All-Electric Porsche Macan Arrives With Up To 630bhp

Forget the enthusiast fodder for a second - the naturally aspirated, track-honed, limited-run 911s and 718s. Like it or not, this is probably the most important car Porsche will launch this decade: the all-new, all-electric, second-generation Macan.

Joining the Taycan as the second of Porsche’s all-electric offerings, the new Macan launches in two versions, sticking stubbornly to Porsche’s slightly nonsensical EV naming structure: the 402bhp Macan 4, and the 630bhp Macan Turbo. Porsche says it wants to offer “the sportiest model in its segment,” and if the numbers are anything to go by, it could well be onto a winner.

Those power figures, it should be noted, are only attainable as “overboost power” when launch control is active. We don’t yet know how much they’ll make under normal driving, but the overboost figures are enough to propel the 4 to 62mph in 5.2 seconds, and the Turbo in only 3.3. That’s a full second quicker than even the fastest petrol-powered Macan. Being EVs, top speed figures aren’t quite as impressive - 137mph for the 4, and 161mph for the Turbo.

The car sits on an all-new, Porsche-developed platform called PPE - nope, nothing to do with hard hats or hi-vis jackets; it stands for Porsche Premium Electric, and will likely underpin more electric Porsches in the future. It uses a 100kWh battery supported by the 800V architecture that’s now pretty much a prerequisite for an upmarket EV. Porsche says this will allow charges of 10 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes if you can find a rapid charger.

Both launch versions run a dual-motor setup, and supposedly, you won’t take much of a hit on the range by ordering the more powerful model: Porsche quotes a combined WLTP range of 381 miles for the 4, and 367 for the Turbo.

Of course, if they really want this to be the most sporting electric SUV on the market, it needs to handle, too, and since this is Porsche, brace yourself for lots of initialisms that’ll help make this happen. The electric Porsche Traction Management (ePTM) can intervene within 10 milliseconds of detecting wheelspin. It also features Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), Porsche’s fancy name for an electrically-controlled rear diff which should be able to deliver improbably precise adjustments to torque distribution. The torque split between front and rear changes depending on drive mode, although we don’t yet know to what extent.

For the first time, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) - standard on cars with air suspension, and optional on steel-sprung models - features two-valve dampers, which Porsche says allows for a “more expansive damper map” and a “wider spectrum between comfort and performance”. Rear-wheel steer is optional, aiding both turning circle and high-speed stability.

It also features lots of active aerodynamic bits aimed at improving range. Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA) encompasses an adaptive rear spoiler, active flaps on the front air intakes and flexible covers on the underside, all contributing to an impressively slippery drag coefficient of 0.25.

On the outside, it’s still unmistakably a Macan with those intense quartets of daytime running lights (with the main headlights now down in the bumper) and rear lightbar. It has, however, adopted a noticeably more rakish, ‘coupe’-style silhouette, no doubt for aerodynamics and added schportiness.

The inside is, unsurprisingly, a screen-fest. As standard, you get a curved 12.9-inch instrument display and a 10.9-inch central screen. There’s also the option of a second 10.9-inch screen for the front passenger, in case it’s just too much effort for them to reach over to the centre of the dashboard. The driver gets a head-up display, with things like navigational arrows projected onto the road through augmented reality.

One advantage of the Macan going EV is practicality, with the addition of an 84-litre ‘frunk’ cargo area supplementing the 540-litre seats-up capacity of the boot. It will also tow up to 2000kg.

Porsche is talking a big game about the Macan’s sporting intent. We know it’ll be brutally quick, but Porsche’s product line vice president, Jörg Kerner, claims it “delivers a real sports car feeling.” That’ll be no mean feat in an electric SUV that’ll likely weigh comfortably over two tonnes, but we already know that the Taycan is easily one of the most convincing driver’s EVs out there. We’ll have to wait until we can drive it to see if its big sibling can deliver.

In some markets, the new Macan will be sold alongside the current, combustion-engined model (which, believe it or not, is now a decade old). We thought that would be the case in Europe, but it turns out the old car falls foul of upcoming EU cybersecurity rules, so if you’re a European after a new Macan, electric will soon be your only option (that means the UK, too).

The Macan 4 and Turbo are available to order today, with prices starting at £69,800 for the 4 and £95,000 for the Turbo. UK deliveries are expected in the second half of 2024, and further down the line, expect the usual roll-out of faster and more handling-oriented models. If it repeats the success of the first car - of which Porsche has delivered over 800,000 examples - then it should provide a nice bit of cash for at least a few more noisy, manual sports cars. And not even the biggest Porsche purist can complain about that.