The wait is over: the first 100% electric SUV from Porsche is here, and it's going to surprise you

Without being a fanatic of SUVs, I have always been a fan of the Porsche Macan. At least in my opinion, it is the best sports SUV over these ten years that the first generation has been on the market. And since it was announced that the new Porsche Macan would be a 100% electric model, I had my reservations, despite having tested the Porsche Taycan and knowing what the Stuttgart brand is capable of when it comes to electrification. Now, after having driven some other version of the Taycan and learning the final specifications of the new Porsche Macan, I dare to venture that the first 100% electric SUV from Porsche will also remain the most sporty in its class.

Aesthetically I like it a lot from any angle… except that rear end. Allowing for differences, it has a similar effect on me to the rear of the first Porsche Panamera (which was “redesigned” in later generations). Not with as much rejection, but I think it could have had more personality, more Porsche DNA, especially in the Turbo version. It seems to me that any brand could have signed it. But let’s leave aside evaluations of something as subjective as design and move on to what matters, which are the figures. And here we can fit the Macan’s dimensions: it measures 4.78 metres in length, 1.94 metres in width and 1.62 metres in height, with a wheelbase of 2.89 metres.

It’s worth mentioning that the wheels can be up to 22 inches, that the front headlights can optionally feature Matrix LED technology, that the doors lack frames for the windows, and that the aerodynamic coefficient is very good, at just 0.25. To achieve this, Porsche resorts to the increasingly common “tricks” in electric cars: underbody panelling, an adaptive rear spoiler, active cooling flaps…

Premium Electric Platform: the start of a new era

The new Macan debuts the so-called Premium Electric Platform, which we will soon also see in the Audi Q6, and shortly in many other Porsche and Audi models. This means many things, but the most important is that the architecture is 800 volts, already used in the Taycan, and is now a new development. We will now see its advantages, especially when it comes to pulling up at the pump… um, sorry, at the charging post.

There are two versions of the Porsche Macan: the Macan 4, with 300 kW (408 CV) of maximum power and 650 Nm of maximum torque -always in overboost mode-, and the Macan Turbo (Porsche still uses this designation for its most powerful versions, even in its electric models), with 470 kW (639 CV) and no less than 1,130 Nm of torque. Just a parenthesis: while writing I try to recall the first car I was able to drive -even if only for a few moments- with more than 1,000 Nm of torque, and the Bugatti Veyron immediately comes to mind. Back then you needed 16 cylinders and four turbochargers; now a couple of electric motors is enough. With such performance the acceleration no longer impresses: 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds for the Macan 4, and in just 3.3 seconds for the Macan Turbo, which reaches 260 km/h, while the Macan 4 has to make do with a top speed of “only” 220 km/h.

In both cases the battery has a gross capacity of 100 kWh, and can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 21 minutes… at a DC charging station supplying 270 kW of power, which is the maximum the Macan accepts. The combined WLTP range reaches 613 km in the Macan 4, and 591 km in the Macan Turbo. And the maximum towing capacity reaches 2,000 kg.

All-wheel drive and rear-axle steering

With a motor on each axle, both the Macan 4 and the Macan Turbo feature four-wheel drive. For the most sceptical, Porsche boasts about this, claiming that the Porsche Traction Management (ePTM) system works up to five times faster than a conventional all-wheel-drive system, which allows it to respond to slip and manage the torque each axle must deliver in just 10 milliseconds. Believe it, that’s the good thing about electronics. Of course, the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus is included, an electronically controlled differential lock on the rear axle for greater efficiency in sporty driving.

The suspension, naturally, also features electronically controlled dampers, and air springs as standard on the Macan Turbo, optional on the Macan 4. A novelty is the dampers with new valve technology that allows a wider margin between the setting that provides maximum comfort and the most sporty one. In addition, for the first time on the Macan, a four-wheel steering system is also offered as an option.

As for the interior, which does have a very Porsche design, it’s worth highlighting the boot capacity, which can reach up to 540 litres, plus an additional space under the front bonnet with another 84 litres. With the rear seats folded down it reaches 1,348 litres. The driver and front passenger sit almost 3 centimetres lower, and rear passengers have more legroom. The multimedia system, already based on Android Automotive, has a central 10.9-inch screen and optionally another of the same size can be fitted for the passenger; the instrumentation is also digital, with a 12.6-inch screen, and for the first time an instrument cluster head-up display projected onto the windscreen with augmented reality is offered, making the image appear to float about 10 metres in front of the driver.

The prices of the first electric SUV from Porsche for the Spanish market start at 85,382 euros for the Macan 4, and from 116,914 euros for the Macan Turbo.

New Porsche Macan 2024 – Image gallery

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverPorsche Macan5 versions · from 83,310 €