Porsche notified us about its intentions to fit the Macan with its first-four cylinder engine since the days of the 968 in the beginning of the 1990s, but we weren’t expecting it so early, as the brand’s bosses had indicated a release towards the end of the year.

Today, however, it was discovered that Porsche added a 2.0-liter base version to its Macan range in a number of Asian markets, including Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

While Porsche hasn’t announced the news yet through its press channels, we found detailed specs on the base model on the brand’s local websites. The 2.0-liter turbocharged unit doesn’t appear to be the 4-cylinder boxer engine that Porsche is currently developing for the next Cayman and Boxster sports cars, but a traditional inline-four like the ones powering a number of Audi models including the Q5.

It is rated at 237PS (234hp)at 5,000-6,800 rpm and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) of peak torque at 1,500-4,500 rpm, and is paired to Porsche’s dual-clutch PDK automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive.

The base Macan with this mill reaches 100km/h (62mph) from standstill in 6.9 seconds and tops out at 223km/h (139mph), with Porsche claiming a city driving fuel economy of between 8.4l and 8.7l per 100km (27-28mpg US / 32.5-33.6- mpg UK).

 

PHOTO GALLERY