The new Porsche Macan 4 EV is coming to Australia this year

Priced from $133,700-plus for the entry-level model, this highly popular SUV has been upgraded – and performs brilliantly – in every respect.

Tony DavisMotoring writer

Apr 29, 2024 – 5.00am

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Talk about a brave move. Porsche is taking its best-selling model – one that single-handedly accounts for half its volume in Australia – and making it fully electric.

Other makers have augmented a successful model line with an EV, but when Porsche’s new generation Macan SUV arrives here at the end of the year, petrol will be completely off the menu.

The new Porsche Macan 4 looks similar to previous models, but it has an all-new body that is longer with shorter overhangs.

Furthermore, the Macan electric vehicle presages electric Boxsters and Caymans (from next year), followed by a Cayenne EV and an even larger Porsche SUV EV with a third row of seats. Even its most traditional sports car, the 911 coupe, will have a plug-in hybrid system boosting its horizontally opposed petrol engine.

Why? It’s partly due to legislation, but also because Porsche genuinely believes the switch will improve all these models.

And speaking of brave moves, Porsche has effectively upped the starting price of the Macan from just under $94,000 today to $133,700 for the new entry-level model Macan 4. The flagship Turbo (Porsche has clung to that name for premium models, even when no turbo is involved) is $180,100. To all these prices you must add on-road costs, which vary in each state.

That said, a rear-drive Macan EV is likely to follow these first two models, and should pull the price down a little further.

With efficient motors front and rear, the maximum European range is 613 kilometres.

Porsche has sold about 850,000 Macans since 2014, during which time the small SUV has been refreshed twice but never fully redesigned. Now it has an all-new, but familiar, body, which is slightly longer and has shorter overhangs. The wheelbase has been extended by 86 mm. The
4 model – reviewed here – has the same sheet-metal as the Turbo but a more simple front and rear bumper treatment. The high-mounted lights on each side of the bonnet are actually the daytime running lights; the headlights are in the lower openings on each side of the number plate.

With a drag coefficient of 0.25, it’s slippery for an SUV. Porsche says the reduced Cd (it was 0.35 previously) is worth an extra 85 kilometres per charge. The maximum European range is a generous 613 km on the WLTP standard, thanks to a 100 kWh battery and efficient motors front and rear. The Australian figure may be less, as it depends on the tyres and equipment levels.

The Macan’s 800-volt technology allows the battery to be charged from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 21 minutes so, if the infrastructure is right (and Australia has a long way to go in that regard), long-distance travel should be almost as quick as with petrol.

The Macan 4 puts out a maximum of 300 kW and 650 Nm when using launch control, allowing it to sprint to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds. It feels even quicker than that because it leaves the line so hard thanks to its four-wheel grip and instant torque. According to Porsche, the Macan 4 accelerates as quickly as the petrol GTS (currently $141,700 plus orc) and produces similar lap times to the petrol S ($117,500). The new Turbo, which we’ll review separately later, is the quickest Macan ever.

The Macan 4’s familiar interior is decidedly high-tech and features three display screens.

The 4’s interior is instantly recognisable as a Macan, albeit with up to three screens along the dashboard. The third one has variable angle pixels so the passenger can view it without distracting the driver. Our heavily specified car also had a head-up display with augmented reality.

Overall, the mix of digital and analogue controls is sensible. Headroom front and rear is impressive (the passengers sit lower than before) but, disappointingly, the interior is not dramatically roomier, despite the more compact EV drivetrain. The 84-litre “frunk” can be opened with a hand gesture, and the rear hatch with a foot wave, though both operations proved hit-and-miss.

The Macan 4 EV is proof Porsche is taking the electric future seriously.

With the weight of the batteries, the electric Macan is carrying an extra 350 kg, though you probably won’t notice it. The 4 has an even weight distribution and rear-axle steering is optional on Macan for the first time (it was fitted to our car). It makes the car more manoeuvrable at low speed – and our route had some tight hairpins – and more stable at high speed. Because the weight is placed so low, the 4 corners hard and accurately.

Turning the steering wheel-mounted drive mode rotor through Normal, Sport and Sport Plus brings a lift in intensity with each click. Even in Normal the drivetrain reacts more quickly than any previous Macan, both in terms of throttle response and apporting of torque.

The car is normally rear-drive for sportier handling and better efficiency, but the front wheels are engaged when necessary within 10 milliseconds. Our car handled challenging roads with aplomb, the silence and smoothness probably further masking the extra speed and capability.

In a few other markets the venerable first-gen petrol Macan will live on a little longer, but this car makes it clear Porsche has very much moved on.

The writer tested this car overseas as a guest of the manufacturer.