It is 鈥?excuse the oxymoron 鈥?a driver-focused SUV. That鈥檚 precisely what should happen when a sports car company builds a compact crossover, even if the result is slightly compromised in both roles. The Macan鈥檚 rear space isn鈥檛 nearly as generous as on the similarly sized Audi Q5. As a sports car, it lacks the low centre of gravity that makes other Porsches so much fun to fling around corners. Still the GTS does a more than credible job, to the point where it will shame many sedans through the twisties. Porsche has trimmed 15mm off the ride height and fitted adaptive dampers to help keep the nearly two-tonne mass flat and fluid through the turns. Helping tame momentum are brakes borrowed from the Macan Turbo. The interior is typical Porsche with a plethora of buttons and dials, many duplicated on the touchscreen. The driving position is close to ideal: a small steering wheel, grippy and well-bolstered seats and pedals that need little provocation to elicit a response.
The GTS鈥檚 heart is a twin-turbo V6 (265kW/500Nm). Fed through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive, that equates to a 5.2-second sprint to triple figures. Most of the propulsion is funnelled to the 20-inch rear wheels shod with Pirelli rubber. 109,500 plus on-roads the GTS isn鈥檛 cheap 鈥?but it is a bargain in performance terms and nothing else in its class or price range matches it for size and sheer cornering speed. 2690 on the Chrono Pack and you鈥檒l get a performance boost 鈥?the Sports Plus vehicle setting that sets the drivetrain and chassis to race-like responsiveness. You may never use it but you will point out the extra switch out to friends and family, guaranteed. Comfort is the default setting for the GTS suspension and it softens the dampers to the point where the Macan only mildly jostles the occupants over pockmarked country tarmac. Step it up into Sport 鈥?the natural environment of any Porsche 鈥?and the suspension faithfully follows every undulation and scabbed-over pothole.
Those in the back feel it most, apparently. You don鈥檛 buy a Macan as a sports car: that鈥檚 the bonus. As a city runabout the Macan is realistically a four-seater. Boot space at 500L is practical for weekend getaways or carrying kids鈥?paraphernalia. So you can doddle around the 鈥檅urbs all week and then exploit the Macan鈥檚 mean streak with an interesting route to the golf club on the weekend. It takes a while to acquaint yourself with the array of buttons that festoon the centre dash and console. Those that adjust the performance of the vehicle are found alongside the transmission lever but the switchgear extends to the roof. The tri-zone aircon takes little time to do its thing, the new infotainment setup is now on a par with modern offerings from other European and Asian makers and the audio was highly rated by my teenagers. It is either a seriously quick SUV or a very accommodating sports car. Think of it as a quality blended whisky rather than a single malt.
Another tough news week for Jaguar Land Rover, then, as the British company posted a quarterly loss of 拢273million compounded (and then some) by write-downs on the value of various investments. The total figure in the red, for just the last three months of 2018, was a staggering 拢3.4billion. And yet there should be hope. As you鈥檒l read from our early ride impressions of the all-new Evoque, JLR can still produce great cars. The second generation of the genre-making small SUV is more like a true baby Range Rover than its predecessor ever was. It does also feel, though, like a vehicle that will sit in parallel with where the customer and legislative trends are going, instead of being bang on message. Because while there鈥檚 mild-hybrid tech across the range, a proper plug-in version isn鈥檛 likely to be around until next year. And don鈥檛 even ask about an all-electric edition. As a result, the (excellent) Jaguar I-Pace EV is looking an increasingly isolated offering in JLR鈥檚 range - particularly when the VW Group behemoth is lining up more than a dozen pure-electric cars in the next couple of years. It鈥檚 not a question of scale, either, as Volvo, another relative minnow, has hybrid stitched into its range, including SUVs - today, not in 18 months鈥?time. Jaguar Land Rover chief Dr Ralf Speth recently told analysts that the firm has taken 鈥渆very action鈥?and 鈥渘ot stepped away from tough decisions鈥? Models like the Evoque show that when JLR鈥檚 designers and engineers are given clear direction, they can deliver. But the more the struggles continue, the more questions will be asked of those plotting the course. How do you think the future looks for JLR?
Volkswagen is apparently looking to follow the trend that wants automakers to have two SUV offerings in certain segments, a practical, 鈥渘ormal鈥?one and a sportier 鈥渃oupe鈥? with a posher version of the Tiguan. Said to arrive next year, according to AutomobileMagazine, the Tiguan Coupe (name unconfirmed) will still be a five-door, though its bodywork design will be noticeably sportier. While the exterior will me markedly different, the cabin will remain pretty much identical to the regular Tiguan, sporting the same dashboard, although a more lavish trim is very possible. The oily bits will also be carried over, so expect most (if not all) of the Tiguan鈥檚 engine range. 1,819) on certain grades, base models will allegedly be offered with front-wheel drive, whereas the 4Motion all-wheel drive system will be offered in higher specs. The Volkswagen Tiguan Coupe will benefit from a different suspension tuning to emphasize its sportier character. Since the French publication isn鈥檛 quoting a source for this information, we鈥檒l take it with a grain of salt for now. Moreover, VW itself showcased the Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe Concept five years ago, but didn鈥檛 put it into production.
No comments:
Post a Comment