In my opinion, all the changes that have happened to the new Macan serve only one simple purpose – to allow people to continue to keep the fuel-powered Macan fresh until the arrival of the all-electric Macan in 2023.
Considering the huge amount of money that Porsche needs to divert from the development of the pure electric Macan, the fact that the new Macan in front of us has not been greatly upgraded at the technical level is also accepted. Still, judging by the dozens of new Macans parked in front of me, the new car has been fully achieved, and it is enough to arouse people's curiosity about it.
The first preservation secret is that Porsche has improved the styling recognition of the new car through many detail changes. At the front of the car, the front bumper components below the clamshell bonnet are brand new. A pair of large side air intakes as wide as the cheeks are threaded together by the front spoiler below, and the bottom frame section of the central grille is also decorated with a 3D stereoscopic texture for added detail to the exterior.
The same 3D texture was also applied to the optional side door trim and the rear lip above the rear exhaust pipe – the new rear bumper significantly increased the area of the black diffuser and conveyed a stronger sense of power through the three-dimensional shape. The detail changes that can only be detected by careful observation are the new car's standard LED headlights with Porsche Dynamic Lighting and sport Design exterior mirrors with a hollow base design.
All of these details make the new Macan even more imposing, and what's even more amazing is that you should have a hard time seeing two identical new Macans on the street.
With the launch of new cars, Porsche now offers 200 individual configurations for the Macan series. For example, with the addition of three new paint colours, there are now 14 body colours available to customers. There are 19 color wheels including 19, 20 and 21 inches. Add to that the different styles and materials of side door trims, different colors of exterior details and body markings – and that's not even a more varied interior customization – unless you and a good brother or sister have a word to create a twin first, it's really hard to have a "crash shirt" on the new Macan.
Of course, this also means that you will pay a heavy price for maintaining your personality. It's as if in addition to white and black paint, other paint colors on the new Macan require an additional optional price ranging from 11,800 yuan to 29,300 yuan. The most expensive 21-inch optional wheels are priced at as much as 60,200 yuan per set.
Now that it comes to price – the starting price of the three different models of the new car is 554,000 yuan (Macan), 688,000 yuan (Macan S) and 848,000 yuan (Macan GTS). Obviously, you should have a hard time getting the chance to buy your own new Macan at the above price. Because according to Porsche statistics, almost all customers who buy Macan are difficult to resist the temptation to configure their new cars.
The new Macan has also updated its powertrain this time. The base model's 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine has increased its maximum power and torque to 195kW and 400Nm, which is 10kW and 30Nm more than the old model.
The new Macan S and Macan GTS were upgraded to a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 engine — it was more like decentralization of the 2.9T twin-supercharged V6 used by the old Macan GTS and Macan Turbo to the new "S" and "GTS" models. Their power outputs are 280kW, 520Nm (new Macan S) and 324kW, 550Nm (new Macan GTS).
All three models feature a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and a four-wheel drive system with Porsche Traction Management (PTM). Their corresponding 0-100km/h acceleration time has been reduced to 6.4s, 4.8s and 4.5s, which can be achieved by 0.2s faster each with the optional Sport Chrono components.
For the new Macan equipped with a 2.0T engine, the engine upgrade should be the biggest change in mechanical structure. A closer look at the configuration table reveals that the new Macan's 2.0T model actually eliminates the old standard suspension soft and hard adjustable function – the production capacity of parts suppliers that have been severely affected by the epidemic is the main factor.
I test-drove this entry-level new Macan at the Zhuhai International Circuit. Truth be told, the combination of steel springs and standard shock absorbers tested the engineering team's chassis tuning capabilities even more. And when I deliberately used a crappy operation to move forward recklessly in a few sharp corners, the new car still provided an extremely smooth body posture and a very neutral and controllable handling feedback that reflected the magic of the four-wheel drive system.
As for the power improvement of the 2.0T engine, it is really difficult to detect in daily driving. However, Porsche's positioning of the Macan in the driving experience has always been based on the "sports car in the SUV" as the core. This means that in addition to the tough chassis, the transmission's working rhythm in sport mode is also very "tracked". The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts quickly, and even with automatic mode, the transmission can grasp the timing of the backstop when braking hard.
The paddle shifter behind the steering wheel now replaces the manual shift that could only be performed with the shift lever. Customers with higher driving requirements can also opt for a multi-kinetic GT sport steering wheel, which will reduce the steering wheel diameter from the standard 375mm to 360mm, resulting in a more flexible and sporty handling experience.
For the Macan S and Macan GTS models, which have been greatly boosted in power and have shock absorbers with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard, they will obviously change more in the driving experience. On the new car, Porsche Needles further optimised the damper characteristics of the Active Suspension Management System (PASM) to achieve a better balance between comfort and dynamic performance.
Air suspension is also standard on the Macan S and Macan GTS models. On the Macan S, the air suspension allows the body to continue to raise by 40mm above the standard height or up to 30mm (loading height) to accommodate different road conditions. For the Macan GTS, the standard sporty air suspension is distinctly different from the rest of the car – it's 10 mm lower in all states, and the front and rear axle air suspensions are 10% stiffer than the previous model, respectively.
As a top member of the Macan range, GTS models can also be equipped with GTS sports components such as optional 21-inch GT Design wheels with high-performance tires, Porsche Torque Steering Plus (PTV Plus) and Sport Chrono components to further enhance dynamic performance.
For the interior design, in addition to the new steering wheel with paddle shifters just mentioned, the new Macan also features a new shorter gear lever, and the control buttons in the shift bar area are replaced by a whole touch panel. The analog clock at the top of the dashboard is now standard as well. Including interior details such as seats, interior component materials, stitching colours or richer equipment, Porsche also offers optional or customized services.
In Porsche's customer analysis documents, about 80% of the owners of the Macan series are new customers of the brand, and nearly 60% of the buyers in the largest market for the series , China , are women. This all illustrates the special place of the Macan series in Porsche products. Undoubtedly, the new Macan has enough strength to continue to be Porsche's "brand goodwill ambassador" and to continue to maintain the market heat of the product before the car series enters the era of pure electricity.
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