Porsche Macan: The bestseller drives into the electric age

It is probably the most important car for Porsche in the coming year: the electric Macan. The Macan, which is powered by economical combustion engines, is currently the brand's best-selling car. Although the first generation is still rolling off the production line, sales increased again by 15 percent in 2023. Wherever politicians want to force electrification - i.e. primarily in the EU - the electric model should win over existing customers and attract new ones.

We have already been able to take a closer look at the new car and go for a drive. And it became clear: the electric Macan offers as much Porsche as is possible with the drive concept in this class. "Timeless design, agile steering, a high-performance chassis," says model series manager Jörg Kerner, outlining the key points that define the five-door model. The E-Macan aims to be the sportiest model in the segment, even sportier than its sister model, the Audi Q6. Robustness is also part of this, as it is an SUV suitable for off-road use.

The new Macan is Porsche's second electric car after the Taycan and features a new high-voltage system that can charge very quickly. The corner models, i.e. the entry-level and top-of-the-range models, are the first to be launched, followed by other variants.

The electric Macan should achieve a range of over 500 kilometers in the optimistic WLTP cycle; thanks to the high-voltage charging system, it ideally takes four minutes to charge the batteries for the next 100 kilometers. Porsche also claims to have significantly improved the charging speed at low temperatures and when the battery charge level is high.

The top-of-the-range version, traditionally known as the Turbo, generates up to 450 kW (612 hp) and 1000 Newton meters of torque and can recuperate up to 240 kW. There are normal, sport, sport-plus and off-road driving modes.

The chassis with four-link suspension at the front and five-link suspension at the rear is optimized for high lateral dynamics. The wheel sizes are between 20 and 22 inches; the vehicle we tested was fitted with 255/45 tires at the front and 295/45 tires at the rear, mounted on 21-inch rims. The balanced weight distribution - 52 percent at the front and 48 percent at the rear - is slightly superior to the combustion-powered Macan, while the rear-axle steering ensures a small turning circle with up to five degrees of steering lock and switches to co-steering at speeds of 80 km/h and above.

A rear axle transverse lock is exclusive to the Macan, the two-valve damper control is similar to the Cayenne, but there is no roll stabilization. The air suspension is lowered by 30 millimetres in Sport mode and raised by 40 mm in Offroad mode.

From the outside, the Macan is based on the design of the combustion engine version, a timeless design by current Lamborghini chief designer Mitja Borkert, and is perhaps a little more coupé-like.

However, there is a lot going on in the interior; the electronic architecture allows for a fully digital cockpit with numerous new functions. For example, the electric Macan has a head-up display with augmented reality for the first time in a Porsche. The displays in the instrumentation are freely configurable, and the map display from Apple Carplay and Android Auto is perfectly transferred to the display. The "matrix microphone" recognizes where the driver is speaking from, and speech recognition has become faster and better.

Light communication is provided by 56 LEDs which, for example, illustrate the driving modes, place a warning light in the doors when traffic is approaching, run a green stripe through the cockpit when charging and pulsate excitedly when using the dragster function "Launch Control". Speed is everything: the online route calculation, including the necessary charging stops, appears in just a few seconds.

Time to gather a few driving impressions from the passenger seat. We sit low and sporty, with the rising center console in the middle. The sound is intended to authentically reflect the electric motor, which can also be heard from the outside. The vehicle, a turbo, gets off to a flying start and will reach a top speed of over 250 km/h. The design is rear-biased (and a purely rear-wheel-drive version could also follow for some markets). We also roll through light off-road terrain, a depth of at least 30 centimeters is possible, the Macan copes well with the loose ground. The car will soon be shown without camouflage, and in a few months' time we will be able to take the wheel ourselves.

Porsche's electric strategy is ambitious: the Macan will be followed by the electric 718, then an electric Cayenne and finally an electric SUV, which will be positioned even higher than the Cayenne. It remains to be seen how the market will respond. Porsche builds both Macan series on the same production line - and wants to retain maximum flexibility. (aum)