Choose your high risk/high reward analogy — Sputnik, Apollo 11, D-Day (well, maybe not D-Day) — but the fact is, it’s impossible to overestimate the importance of the launch of the Macan EV for Porsche AG. If you’re expecting any measure of suspense here, prepare to be disappointed. Porsche’s execution on this, the first of its nameplates to migrate to an EV platform, was predictably excellent, but this is much more complicated than just pulling off a near-flawless product launch.
For the time being, the US will continue to get the internal-combustion-engine (ICE) Macan, but the challenges go far beyond how long both Macans will be available, and how much better the new car is. The fact that it costs around $16,000 more than the outgoing ICE Macan is just the starting point. Most of these challenges are beyond the scope of a driving impressions piece, and if you spend a few days with the car in a mostly idyllic setting, it’s easy to forget about the broader EV picture, which is frankly what I tried to do.
Porsche’s hand was certainly forced here, not by emissions concerns, but by an EU cybersecurity regulation known as the Cybersecurity Resilience Act. That statute requires standard security protocols to be in place at every step of a manufacturer’s supply chain for components that are in any way connected. Porsche deemed it too costly to alter numerous significant aspects of the outgoing car to make the ICE Macan comply with the regulations, so as of this reading, it is no longer available for sale in the EU. The new law, while certainly disruptive, has been hailed as cutting edge by some. While I’m certainly not qualified to pass judgement on this, I can say that “Leave the World Behind,” the recent Julia Roberts/Netflix film, with its chilling scene of hacked, remotely piloted Teslas causing havoc, did scare the hell out of me.
The two launch models are of course the Macan 4 and the Macan Turbo, Porsche’s first on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE), jointly developed with Audi. As anyone who has been paying attention for the last several years knows, the Turbo moniker is destined to outlive actual exhaust-driven turbochargers. It simply denotes the top of the model range. Both the Macan 4 and the Turbo are formidable from a performance standpoint. The base car produces approximately 403 horsepower (overboost power with launch control), and 480 pound-feet of torque, while the Turbo makes an insane 630 or so horsepower (overboost power with launch control) and 830 lb-ft of torque. The Macan 4 will do 0-60 miles per hour in around 5 seconds, a time that in the not-too-distant-past was considered scorching, but now it’s just the starting point for any vehicle with sporting pretensions. The instant torque of EVs generally makes them feel even quicker than they are, but the base model felt like a legit mid-four-second car to me. I suspect that the folks at Car and Driver — who for as long as I can remember, have been significantly bettering the manufacturer’s 0-60 times — will get a Macan 4 to 60 mph in under five seconds. So, the base model is as quick as anyone needs a crossover to be.
The Turbo is on the other hand is quicker than any sane person’s CUV needs to be. It’s rated at 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) in 3.3 seconds, so probably closer to 3.1 or so 0-60 mph. Again, I feel confident that someone is going to break the three second mark with the Macan Turbo, its full throttle acceleration is simply barbaric. Leaving a tollbooth on Autoroute A8 (Le Provençale), my co-driver hammered the Turbo without warning, my lumbar spine instantaneously slammed the seat back with such force that it actually hurt for a moment.
The Macan EV is hardly a one-trick pony. The level of chassis sophistication is several orders of magnitude higher than the ICE Macan. Two electric motors on both models are controlled in essentially real time by the electronic Porsche Traction Management system (ePTM) which operates much faster than conventional AWD systems, responding to slip in 10 milliseconds. While optional, air-suspension, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), and sophisticated torque-vectoring aren’t new to the Macan, rear-axle-steering is. The roads in the south of France are like a greatest hits medley of your favorite roads, particularly if you’re a Californian. There’s some of Laureles Grade from Carmel, and a bit of Angeles Crest, and Kana Dume, from Southern California. All of it about half as narrow, and generally without guardrails. On the narrow streets of the beach town Juan les Pins, the rear-axle-steering gave the Macan an almost absurdly tight turning radius, and in the switchbacks of the Maritime Alps, the setup makes it extremely easy to establish a rhythm through the corners. I could feel the effect of the rear-axle steering more in the Macan than in the Cayenne, which I at first chalked up to a shorter wheelbase. In fact, the new Macan’s 86-mm longer wheelbase puts it within a millimeter of the 2024 Cayenne’s wheelbase.
The air-suspension in the Macan is single-chamber/dual-valve system rather than the dual-chamber/dual-valve setup of the Cayenne (there is no fully active-suspension option as in the new Panamera), but the combination of the Macan’s smaller size, 48% front/52% rear weight distribution and the low center of gravity endowed by the battery pack give the Macan a naturally sporty feel.
With each successive generation of electric power steering, Porsche seems to do a better job of dialing in the right amount of sharpness, road feel, and more organic self-centering. The Macan’s steering was very nice indeed in these respects, as were its brakes which were easy to modulate, and as powerful as you need then to be to haul down a 600-hp plus crossover. The only quibble I had with bleeding off momentum wasn’t with the brakes themselves, but with the lack of paddles to give some regenerative braking on-demand. On numerous occasions, I instinctively reached for paddles to grab a little engine-braking, only to find that, unlike my Kia Niro rental from a few months ago, there were no paddles to be found. Porsche clearly wants you to use the large rectangular pedal for all your speed shedding needs.
With a coefficient of drag of just 0.25, the new Macan is incredibly slippery. Active front air intakes, an adaptive rear spoiler, and a new, more efficient rear diffuser are part of the clever aero solutions that make it one of the most aerodynamic passenger vehicles on the market. Even with new frameless doors, it’s incredibly quiet at speed on the inside. The rear cargo area remains more than adequate, but is now supplemented by a small front trunk, which shockingly I heard referred to by some of the PAG staff as a “frunk.” It’s big enough for charging equipment, or a backpack or duffel bag. As expected, range continues to increase, while charging times decrease. Real-world U.S. drivers can expect more than 300 miles on a charge. The European press materials cited the tantalizing possibility of 700 kilometers (434 miles) in purely city driving, but nobody is suggesting that U.S. drivers will see anything near that. With the most powerful high-speed chargers available, it’s possible to go from 10% charge to 80% in just over 20 minutes.
My co-driver and I were split on the merits of the enhanced Porsche Electric Sport Sound that can be selected via the PCM — I rather liked it, my co-driver hated it. On the short list of gripes, I didn’t care for the heads-up display, finding that it interfered with my field of vision too much. The A-pillar was also quite thick, and steeply raked, presenting a minor challenge to outward visibility. These are, however, exceedingly minor points. As was expected with a launch that has much riding on it, the execution of the new EV Macan was nearly flawless. The car was indeed wonderful to look at and to drive, but it marks another big step in Porsche’s inexorable march up-market, in which a base Macan can be optioned to well over six-figures. The market will have its say soon enough with retail deliveries commencing in a few months.
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