Yahoo Autos Engine and Transmission
Engine and Transmission Rating:
It’d be difficult to find fault with a 400-hp twin-turbocharged V-6 stuffed into a compact crossover, and in this respect the Macan Turbo is indeed free of vice. The mighty V-6 can be made mightier with an optional Performance package that pumps it up to 440 horsepower. That draws the six-cylinder Macan within 29 horsepower of the twin-turbocharged V-8 in Mercedes-AMG’s GLC63 and puts it way out in front of everything else in this class with respect to both power and speed: in our testing it ripped from zero to 60 mph in a mere 3.7 seconds.
What’s New for 2018?
Behind the Macan’s aggressive grille intakes lies the same 3.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 that powered last year’s model. Since Porsche has made no changes to the Macan’s powertrain, we expect performance to remain the same as well.
2017 Porsche Macan Turbo
In either standard or Performance-package guise, the Turbo manages its power with a quick-shifting, expertly programmed seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Paddle shifters let you pretend that you’re driving a 911 GT3 and fire off lightning-speed up- and downshifts. Things can get slightly herky-jerky in the Turbo’s Sport mode when attempting to drive calmly around town, but that’s purely because that mode is designed to be used on a track or when attacking a back road in anger. Stick to the normal setting for normal driving and engage Sport and the available Sport Plus settings for maximum rip-snort.
Test Results: Acceleration
Tow Ratings Compared
By a mere nine pounds, the Macan Turbo’s official tow rating leapfrogs both the Audi SQ5’s and the BMW X3 M40i’s for second place among the sporty crossovers we’ve gathered here.
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