After launching the standard Macan in Europe in October this year, Porsche has now introduced the Macan S. An S-marked Porsche has always brought more of nearly everything to the party and the Macan S is no exception. Compared to the pre-facelift version, the refreshed Macan S is not just more powerful but also less harmful to the environment. Additionally, its recipe has been tweaked to deliver a more engaging driving experience.

The refreshed Macan S gets its oomph from a 3.0-litre, turbo-petrol V6 engine. It produces 354PS of power and 480Nm of torque. That’s 14PS/20Nm more than before. Although Porsche hasn’t revealed which transmission it will come mated to, it will be the 7-speed PDK automatic in all probability. Power is fed to all four wheels with the help of Porsche Traction Management. The luxury sports car maker claims that with the Sport Chrono Package installed, the Macan S can hit 100kmph from nought in 5.1 seconds (5.3 seconds otherwise), which is a tenth-of-a-second quicker than before, and reach a top speed of 254kmph.

The power-plant features a reworked combustion chamber geometry and a gasoline particulate filter. The result is fewer emissions on the go, even though the power output per litre has gone up from 113PS to 118PS. The tweaked chassis is coupled with mixed profile tyres and newly tuned sway bars. Porsche claims that these changes have improved the handling dynamics of the Macan. The front discs are 10mm and 2mm larger and thicker than before and are accompanied by copper-free brake pads. Features like Porsche Active Stability Management (PASM), height-adjustable air suspension, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus are optional extras.

On the features front, the Macan S comes with LED-powered headlights and taillights, a 10.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a full-HD resolution, Porsche Connect Plus, a Wi-Fi hotspot and various Porsche Connect services. The options list includes Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus, GT sports steering wheel, Traffic Jam Assist and a heated windshield with an ioniser, which helps in improving the air quality indoors.

Prices for the refreshed Porsche Macan S start at 64,356 euros including VAT and country-specific equipment in Germany. At current exchange rates, that’s about Rs 52.36 lakh. Obviously, it will come to India. Expect that to happen sometime next year. And since it is brought here as a direct import, it will be a lot more expensive than the converted price stated above. Once launched, it will take the game to the likes of the Volvo XC60, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Land Rover Discovery and the Audi Q5.