since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
PORSCHE’S entry into the EV (electric vehicle) arena is not new, having done so with the Porsche Taycan six years ago in 2019. The Macan is Porsche’s entry-level model to its SUV (sport utility vehicle) range and after a decade, it was more than ready for an upgrade to earn its second-generation status.
What better way to do that than to flow with the trend towards EVs and the latest Macan was launched in Singapore in this part of the world early last year (2024). As a BEV (battery electric vehicle), it holds the distinction of being the first all-electric SUV from Porsche, and the second in the family after Taycan.
While the new Macan might retain a somewhat similar body profile as the previous model, many styling changes were made to give it that contemporary standing to garner buyer interest. With its sharper proportions, especially from the front perspective, that complement the Porsche design DNA, the latest Macan looks raring to go.
The smoother flow of the new sporty body profile also led to a very much improved aerodynamic outline; a Cd (drag co-efficient) of 0.25 against 0.36 for the previous model. That’s what sports cars (even in SUV form) are supposed to look; downright fast even when standing still and the latest Macan continues the trend. Porsche says the new Macan is one of the most streamlined SUV in the market.
Contributing to the improved aerodynamics is the shallow pitch of the bonnet, made possible as there is no longer a turbocharged V6 ICE (internal combustion engine) located here. Prop up the bonnet and you would see a storage space that adds 84 litres to the 540 litres of luggage space (with the rear seatrests up). Putting the 40:20:40 split rear seatrests down extend luggage space to 1348 litres, which should be good for some bigger items.
The Porsche styling DNA is distinctly seen in the headlamps that are divided into two parts with the flat upper lamp unit carrying the four-point daytime running lights in LED (light emitting diode). The absence of a grille (featured in the previous model) makes for a cleaner front with the distinctive vents on each side to add an aggressive note.
Dimensionally, the new Macan is bigger than the preceding model. Its overall length is now 4784mm against 4681mm of the old, overall width is 1938mm against 1923mm and overall height is slightly more at 1624mm (1622mm). It has a longer wheelbase too at 2893mm (2807mm) that is complemented by shorter body overhangs front and rear.
What is probably more important to potential customers is whether the latest Macan EV would live up to a performance that underlines its Porsche sporty heritage. After all, the previous Macan with its V6 muscle – that we had a good experience with during our drives in Leipzig, Germany 10 years ago – was a very quick SUV.
The Macan S we drove back then was powered by a 3.0-litre V8 biturbo engine that delivers 250kw (340hp) at 5500 to 6500rpm and 460Nm from 1450 to 5000rpm. It accelerated from 0 to 100km.h in 5.4 seconds and its top speed was 254km/h. The previous Macan Turbo 3.6-litre V6 had even more to offer with 294kW (400hp) at 6000rpm and 550Nm from 1350 to 4500rpm. 0-100km/h was covered in a sizzling 4.6 seconds and top speed was 266km/h.
The new Macan 4, which we drove during the recent media event organised by local Porsche distributor Sime Darby Auto Performance Sdn Bhd, has electric motors powered by a 100kWh lithium-ion HV battery. This battery is the central component of the newly developed Porsche Platform Electric (PPE) that is being used for the first time in the new Macan.
The electric motor in the Macan 4 is rated at 300kW (408PS) and 650Nm while the new Macan Turbo boasts of 470kW (639PS) and a whopping 1130Nm. The Macan 4 is slightly faster than the previous Macan S in 0-100km/h acceleration at 5.2 seconds while the Macan Turbo whips the previous model at 3.3 seconds! They only lose on top speed to the ICE models at 220km.h and 260km/h respectively.
KL and Sepang drive experience
THE thing about EVs is looking for the switch or knob to select the drive mode. Unlike ICE vehicles, EVs do not have transmissions and it is usually a direct drive system by the electric motor. The drive mode is simple being Drive, Reverse or Neutral. As such, the gearshift is dispensed with.
Instead, you have a rotary knob or a rocker switch to select the drive modes. In the Macan, it is somewhat a kind of rocker switch on the dashboard, just below the Park button. It wouldn’t take you long to get used to selecting the respective drive mode merely by flicking a switch. That’s the EV drive experience.
What’s unusual in the Macan is that the driver gets full focus with the free-standing 12.6-inch curved design instrument panel that is larger than the 10.9-inch central display. For the first time, the front passenger could also have his/her own 10.9-inch screen (an optional item that was featured in the Macan 4) to view information, adjust settings on the infotainment system or stream video content.
Another first-time feature for the Porsche Driver Experience is the head-up display with augmented reality technology. Porsche says virtual elements such as navigation arrows are ‘virtually seamlessly integrated into the real world’. This head-up display is among our favourite items as it keeps our eyes on the road and be fully aware of traffic flow.
