In 2014, Porsche launched the highly regarded Macan, their first compact luxury crossover, lauded as “the first compact SUV that is also a sports car”.
Ten years on and the German giants have launched the second-generation: an all-electric offering that promises to turn heads – in silence…
It’s all rather fitting given that company founder-to-be Ferdinand Porsche began his automotive journey by building one of the earliest electric car incarnations way back in 1898, then, two years later, created the first ever 4WD by adding four electric wheel-hub motors to the Lohner-Porsche racing car.
“The new Macan is the first model that we are electrifying from an existing, established product identity,” says Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche. “Every new sports car has to be very clearly recognisable as part of the Porsche product family and the model in question, but also has to be perceived as ‘the new one’.”
It’s immediately obvious that this elegantly undulating vehicle is a Porsche personified, a muscly Macan, a work of beauty. The Macan – which, incidentally, comes from the Indonesian word for tiger – is available in four electric models: the Electric, the 4 Electric, the 4S, and the Turbo. Verve is issued with the Macan 4, its Ice Grey Metallic paintjob atop shimmering 21-inch wheels adding to its uber-coolness.
Boasting a drag coefficient of 0.25, good luck finding a more streamlined SUV – and that’s apparent as soon as you press the pedal. The Macan 4 accelerates from a standstill to 100km/hr in 5.2 seconds – not bad for a family SUV – while the Turbo does it in only 3.3 seconds.
(Spoiler alert: the spoiler remains hidden in the tailgate unless activated by either speed or the infotainment screen.)
So aesthetically, that’s all boxes ticked.
Inside feels refreshingly minimalistic and roomy with a pair of luggage compartments and increased interior space. There are heaps of nice touches, like an integrated LED light strip that runs seamlessly along the cockpit and doors to provide both ambient lighting and visual communication when, for example, you change the driving mode or receive a driver assist notification. Also, come nightfall, the open, pillarless doors cast an illuminated Porsche sign onto the pavement below. We also loved the panoramic sunroof up top, too.
The 100kWh battery promises a very respectable 613km, and it can be charged from 10% to 80% in a little over 20 minutes at a fast-charging station. Up to 240kW of energy can be recuperated via the electric motors while driving.
The Macan 4 has steel-spring suspension – the Turbo, air suspension – and both are equipped with the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) electronic damping control, enhancing both performance, and comfort.
Testing the self-parking function was among the most nervewracking 20 seconds of our lives – every single cell of your body implores you to keep your hands on the steering wheel of a $168,400 vehicle! But, of course, like the rest of this magical ride, it works perfectly.
“We didn’t set out to make an electric Porsche,” we were told when collecting the keys. “We just set out to build a Porsche that happened to be electric.”
Job done.
Find out more at porsche.co.nz.
