Outlook – June 29, 2019

44 OutlOOk 1 JULY 2019

aUtomotive

S

uccess can often be a double-edged

sword – even more so if it’s in relation

to a product that’s exceeded all

expectations since its launch. Before

I go any further, let’s rewind a bit. The

year was 2002, and Porsche traditionalists

• who are very loyal to the brand – were
  up in arms about Porsche’s first SUV, the
  Cayenne.

stunning success

Back to the present day, and the sales figures

of Porsche’s line-up today is something that

was unimaginable two decades ago. Sure,

there’s the 911 and the Boxster / Cayman

duo, but the real growth of Porsche over the

past two decades came from the Cayenne

and the Macan. Over the past 5 years, the

Macan alone sold over 400,000 units.

Now, back to my original predicament.

You see, the success of a product like the

Macan can be very tricky, for it’s easier to

fall than to rise even higher. And therein lies

the challenge, to improve something that

doesn’t have much room for improvement

• that’s a difficult task indeed!

nip & tuck

First, as one would expect, there are a few

design updates to bring the Macan in tune

with the latest design trademarks of the

brand. So, we’ve now got LED headlights

with LED daytime running lamps that

resemble the design of the latest Cayenne

and the 919 racing car. However, the big

change is the massive tail light that runs

across the width of the rear end of the car.

I love the single taillight look – it gives the

Macan a very distinctive visual identity.

It’s the interior, however, that boasts

bigger changes. Given the rapidly rising

expectations of customers in terms of

connectivity and multimedia, the Macan

now comes with a brand new 10.9-inch

high-resolution touchscreen, which is

absolutely stunning to look at and use. Also

of note is the build quality and high levels of

finishing in the interior, which is by far the

best in its segment.

chasing autobahns

Our first test car was the entry-level Macan,

which is powered by a 2-litre turbocharged

engine. With continual improvements in

power delivery and efficiency, the latest

version of the engine produces 241bhp and

370Nm. And while that might not sound

like much, it does have quite a bit going in

its favour. Full torque is available from as low

as 1,600rpm, which means even the base

model Macan drives like a car powered by

a V6 engine.

Moving it along

The Macan S is powered by a brand-new

3.0-litre V6 engine, which has its turbo

placed within the V of the cylinders. With

349bhp and 480Nm of torque, the Macan

S accelerates like a bullet, and can reach

100km/h in just 5.1 seconds. Effectively,

what it means is that even on the fastest

stretches of the Autobahn, the Macan S

could easily keep up with some of the fastest

cars around.

The agility challenge

Now, given its weight of around 1.8-tonnes,

the Macan’s handling and driving dynamics

could have been a cause of scepticism.

words: ISHan RagHava // photography: PoRSCHe

How do you improve on a product that’s already the fastest-selling vehicle you’ve

manufactured in your 70-year history? It’s an unenviable challenge that Porsche

faces with the latest version of its best-selling SUv – the macan.

See the Porsche Macan in

action on our YouTube channel.

Success

PERILS OF