News has surfaced in recent months that Porsche plans to throttle back its electrification goals, citing a slower-than-expected uptake of EVs and concerns around the lack of internal combustion engines from a vocal segment of its customer base.
At the beginning of this year, reports suggested that Porsche could reverse its decision to make the second-generation Macan an all-electric proposition, potentially looking at ways of shoehorning petrol engines into a model that was always designed for battery packs and motors.
Just this week, Autocar stated that the German marque was scaling back its in-house battery research, no longer expanding its battery production business and instead focussing on electrified derivatives of existing models – hybrids likely a popular alternative.
But after experiencing very early hands-on time with pre-production models, taking a deep-dive into the powerful new infotainment system and driving multiple derivatives of the first all-electric Macan, it concerns me that the company isn’t sticking to its all-electric plans.
Granted, sales of Porsche’s EVs have slowed, with a drop in demand for Taycan over recent months, but the second-gen Macan has been a bright spot in the portfolio, out-selling the combustion engine model in the final quarter of 2024.
There is an argument that suggests Porsche’s discontinuation of the ICE Macan in Europe contributed to the EV’s success, but there is no getting away from the fact that the Macan Electric is an exciting proposition in its own right.
Fast, stylish and boasting the German marque’s handling DNA, it offers one of the best electric driving experiences out there and, with a plethora of distinctly average premium EV rivals arriving recently, it is a dynamic benchmark in a field that’s largely ignoring those that enjoy driving.
Handles with care
It’s very easy for a motoring journalist to fall into the well-trodden routine of harping on about driving dynamics, suspension set-ups, steering feedback and body control, seeing as many buyers (and commenters on this site) aren’t really bothered by that stuff at all.
While not ground-breaking stuff, it all works seamlessly and does so without the overtly flashy graphics and theater of so many modern cars.
But when you spend thousands on a high-performance electric vehicle, it should be a given that it handles as well (if not better) than rivals in the same price bracket, as well as those with gas engines.
The good news is that the Macan Electric features the Porsche’s sporting heritage in its very DNA.
Naturally, the fast-as-flip 639hp Turbo version can do the crazy launch control thing, pinning heads to headrests when the throttle is buried. But it can also deftly drift around a circuit, rail corners like a proper sports car and float over rutted roads when the smooth surface of the race circuit runs out.
Even the most ‘basic’ Macan Electric, which can still rocket from 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds, is pure driving pleasure, proving both massively capable on fast and flowing roads, while settling back into a quiet, comfortable cruiser when required.
Adding battery packs and motors generally makes electric vehicles feel bloated, heavy and, at the very worse, completely bereft of any sort of feedback, but the work Porsche has done with the Macan is tangible.
It might not be the same dominating SUV performance of former gas-powered Turbo models, but it’s close… and arguably more refined.
This is arguably the first performance electric SUV that appeals to both ardent petrolheads and those who simply want to pop to the shops. The bandwidth is impressive.
Tech-ing it easy
It feels like Porsche needs to stand firm, celebrate its high-performance heritage and keep proving that the electric vehicles it produces offer much more than simply the smartphone-on-wheels experience.
Compared to some of Porsche’s closest competitors, the interior of the Macan Electric feels decidedly restrained. Even with the additional front passenger display optioned, technology takes a backseat, rather than filling the entire width of the cabin with screens.
It’s still beautifully finished, well bolted together and very Porsche, but the central infotainment display is a mere 10.9-inches – a far cry from the monstrous tablets found in Zeekr, Tesla and, ahem, Mercedes-Benz, which seems to be taking the term ‘Drive-In Cinema’ a little too literally.
There is also a pleasing amount of tactile buttons for controlling functionality, including dials on the steering wheel to adjust drive modes and buttons on the center console that take care of suspension and more.
But dig deeper and there’s a lot going on under the surface: faster Qualcomm processors, deeper integration with Apple CarPlay and an all-new, Android Automotive-based operating system that provides rapid route planning and a lag-free scrolling experience.
The interface is smart, simple and intuitive to use, without the need to go rummaging through endless menu screens to locate simple functions and options.
Even planning complex, EV-friendly routes, which often include multiple stops to charge, takes milliseconds.
While driving, I was able to easily locate the nearest fast charger and have the system navigate to the location with just a few taps, or via the voice assistant. Alternatively, plan a route on a smartphone and have it sent to the car.
While not ground-breaking stuff, it all works seamlessly and does so without the overtly flashy graphics and theater of so many modern cars.
The battery tech is solid too, with charging speeds of up to 270kW ensuring stops are short – just 21 minutes to achieve a 10-80% top up.
During the numerous workshops I attended prior to the Macan EV’s launch, Porsche went into great detail about its battery arrangement – an 800V architecture that effectively splits the pack in two when drawing charge from anything under a 135kW outlet.
This helps improve charging efficiency, even on lower-powered outlets, and keeps those charging stops as short as possible. Something any EV owner will appreciate.
That said, a range of up to 380 miles from the Macan 4 Electric (one of the cheapest models in the line-up) is good enough to dispatch of most road trips. More importantly, the range estimation is accurate and predictable.
Pushing the premium feels
Legacy automakers are having a rough time of late, with pressure from China and beyond pushing some of them well out of their comfort zones and leaving many pondering the future.
Making the switch to electric hasn’t been easy and there’s still some way to go before enough customers are onboard with the notion to make it truly profitable.
But with ever more competition, much of it now aiming to take a slice of the premium EV market with better value propositions, it feels more important than ever to celebrate something like the Macan Electric.
Granted, the likes of Zeekr and Xpeng now offer accomplished EVs that are finished to a fantastically high standard, but they lack the finesse that only an automaker that has been racing, tuning and innovating for 75 years can provide.
For many buyers, it’s the sort of minutiae that doesn’t warrant the $100,000 / £100,000 /AU$160,000 that Porsche commands for its 639hp super SUV, but it matters for the bigger picture.
If we lose this level of driving engagement and carefully considered craftsmanship due to slow sales and tanking residual values, then the premium EV landscape rapidly becomes a homogenous blob of nice-but-not-brilliant ‘luxe’ SUVs that largely look, feel and drive the same.
Renault has been making waves at the more affordable end of the market by sticking its neck out with the retro-tastic R5 and upcoming R4, leaning into its history and offering a cheeky, characterful EV that doesn’t cost a bomb. It’s paid off, if the awards cabinet is anything to go by.
Clearly, I’m no businessman (I could never afford a Macan EV), but it feels like Porsche needs to stand firm, celebrate its high-performance heritage and keep proving that the electric vehicles it produces offer much more than simply the smartphone-on-wheels experience.
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