All-new 2024 electric Porsche Macan revealed with 380-mile range
The Porsche Macan 4 will cost from £69,800 and the top-spec 630bhp Turbo will hit £95,000
Porsche has finally taken the wraps off its highly anticipated all-electric Porsche Macan SUV. The popular mid-size SUV has racked up over 800,000 sales in its first generation, a success Porsche is hoping to repeat with the all-electric replacement. The new Macan EV will initially be available in two forms, the base Macan 4 will cost from £69,800 in the UK and land with customers from the second half of 2024.
The new Macan represents a new era of electric cars for Porsche, debuting the PPE platform co-developed with Audi. Porsche will launch the range with two dual-motor options, a base ‘4’ model and high-spec Turbo, sharing a gross 100kWh battery pack - 95kWh of which is usable. This is hooked up to a state-of-the-art 800V electrical system that’s able to support up to 270kW charging speeds and capable of refilling the battery from 10-80 per cent in just 21 minutes.
It’s actually quite tricky to ascertain the new Macan’s size from the images, but despite looking smaller than the current model, it’s actually 58mm longer overall with an extra 86mm in the wheelbase. Porsche will offer various wheel options and sizes, between 19-inch and 22-inches, with obvious compromises in claimed range figures as the size of the wheels goes up.
Powertrains and charging
Opening the range is the Macan 4 which produces up to 402bhp on overboost and 650Nm of torque. This will send it to 62mph in 5.1 seconds, and achieve that headline 380-mile WLTP range.
The top-spec Porsche Macan Turbo turns the wick up significantly, with its more powerful motors producing a total of 630bhp and 1,130Nm of torque. That drops the 0-62mph time to just 3.3 seconds, matching the Cayenne Turbo GT as Porsche’s most accelerative SUV. Range isn’t too heavily affected, with a 366-mile WLTP rating. Top speeds for the two versions are rated at 136mph and 161mph, respectively.
The PPE platform introduces lots of clever innovations, helping to streamline many of the electrical components under the skin to reduce weight and complexity. This includes a consolidation of the AC charger, AC/DC converter and heater into one compact Integrated Power Box, or IPB. When connected with a 400V-optimised charger, the Macan’s able to split its 800V system and accept power to each bank of batteries separately, negating the need for an on-board 400V-800V converter and saving yet more weight and complexity.
Chassis and aerodynamics
In order to make the new Macan drive like a Porsche, engineers have included a range of high-end chassis technology that is new to the mid-size SUV. This includes an optional rear-wheel steering system that helps reduce the turning circle to just 11.1m. Porsche Macan 4 models run on standard steel springs with Porsche’s new dual-valve adaptive dampers, and air-suspension is an option. The Turbo throws air in for free, plus integrates an electronically controlled limited slip differential with torque vectoring capability on the rear axle.
The Macan’s brakes feature a new hydraulics system which does a better job of blending the friction and regenerative braking systems to work together, the latter now capable of capturing up to 240kW. We’ve already driven prototypes of both models and can confirm that brake pedal feel is excellent.
Designers have also worked hard on the Macan’s aero efficiency, with an impressive rating of just 0.24Cd. To achieve this, Porsche uses active aero flaps around the nose and underbody, with a mostly flat floor and an active rear wing to help trim the air as it leaves the rear of the car. This has also helped inform the new design, which features typical Porsche design cues like a full-width light bar and fastback silhouette with elements new to Porsche like the split headlight design.
Cabin and technology
The cabin will be familiar to any Porsche fan in sharing a 12.9-inch curved driver’s display and 10.9-inch touchscreen interface with other Porsche models. Air conditioning and volume controls are separated onto the floating centre console, with wireless phone charging placed underneath.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, the former debuting a more in-depth version that makes it possible to change certain car functions within its interface such as interior lighting and basic HVAC controls.
The native infotainment system is also now based on an Android framework that’s constantly connected to the internet. This makes it more responsive and flexible than before, and facilitates over-the-air updates just like in a Tesla. Porsche has also placed more emphasis on its ambient interior lighting, colour and trim options to up the level of personalisation available to customers.
We’ve driven the new Porsche Macan EV!
The biggest test for the new Macan will be finding out if it drives like a Porsche, and after driving two different prototypes over the last 12 months we can confirm that it does a very good job of it. There is no denying these are heavy cars, but just like they did with the first Cayenne, the brand’s engineers have achieved a palpable sense of ‘Porsche’ in the new Macan’s ride and handling.
The base Macan 4 drives well, is impressively refined and has a nice balance about it, but ultimately doesn’t have the performance to deal with the car’s circa 2,200kg weight figure. The Turbo, aided in this case by the optional rear-wheel steering system, is definitely more Porsche-like in its performance and handling characteristics.
Exploit the full 630bhp and there’s an obvious rearward bias to the torque split, especially in Sport Plus mode which will use the rear differential to overspeed the outer rear wheel and get the nose turned in to corners. It drives somewhat like an oversized hot hatchback, but the overwhelming sense of mass isn’t totally masked and is felt particularly under braking.
Still, the new Porsche Macan is far more dynamically capable than it really needs to be, and if any owner was so inclined, it would be more than happy pounding around a circuit for as long as the batteries would last. For everyone else, the Macan will be everything they’re likely to be looking for and more.
Click here for our list of the best electric SUVs on sale right now...
