A paragon of good taste and driving enjoyment, the Porsche Macan is easy to recommend to nearly anyone shopping for a compact luxury SUV, but this near-universal praise hasn’t stopped the hallowed German automaker from improving the breed. On Thursday, Porsche debuted the new, all-electric 2024 Macan, which ditches cylinders for battery cells yet still promises stellar performance.
At least initially, this amped-up SUV will be offered in two flavors: the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo, both of which come standard with two electric motors and all-wheel drive. As for output, the former delivers up to 402 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, ample figures to be certain, while the latter is good for a staggering 630 ponies and 833 lb-ft. That’s enough secret sauce to get the Macan 4 from a standstill to 60 mph in an estimated 4.9 seconds, though the Turbo will do the same deed in a blistering 3.1.
In a media release shared by Porsche, Jörg Kerner, vice president of the Macan range said, “Our aim is to offer the sportiest model in its segment with the all-electric Macan. In many ways, we are taking a very successful SUV to a new level.” Given the above-mentioned performance figures, it would appear that Zuffenhausen’s engineers have succeeded in this mission, all while creating a vehicle that produces zero tailpipe emissions.
Providing the juice is a generously sized battery with a usable capacity of 95 kilowatt-hours (the gross capacity is 100 kWh). Just like the pioneering Taycan, this pack features an 800-volt architecture, which provides incredibly speedy DC fast charging. In fact, the battery tops out at 270 kilowatts, an absolutely thundering performance, one that’s potent enough to get you from 10 to 80% in as little as 21 minutes.
Providing a smooth ride and connected feel, both versions of the all-electric Macan feature an adjustable air suspension system paired with active dampers. Additionally, these SUVs are available with rear-axle steering, a first for the popular Macan. This setup can angle the back wheels by up to 5 degrees to improve highway stability as well as low-speed agility, cutting the turning circle down to a curt 36.4 feet.
A compact SUV, the new 2024 electric Macan is 188.4 inches long and 63.8 inches high. The wheelbase is generous, just shy of 114 inches, 3.4 inches more than the previous, combustion-powered model’s hub-to-hub span.
It may be new, but this SUV still looks like a Macan. It has a sleek, rounded body, pod-style mirror housings and large wheels. The front and rear overhangs are nice and short, the iconic Porsche logo sits in the middle of a 3D light strip at the rear, and you can even equip the new Macan with special LED matrix headlamps.
This SUV’s body isn’t just attractive, it’s functional, too. Overall, this battery-powered Porsche cheats the wind with a coefficient of drag of just 0.25. Additionally, there’s generous cargo space, 18 cubic feet behind the second-row seat, though if you drop the backrests that figure grows to 46.5. And since this is an EV, there’s also the possibility of having a front trunk, which gives you an additional 2.9 cubes of storage space.
Inside, the electric Macan’s cabin is attractive and functional, with an elegant — and classic — dashboard layout. If you were expecting radical changes, you might be disappointed, but if good taste is what you’re after, this Porsche delivers.
Naturally, there’s plenty of tech, too, up to three screens. This includes a 10.9-inch central touch panel as well as a 12.6-inch curved instrument cluster. You can also fit this vehicle with a second 10.9-inch screen on the passenger side of the dashboard. And like any high-end vehicle that’s worth its salt, a head-up display with augmented reality navigation capability is also offered.
If the new electric Macan has caught your eye, you can order one right now, though deliveries aren’t expected to begin until the second half of 2024, so be patient. As for pricing, the Macan 4 starts at a surprisingly reasonable $80,450, while the Turbo will kick off in the neighborhood of $106,950. Both prices include $1,650 in destination fees.
