It has been a decade since we last drove the Porsche Macan and that was in Leipzig, Germany as part of the pre-launch media drive programme.
How time flies and we are now driving the latest Macan, which has gone fully electric and delivers an equally exciting power output to continue its performance status.
While its basic body profile appears somewhat similar to the Macan we drove in Germany, many changes were made to give it that contemporary look.
The body profile is made more aerodynamically efficient and the Macan electric vehicle (EV) now boasts of a Cd (aerodynamic co-efficient) of 0.25, a big change from the first model in 2014 (0.35 for the Macan Turbodiesel), which Porsche says make it the sports utility vehicle (SUV) with the slipperiest body.
The curvature of the front was made more wind-cheating in profile as there is no longer an internal combustion engine (ICE) located here.
Instead, it has a flat battery below the floorboard, which is the typical arrangement for all modern-day BEVs (battery electric vehicles).
The new Macan also has a newly developed Premium Platform Electric (PPE) with 800-volt architecture that Porsche says it is using for the first time in this model.
Our drive a decade ago was in a Macan S 3.0-litre with a V6 biturbo (340hp/250kW and 460Nm) and a Macan S V6 turbodiesel (258hp/190kW and 580Nm).
There was a Macan Turbo variant back then too that had a bigger 3.6-litre V6 biturbo engine that cranked out a healthier output at 400hp/294kW and 550Nm.
The Macan EV today is no pushover where output is concerned from the 100kWh lithium-ion battery powering the electric motors; the Macan 4 we drove pushes out 408PS/300kW while the Macan Turbo’s power rating is 639PS/470kW.
With a 0-100kph acceleration of 5.2 seconds, the Macan 4 is as fast as the Macan S we drove 10 years ago.
The new Macan Turbo is even faster than the previous Macan V6 biturbo in acceleration performance; 3.3 seconds against 4.8 seconds, which is well within sports car territory.
This impressive performance of the latest Macan EV is due to the strong immediate torque that is typical of electric power.
The Macan 4’s rated torque output for the electric motor is much higher than the ICE output at 650Nm while the Macan Turbo’s electric torque output hits a staggering 1,130Nm!
In the recent drive organised by Sime Darby Auto Performance Sdn Bhd, the authorised importer of Porsche in Malaysia since 2010, we were assigned the Macan 4.
Like the Macan Turbo that was also made available, it is an all-wheel drive with the two electric motors being controlled via the power electronics almost in real time.
To get going, it was as effortless as EVs go and when we hit the accelerator hard on exiting one of the many toll booths, we could feel the rush of the 5.2-second acceleration performance.
Porsche also engineered into the latest Macan an audible note that is similar to an ICE revving up although this was greater noticed from a rear passenger perspective.
Perhaps, it wasn’t so obvious for the driver partly due to the exhilaration enjoyed as the Macan S gobbled up the tarmac in very quick time.
We would imagine the drive in the Macan Turbo to be even more exciting but we only had a brief impression during the gymkhana.
This involved a course set out with a short slalom, a sweeping curve and an S-corner and we could feel the strong bite of the humongous torque as we set out.
What was more interesting was the skid pad at the Sepang International Circuit on which we were to experience the PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) system coming into play.
The skid pad with running water is set to “throw” the vehicle into an oversteer on entering it at speeds of between 30 and 60kph.
The PASM is supposed to modulate the active suspension system and arrest the vehicle instability so that control could be quickly restored.
It’s easier said than done as one had to correct the vehicle oversteer to achieve complete stability and going too fast could be a handful as well.
As the Macan 4 broke into an oversteer, the feeling was rather violent and for the first run, we weren’t fast enough in steering wheel control to regain the straight-ahead direction.
We did better during the second run to restore the Macan 4’s stability and our speed on hitting the wet skid pad for both cases was about 40kph.
What this exercise demonstrated to us was that no matter what stability systems a vehicle has, the driver’s ability to control the vehicle via steering correction is just as important.
As a rear seat passenger, this somewhat compact Macan EV SUV is best described as cosy for its interior.
The legroom is relatively limited, more so if you have a taller person in the front seat, and headroom was just about right for our 165cm height.
Its body dimensions explain this cosy feeling; 4,784mm body length, 1,938mm body width and 1,622mm body height.
It has a longer wheelbase over the old at 2,893mm (86mm longer) that didn’t quite yield the interior legroom as expected.
The luggage space looks good with up to 540 litres, which is supported by the 84-litre “frunk” under the bonnet; 136 litres more against the previous Macan ICE variants.
Styling-wise, the Macan EV draws its contemporary standing in the shallow pitch of the bonnet and strongly pronounced wings.
The two-part LED (light emitting diode) headlamps are fitted with the four-point daytime running lights for good effect.
Jazzing up the rear is the characteristic Porsche flyline that goes the full width of the vehicle.
Muscular shoulders, frameless doors and 21-inch alloy wheels with 295/40R21 Bridgestone Potenza tyres (Macan 4) brought out the sporty nature of the Macan.
We found the ride generally good, especially for the rear passenger, despite the 21-inch wheels and tyres.
Speedbumps, rumble strips and all manner of road irregularities were taken with the least of a jarring effect and we fully enjoyed our ride and drive, including the quiet way in which it ran on highways and in urban centres.
When we started the drive in Petaling Jaya, the Macan 4’s battery level was almost 90% and after more than 220km of driving (including the skid pad sessions), it was above 45%, which seemed reasonable.
The Macan model range is generally above 600km (Macan 4’s is 612km) except for the Macan Turbo (590km).
As the entry-level SUV in the Porsche stable, the imported Macan is available in four variant – Macan, Macan 4, Macan 4S and Macan Turbo – with prices ranging from RM430,000 (Macan) to RM635,000 (Macan Turbo).
The Macan 4 that we had the drive impression in carries a price starting from RM445,000.
