Despite visible progress in petrol engine fuel consumption and the introduction of efficient hybrid models, most European SUV buyers still prefer the meaty feel of a diesel engine, which is a great companion on those long motorway journeys.
We turn our attention to Porsche, who are hoping the new Macan SUV, which they developed based off the platform of the Audi Q5, will blow the competition out of the water. Three versions are available: the Macan S that we tested, a more powerful Turbo model with 400 PS and a diesel.
The Macan S Diesel should become "The Lesson" in how to make a 2-ton SUV with a diesel engine feel sporty. The 3-liter V6 that engineers put at its disposal generates only 258 PS from 4,000rpm and 580 Nm of torque. Now, that doesn't sound like much in this day and age, but the way in which Porsche carries out its engineering work is nothing short of magical.
This next video shot by an amateur German reviewer shows the Macan S Diesel matches its claimed acceleration time (0 to 100 km/h in 6.3s) in real life conditions. That's even faster than a Golf GTI, and nobody calls that car slow. What's more, from inside the cabin, you'd never know this is happening in a diesel car.
Being the middle of the European market range, the Macan S diesel is slower and less powerful than the equivalent petrol model. However, both cost the same (€57,930 in Germany) and the diesel gets almost 30% better fuel consumption (9 l/100km vs 6.3 l/100km).
If you're not after hardcore performance and driving thrills, the Macan S Diesel really is kind of a no-brainer.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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