Depending on model, the front passenger and driver are said to sit up to 28mm lower than in the previous model while the rear passengers sit up to 15mm lower. Getting the best driver position is all electrically adjusted and one of the Porsche design elements is the ‘rising design’ of the centre console that is meant to heighten the impression of a low and performance-focused position.
Despite having a bigger body than the previous model, the Macan remains an entry-level model in rear passenger accommodation. Though legroom is said to be improved, we could feel the lack of it against similar models we drove recently and this was felt in a greater way when a tall person is in front. We consider ourselves to be the average Malaysian, being of a 165cm height.
The low-slung roof also meant headroom was just about right for our frame. We appreciated the sun blind for the rear windows that we could put up or down electrically via a switch on the door handle. Another cool note was that we could control the individual temperature for the cool air vented to rear passengers.
Typical of EVs, we believe the all-electric Macan would be heavier against the previous ICE models, which already tipped the scales at between 1865kg (Macan S) and 1925kg (Macan Turbo) due to the large battery weight. You don’t feel that though. Again, being true to the normal EV drive experience, the Macan EV took off effortlessly.
With so much torque going to the driving wheels the moment you hit the accelerator pedal, it’s so easy to be impressed by its strong and immediate forward movement. And we got to enjoy the exhilarating burst of speed each time we exit from a toll booth; you could feel the G-force pushing you back as the Macan gobbled up the road.
Adding to the feeling of fast acceleration was the sound Porsche engineered into the latest Macan. It simulated the sound of an engine revving up as the all-electric SUV picked up speed, adding an audible note to excite the senses as we hit the accelerator pedal hard.
We believe this heady feeling of strong acceleration would be even more pronounced in the Macan Turbo. We only got a taste of its bullish acceleration during the gymkhana exercise at the Sepang International Circuit. This comprised a course that featured a short slalom, a sweeping curve and an S-corner to gauge the new Macan’s agility and dynamic quality.
We certainly felt the 1000-plus torque coming in early but was asked to take it easy. The Macan Turbo took to the short slalom with the minimum of body roll and was adept taking to the S-corner at a reasonably quick speed. Steering feedback was generally good in forming us how the front wheels were turning.
With the lithium-ion battery located below the floorpan, as in all EVs, the centre of gravity is low. Both the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo are all-wheel drives and the two electric motors are controlled via the power electronics in almost real time. We had no doubts that these features contributed to the new Macan’s agility in handling winding stretches.
The more interesting experience was the one on the skid pad that was sprayed with a constant flow of water. It is meant to induce vehicle instability by throwing it to an oversteer (that is with the rear stepping out due to a loss of grip) when getting onto the skid pad at 30-60km/h and then lifting the feet off the accelerator pedal.
We had two runs and hit the skid pad around 40km/h as electrically recorded on an LED indicator. In the first run, we were caught out by the rather violent reaction of the vehicle as experienced from the driver’s seat. We steered according to the direction of the rear vehicle movement but wasn’t quick enough to correct the steering when the rear spun in the other direction.
We almost did a 360-degree turn, which some media people did on going too fast, but got the Macan 4 to stop without further drama. We were more prepared for the second run and could control the steering better in countering the subsequent rear wheel skid. This exercise was to demonstrate the quality of the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system.
Our conclusion was that despite the stability systems in a vehicle, you still need to control the vehicle via the steering wheel. The system might try to restore vehicle stability by working on the suspension and brakes but you still need to steer out of trouble, so to speak. And this is at low speeds too!
Generally, we were happy with the drive experience as the all-electric Macan took to urban and highway driving with quiet and ease. It also took the few sweepers along the chosen route at fair speeds without any drama. Despite some hard acceleration and the skid pad exercise, the Macan 4 we drove covered about 250 kilometres.
We started off with 86 per cent of battery power and by the time we were done with the day’s driving, there was still about 45 per cent electricity available. Porsche says the Macan 4’s combined range is between 516 and 613km while its city range is 665 to 774km (as there is more battery regeneration in urban drives). The Macan Turbo has a combined range of 518-591km and a city range of 670 to 765km.
With this mileage range, you could easily cover the Klang Valley-Penang run with a stopover for a quick charge somewhere as there are many charging stations along the way. This is based on our experience driving the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580, which has a 600km range, to Penang. We stopped to charged up at the Petronas Juru station as we were running into peak hour traffic in Penang and weren’t sure if the EQS could take us to our final destination.
Back to the new Macan, Sime Darby Auto Performance has made available four models – Macan, Macan 4, Macan 4S and Macan Turbo. Their prices are quite attractive for imported SUVs starting from RM430,000 for the Macan, RM445,000 for the Macan 4, RM525,000 for the Macan 4S and RM635,000 for the Macan Turbo.
