The Porsche Macan Turbo is back with more power

This is the new Porsche Macan Turbo and here are the headlines: a new full-width light bar at the back. Only joking. There’s a bit more to it than just LED silliness. Porsche has actually found a replacement for displacement: German cleverness.

See, the Macan Turbo has lost its 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, and swapped in a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6. It’s the same hot-vee engine with turbos inside the cylinder blocks for better throttle response that lives in the Panamera, Cayenne, and the Audi RS4.

So, same engine layout, and over half a litre less capacity. And yet, power has climbed from just under 400bhp to 434bhp. So, 0-62mph is done and dusted 0.3sec earlier, in 4.3 seconds, with a little help from launch control and the optional Sport Chrono pack. Of course it’s an optional extra. This is a Porsche, people.

What’s standard are better, prettier brakes. ‘Better’ because they’re steel rotors coated with tungsten carbide which reduces wear, improves stopping distances and apparently reduces brake dust significantly, to keep your posh alloys looking smart. And ‘prettier’? Yup, thanks to the coating giving the discs an uncanny mirror-finish sheen.

Macanspotters, if such people exist, can also spot the new ultimate version by looking out for the redesigned front air intakes and a double roof spoiler, which is rather tamer than its Pimp My Ride name suggests. Boo. Inside, there are multi-adjustable electric seats, a better touchscreen (as per the rest of the updated Macan family) and space for five, as per usual.

Being the entry-level Porsche SUV, the Macan Turbo is the cheapest way to get yourself into a ‘Turbo’ range-topping Porsche. It’s £68,530, which makes it a lump cheaper than TG’s favourite fast’n’small SUV, the Merc-AMG GLC 63 S. Then again, the AMG is a whopping 60bhp more powerful, and makes a noise like a thunderstorm treading on some Lego barefoot. Can you put a price on that?

So, which would you have?