Wednesday 23rd April 2014

The four-cylinder Porsche is back!

Nobody mention VW van engines now...

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Porsche is once again selling four-cylinder cars to customers, with the launch of a 2.0-litre turbo petrol version of the Macan. And no, it isn't the much-rumoured and rather fancied flat four engine, but a mainstream in-line four-pot found in (literally) millions of other VWs, Audi, Skodas and SEATs. An I4 Porsche using a cooking Volkswagen engine - now, where have we heard that before...

No S, Diesel or Turbo here; just Macan

OK, well perhaps it's not quite any old four-cylinder: it is, after all, the EA888 motor also found in the VW Golf GTI amongst (many) others. It outpunches even the Golf GTI Performance Pack variant too, with a reasonably tasty 237hp produced between 5,000-6,800rpm (sounds like it likes to rev, this iteration...). At the other end, there's a great slug of torque: 258lb ft spread flat between 1,500-4,500rpm.

So although it weighs 1,770kg, the Macan 2.0T still manages to reach 62mph in 6.9 seconds. That's no doubt aided by some launch control trickery from the standard PDK gearbox, but it does also mean it'll be level-pegging with a Fiesta ST away from the lights.

It's a useful little bit cheaper than the regular Macan S V6 petrol and diesel as well: a list price of £40,276 represents a saving of more than £3,000. It'll average as much as 39.2mpg too, depending on which wheels you fit, and CO2 as low as 168g/km is also pretty good going.

No 968 CS, is it?

Just one problem. Porsche doesn't want you to buy it. Although you can find it on the firm's UK customer site, it comes with the disclaimer 'Special order only. Please contact a Centre'. Which no doubt will try to convince you that, actually, you don't really want a four-pot Macan anyway. Not when there's a nice V6 alternative for just a few thousand more.

And don't forget, they'll say, it IS an engine that's also fitted to a van (t) Audis. Ba-dum.

[anonymous-user]

A necessary addition. Some people will complain that it's not a real Porsche, but they'll sell more of these than ones with bigger engines. You can almost guarantee a 4 cylinder diesel is on the way.

[anonymous-user]

PHMatt said:

Surely the only reason this exists is for Porsches overall emissions targets?
If it's not much cheaper and far less really available it means they don't care if people don't buy it as long as there seen to be selling it.

So wrong. It's cheaper to buy (lease), insure, run and tax. They'll sell loads.