Upgraded Porsche Macan dumps diesel
February arrival for Porsche’s facelifted, repowered junior SUVThe facelifted 2019 Porsche Macan will arrive in Australian showrooms in February, sporting an all-new V6 turbo-petrol engine for the S version and a huge step up in on-road refinement – but no diesel option.
Porsche has pulled the Macan S Diesel, leaving it with just the four-cylinder petrol Macan and the V6-powered Macan S,
The 2019 Porsche Macan is priced at $81,400 plus on-road costs, while the Macan S costs $97,500 plus ORCs.
The base Macan sees its price creep forward $1690 over the outgoing model, with the Macan S price rising $2000, though Porsche Cars Australia claims the faster version boasts $23,500 in additional equipment and value over its predecessor.
Both models adopt much of the interior equipment and technology from their big SUV brother, the Porsche Cayenne, claiming a 10.9-inch touch-screen infotainment system and big upgrade to their voice-recognition system.
Along with Apple CarPlay, there is also an on-board 4G SIM card to enable the Porsche Connect system, plus WiFi hotspot and redesigned air-vents.
There’s a Sport Chrono package, too, which adds the Porsche 911’s steering wheel with its range of buttons, and there is also now an ionized air system as an option.
The exterior appears wider at the front, with new LED headlights and vertical brake-air intakes, while the wheels are all new, along with automatically dimming interior and exterior mirrors, parking assist and 14-way electric seats.
The 2019 Macan retains the existing model’s 4696mm overall length and remains on a 2807mm wheelbase. It’s 1923mm wide and 1624mm high, with a 1655mm front track width.
Still aimed directly at sporty European mid-size SUVs like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, the Macan retains a 500-litre luggage capacity, though that can grow to 1500 litres with the rear seats folded.
While the new LED headlights make headlines, the rear-end has had just as much light work, with a 3D LED light panel running across the width of the tailgate. There’s also a Matrix LED (sorry, Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus) as an optional headlight.
There’s even an optional Offroad Precision app, which can record off-road adventures, storing data including the driver, the GPS data, the route and the elevation, and it can all be shared on social media.
The Macan S will be both the biggest seller of the two and the flagship (at least until the upgraded Macan Turbo arrives in a year), toting a 260kW version of the 2.9-litre turbo V6.
Developed by Porsche (or Audi, or both, depending on which executive you talk to), the V6 runs a twin-scroll turbocharger nestled inside its hot vee, plus variable valve timing and lift and up to three injections for each combustion stroke.
Shared with the Audi RS 4, the engine develops its power between 5400 and 6400rpm, while its 480Nm torque peak flatlines between 1360rpm and 4800rpm.
Despite weighing 1865kg, the Macan S is powerful enough to reach 100km/h in 5.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 254km/h. On the flip side, it consumes 8.6L/100km and emits a minimum of 196g/km of CO2.
The entry-level Macan uses an Audi-built 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. The headline act, apart from its variable valve timing and lift, is an upgrade in its combustion chamber to clean up emissions and improve its power.
European versions of this motor push out 180kW, but Australian Macans won’t use the particulate filters they have, so it stretches a bit higher to 185kW of power over 5000-6750rpm.
Its torque is modest, at 370Nm over 1600-4500rpm, but both performance curves are broad and flat.
Still, it weighs 1795kg and that performance is only good enough for a 225km/h top speed and a very un-Porsche-like 0-100km/h time of 6.7 seconds, or 6.5 with the Sport Plus mode engaged.
The odd thing is that it’s not immensely more economical than the V6, with a WLTP consumption figure of 8.1L/100km and CO2 emissions of 185g/km.
Both engines are managed by variations of the same seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and both run fully variable all-wheel drive.
How much does the 2019 Porsche Macan cost?
Macan -- $81,400
Macan S -- $97,500
* Prices exclude on-road costs
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