by Drew Dowdell
Porsche unveiled its fifth model line, the Macan, today at the LA Auto Show.
Available in two models, the Macan is Porsche's attempt to create a sports car in the compact crossover segment. Porsche sees a growing market for Hi-Po grocery-getters.
The Macan S is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 producing 340 horsepower and can accelerate the car to 60 mph in 5 seconds flat. If that doesn't get your groceries home fast enough, you can opt for the Macan Turbo which packs a 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 pumping out 400 horsepower and enabling a 4.4 second sprint to 60. Both models feed the power to Porsche's 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and then out to all four wheels. Top speed for the Macan Turbo is 164 mph. Remember, no crying if you spill the milk.
As far as appearance, the exterior Macan looks exactly like what you would expect a compact Porsche crossover to look like. Inside. the Macan doesn't wander from that pattern with a design that looks like a slightly tamer version of the interior used in the Macan's bigger brother, the Cayenne.
The Macan isn't just a paved-playground bully though, Porsche made sure that Mom can get the kids to Grandma's house even in bad weather. With the air suspension set at "High", the Macan has a ground clearance of 9.06 inches. For reference, the 2013 Subaru Forrester and the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk only have 8.9" and 8.7" respectively.
But if something does go wrong, the Porsche Macan features a new safety technology to keep the kids.. and Mom.. safe. Multi-collision brake technology works on the premise that one quarter of all accidents involve a second collision after the first hit. The brake system of the Macan triggers when the airbag sensors detect the first collision and activates maximum braking to try and prevent a second hit.
Looking good and going fast is not typically heard of in the compact crossover segment, but in the Macan, Porsche has unleashed an interesting opening shot.
Check out all of our LA Auto Show Coverage here.
Porsche's 36 Page Press Release on the Macan can be found here. (PDF Warning)
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