Techart Magnum Turbo & Macan: Eaters Of Roads

9 January 2018 Redazione News, Tested, Tuning

TECHART MAGNUM & MACAN

EATERS OF ROADS

Words: Alessandro Marrone

Photography: Giorgia Rossi

They are white, they are big, heavy, bulky, noisy – very noisy – but above all they go incredibly fast. It is never easy to put together a storm of ideas, especially when you’re so astonished by the acceleration of a mastodon of over two tons that makes you ask if it’s everything real, so what should I do? I try again. Down goes the throttle and … yes, I could even give me a pinch, just to leave no room for any doubt, but I sincerely prefer to hold the two hands firmly on the steering wheel and try to point the Magnum nose for the end of the curve. Second day (and episode) for our test with Techart and it’s the turn of a couple of SUVs, certainly not two standard SUVs. As soon as I see it in front of my eyes, I’m literally kicked off by the exorbitant muscles molded on the shapes of the Cayenne Turbo, who abandons the clothes of a performance family car, to become a SuperSuv. Magnum, who, hearing it said by a German, sounds even more menacing, almost to salient every single letter of a name that has become a symbol for Techart’s vision of Stuttgart’s SUV since 2004, who has rightly obtained a wide customers’ applause, finding themselves in no time to choose from a growing jungle of aftermarket proposals. But in Leonberg, we know that, things are done well and without leaving anything to the case, so to put their name as a manufacturer and classify the Magnum as a model on itself – the best way to bring your family to a roller coaster ride without making queue at the ticket office.

Sitting on huge 22-inch black rims, the Magnum is my inevitable first choice, not so much because I’ve peeked on the model’s technical datasheet early this morning, but just because I’ve been admiring its threatening look for years and having the opportunity to riding the beast, brandishing its reins, and dominating the road in front of me, is one of the many points I intend to spin on this sunny day. As I approach, I feel like one of those legendary heroes who challenged mythological beasts and would lead towards two possible destinies: death or glory. I open the door and in front of me I can recognize the classic Cayenne cockpit, but the atmosphere, the smell and the luxury perception is well on another level. Leather, contrast stitches, carbon fiber, and alcantara chase and confuse my eyes as I walk through the details of a surface with some other surprise that you can only find on a special car. The central tunnel, as well as details on the steering wheel and dashboard are lacquered and of the same pearled white of the exterior body, while those red stitches are recalling details you also find on the sports seats. Time has come, the one a proper car enthusiast is about to live once stepping in front of one of his favorite goals – I get in and close the door of the Magnum. I stretch my right hand on the steering wheel and turn the ignition key on the left: in that moment a primordial roar peeps out of the four pipes at the back and gives life to the display with the tachometer needle that needs a few minutes before lowering and become ready to be unleashed – time to put in Sport Plus and open the exhaust valves because for the end of the world, I want the ideal soundtrack.

In front of me the other star of the day, a Macan driven by a quiet 2-liter 4 cylinder, but with +50 horses and + 50Nm of torque, for a total of 302hp and 420Nm, best translated from the exceptional bang coming out of its back every time Mark tries to leave my behind. The two white giants represent Porsche’s offer to the SUV segment, revised by two different kinds of aesthetic and engine upgrades. What do I mean? The Macan is medium in size, able to accommodate people and luggage, but still ready to juggle comfortably in the city traffic. Its engine will not kill your savings and thanks to the power increase it will result not only more elastic but more eager to be pushed to the limit. Aesthetically it retains the look of the original Macan, except for the rear, where we find the most important changes, while in the passenger compartment there is the same strong characterization that we have in the Magnum, this time with orange details that marry to perfection white rhomboid stitching on black alcantara. Infinite details, the ones that make the difference and differentiate a Techart from a Porsche, such as the paddle behind the steering wheel, the pedals and the door sills. If you are tired of hearing about details, let me tell you how they drive.

