At this point it’s pretty common knowledge that the Porsche
Macan is based off the Audi Q5 platform.
This concerns many Porsche fans who
are afraid they are going to be paying for a rebadged Audi clone. After you
take a look at the Macan and compare features this won’t be a concern for you
any longer, because there really is no comparison.
Majorly Different
The Macan is built using some of Audi’s parts but is nearly
80 percent Porsche meaning that it has all the improvements and features that
you would expect from a Porsche. The first thing you will notice is that the
vehicles look completely different. They have different sheet metal and it’s
simple to tell one from the other.
Counter-intuitive to the Porsche way, the Macan is actually
a little heavier than the Q5, but this is because of significant chassis and
suspension improvements. This new and improved frame can support up to a 400 HP
engine. Porsche has even gone as far as to move around some of the main support
beams for the vehicle. They changed the position of the front dash cross member
to create a much different looking interior.
An Improved
Transmission
The Audi eight speed torque converter is a pretty nice piece
of technology, but it doesn’t stand up against the Porsche PDK dual clutch
transmission. Porsche made sure to include their PDK in the Macan and it
improves shift response and overall power and handling. If you were to drive
both vehicles back to back you wouldn’t know they were built on the same
platform, and the transmission is one of the main reasons that they feel
different.
The Macan is also going to be fitted with purely Porsche
engines, which offer signature Porsche power and performance. There will be a
turbo option as well as a standard option, and there may also be a diesel
engine option, but that information has not yet been released.
If you decide to buy the Macan over the Q5 you aren’t
spending extra money for simply a Porsche badge. You are paying for a
near-complete redesign of the vehicle with improvements made all over the
place. The Macan looks, sounds, and performs just like other Porsche vehicles
do and it is clearly not an Audi clone, like so many people seem to
believe.
