Cheapest Porsche SUV money can buy

Have you ever dreamt of owning a Porsche, but you do not have pockets deep enough to meet the 1 crore barrier? Well, it cannot get better than this then.  The German carmaker known for its sportscars and performance SUVs, has launched the Macan R4 – one of its least expensive SUVs, at a price tag of Rs 76.84 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

Under the hood the new Macan R4 gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol mill which is good for 248bhp @ 5,000rpm – 6,800rpm and 370Nm of torque @ 1,600rpm – 4,500rpm. Mated to the Porsche’s 7-speed PDK transmission, the company claims the R4 is capable to clock the 0 -100kmph sprint in 6.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 229kmph. The R4 will also come with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) active all-wheel drive system.

In India, a number of dealers have already begun the bookings with a token amount of Rs 10 lakh, with deliveries expected to begin later this year. The R4 is the fourth variant in the Macan’s line-up, others being the Macan S Diesel, Macan Turbo and Macan Turbo with performance Package – all priced above the 1 crore barrier.

The Macan R4 does not have any direct rivals. But for those willing to shell out nearly Rs 80 lakh, one can also look at the larger seven-seater Mercedes-Benz GLE or the BMW X5 or the Discovery Sport. Then there is the recently launched F-Pace, which seems to be the Macan’s closest rival. But all the aforementioned SUVs only come with diesel engines as an option, which are unlikely to be as sporty and agile as the Macan. Till then one will have to wait till Jaguar bring the petrol F-Pace to India next year for some serious competition.