The definition of sportscar is changing, especially with the proliferation of crossovers in the same space. Which explains why Porsche doesn’t need to depend entirely on cars like the 718 Boxster/Cayman and the 911 for its sales. The Macan and Cayenne have taken care of that. And despite neither being conventionally sporty, Porsche has managed to engineer enough sporting character in those two to be worthy of the badge. Now, Porsche has bestowed upon the Macan a badge that was limited to its sportscars only — and was never found on a four-door model before.
Called the Porsche Macan T, it’s the intermediate model between the Macan and the V6-engined Macan S. It is still sat on the previous Audi-Q5-derived platform, but on the T, Porsche has made some changes to the chassis to make it ready for spirited driving. The car is lower by 15 mm and comes with Porsche Active Suspension Management. Optional extras to further improve the dynamics include air suspension (and the ability to drop the height by another 10 mm), Porsche Torque Vectoring, etc.
The Macan T is powered by a four-cylinder engine (an inline-four and not the flat-four from the 718) but it’s been uprated to 265hp and 400Nm. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is a standard affair, and the claimed 0-100kph time is 6.2 seconds. Which is nearly identical to that of the Porsche 944 Turbo from the late 80s/early 90s — a further reminder of how potent these sporting crossovers have become. Porsche’s recalibration of the Porsche Traction Management of the all-wheel-drive system to a more rear-biased setup further signifies the Macan T’s positioning as the driver-focussed crossover. And if we’re talking about special Porsches, we can’t not talk about losing the excess weight. There hasn’t been any drastic measures to achieve that (like removal of rear seats or superfluous interior equipment), but Porsche maintains that, in comparison to the V6-engined Macan S, the new Macan T is nearly 60kg lighter. Any car enthusiast worthy of their salt can confirm this is always a good thing.
Talking of good things, the recently refreshed exterior and interior aren’t left alone either. Apart from the obvious inclusion of a new badge at the rear of the crossover, it gets elements painted in Agate Grey, while some are finished in gloss black. The 20-inch wheels from the Macan S are standard, too. The interior gets a new stitch pattern for the seats; the front ones also have a Porsche crest embossed.
For those looking at sporting cars but don’t want to miss out on the practicality of a crossover, the Macan has been a great fit. Not only has it been a success for Porsche, it also proves to be a testament to the fact that if there’s a carmaker who can successfully make a new car based on a decade-old platform and still make it more likeable than the majority of its rivals, it has to be Porsche. The Porsche Macan T pretty much rides on the same formula. Whether or not it does justice to the ‘T’ in its moniker is a debate for another day…
We’re yet to get confirmation on whether Porsche has plans to bring this model to India. But in case they do, will you be interested?
