Porsche Macan Testing Hard at the 'Ring: GTS Development?

Porsche has obviously started development of yet another version of the Macan, the fifth if we've got our count right. Two Macan prototypes were spotted undergoing some pretty hardcore Nurburgring testing by our friends running Youtube channels Gumbal and TourClips. How hardcore? Let's just say this is the sort of stuff that could result in crashing: jumps, flat-out acceleration and high-speed cornering.

What do we think it is? Let's start by saying the exhaust sounds typical for a V6. Both the 3-liter in the Macan S and the 3.6-liter in the Macan Turbo have lots of untapped potential. However, the price gap between the two models and the fact that this was designed to be a more affordable vehicle leads us to believe that this is a GTS, not a Turbo S.

It's not unreasonable to say that the Macan is one of the best handling SUVs on the market, certainly the best in its class. Adding more power and driver engagement to that formula could make the Macan GTS something to behold.

Porsche only recently revitalized the GTS badge for its go-fast models. After the 997.2 received in 2011, we've witnessed a barrage of new models, including the Cayenne, Panamera and more recently the Boxster and Cayman. All are based on their respective S version and come with sportier suspension, throatier exhaust and small power increases ranging from 15 PS in the Boxster to 20 PS in the Panamera.

The really interesting thing is that unless something weird happens with the Cayenne facelift, the Macan GTS will be the first GTS model will a turbo engine. But, with an expected 360 PS coming from a relatively large 3-liter engine with twin turbos, we aren't exactly worried about lag.

We'll remind you that back in February 2014, Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller was the first to hint at this car's existence, saying that a Macan GTS "makes a lot of sense," but the final decision on whether or not to manufacture the sports crossover had not been reached.