► Priced from £69,800: 4 and Turbo models at launch
► All-electric with either 382bhp or 630bhp
► All-new platform shared with Audi Q6; max range 381 miles
An electric Macan is a riskier strategy for Porsche than it would first appear. Of course it’s been using electrons before, but the Taycan was a supplementary model – this is the first time that Porsche has turned an existing ICE car into an EV. And not only that, but it’s done it with the one that earns all the cash – globally, the Macan is Porsche’s biggest seller and has shifted over 850,000 units since it went on sale in 2014. It’s the automotive equivalent of bunging the family savings account on black.
What’s new?
Everything. Petrol engines swapped for all-electric. All-new platform, the VW Group Premium Platform Electric (PPE) that’s co-developed with Audi for Ingolstadt’s Q6. New interior. New suspension. Even the badge is fresh – a black-and-white ‘Turbonite’ emblem is offered on the Macan Turbo, as it is across all Turbo Porsche models.
At a glance
Pros: Lovely steering, good range and charging ability, comfortable ride
Cons: Sport Plus mode too stiff, coupe-shape eats into boot space
What are the specs?
Impressive. 800v charging tech, like the Taycan, means it can charge from 10-80 per cent in 21 minutes. A 95kWh battery, shared across both the 4 and Turbo, means a 381-mile range in the 4 and 367 miles in the Turbo – even allowing for the real-world drop in those figures, you’re still looking at nigh-on 300 miles between stops.
Both the 4 and Turbo are four-wheel drive; the 4 offering identical synchronous motors on the front and rear that are shared with the Audi Q6 and give peak figures of 382bhp and 479lb ft. The Turbo runs the same front motor but uses a more powerful rear one that’s unique to Porsche with the result of 630bhp and 833lb ft. Air suspension is offered on both models (optional on 4, standard on Turbo) and there’s now four-wheel steer (£1445 on the Turbo).
What about the interior?
Screens and black dominate. Go mad with the configurator and you can even add a touchscreen in front of the passenger, much like on the facelifted Cayenne (not cheap at £1112, but with it’s two-way glass, the passenger can watch a movie and not disturb the driver).
As standard, you get a 12.6-inch curved digital dashboard and 10.9-inch central display. The latter isn’t dominant like it is on cars like the Mercedes-Benz EQA because it’s housed within the dash, rather than being proud of it, and anyone familiar with Porsche’s operating system will find it easy to use. Fortunately, physical controls remain for changing the climate control, unlike on those Mercedes EQs.
The wheelbase is 86mm longer than the previous Macan so rear legroom is improved. Headroom is adequate in the back – a six-footer is fine – but mighty impressive in the front thanks to how low the seat can go. As ever, Porsche shows that an electric seat isn’t an impediment when it comes to getting a seat to go low enough. It’s also got a bigger boot than the last Macan that is supplemented by an 84-litre frunk and plenty of storage in the cabin thanks to the space efficiencies of batteries. But beware of carrying large, square items as the coupe-like shape of the Macan’s back end mean that the boot is a bit pinched for tall items.
How does it drive?
Simple answer? Really well.
The 4 feels comfortable and doesn’t suffer from the usual foibles you get from air suspension, in that the rebound over harsh intrusions is really well-controlled.
Switching from Normal to Sport tightens things up with the dampers and introduces a Tron-like noise. This is the mode you want if you’re pressing on – Normal to drop the children off at school, Sport for the long way home. It allows for better body control, which in turn gives you more confidence to push on and get the motors working harder in shuffling the torque front to rear, giving the Macan a much more dynamic feel.
In Normal, I suspect it’ll be difficult to tell the difference between the Q6 and the Macan, despite the differences that Porsche has introduced like unique steering. But switch the dial mode around the Sport and the Macan comes alive.
Incidentally, Sport and Sport Plus don’t alter the steering or throttle map, which is a welcome idea because tweaking either isn’t needed. The steering is lovely; precise and with the sort of feel that was unheard of from electric racks only a couple of years ago. We also tried the Turbo, complete with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus and four-wheel steer. There’s an argument that this is the more Porsche-like of the two variants, with more of the brand’s DNA instantly recognisable.
With the extra power, the pace is obviously upped and thanks to the increased stability on turn-in from the four-wheel steer, it’s possible to carry frankly bonkers level of speed into corners. But the car doesn’t feel as natural as the 4, with the rear-steer finding lumps and bumps in the tarmac that the front end seemed to miss entirely. You’d get used to it, but the 4 feels more instantly at ease with fewer quirks. As a family SUV, I’d go for the 4. As standard, it’s not got any regen so one-pedal driving isn’t possible. You can introduce more regen on the Macan but it’s only possible by the touch screen – no paddles here – as Porsche feels the most efficient braking method is via the middle pedal. It’s hard to argue when the brake feel is so damn good on the car. Firm at the top, no awkward blend between regen and hydraulic, it’s a lesson for plenty of other manufacturers as to how to get EVs to brake properly.
Before you buy
This is a huge step-on for the Macan but it’s worth pointing out that the existing ICE car will remain on sale until the end of 2025. That date is a UK one – in Europe, it’ll go off sale from July because of new EU rules.
At the moment, only the 4 and Turbo are on sale in the electric car but you can guarantee more variants will come over time.
As it is, you can spec to your heart’s content. The 4 we drove had nearly £25,000-worth of optional extras with some of the punchier ones being extended leather package (£2805) and adaptive air suspension (£2064). I’d steer clear of bigger wheels (20s are standard and help the ride) and suspect the air suspension is worth it (with the caveat we only drove air cars) – you get Porsche’s trick two-valve dampers by opting for that.
At the top end, the exotic Maserati Grecale Folgore is the obvious rival (higher price, lower power than the Turbo) with cars like the Polestar 4 and BMW iX3 offering competition at the lower end of the Macan’s price range. And obviously the Audi Q6, with which the Macan shares so much.
Porsche Macan electric: verdict
All the lessons from the Taycan, refined and packaged in a car with a more elevated driving position, would seem like a recipe for success: the current Macan is the best Porsche for conquest sales and I can’t see that changing with this variant. With the sort of range and performance that both the 4 and Turbo offer, no-one that bought the last Macan is going to be disappointed with this one.
Is it another game-changer for Porsche? Not quite – but then it was always going to be difficult to replicate the ground-breaker that was the Taycan. But as a way of updating the Macan and also shifting it into 2024 and onwards, it’s hard to think of this one as being anything other than more record-breaking sales. The family savings are safe.