Porsche puts electric Macan on the road
From next year, the best-selling Porsche will only be available as an electric car. The new Macan is intended to prove that an electric Porsche can not only keep up with combustion models in terms of performance and driving experience, but even surpass them.
The most popular Porsche of all will in future only be available with electric motors and a large battery. The Macan sports SUV, which has sold 800,000 units in nine years with its high-revving and powerful petrol engines, is being retired, at least in Europe. It's quite a bold move to present the brand's best-selling and most affordable model since 2015 as a second electric car alongside the Taycan luxury saloon. In doing so, the classy VW subsidiary is taking the risk that many fans of the bestseller will turn away because they don't want to go down the path to the electric future.
To prevent this from happening, Porsche has largely retained the familiar shape to make the E-Macan immediately recognizable as such. However, the best arguments to convince hesitant Porsche fans of the electric newcomer lurk in the interior of the approximately 4.80-meter-long SUV. This can be experienced from the passenger seat when turning onto the in-house race track within the Leipzig factory premises. Of course, every electric car shows its rear end to most combustion engines when it comes to accelerating from a standstill.
This is particularly evident in the top model of the new Macan, mysteriously still called the "Turbo". Two engines distribute their power to both axles, delivering a combined 450 kW/612 hp. They catapult the 2.3-ton vehicle to 100 km/h in under four seconds. The previous Macan GTS cannot keep up with this. It offers less power and only half the pulling power, because the electric car exceeds the 1000 newton meter mark.
Is this really an electric car?
This is particularly noticeable when accelerating out of tight bends, when our factory driver puts the pedal to the metal. A sophisticated chassis set-up with air suspension pulls and pushes the Macan towards the next straight. No body roll, hardly any lateral inclination, the sportsman's heart gets aflutter - is this really an electric car? When fast bends have to be mastered in quick succession, the rear axle steering, which is also new, comes to the rescue. Off the track, the professional then demonstrates the turning circle, which deserves the title "suitable for old towns".
After the typical Porsche lesson on the racetrack, the next test awaits. Right next door, the newcomer with its all-wheel drive has to master steep ascents and descents on loose terrain, which is not advisable to tackle on foot. A rotary switch is used to change from "Sport Plus" to "Offroad". Then there is a water crossing in which the 180 battery cells are forced to dive.
"Don't worry, they are well encapsulated and therefore protected," reassures the man behind the wheel. Of course, the Macan is an SUV and not an off-road vehicle. But the Porsche driver is helped through deep mud, on slopes or when climbing natural hills. Future owners will refrain from crawling over boulders anyway due to the expected high price and workshop costs.
Porsche is not yet revealing the price
Porsche is not yet revealing the price of the new top model of the Macan. As the previous top-of-the-range GTS remains just under the 100,000 euro mark, future customers should be prepared to put some money down. The base model, which only has one engine and correspondingly less power, could be significantly cheaper. The upcoming Audi Q6-etron could provide an indication of this. There is talk of an output of 275 kW/375 hp for its entry-level model. Like the Macan, the Audi is based on a jointly developed substructure.
Both half-sisters have the same battery in the basement. It delivers around 100 kWh and is good for a range of around 500 kilometers in the Macan. Charging is possible with up to 270 kW. Since an 800-volt network is on board, it also charges faster. If the Porsche docks at an appropriate charging station, the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes. In the event of a stop in between, four minutes should be enough to "fill up" with energy for another 100 kilometers. If the hunger for electricity ends up at a charging station that is only operated with 400 volts instead of 800, a trick comes into play: the battery is divided into two halves with half the voltage, which then manage with the same 400 volts.
Borrowings from the Taycan inside
An electric Macan can be recognized by the steeply sloping front hood, under which an additional trunk ("frunk") is hidden. The contoured fender housings are home to the daytime running lights with the four horizontal LEDs familiar from the Taycan. The main headlights are located at the ends of the front bumper. In the absence of a radiator grille, the overall impression is much sportier. A narrow lip above the asphalt serves to improve aerodynamics. At the rear, the fenders bulge outwards more clearly than before. The shining finishing touch is the continuous light strip under the gently sloping rear window, which conveys a touch of coupé feeling.
The interior is reminiscent of Porsche's electric pioneer, the Taycan. Three screens, two for the driver, one for the co-pilot. Should the driver feel like watching a movie, a special film blocks the view from the left-hand seat. Another new feature is a head-up display that projects navigation arrows, for example, 10 meters in front of the car. The voice assistant now responds particularly quickly and efficiently to questions and commands. Activated with the keyword "Hey Porsche", it delivers the best route and suggests charging stops faster than before after entering a destination.
In terms of sportiness, driving experience and performance, the Macan should strike a chord with spoiled customers, even if the majority of this clientele are probably combustion engine freaks. A rethink is necessary. After all, an electric 718 (Boxter/Cayman), a similar Cayenne and a new luxury SUV are already in the works.
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The forthcoming Porsche Macan, previously available in combustion engines, will now solely be offered as an electric vehicle starting next year. This move marks the transition of Porsche's best-selling and most affordable model since 2015 into the realm of electromobility, following the successful Taycan luxury saloon.
As more Porsche models shift towards electric powertrains, the automotive industry is witnessing a significant transformation in performance and driving experience, with electric cars surpassing their combustion counterparts in certain areas.
Source: www.ntv.de
