Porsche Macan facelift to use new turbocharged V6 engines

The facelifted Porsche Macan is set to adopt a new range of turbocharged V6 direct-injection petrol engines recently launched in the second-generation Panamera in international markets.

Developed in an engineering partnership with Audi, these so-called KoVoMo units will replace the existing turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 and turbocharged 3.6-litre V6 petrol engines in the Macan.

The new engine comes in two capacities – 2.9-litre and 3.0-litre. In the 3.0-litre guise, it develops 329hp and 450Nm of torque in the new entry-level Panamera. This is 10hp and 9Nm down on the base specification of Porsche’s older 3.0-litre engine, which produces 340hp and 460Nm in the existing Macan S.  It’s also around 30hp and 41Nm less than the slightly higher-tuned version of the same unit used in the current Macan GTS.

However, a more performance-oriented version of the new 3.0-litre V6 produces 354hp and 500Nm in the Audi S4, suggesting there is scope for Porsche to vary the engine's output depending on the model it's used in.

The other version of the new engine is a 2.9-litre unit. This provides the new Panamera S with 440hp and 549Nm. This is 41hp more and the same torque figure offered by the considerably larger 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine of the current Macan Turbo.

Porsche has been spotted testing a prototype of the facelifted Macan S internationally, featuring restyled front and rear bumpers with new-look air ducts. It also has upgraded headlights with new LED-enhanced lens graphics, although the shape of the headlight clusters remain the same. Meanwhile, the indicators appear to be mounted lower down than that on the current model.

Once launched internationally, the updated Macan will rival the likes of the Jaguar F-Pace and forthcoming Range Rover Velar.

In India, Porsche currently sells the Macan in three variants – two petrol and a diesel. The first of the two petrol variants is the entry-level 252hp Macan 2.0 petrol while the second on offer is the range-topping 400hp Macan Turbo. Porsche only offers a diesel engine in the Macan S. So we can expect the facelifted Macan to make its way to India sometime after its international debut.