Porsche confirms four-pot boxer engines for the Macan

Porsche has revealed a new entry-level version of the Macan which will be powered by newly developed four-cylinder engines. The Macan was unveiled at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show in three versions, all powered by V6 engines. This is the first time since 1995 that Porsche will be offering a car with a four-cylinder engine.

The Porsche Macan will be available with both petrol and diesel four cylinder engines. The entry-level car will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing around 237bhp and 350Nm of torque. The diesel engine will also be a 2.0-litre unit and both these cars will go up against the base Range Rover Evoque. The Macan is based on Volkswagen Group’s other SUV, the Q5, though Porsche claims that around two-thirds of the architecture, including the door and upper body structure, have been replaced, to give the car its own character.

The Macan is offered in three other variants- Macan S, Macan Diesel S and Macan Turbo. The car gets Porsche’s seven-speed PDK transmission and a four-wheel-drive system, which is capable of sending all of the power directly to the rear wheels when needed. Even the car’s air suspension has been tuned to give it a sporty feel. The dual exhaust pipes at the rear will visually set the four-cylinder version apart from the other variants.

The Macan is built at Porsche’s Leipzig plant in Germany along with the Cayenne and Panamera. Besides the Macan, Porsche has plans to offer the four-cylinder petrol units in the Cayman and the Boxter too. Despite the reduced displacement and number of cylinders, Porsche engineers have managed to squeeze out good power figures out of these new engines. Hence these units will not only return better efficiency and reduced emission figures, but are also expected to improve performance and handling, thanks to the reduced weight.