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    Porsche Macan S Diesel puts 'sports' back into SUV

    Synopsis

    The Macan is mighty fun to drive even in this 'humble' S Diesel form. Of course, there's tech that blesses it with magical handling.

    Pics and text: BBC TopGear India; www.topgear.com/india

    By Girish Karkera

    The Porsche Macan S Diesel isn't the fastest, most powerful Porsche Macan there is. But it isn't the slowest either. While there's an array of powertrain options globally, in India, Porsche sells only two versions – a petrol-powered Turbo and the diesel S, which is the one we're driving here.

    Under its hood is a sweet 3.0-litre V6 diesel, which behaves just like a petrol engine. It's not very noisy, can build revs in a fashion that would put most petrol engines to shame, and delivers oodles of power that are passed on to all four wheels via a 7-speed PDK gearbox, and still returns a realworld efficiency figure of 10.2kpl.

    Image article boday



    The Macan is mighty fun to drive even in this 'humble' S Diesel form. Of course, there's tech that blesses it with magical handling. It has active four-wheel drive to make life easier in the rough, and grippier on smoother tarmac.

    Active air suspension can modulate the springs at all four corners. The steering weighs up nicely as speed builds up, and helps build confidence. All this, coupled with instantaneous power delivery, just makes the Macan a superbly fun vehicle to drive. The dashboard is typically Porsche — angled towards the driver with lots of dials and buttons.

    Image article boday



    Fit-and-finish is impeccable, seats are plush, and there is just enough space. Good thing is that the boot is big enough to carry luggage for four, but you would expect that from an SUV anyway. And this is the beauty of the Macan. It has everything that you'd want from a proper SUV, including utility and off-road ability, as well as some serious performance and segment defying dynamics.

    Porsche Macan S Diesel

    Image article boday



    Engine: 2,967cc, V6, diesel

    0-100kph: 6.41s

    Fuel efficiency: 9.3kpl (city)/ 11.1kpl (highway)

    Price: Rs 1.3 crore (on-road, approx)

    Verdict: One of the best-handling SUVs ever built, with lots of creature comforts and technical gimmickry. Priced obscenely, but it's a special car, all said and done.
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