Porsche made the bold choice to electrify its best-seller. The original gas-powered Macan is still on sale, but only for another year. Going forward, Porsche’s small, entry-level SUV will be electric only. So, this car is a big deal for the enthusiast-favorite automaker.
This is the base model, too, with a single motor for the rear wheels producing 355 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque. Yes, it’s a rear-wheel drive SUV, and I imagine this will be a rare sight up here where I live in the Northeast, where all-wheel drive crossovers are king. But it’s an intriguing option, the most efficient, most affordable, simplest, lightest iteration of Macan Electric.
Porsche base models are often a sweet-spot in their expansive lineup. You get the fundamental essence of a car designed for more performance, and while not exactly cheap—this mildly optioned example is $86,865—is a lot more attainable than your Turbos and the like. We’ve got this Gentian Blue Macan Electric for a week, and we look forward to putting it through its paces.
So far, I’ve only spent a couple hours driving around New York City and taking photos of the car, but I have some thoughts. I also want to know what you want to know. Even if you’re not shopping for one of these, if you’re an enthusiast, you care about Porsche, and this car is of utmost importance to the company.
Photo by: Chris Perkins / Motor1
- Excellent interior: Porsche interiors just feel rock solid, and their ergonomics are typically excellent. The Macan Electric’s cabin is great, with physical controls for a lot of important functions, a superb steering wheel, and great seats. I drove an X3 M50 a couple weeks ago, and while I liked it, this interior feels like it’s in an entirely different class of car.
- Great inputs: The other thing Porsche does well across its lineup are inputs. The action of the accelerator and brake pedals, the steering, the way all these things interact with one another. Each is tuned to perfection, making driving easy and pleasurable.
- Intuitive tech: I wasn’t a huge fan of Porsche’s newest generation of infotainment system when it debuted on the Taycan five years ago, but it’s been wonderfully refined. The operation is so simple, and while the screen is small compared to a lot of other modern cars, it’s nice not to be overwhelmed by such things. The digital gauge cluster is easily reconfigurable, too, and it looks great, with its curved display.
We clearly have a lot more to learn about the Macan Electric, and frankly, I wish I was out driving it rather than sitting here writing this now. But, don’t worry, I’ll get some miles in.
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Source: Chris Perkins / Motor1
Source: motor1
