These are the latest spy images of the Porsche Macan, which has been spotted winter testing in the Arctic circle.
This is the first time the Macan has undergone cold weather testing. A production version is expected to be launched in October.
Previous Macan prototypes have tested with Q5 bodywork - the car with which the Macan shares its underpinnings - but this is the second time test mules have worn a body representative of the final production car, with prototypes previously spotted testing at the Nurburgring. The influences of the larger Cayenne are clear in the five-door Macan, the car effectively looking like a shrunken version of its bigger brother.
The Macan has a low wide, stance and is sleek in profile, traits helped by its sharply raked windscreen and sloping roofline. The Macan is likely to measure around 4600mm long, 1890mm wide and 1650mm high, making it 210mm shorter, 50mm narrower and 40mm lower than the larger Cayenne.
Underpinning the Macan is Volkswagen Group’s next-generation MLB platform for large front- and four-wheel drive SUVs. Audi has been heavily involved the platform’s development, and it will also be used to underpin the next-generation Q5.
The engine range will be crowned by a new twin-turbocharged V6 with around 370bhp and 400lb ft. This new engine will power the Macan Turbo, which aims to carve out a niche as a faster, more dynamic alternative to the BMW X3 and Range Rover Evoque.
At the bottom of the engine range will be two four-cylinder engines – the first time four-cylinder powerplants would have appeared in a Porsche since the 968 in 1995.
On the petrol side, there will be a 220bhp 2.0-litre unit that should still be good for 0-62mph performance of 7.5sec and a 143mph top speed. The base diesel will be a 190bhp 2.0-litre turbo unit.
Other engines in the Macan’s range are set to include a 295bhp 3.6-litre V6 in the S, and a 250bhp 3.0-litre V6 in the Diesel S. A Macan Hybrid is also planned, and Porsche is also keen to use Audi’s potent new 309bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 in a Diesel Turbo model.
Mark Tisshaw/Greg Kable
