Porsche Macan T - a sportier 2.0L four-cylinder SUV

Porsche Macan T – a sportier 2.0L four-cylinder SUV

The ‘T’ suffix in recent Porsche models have taken to denote “Touring”, where the marque’s two-door models – the 718 Boxster and Cayman, as well as the 911 – employ the badge for variants based on the entry-level powertrain, albeit those focused on the driving experience.

Here, in the case of the Macan, it means the use of the 2.0 litre turbocharged inline-four engine that is unchanged from its 265 PS and 400 Nm outputs, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive as before. With Sport Chrono as standard, the Macan T does 0-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 232 km/h.

Given its driver-oriented brief, the Macan T choice of the base model’s 2.0 litre engine is made for its 58.8 kg weight saving over the SUV’s front axle, and to this starting point the ‘T’-specific chassis revisions are added. Here, the Macan T gets steel springs with PASM adaptive damping as standard, while sitting 15 mm lower than the regular base Macan variant.

The front anti-roll bars for the Macan T are more rigid while its chassis tuning has been optimised “to create the perfect suspension for the vehicle and powertrain,” which nets more responsive steering and more agile handling, says Porsche.

Adaptive air suspension is optional, and this setup lowers the vehicle by another 10 mm for a cumulative 25 mm drop compared to the regular base Macan. Also available as an option is Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus for sharper driving dynamics.

Setting the Macan T apart from other variants in the range are exterior components finished in Agate Grey Metallic, namely the painted front trim, side mirror covers, side blades, spoiler and rear logos, while the exhaust pipes and side window trim are finished in gloss black. Rolling stock comes courtesy of 20-inch Macan S wheels, here in an exclusive dark titanium finish as standard.

The ‘T’ theme continues inside this Macan, and like the 718 Boxster T and Cayman T as well as the 991-generation 911 Carrera T, the Macan T interior gets black leather upholstery paired with Sport-Tex fabric centre panels, here applied to the front seats and rear outer seats.

Front occupants in the Macan T get eight-way electrically adjustable heated sports seats, while silver contrast stitching is applied to the seats, headrests and steering wheel. The steering wheel itself is a heated, multifunction GT item, which can be trimmed in Race-Tex and carbon-fibre trim, while the black aluminium door entry guards each feature a Macan T logo. An ioniser is also optional here.

Being based on the latest, second-facelift iteration of the Macan family, other equipment specification includes the latest 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen housed within the revised dashboard and console architecture with touch-sensitive control surfaces.