Porsche Macan Electric First Drive: Setting Standards When The Stakes Are High
If you're a driver who needs the practicality of a crossover SUV but longs for the performance of a sports car — and if you happen to have a comfortable budget — the Porsche Macan has been the go-to choice since it hit the market in 2014. Still, technically in its first generation, the current Macan just got a fresh new face and a shot of new technology back in 2021.
Now, though, it's getting a proper reboot. Meet the Macan electric: not a successor but a sibling of sorts, an EV-powered crossover SUV that bears the same name and delivers the same thrills but in a whole new way and on a wholly new platform. It has a flotilla of new tech to boot, inside and out. With upwards of 600 horsepower and maybe as much as 300 miles of range, it's shaping up to be the complete package. What really matters, though, is how it drives.
I headed to California for some seat time in an early, still-camouflaged prototype to find that out.
Down with PPE
The Macan is Porsche's second most popular car in the US, so making an all-electric version is a big deal from a business standpoint. The electric Macan also marks the beginning of Porsche's second generation of EVs, the first being a single model: the Taycan.
Macan is built on a new Volkswagen Group platform that will form the foundation of this next generation. It's called Premium Platform Electric, or PPE. It offers room for more battery than the Taycan, somewhere around 100 kilowatt-hours vs. the Taycan's 93.4. (Porsche doesn't have a specific figure to give out just yet.)
The Macan also uses a different battery construction than the Taycan, switching to rigid prismatic cells from the Taycan's pouch cells. Larger modules simplify construction, and while Porsche's engineers weren't willing to get into too many specifics about chemistry, they did tell me that the batteries use a significantly revised anode. Typically, anode improvements mean higher energy density and better thermal management. In other words: more range at more temperatures.
Driving force
All flavors of the electric Macan will feature dual-motor all-wheel drive, but there will be at least two different power levels. On the high end, I was told to expect power in excess of 600 ponies, which would put the Macan on the same level as the top-shelf Taycan Turbo S.
While the Taycan has a two-speed transmission at the rear to deliver optimal torque at various speeds, the Macan does away with that. It does, however, feature an optional torque-vectoring rear differential, capable of shuttling power left-to-right and helping the car turn.
Another help? Optional active rear-steering, a first for the Macan. The car can automatically turn the rear wheels either with or against those up-front. At high speed, on the highway for example, this can add stability. But, at lower speeds, on twisty roads, this helps the rear of the car turn by taking some of the demand off of the front tires. How does it work? Remarkably well.
Hitting the road
California is a driving dichotomy. One moment, you can be flying over the most amazing stretch of asphalt, surrounded by stunning views as you push your car to its absolute limits, even at speeds well below the limit. Five minutes later, you can be stuck in the worst gridlock of your life.
That makes it the perfect place to test the Macan. The Macan is, first and foremost, a crossover SUV, and on the highway it's a great cruiser. With the driving mode dialed down to Normal and the air suspension at its most plush, and with the adaptive cruise handling the stop-and-go, the Macan was remarkably comfortable. The seats delivered good support, and the integrated ventilation ensured everything stayed cool even as my patience wore thin.
That patience was rewarded, though, when I finally escaped the main roads and hit the hills. I was amazed at how well the Macan handled every twist and turn I could throw at it. Even when the front tires were screaming for mercy, the car continued to turn, that combination of active rear differential and rear-steering system keeping the nose swinging through towards the apex.
Getting aggressive
The harder I pushed in the Macan, the more it seemed to respond. While there is a bit of safe understeer to its fundamental handling balance, the car pushing a bit upon turning into the corners, it's easy to get the rear to step out thanks to all the magic happening at the rear axle.
Impressively, the car's stability controls allow for plenty of movement. Despite pushing hard and getting all four tires to complain in the turns, I rarely felt the car cut power or reign in the fun. It felt electric in the best possible way, not just because of the instant torque response.
But there was plenty of that. With around 600 horsepower on tap, the Macan leaps out of corners, surging forward hard enough to send me, plus my two passengers, deep into the firm padding of the seats. Whiplash is very much on offer for anyone not prepared for the deeper flexes of your right calf muscle.
The twisty roads in the hills outside Malibu proved the perfect test for the Macan. The power allowed the car to leap to attention even on the steeper climbs, while the brakes were more than capable on the downhill portions. After driving and pushing hard for hours, the pedal never got the slightest bit soft.
That, though, doesn't necessarily mean anything. The Macan relies on a fully remote brake-by-wire system, meaning the pedal feel is wholly artificial. It will, though, modulate based on the car's braking performance. So, should you really be on it on a hot day, the pedal will start to feel soft as a signal that maybe it's time for a little cool-down.
Taycan inspired
The interior of the Macan was one of the most camouflaged bits, and we still can't show you much, but I can tell you that it has definitely taken more than a few design cues from the Taycan, much like the latest Cayenne. That's a good thing. The most obvious indicator is the curved, floating gauge cluster — fully digital, of course — with three panels that can be swapped or customized to show varying types and amounts of information depending on your need or mood.
In the middle of the dashboard lies the latest Porsche Communication Management (PCM) infotainment experience, with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. I didn't have much opportunity or cause to dig too deeply in there, but the experience seemed in line with that found in the Taycan and other modern Porsches.
The rest of the dash was covered, but it sure looked like there was another display on the far right for the passenger, again in keeping with what's available on the Taycan. Something new, though, was something Porsche called the Communication Light. In addition to the car's ambient, customizable LED lighting, a second LED strip runs across the dashboard.
This strip of lights changes and flashes as a sort of subtle, additional signal to the driver. It can shift with drive modes, for example, or flash to indicate warnings from the active safety systems. It sounds like its functions are still evolving, but it could be a nice additional way of delivering information.
Coming soon
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Macan electric is that it will not replace the current Macan, but will instead sit alongside it at dealerships. When it goes on sale — either as a '24 or '25 model year, with Porsche still undecided — it will be differentiated as a higher-performance trim than the current Macan, Macan T, Macan S, and Macan GTS.
If I had to guess, the electric Macan will be occupy levels like the Macan 4, Macan 4S, and Macan Turbo, but even Porsche doesn't seem to know about that just yet. What it won't be called, though, is Macan Electric. I fear that may be a little confusing for consumers, but choice is good, and it will be interesting to see how many choose to go with battery power and how many instead go with good ol' internal combustion.
For me, it'd be EV all the way. After spending a day piloting one, the performance and poise of the new electric Macan is remarkable. If the range and cost are where they should be, it's absolutely the one to get.