Coming back to the Magnum, I find myself constantly repeating that underneath the bonnet there is a 4.8 V8 that was brought to 700 horses (+180 compared to the traditional Turbo), transforming this giant into my very own Moby Dick – it’s almost like it is ready to give me the best (and maybe hardest) time of my life, but because of an intersection or any other reason, I still have no opportunity to sink my right foot. The first time I do it must be perfect, it must be exactly as I imagine. The suspensions are lower and stiffer and seem to be sitting on a big 911, with an incredible steering directionality and the gurgling of the eight cylinders constantly in my ears. I could also flaunt with infotainment, but hey you all know that it’s Porsche thing, clear, accurate and has a system that lets you interface your smartphone and enjoy one of the best sat-nav out there. Suddenly my lucky number comes out and the road ahead opens, with the Macan accelerating without hesitation and I, since I did not expect anything else, I’m ready for takeoff, but after all you’re never ready for a 700 horses thrust. The Magnum remains almost impassive, it hurls me back on the seat and starts eating meters, hundreds of meters and I find myself having to brake, having only pulled two gears. Fortunately, I have more space shortly afterwards and without any obstacle to blocking the white colossus, I put my lucky play on the plate: with the tachometer’s touching the red line in zero time, I am witness to the miracle of pure power over rationality, but what is it more shocking is the incredible 920Nm (+170) of torque available between 4,400 and 5,300 rpm – just sink the throttle and you’re in the following town. A little later we stop and I take the chance to realize what is happening.

The Macan drives in a different way, you feel it lighter and the trim is softer than the Magnum. 302 horses are enough to make it agile in any situation and going down from one to climb at the wheel of the other is the best way to notice how much these two AWD are different. It’s like being embraced by the seats, the throttle response is always ready and the 420Nm of torque do the rest, ensuring a 0-100 in 6.3 seconds and a maximum speed of 230 per hour. The two sisters know how to be face to face without bickering, each has its own goals and each has its own character that does not bother the other. The Macan has a cleaner, more sensual line, while the Magnum is the incarnation of anger and the desire to break everything. I can’t resist the Magnum and so I come back at the helm for some flyby photos. Up and down the narrow roads around the old Solitude circuit, it is a sort of Russian roulette and the dense vegetation does not play in my favor, but trusting in the fact that the entire neighborhood can hear me well in advance of seeing the white whale on the horizon, I can first taste the violence of a spec that fully reflects the ribs on the body. Magnum has always been one of Techart’s battle horses, a process that deeply changes not only the appearance of a Cayenne but its very nature, thanks to fully redesigned bumpers, those two spoilers at the back and an immense air diffuser between the four exhaust pipes. Clutching at the wheel I feel like on the edge of a precipice, but I decide to experience this full-length experience and every time I have to go down for letting the photographer do her work, I die for the urge to restart the engine and help the fuel indicator to reach its bottom. I was unable to time it, but the 3.9 seconds that are enough to go from 0 to 100 kph are realistic, while Techart limits the maximum speed t 300 kph (instead of 309) based on the layout with the beautiful Formula IV wheels and respective tires. The fact that I have closely observed the strictly manual creation of these two creatures keeps me from taking too many risks, the final cost of just over a quarter of a million does that too, but the awareness of sitting at the wheel of a herd of 700 horses is a feeling that you rarely experience in life.

The beautiful roads around Glemseck seem wanting to speed up things here, especially when we pass in front of an old tower, now used by ADAC (Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil-Club), but it’s time to start to cool the spirits down a bit, so I take the opportunity to drive the Macan to the next location, the most classic of rural scenarios you would imagine to find in Germany. Needless to say, it’s just a show and that creates a unique contrast to the modernity and aggressiveness of our two SUVs. The Macan lets you drive it, you do not have to cling to the steering wheel and it does not even try to pull your head off the neck like the Magnum – the perfect counterpart demonstrating how Techart can widen their offer and provide you exactly the model you need. Returning to the HQ, in Leonberg, there is time to browse through the catalog and note all the possible configurations, reaching up to the full kit, which can easily double the price of the car itself, but concretely offers you twice the car. And if you do not turn back when you’ve parked it, it’s because you picked the wrong car, but my eyes never drifts away from the huge air intakes of a Cayenne grew up with German donuts and steroids. It will never be the rational choice, but it will be that of the heart, the one that will make you spend crazy money on petrol, just because craziness – the real one – would be having 700 horses and cruising in comfort and with a lazy right leg at 60 kph.