Is The New Porsche Macan's Rear Light A Nod To The Next 911?

It鈥檚 the new Porsche Macan! And just like most Porsche reveals, you鈥檇 be forgiven for thinking it might still be the old Porsche Macan. At least at the front. Around the back, though, it gives us a decent hint of some of the next 911鈥檚 design cues, with its long horizontal strip of lights. It certainly boldens up the rear of Porsche鈥檚 smallest SUV, and it鈥檚 a feature that鈥檒l notably evolve the 911鈥檚 styling too. Otherwise it鈥檚 broadly as before鈥攖he front lights and wheel designs have been tweaked, but it鈥檚 still recognizably a Macan. Porsche鈥檚 incremental evolution of its model鈥檚 looks isn鈥檛 just reserved for the sports cars. New colors include Miami Blue and Crayon (a lovely flat gray), familiar from the 911 and 718 ranges. Inside, a new 11in touchscreen adds a whole load of map and voice recognition goodies as well as the one we鈥檝e all been waiting for鈥攁n ionizer to better control interior air quality. Phew. The cruise control now comes with autonomous acceleration, braking and steering in slow-moving traffic. New options include a 鈥楪T鈥?sports steering wheel, which gets Porsche鈥檚 latest driving mode selection dial and鈥攁s seen here鈥攍ashings of Alcantara. While the interior gains some of the company鈥檚 recent tech, it retains the traditional plastic buttons of the old Macan, rather than acquiring the fancy gloss haptic-feedback layout of the latest Panamera. The Macan鈥檚 bank of buttons might not look as cool, but they鈥檒l arguably be more ergonomic on the move. And below the surface? The chassis has enjoyed some 鈥榝ine-tuning鈥?and new tires, still wider at the rear axle, for better handing. If you鈥檙e wondering why we鈥檝e not mentioned engines yet, that鈥檚 because Porsche hasn鈥檛 either. We expect a handful of turbocharged gasoline mills, culminating in GTS and Turbo performance versions, but no diesel. At least until everyone gets their head around the new 鈥榃LTP鈥?emissions regulations. Like what you see? Reckon the upstart Alfa Romeo Stelvio will be put back in its place? Minor edits have been made.

Chinese startup car manufacturer, AIWAYS, will debut two cars at this year鈥檚 Geneva Motor Show: an all-electric SUV and a methanol-electric supercar built in tandem with the engineer behind the Gumpert Apollo. The all-electric SUV, called the U5, will act as a budget alternative to the Mercedes EQC or the Audi e-Tron. The U5鈥檚 body is constructed from a combination of aluminium and steel, which AIWAYS says offers both rigidity and safety. The U5 has achieved a five-star safety rating in Chinese crash tests and the firm claims that, once it arrives in Europe, the U5 will be one of the safest mid-size SUVs once on the market. Driver convenience features include lane-keeping assistance, a driver fatigue monitoring system, automated parking and traffic jam assist. Inside, the U5 will receive a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a set of quirky leather seats and a 鈥渢ri-fold鈥?digital instrument binnacle. AIWAYS will also debut the world鈥檚 first methanol-electric supercar at Geneva, designed and built collaboratively with Roland Gumpert. Called the Nathalie, the supercar uses methanol to generate electricity, in the same way as a hydrogen fuel cell. The electricity is then used to drive four electric motors, via twin, two-speed gearboxes.

The Porsche Macan crossover is the best-selling Porsche. It鈥檚 based on the Audi Q5, but it鈥檚 longer, wider, and lower, so it鈥檚 roomier. It looks like the Porsche Cayenne, but it鈥檚 six inches shorter on a wheelbase that鈥檚 3.5 inches smaller. It technically seats five but realistically only four adults, as that center rear passenger must be very small, and even then won鈥檛 be happy. The entry-level Macan uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 252 horsepower and a strong 273 pound-feet of torque. It can accelerate from zero to sixty in 6.1 seconds and reach 142 miles per hour. The Macan S uses a 3.0-liter V6 making 340 horsepower; it can hit sixty in 5.0 seconds and reach 156 mph. The Macan GTS was new for 2017; it鈥檚 a high-performance version that takes the V6 and raises the horsepower to 360. It will do zero to sixty in 4.8 seconds and reach 159 miles per hour. Every model is all-wheel drive with a bias toward the rear, and uses Porsche鈥檚 race-bred 7-speed dual-clutch automatic manual transmission.

The only new feature for 2018 is an embedded SIM card. Fuel mileage for the base model is an EPA-estimated 20 miles per gallon City, 25 Highway and 22 Combined, which is low for a 2.0-liter four. In the Macan S and Macan Turbo it goes down to 17 miles per gallon City, 23 Highway, and 19 Combined, about the same as the Audi SQ5. 47,800) comes with leather and Alcantara seat upholstery, eight-way power seats, bi-xenon headlamps, 11-speaker sound system, power liftgate, Porsche Communication Management system, twin stainless exhaust tips, and a rearview camera. Things like adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitors are optional. V6 engine can be distinguished by its four round exhaust tips. 67,800) gets gloss black window trim, a matte finish on the lower body, and satin black 20-inch wheels. 79,200) has four square exhaust tips. One of its standard features is the ability to mate with Porsche Car Connect, a mobile app that enables remote unlocking, vehicle location tracking, and other data.