The Porsche Macan is cleverer than your car. And you, probably

Home / News / The Porsche Macan is cleverer than your car. And you, probably

If you think your car is clever, think again.

Porsche has unveiled the Macan SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it has just about every technical base covered.

The Macan is first and foremost designed to perform like a sports car. In Macan S form it has a 300bhp 3.0-litre V6 biturbo capable of launching the car from 0 to 62mph in 5.4 seconds, while the 400bhp 3.6-litre biturbo in the Macan Turbo does it in 4.8 seconds. A fast, more frugal diesel completes the range.

Macan it look easy

Porsche has blessed the Macan with an array of efficiency-boosting tricks. When coasting at low speeds the engine is decoupled, helping you save fuel. Combined with Porsche’s clever, fast-shifting PDK 7-speed gearbox, and the result should be one smooth, efficient ride. Unless you plant your foot.

In fact, the Macan is so efficient it only turns on the electro-mechanical steering when you need it, saving even more fuel. Clever stuff.

Should you go off road, a button on the dashboard ups the traction and adjusts the gearing. Torque distribution is also adjusted to suit conditions and, with the optional air suspension, the body can be raised an additional 40mm to create more clearance.

Those who struggle to get comfortable in a car will appreciate the 8-way adjustable sports seats, while the optional Adaptive sports seats up the ante to 18-way adjustability. You can even specifiy ventilation in your chair, in case you get too hot or too cold. Not even our sofas at home do that.

Other features to make your journey more comfortable include adaptive cruise control so the car adjusts your speed to match the car in front, a Burmester surround sound system and a 4.8in colour display, which can be upgraded to a 7in touch screen with 11 speakers and USB connectivity.

There’s also a 40GB hard drive to fill up with MP3s. You can even use the Aha Radio app on iOS and Android to check our information on the weather, browse Facebook and Twitter, drive to Google points of interest and listen to web-based music of your choosing.

As you’ve probably guessed from the Porsche badge, the Macan won’t come cheap. Think a starting figure of £43,300. Thank the heavens you have between now and April 2014 to save up for one.