The fifth-gen Land Rover Discovery has now received a few upgrades. The first one is the introduction of a 3.0-liter diesel burner, which pushes out 306 PS and 700 Nm of torque. When powered by this unit, which is available with the SE, HSE and HSE Luxury grades, the Discovery sprints to 96 km/h in 7.0 seconds and maxes out at 209 km/h. The average fuel consumption announced by the car manufacturer is 36.2 UK mpg (7.8 l/100 km / 30.1 US mpg), and CO2 emissions stop at 205 g/km. Land Rover says the SDV6 engine features twin turbochargers, a revised intake system with twin intercoolers, an eight-nozzle injector design, and a diesel particulate filter. In this flavor, the SUV has a towing capacity of 3,500 kg. Collins is referring to the Clear Exit Monitor that now equips the Land Rover Discovery. The feature alerts the driver of potential hazards closing in from behind, flashing a warning light on the door and alerting occupants. Also, the adaptive cruise control now includes stop&go, thus making the daily commute more pleasant.
There are some features trickled down from its big sister and even from the Panamera saloon, most significantly a departure from the Audi-based V6 engine with Porsche鈥檚 own six-cylinder - a move that defies the Volkswagen Group鈥檚 trend to commonality. The launch this week is for the Macan S with the new 2.9-litre V6 turbo-petrol. 90,000 price, serves to introduce the brand to many first-time owners. Next year will come the more powerful Turbo and V8-engined GTS. With the new Macan, Porsche sees the end to its short-lived dalliance with the diesel engine. There are now no vehicles powered by a diesel and wearing Porsche badges. One look at the Macan and you see where every other SUV manufacturer just got it all wrong. This is a beautiful machine, its body cling-wrapped to a chassis and stretched over 20-inch wheels (21s are optional), with a big greenhouse, pouting grille and the pin-pricks of LED headlights. Save for a contrasting panel below the waist that serves as body protection, there are no fussy scallops and creases, bulges or vents. It鈥檚 just clean, smooth and elegant. With the design, the devil is in the detail.
The seemingly simple act of clothing the conventional front engined, five-seat cabin masks the need to make the car as slippery as possible to cheat the wind to lower fuel use and win bunny points with Europe鈥檚 stringent emission rules. It has to have extremely low wind noise yet retain the SUV genre鈥檚 height and width for cabin and luggage space. Invariably, as an all-wheel drive loaded with safety and infotainment apparatus, it also has to cheat weight. The headlights are flush finished and the bonnet is a clam-shell deign, spilling over the edges to almost touch the wheel arches. At the rear, the same warp-around design assures the boot lid of a wide opening to swallow as much cargo as possible. There are active radiator flaps behind the whale-shark mouth grille that close to reduce air drag and open when the engine heats up. The Macan鈥檚 20-inch wheels on new-design five-spoke alloys - looking a lot like the simple spoked wheels of two decades ago - are the entry-level wheels, with optional 21-inch available. Tyres are different sizes front and rear and the spare is a deflated space-saver with an onboard compressor.
Unmistakable will be a new range of colours that takes some inspiration from the bright-painted models of the 1960s and 1970s. The green and brown and blue hues are what Porsche terms 鈥渂right and shouty鈥? The highlight of the new model is the large central screen with bright and crystal clear TFT graphics for functions including entertainment, navigation, communication and ventilation. The instrument panel remains similar to the outgoing model, with the classic central tachometer offset by the speedometer and a multi-function space for vehicle information and secondary navigation. Like the exterior, the cabin layout and dashboard design screams simplicity and class. The white-on-black graphics, array of switchgear that highlights the feature list, high seating and clear vision from the driver鈥檚 seat are all Porsche hallmarks and the core reason why the Macan is so user friendly. But there are too many switches, especially on the cascading centre console, to relate to quickly. This is a car that needs time for the driver to learn the layout and the location of the controls.
Perhaps that鈥檚 part of Porsche鈥檚 driving appeal. By contrast, the steering wheel controls are intuitive, with a roller near the driver鈥檚 right thumb for altering the right-side information readout. There鈥檚 also predictive controls that alight when a hand nears, actually worked by light rays. Personal storage is adequate with large door pockets for bottles, a spacious centre console with lid, and cupholders in the front and within the rear seat鈥檚 armrest. The use of quality materials goes hand in hand with the clean layout. The seats are large, well suited to countries of large-frame citizens, with excellent support and adjustment. Cabin room is generally good, though the long 2.8m wheelbase does not translate into liberal rear-seat room, rather being a comfortable space for two adults with some limits to legroom. A tall driver may not make life in the rear very comfortable. The boot area is a surprise. The rounded tail hints at restrictive luggage space but the Macan soaks up cargo with ease, opening on its electric tail gate - incidentally, one of the quietest on the market - to allow 500 litres of load. Flip the split-fold rear seat and the flat floor will cope with 1500 litres.
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