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Final Thoughts
These Macan mules not only felt production-ready, but they felt like electrified current-gen Macans. Yes, it was an early drive, and the German engineers were being willfully tightlipped, so there's just not much more to tell. Since its introduction, the Macan has been the brand's best-selling product, and we can't see a single reason why this excellent new electric version would reverse that trend. As several companies have shown already (Tesla, Rivian, BMW, Mercedes, and now Kia), electric SUVs make a heap of sense, especially when it comes to packaging. Porsche just has to make sure its new SUV is the sportiest of all of them. Based on our brief drive of four pre-production mules, we'd say mission accomplished. We wish we had more to tell you, but that's coming soon with a review of the actual production Macan EV. Now comes the tricky part—the electric Boxster/Cayman.
I am probably in the minority, but I personally don't think 600+ horsepower that you can't legally put down on any street can make up for the huge mass increase. The existing ICE Macans feel heavy already.
... I know, I know, Porsche put all the new ballast down low and 53% on the rear axle, which is about right, but ... light is right. I feel like Porsche is playing the long game, and they conditioned their customers to accept bloated gas guzzling SUVs before pulling the switcheroo and offering bloated EV-SUVs.
Of course, it's probably the perfect daily commuter for most people who have a charger in their garages. Porsche should have taken the opportunity to offer some confident statements about vehicle range. If MT's calculation is correct, then the range on this thing will easily accommodate 99.9% of peoples' daily driver needs. If you want an overlander or road trip car or towing vehicle for all your toys ... well then I never really understood why Porsche, in my mind a sports car maker, ever tried to appeal to those specialty markets anyway. If you want all day and all night grand touring in complete comfort with the whole family on autobahn and beyond ... Audi S6 or RS6 Avant for the win. For what most people do for touring on US interstates, the gas-guzzling Macan and Cayenne are not ideal, and the Panamera is just plain too expensive (well so is the RS6, but at least it comes loaded whereas Porsche overcharges for options that come standard on cars costing half as much).
I hope MT is incorrect about all future EV Macans requiring air suspensions. I also don't follow MT's incessant narrative that one-pedal driving is a holy grail. I have always strongly preferred 3 pedals, thank you very much. Maybe we'll entertain a low end Macan EV for daily commuting if the price is right. But we will also have to take out a second mortgage to acquire a 911 with manual transmission, or move to another brand for a more fun sports car.
You think the ice Macan feels heavy? First I’ve heard that. An F150 feels heavy.
Even my Cayenne turbo S didnt feel heavy to me. my other car is a light weight 911
Let me know when the EV gets > 400 miles in town (I do regularly), let alone I don't have to worry about range on a road trip. Off to Jackson Hole this week.
Final Thoughts
These Macan mules not only felt production-ready, but they felt like electrified current-gen Macans. Yes, it was an early drive, and the German engineers were being willfully tightlipped, so there's just not much more to tell. Since its introduction, the Macan has been the brand's best-selling product, and we can't see a single reason why this excellent new electric version would reverse that trend. As several companies have shown already (Tesla, Rivian, BMW, Mercedes, and now Kia), electric SUVs make a heap of sense, especially when it comes to packaging. Porsche just has to make sure its new SUV is the sportiest of all of them. Based on our brief drive of four pre-production mules, we'd say mission accomplished. We wish we had more to tell you, but that's coming soon with a review of the actual production Macan EV. Now comes the tricky part—the electric Boxster/Cayman.
Really want to convince me? Publish some track times around the Nurinburg Ring. Also no mention of curb weight. Without it the power and torque data is somewhat meaningless. How about some good old 1/4 mi times as well?
Really want to convince me? Publish some track times around the Nurinburg Ring. Also no mention of curb weight. Without it the power and torque data is somewhat meaningless. How about some good old 1/4 mi times as well?
Q4 e-tron weighs in around 4800 lbs with ~80kWh pack I think. With ~100kWh pack, figure the Macan will come in a bit over 5000lbs. 600hp is nothing really in EVs with AWD. Just floor it and it grips and goes. It's nice for a DD. It's not going to be slower than the current gas Macan, so figure mid-12s around 120ph. For a fun car, give me a gas manual.
Really want to convince me? Publish some track times around the Nurinburg Ring. Also no mention of curb weight. Without it the power and torque data is somewhat meaningless. How about some good old 1/4 mi times as well?
Did Porsche publish Ring times for the ICE Macan?
And if it did, did you buy it because of its Ring time?
If so, then perhaps an SUV is not for you. (Cayenne TGT notwithstanding)
And if it did, did you buy it because of its Ring time?
If so, then perhaps an SUV is not for you. (Cayenne TGT notwithstanding)
Ring times are just a measure of overall performance of a vehicle...it's a test of handling, acceleration, and braking all in one number that's fairly easy to understand and rank and enough gap between vehicles to quantify things (hard to understand tenth's on a short track). So there's some value to it.
I have no idea why some people resist EV so much, especially one that never driven one and never taken one to road trip,
Porsche, like many manufacturers, are force to develop EV by EU and US regulations, you either get a Macan EV or no Macan at all, which one do you prefer?
10-10-2023, 04:18 PM
2025 Porsche Macan EV Prototype Drive: Porsche’s Future Is Upon Us
