BERLIN Gerrmany - A Porsche Macan has allegedly failed the so-called "Elk Test", designed to simulate what might happen when a car swerves suddenly to avoid a moose or other road obstacle, Swedish motoring magazine, Teknikens Vaerld, has claimed.
According to Germany's Autobild, the Macan S diesel alarmed staff from the magazine during the procedure carried out on a private test track at up to 70km/h.
ODD BEHAVIOUR
Swedish testers said the Macan displayed "odd behaviour".
As the SUV switched back to the correct side of the road after swerving around the obstacle its left front brakelocked, the Swedish magazine claimed.
VIDEO: Did Porsche's Macan fail the Elk Test?
This caused the Macan to knock over a traffic cone and veer into what would have been the opposite carriageway if the test had been conducted on a public road. A video from the Swedish magazine video shows smoke coming from the left front tyre during the sudden lane-change manoeuvre.
The Swedish testers said they were able to repeat the effect using another Macan.
PORSCHE RESPONDS
Porsche was quick to react to the test, saying the car's behaviour during the test was due to the "very demanding driving style" of the Swedish driver.
Under normal circumstances the Porsche's sophisticated stability control and roll-over prevention systems would have kept the driver in full control of the vehicle at all times, said the spokesman.
Did Porsche's Macan fail the Elk Test? Click on the gif below to view the clip
MERCEDES IMAGE DAMAGED
The original, boxy A-class sedan from Mercedes-Benz famously failed the Swedish magazine's elk test in 1997. A test car rolled over during the manoeuvre. Other European magazines repeated the test, and the bad publicity affected sales.
The automaker's image suffered.