The word 鈥榙iesel鈥?is probably taboo at Volkswagen, and for good reasons, as the cheating emissions scandal is still fresh. However, the automaker won鈥檛 let oil burners die just yet. In fact, they have presented their first-ever 2.0-liter TDI with a mild hybrid system. Detailed during the Vienna Motor Symposium, the powertrain will eventually make it into series production. The EA288 Evo, has a 12V belt starter-generator and a lithium-ion battery. This 鈥渞educes fuel consumption and increases comfort鈥? according to Volkswagen, which adds that the SCR components and diesel particulate filter have been re-dimensioned and improved. Also, the turbocharger now responds quicker, but, more importantly, the CO2 emissions have dropped by up to 10 g/km compared to the previous generation. Volkswagen hasn鈥檛 cut down on power; in fact, this has increased by up to 9 percent. The output of the mild hybrid 2.0 TDI ranges between 136 PS and 204 PS. And that鈥檚 not all, because engineers managed to reduce frictional and heat losses and to shave some weight from the engine. Audi will be the first brand within the Volkswagen Group to get the reworked four-cylinder diesel. The automaker will use it in vehicles with longitudinally installed drivetrains, but it will eventually be adopted by other brands and be mounted transversely in some models underpinned by the MQB platform.
So if your Porsche gets stolen and hidden in a freighter bound for Africa, Scotland Yard can track it for you. There鈥檚 a lot of expensive available equipment and features for each model. For example, there鈥檚 a 16-speaker, 1000-watt Burmester sound system. The Macan is smaller than the Cayenne crossover, and we think it鈥檚 even better looking. The roof has a more athletic slope, and the sculpting is smoother. The front air intakes scale down nicely, and the hood drapes over the front corners to make the big 19-inch wheels look clean. The tail is also tidy, with LED taillamps snug against the wraparound gate. The Macan barrages you with switches, buttons, knobs, and rockers, more than two dozen of them on the center console, split by the shift lever. But if you imagine you鈥檙e a fighter jet pilot, it鈥檚 cool. And the alternative could be incomprehensible screens. The console divides the driver from the passenger and reaches the dash just beneath a bright LCD touchscreen, with a high-resolution screen in the instrument cluster serving as a redundant display.
The trim depends on the model, from simple black and gray on the base, to piano black, to aluminum or carbon fiber or dark walnut. Porsche鈥檚 custom list can wear you out with decisions to make, with almost anything available to be painted, stitched, or trimmed to your liking. The optional front seats are exceptionally supportive, as they should be with 18 ways to support you. Thick lumbar and side bolstering, with cooling as well as heating. The Macan can鈥檛 match the Cayenne in rear headroom and kneeroom. The bottom cushion is low and short, so the rear passengers鈥?knees might hit the front seatbacks; and the sunroof drops the headliner down on the heads of those passengers. The bench folds 40/20/40, so that skinny middle can fold down and into an armrest, which helps. With the rear seat up, there鈥檚 17.7 cubic feet of space, as big as a sedan鈥檚 trunk; and with it folded, the cargo space hits 53 cubic feet.
There鈥檚 storage below the cargo floor, as well. There鈥檚 a power liftgate, and to further aid loading things, get the available air suspension that lowers the car two inches. The impressive 273 pound-feet of torque in the 2.0-liter engine comes on at 1600 rpm and lasts until 4500 rpm. And zero to sixty in 6.1 seconds is good, maybe not Porsche great, but okay. The Macan S gets 339 pound-feet of torque from its 3.0-liter V6. For this model, and the others, there鈥檚 an available Sport Chrono package that brings quicker throttle response and transmission shifts, not that the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission dithers. The Macan GTS raises the horsepower of the S from 340 to 360. As for the Turbo, the larger 3.6-liter engine brings 400 horsepower and a massive 406 pound-feet of torque. The base Macan handles beautifully, responsive and brisk into corners, and powering out of them with a touch of torque to the outside rear wheel.
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