(Elbil24): The Porsche Macan is the company’s absolute best-selling car, and now it is finally being launched in a fully electric version. The fact is that when Porsche now launches a new Macan, it will be nothing but fully electric. The company is putting the fossil versions on the shelf, and making the model fully electric.
The Macan 4 and Macan Turbo will be launched first, but don’t doubt that there will be more editions later.
However, this is not the first time Elbil24 gets to meet the new Macan, because already in August we were on a secret mission in Germany, where we got to test drive one of the few prototypes that had been made, and which were driven almost around the world for testing under different conditions. The car is also built on the same PPE platform as the upcoming Audi Q6.
We drove the electric Porsche Macan
The car you see here, on the other hand, is the finished production version, a car we got to see – in addition to getting a full review of – earlier this year. The new Macan is 4.78 meters in length, almost 10 centimeters longer than its predecessor. At the same time, it has a wheelbase of 2.89 metres, compared to 2.8 on the outgoing version.
Far better place
The extra length will primarily provide extra space for those who are relegated to the back seat, in addition to additional boot space, which is now 540 litres, compared to the previous 488 litres.
In addition, there is the space under the bonnet, the trunk, which is quite large and measures 84 litres. Porsche states that there is thus 127 liters in increased storage space, while our calculator says that there is a difference of 136 litres. Should the luggage space not be enough, we can add that the new Macan can tow a trailer of up to 2 tonnes.
In any case, there is no doubt that there is better space in the back seat. An adult person sits perfectly fine here, with plenty of room for both long legs and a long torso. The cars in the picture were not equipped with panoramic glass either, which often contributes to increased roof height because you remove both the roof covering and insulation on cars with glass roofs.
For the driver, this becomes even more noticeable, because the total seat height in the new Macan is 28 millimeters lower than in the current one, while in the back seat you sit 15 millimeters lower.
One battery, two different performances
Macan 4 and Macan Turbo will get the same battery, but with different engines. Gross battery capacity is 100 kWh, while there will be approx. 95 kWh available for use. About this, Porsche has said that they will always make sure to end up on the upper side of the 50-mile mark in range, but the truth is that they can now show a WLTP range of up to 613 kilometers for the Macan 4, and 591 kilometers for the Macan Turbo.
Check out that charging station!
We should add that we must first carry out our own bespoke tests before setting any range in stone, but with the WLTP standard as an indicator, this seems very good.
When you need to charge the battery again, the entire architecture is naturally based on 800 volts, as in the Taycan, and like today’s Taycan, the charging peak is also set to 270 kilowatts. But here it should be added that the charging effect remains higher for a longer time, which reduces the time, compared to today’s Taycan. Now it must be said that we are also aware that the Taycan will also get a better charging speed over time, but compared to the current edition, the Macan will be faster over an entire charging cycle.
Porsche says that it takes 21 minutes to charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent, but again, these are elements we will test when we get the car for a full test.
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Should you not have access to an 800-volt charger, you will get a peak power of 150 kW with a 400-volt charger, if the charger supports this or more. Then you will also get a very flat curve over a longer period of time, as Porsche splits the battery in an 800 volt structure into two separate 400 volt batteries.
The two mentioned cars come with an on-board charger of 11 kW, while at a later stage there will be models where you can buy 22 kW as an add-on. However, this is not available on the first editions.
Good enough speed resources
As said, the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo apply from the start. Later, of course, there will be more editions, perhaps even an entry-level model with only rear-wheel drive.
In the Macan 4, you get 408 horsepower from a torque of 650 Nm, while the Taycan Turbo can deliver 639 horsepower and has a torque of 1,130 Newton meters.
This should be enough to make the sprint to 100 km/h in 5.1 and 3.3 seconds respectively for the two. The top speed is stated to be 220, respectively 260 km/h.
The aerodynamics are taken care of by both active and passive elements, which means that it ends up with a cd value of 0.25. The spoiler, for example, has two different levels, depending on what is needed.
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Minor differences
Everything is in the details, they say, and there are clear details that set the cars apart. If you see a Macan with unpainted black plastic details around the wheel arches and at the bottom of the fenders, then it is a Macan 4. If this is painted, then you have a Macan Turbo. The latter also has a distinctive front and rear bumper, with, among other things, what may look like air ducts on the rear corner. These should give the impression of releasing the air flow from the wheel housings, but are tight and serve no other purpose than the visual.
