The soul of a sports car
All-electric sport crossover also has the price tag of a supercar
As much as it would have been a treat to take the 2024 Porsche Macan EV on a track, the route taken for the global first drive of the all-new, allelectric sport crossover was perfectly suited to showcase the vehicle’s driving dynamics.
Specifically, the optional rear-axle steering, a first in a Porsche. Designed with a maximum steering angle of five degrees and to engage at speeds up to 80 km/h, the technology came alive in the twisty roads throughout France’s Provence-alpescôte-d’azur.
Turning tight into some of the more acute angled corners, you could feel the Macan EV rotate in a way that allowed you, after some practice, to enter and exit corners with a little more speed than in a similar performance all-electric.
Of course, that’s a pretty short list and this Macan EV really raises the bar and jumps to the head of the class, even eclipsing its all-electric stablemate, the Taycan.
Yes, that super sport sedan has eye-watering performance numbers, but after spending a few hours hustling the Macan EV over hill and dale — or collines et vallées in the local dialect — I’d give it higher grades in the handling department. That’s high praise.
Much of that is thanks to a very low centre of gravity, in part due to the low-slung positioning of the 100-kwh lithium-ion battery but more so because of the lower seating position for the driver and front passenger — some 2.8 cm lower than the gas Macan — which truly makes this crossover feel and behave like a sports car.
This all-electric version is also slightly longer, in both overall length and wheelbase, and wider than its gas stablemate.
THE 911 OF SUVS?
When the Porsche Cayenne debuted two decades ago, it was billed as the “911 of SUVS,” but in my opinion it wasn’t until the Macan showed up a decade ago that Porsche fulfilled that promise. And now this Macan EV betters that gas Macan in the driveability department.
Both Macan EV models were available during the drive, the Macan 4 and the Macan Turbo, and I experienced the former in primarily city driving situations and the latter up in those mountain roads.
Even in city driving through the congested and tight streets of Nice and Cannes, that rear-axle steering in the Macan 4 shone, making the numerous — and I do mean numerous — roundabouts a simple quick flick of the steering wheel to navigate.
Likewise, that rear steering setup translates to a very tight 11.1 metres turning radius, which was most welcome on a few occasions during the urban drive. Certainly provided a very high degree of driving confidence.
PERFORMANCE BEAST
But it was in the Macan Turbo that the performance potential of this all-electric beast really revealed itself. A quick look at the numbers — 639 horsepower versus the 4’s 408 hp, and a near two-second advantage in the zero to 100 km/h time with a 3.3 sprint — it’s fair to say the Macan Turbo lives up to that lofty Porsche ‘Turbo’ badge. Only unlike some of those very unruly Turbos of the past — I’m looking at you Porsche 930 Turbo, aka the ‘widowmaker’ — this all-electric sport crossover feels perfectly balanced and the steering and suspension settings between the drive modes seem to be set ups dialled in from many hot lap sessions.
That suspension system, called the E-PTM for electronically controlled Porsche Traction Management, operates a stunning five-times faster than the gas Macan’s all-wheel drive system, and can respond to slip within 10 milliseconds.
Stability and traction are enhanced further by an electronically controlled differential lock on the rear axle, which provides the kind of torque vectoring found in supercars.
Those drive modes are also defined by dampers with new two-valve technology that further the different settings between comfort and performance. All of which you can feel.
SLEEK DESIGN
As with most every Porsche ever built, the Macan EV’S elite performance is paired with an exterior design to match. It takes the gas Macan’s skin and stretches it to an even sleeker design.
A combination of body tweaks and active aero pieces — including an adaptive rear spoiler and active cooling flaps on the front air intakes — result in a drag coefficient of just 0.25, one of the slipperiest in the SUV/CUV segment and one that Porsche claims will add an impressive 85 kilometres of range to the Macan EV.
Speaking of range and that electric propulsion system, the Macan EV is the first Porsche to use the Premium Platform Electric architecture, which has been developed in partnership with Porsche.
That 800-volt architecture has a DC charging capability up to 270 kw, and at an 800-volt charging station the battery, according to Porsche, can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes under ideal conditions. (Reality check: in the hundreds of times I have charged an EV in the past decade, I have never experienced ideal conditions, and the rare time I get close, it lasts a minute or two.)
One of the most unique aspects of this architecture is so-called split charging, which enables the battery to be split into two batteries when plugged into a 400-volt charging station. This allows for more efficient and quicker charging. Expect this technology to be adopted by more automakers in the future.
FEW COMPLAINTS
According to the European WLTP combined rating standard, the Macan Turbo has a range of 591 kilometres and the Macan 4 613 km. Each have over 700 kilometres of full-charge range in city-only driving, at least according to the European EAER City rating. These WLTP ratings are typically about a quarter of so more generous than EPA range ratings.
One of my few complaints about the Macan EV is the lack of manual brake regeneration. Instead of offering a paddle or button to set the brake regen to your preference, the strength of regen is determined by which drive mode you are in.
The strongest setting isn’t quite one-pedal driving. My preference is to be able to dial in the setting regardless of drive mode. During the spirited driving in the Turbo, most of it in sport and sport plus modes, I would have preferred a much stronger regen setting, one in which allows you to drive without ever, or rarely, needing to press the brake pedal.
Thanks to that longer wheelbase and wider stance, the Macan EV’S cabin is more spacious than the gas Macan’s, and the ergonomics are very good for the driver and all passengers.
Rear-seat room is particularly surprising, but as we’ve come to learn, EV architecture allows for spacious seating.
That low seating position really gives a sports-car feel to the front seat occupants, and that sensation is further enhanced by the rising design of the centre console.
My sole quibble with the ergo dynamics is that the elbow rests when holding the steering wheel are a little uneven.
The driver gets the classic, free-standing three-gauge display, albeit digital and not analog, and the 10.9-inch central display is intuitive to use for all infotainment functions, though it is nice to have tactile switchgear for the air vents and the air conditioning controls.
FIRST-TIME PASSENGER DISPLAY SCREEN
And for the first time in a Porsche, the Macan EV comes with an optional screen for the passenger. The 10.9-inch screen allows the passenger to scroll through screens from the centre infotainment system, and there’s also the ability to stream video content on the passenger screen.
The angle of the screen totally obscures the view for the driver, which is important in the name of driving distractions.
As the passenger, I enjoyed putting the G-force screen on the passenger screen while we raced through some twisty bits.
Well, as you can tell from this first drive review, I am thoroughly smitten with the 2024 Porsche Macan EV. It’s quick, handles like a sports car, has cutting-edge electric architecture, and has a cabin with plenty of space for four adults yet conveys that Porsche sport heritage. But here’s the rub. It is expensive.
Yes, all-electrics are more expensive than their gaspowered counterparts most of the time, but in the case of the Macan EV the price disparity between it and the gas Macan is striking.
The base gas Macan starts at $67,000, while the top-ofthe-line GTS, with 434 horsepower, rings in at $95,700. For comparison’s sake, the all-electric Macan 4 starts at $99,300, and the Macan EV Turbo starts at $125,300, and the Macan EV Turbo I drove in France had a sticker price of $167,278.
Yes, for that money you do get an incredible EV, but no matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of money for a sport crossover. The gas Macan is a perennial top selling model for Porsche as a practical entry point to the brand, but with the pricing of the EV version, that will limit its appeal to devoted EV enthusiasts.
However, for those fortunate few who do put one in their garage, they will not be disappointed. Another Porsche milestone to be sure.