Will A 4 Cylinder Macan Draw The Wrong Crowd To The Porsche Brand?

Porsche fans better get used to four-bangers.

On the heels of news that the six-cylinder mills in Cayman and Boxster sports cars will be replaced by turbocharged fours, Porsche will unveil a base model Macan crossover at the New York auto show this week that will also be powered by a four-pot turbo. Until now, the base Macan has been the 340-horsepower, six-cylinder Macan S.

The four-cylinder will save at the pump and in the wallet. The base Macan will improve fuel efficiency by 15 percent over the S (20 mpg city vs. 17) and sport a lower price of $48,550 — a whopping $7 grand below the Macan S. It also sheds 210 pounds over its six-cylinder brother.
 

TheSteve - 3/21/2016 4:18:18 PM

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Woah! What the hell is a "wrong" crowd? That sounds so much like the traditional Harley riders who feel that a Harley V-Rod rider isn't a "real" biker, or a "real" Harley fan, just because a Harley "should" be air cooled and the V-Rod is liquid cooled. Meh!

If Porsche creates a 4-cylinder engine and puts it in a Mecan, that's because they hope to attract buyers who'll go for that vehicle! Who is anyone to say they're the "wrong" kind of people?

TheSteve - 3/21/2016 4:21:29 PM

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I also want to add that some people believe:
- Porsche sold out when they created a liquid cooled engine for the 911
- Porsche sold out when they started making SUVs
- A Porsche with a diesel engine isn't a "real" Porsche

All sorts of people have all sorts of opinions on all sorts of matters.

PUGPROUD - 3/21/2016 4:22:51 PM

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Corporate VW needs every customer it can snag wherever it can....wrong people, right people, liberals, conservatives, white, black, Asian, Latin, young, old,
male, female, rich, poor, etc etc.

ptboy - 3/21/2016 4:32:07 PM

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Seems like a great idea to me. A great vehicle made more accessible to first time Porsche owners and others.

MDarringer - 3/21/2016 5:03:52 PM

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There are no "wrong" customers. If they have the money to make the sale, they are the "right" customers.

Yonder7 - 3/21/2016 6:13:39 PM

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Easy Folks...the title was a suggestion of Trump... >:-)

TomM - 3/21/2016 8:35:02 PM

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Tell that one to DeNysschen - Matt. He systematically rejected his customer base to produce cars they do not want - and apparently few others want as well.Its actually amazing how wrong the Magazines were about the ATS and newest CTS - neither of which sell in any numbers.

And GM has also decided to reduce its dependence on rental car sales as well. WHile this may be because these sales were low profit - they were still sales.

MDarringer - 3/21/2016 10:46:59 PM

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@TomM we're not talking about Cadillac.

TomM - 3/22/2016 1:44:25 AM

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But YOUR statement should apply to EVERY car sale - not just Porsche.
And of course - YOU are correct - and DeNysschen is wrong.

The only problem one might see is the proliferation of a brand reduces its exclusivity - making it less desirable for some. So - producing a 4 cylinder Porsche might make that brand less exclusive for higher end buyers. THat is why Ferrari limits its production - among others.

MDarringer - 3/22/2016 9:50:41 AM

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Porsche is not a "Ferrari" brand. It is mainstream premium and always has been.

skytop - 3/21/2016 9:52:40 PM

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Does it come with a kick or recoil pull starter?

CarCrazedinCali - 3/22/2016 3:02:44 PM

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I have a cousin who is furious about the 4cyl model since he believes it cheapens the brand and it's cache. I have to say, having recently driven the Macan S, any less power and I wouldn't be interested as it would not bring the performance I would expect from the brand. So, I think this is not a great move, leave this price range to Audi and VW.