Both cars can have roof rails, if you wish, and you can choose between black lacquered or anodised versions. A carbon package can also be obtained as an accessory, where the lower part of the mirror housing, mouldings, etc. are made of carbon. What you cannot get, however, are carbon brakes. Porsche says that the car can reach a braking force of up to 260 kW with only the electric motors. This, in addition to the mechanical brakes, is so much so that carbon brakes will never be needed on a car like the Macan.
As on the Porsche Taycan, the main lights in a Macan will have the four points that make up the daytime running lights – the light signature itself. The actual main lamps, on the other hand, sit a notch further down – closer to the catcher – and you can get these with LED Matrix, if you want.
Beyond this, there are few visible differences between the two models on the outside. Both come with 20-inch wheels as standard, but you can get up to 22-inchers from the equipment list.
Extremely drivable
The most important thing about a Porsche is, of course, that it should be drivable, and that with a good portion of sporting characteristics – although an SUV should of course not be a sports car, although it can be sporty. Now it must be added that a Macan Turbo has characteristics that you need to be particularly driven behind the wheel to be able to exploit to the full.
As previously mentioned, they have lowered the seating position. This is not just to make room for a bigger hat, but more so that you sit closer to the low center of gravity, and even help to lower it. It is never unhealthy, seen through sporting eyes.
Both of the two cars being launched here are equipped with four-wheel drive, and have received what Porsche calls ePTM, or electronically controlled Porsche Traction Management, in its entirety. We recognize the effect from the Taycan, among others, where we have experienced how fast such a system actually is. The system operates with a response time of 10 milliseconds, and it is needless to say that this is far faster than a human is able to act.
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If you choose the Turbo model, you get air springs as standard, but it is also possible to buy them as an add-on on the other models. It also means that you get the PASM system with the purchase – which is an abbreviation for Porshe Active Suspension Management – which in turn is an electronically controlled damper control. To make it all complete, we can mention that PASM can also be obtained together with passive steel springs, if you wish.
As an additional aid, Porsche now also offers four-wheel steering, meaning that the car also steers on the rear wheels in addition. With a steering angle of up to five degrees, the new Macan will have a turning diameter of 11.1 metres. The four-wheel steering changes character to rather steer with – i.e. the same way as the front wheels – at higher speeds. This stabilizes in an excellent way, and makes the car more directionally stable, for example on the autobahn.
What about the inside?
When you open the driver’s door to get in, you will discover that Porsche has chosen to use frameless side windows. When you plant your rear in the seat, you may notice that you sit 28 millimeters lower than in the predecessor.
From there you see a dashboard that we have described earlier, and which visually reminds a lot of the Taycan. The shape of the instrument panel has the same curved shape, and the size is stated to be 12.6 inches. The location of the central 10.9-inch screen is also the same as in the Taycan, the same with the screen in front of the passenger – which is otherwise an accessory.
In front of the center console we find another additional screen, which is primarily intended for the air conditioning. Fortunately, Porsche has realized that mechanical buttons can still do an excellent job, for certain functions. We like it, but it doesn’t stop there.
Because in addition to this, Porsche has further developed a system that we have previously seen in, among others, Audi and VW, where they have an AR system that gives you a head-up display in almost the entire surface of the windscreen. In the Macan, the image gives the impression of being around 10 meters in front of the driver, and thus corresponds to a screen area of 87 inches, with all the information and navigation you need.
The operating system that drives the infotainment system is Android Automotive OS, which now also supports third-party applications for the passenger display.
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Expensive or cheap?
Well, that is up to each individual to decide, but when Porsche now starts accepting orders, it will be at a starting price of NOK. NOK 876,839 for a Macan 4, and NOK 1,236,728 for a Macan Turbo. According to tradition, it probably takes a little longer to get all the extra equipment you feel you need, but then you at least have a starting point, and the configurator on Porsche’s website opened when this article was published – in other words, it has been opened.
Elbil24 will come back as soon as we have been able to test drive the car once more, and as soon as the car is on Norwegian soil we will of course do our regular 100-0% range tests, and 0-100% charging tests. Follow along to stay up to date.