2016 New York Motor Show: Porsche develops new inline-4 petrol engine for the Macan
Shortly after Porsche announced the inevitable four-cylinder engine in the new 718 Boxster the company has just announced that its entry-level SUV the Macan will feature a brand new 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four cylinder petrol engine. This engine will replace the 3.0-litre V6 petrol from the current base Macan.
The new engine has been designed to be both sporty and efficient and uses a number of technologies in this pursuit like direct injection, variable valve timing and Porsche's Vario Cam Plus technology that continuously adapts the intake and exhaust camshaft while also controlling exhaust valve lift. The single turbo runs at a boost pressure 14PSI to produce 252PS from 5,000-6,800rpm while torque peaks at 370Nm and all of it is available from 1,600rpm to 4,500rpm. As before, the Macan is mated to a 7-speed PDK dual clutch transmission that comes with an auto start-stop function.
Porsche claims a 0-100kmph time of 6.1s and a top speed of 228kmph, very brisk performance for what is effectively the entry level Macan. The benefits of downsizing include an 18 per cent drop in fuel consumption.
Prices for the new Porsche Macan start at roughly Rs 31 lakh in the USA with deliveries beginning in July 2016. That's roughly Rs 5Â lakh cheaper than the Macan S in the USA. There is no word on whether Porsche India plans on bringing this car to India as a entry to the Macan range. While the Macan competes with the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 internationally it has been priced out of the stratosphere in India with prices starting at the Rs 1 crore mark. If Porsche were to have any reasonable success with the Macan in India a big price drop across the range will be far more effective than just bringing this new engine to our shores.