Saar: Porsche’s baby SUV comes with restyled exterior and interior bits, a tweaked chassis and an enhanced feature list.

About a week ago, Porsche teased the Macan facelift with a bunch of slightly camouflaged pictures. Those were taken while the baby SUV was being tested in a country called Lesotho. Now though, the mid-life update of the Macan SUV has shed its cover to make a world premiere in Shanghai, China. The outgoing version, which was launched in 2014, was a huge success for Porsche as the SUV clocked over 3.5 lakh sales from all over the world. The Macan facelift then has a lot to live up to, and some.

The mid-life update of the Macan comes with redesigned front and rear bumpers, new LED headlamps with projector units, a new range of 20-inch and 21-inch alloy wheels and a full-width LED strip that joins the taillamp enclosures at either end. Changes inside the cabin include a redesigned dashboard layout which houses an 11-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a full HD resolution. The AC vents have also been to the drawing board and are now placed below the physical buttons of the large display screen.

Porsche claims that each version of the Macan facelift will come with its Connect Plus module. It underpins several digital functions and services such as voice control and the real-time traffic information, both of which are also offered as standard. On the options list, Porsche will offer a GT sports steering wheel, which comes fitted with something called ‘Sport Response’ button. How Porsche-ish is that!  On the safety front, the Porsche Macan facelift will be offered with a new Traffic Jam Assist and an adaptive cruise control system. Both come together to speed-up or slow-down the SUV in case of a traffic jam or in slow-moving traffic.

On the mechanical front, Porsche has been busy tweaking the chassis of the Macan. The company claims that it has fine-tuned the chassis to deliver “enhanced neutrality while maintaining stability and improving comfort”. If that is true, Porsche has got all the boxes ticked, as far as driving dynamics are concerned. Backing up the tinkered skeleton is a set of mixed-profile tyres which, as Porsche says, is quite unusual for a high-riding SUV. Needless to say, the all-wheel-drive Porsche Traction Management system is part of the kitty.

Porsche has stated that the showcased model of refreshed Macan is exclusively for the Chinese market, where the pre-facelift model racked-up over 1 lakh sales. So, it is only logical for the refreshed version Macan to begin the second innings of its first generation in China. The company is yet to reveal any information about the powerplants but one this is for sure – the Porsche Macan facelift will not get any kind of electrification in its lifetime. That’s because of the limitations of the old-school chassis, which also underpinned the previous-gen Audi Q5. We’ll have to wait and see what all engine-transmission options will it get.

Of course, the Porsche Macan facelift will come to India but that will happen only after Porsche is done launching it in its most relevant markets across the globe. Once launched, it will go up against the likes of the Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Land Rover Discovery and the Volvo XC60.