Porsche purists were up in arms when the German automaker decided to enter the SUV market with the Cayenne, but the SUV has been a huge money maker for the company so they decided to test the waters with another offering, the Porsche Macan compact SUV. This small SUV should be just as popular as the Cayenne, if not more.
The Macan has been in the works for quite a while now; we’ve seen plenty of spy-shots of the unfinished product and heard rumors about what will be powering it, now we finally get to see the finished version of the compact SUV, officially unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Porsche Macan is being released at a 2015 model and will be available as the Macan S and Macan turbo. The Macan S is powered by a 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 engine that produces 340 horsepower, with an impressive 0 – 60 mph time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 156 mph. The Macan turbo is powered by an all-new 3.6 liter twin-turbo V6 engine that pumps out 400 HP and can do the 0 – 60 mph sprint in 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 164 mph.
When this type of acceleration and speed is involved, these vehicles need good braking. Porsche has equipped the Macan S with 6-piston clippers and 13.78” discs at the front and the 6-piston calipers and 14.17” discs at the front on the Macan turbo. These vehicles really put the “sport” in Sport Utility Vehicle.
Since these are off-road capable vehicles, they come standard with all-wheel-drive systems with PTM (Porsche Traction Management), up to 100% of the torque can be sent to the front or rear axle. The Macans are also available with air suspensions that provide an extra 1.58” of ground clearance (max ground clearance is 9.06”).
The exterior styling on the Macan looks almost identical to the Cayenne; an untrained eye would/could probably mistake it for its bigger brother. On the inside, it’s business as usual, the interior looks like most other Porsche vehicles with leather seats, leather on part of the dashboard and door panels, and buttons to the left and right of the gear lever.
The 2015 Porsche Macan S has a starting price of $49,900 and the Macan turbo starts at $72,300 in the United States. Via: Porsche
2015 Porsche Macan Compact SUV Photo Gallery
