 460Nm of torque, does the 0–100kmph sprint in just 5.4 seconds and can attain a top whack of 254kmph.
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The Macan will share its 233bhp four-pot 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with the VW Golf GTI[/caption]
The four-pot engine meets emission norms in China (168g of CO2 per kilometre) and clearly targets efficiency rather than performance. Porsche claims a fuel efficiency figure of 13.33kmpl for this entry-level compact SUV.
There hasn’t been a four-pot from the German marque since the 1992 968, which replaced the 944 as Porsche’s entry-level offering. The current 919, Porsche’s new LMP1 racer, is technically a four-cylinder engine though in V-configuration, and is supported by a whole lot of electric power. Sharing engine options across the VW group is common and has the added benefit of reducing costs.
This move by the German manufacturer should bear out well; the Macan compact SUV is meant to generate large sales volumes, and lower costs help achieve this. However, purists may find the idea of a four-pot turbo-petrol motor in a Porsche unattractive. Then of course you have manual transmission lovers bemoaning the loss of tactility, while the truly hardcore wonder what Porsche is doing making a compact SUV in the first place.
The made-for-Asia Macan will be sold in Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong and Japan though rumours suggest that the compact SUV will be available in Europe sometime early next year. An India launch later this year is also likely as the smaller, cheaper option will suit the Indian buyer well. If the success of the Audi Q3 (on which the Macan is based) is anything to go by, a sporty compact SUV will be most welcome in India.
