New all-electric Porsche Macan is brand’s first carbon-neutral SUV

The wait is finally over: the all-new, all-electric Porsche Macan has been unveiled, boasting a range of up to 380 miles and a deployable boot spoiler that appeals to the inner seven-year old in us all.

A zero-emissions successor to the original Porsche Macan that debuted more than 10 years ago, Stuttgart’s new performance electric SUV is on sale now from £69,800 and will go on to rival a handful of new entries to the market such as the Lotus Eletre and the forthcoming Polestar 3, as well as EV stalwarts like the BMW iX and Tesla Model Y Performance.

Performance, range and pricing

At launch, two models will be offered: the entry-level Porsche Macan 4 and the range-topping Porsche Macan Turbo. Even in base ‘4’ guise, the electric Macan’s dual-motor, four-wheel drive powertrain outputs 402bhp – roughly 140bhp more than the base 2.0-litre petrol Macan – and will dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 5.1 seconds. However, starting at £69,800, it’s quite a bit more expensive than the combustion-engined car.

Those looking for the most potent Porsche performance should instead opt for the flagship Macan Turbo which produces 630bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. As you’d expect, this bump in power drastically reduces the time the Macan takes to reach 62mph; a figure of just 3.5 seconds makes the top Macan faster in a straight line than even the sleeker Porsche Taycan GTS. It’s pretty expensive though, starting from exactly £95,000 – almost £25k more than the current range-topping petrol Porsche Macan GTS.

Both models get a rather large 95kWh (useable) battery pack; as a result, the Macan 4 is capable of up to 380 miles on a charge, while the extra power of the Turbo model cuts this figure somewhat to 366 miles. Of course, this is all dependent on exact specification and wheel size; pick the largest rims and you’ll have to contend with a reduced 322-mile range with the Turbo.

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Thankfully, the electric Porsche Macan’s advanced 800v architecture allows for ultra-rapid charging at speeds of up to 270kW, meaning a 10-80% charge is possible in just 21 minutes, despite the Macan’s huge battery size. 

This new technology is shared with the forthcoming Audi Q6 e-tron, but don’t go thinking in its transition to electric power that the Macan has gone all soft; the boffins at Porsche say that the cars split their development paths in the early stages, meaning the Macan should be much more engaging to drive than its Q6 counterpart – and from our experience behind the wheel of pre-production prototypes, this certainly seems to be the case.

For example, the Macan’s dual-motor powertrain has a rear bias and rear-wheel steering can be optioned (for an additional charge, of course) to provide a smaller turning circle and even more agility and stability at higher speeds. While base ‘4’ cars get steel springs and adaptive dampers, the Turbo gets air suspension as standard, plus a limited-slip differential.

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Exterior design

As you can see, the new Porsche Macan takes several design cues from the brand’s first EV, the Taycan. Most noticeable are the quad-dot LED headlights and the full-width light bar at the rear. The electric Macan is much more rakish than the car it replaces – no doubt in order to aid aerodynamics – with an electronically deployable boot spoiler at the rear which can provide downforce for when lap times are more important than your level of charge.

Some elements from the original Macan do remain, though; like the petrol car, the electric Porsche Macan has a contrasting trim piece along its door panels, as well as a darkened lower section in order to make the car look visually lighter.

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Interior and technology

If you’ve spent any time in the Porsche Taycan, or even the facelifted Porsche Cayenne hybrid, you’ll immediately feel at home inside the new electric Macan. 

Behind its 911-derived steering wheel, the SUV gets the same 12.9-inch curved digital instrument cluster that’s found in the Taycan; this displays a central speedometer as standard – a homage to the centralised tachometer in classic Porsches – but can also showcase full-screen sat-nav maps. According to a recent announcement by Apple, the Macan will soon also be fully integrated with Apple CarPlay, allowing for custom dials and features straight from your phone.

There’s also a huge ‘87-inch’ optional head-up display, as well as a main 10.9-inch touchscreen, which can be found across almost the entirety of the current Porsche range. This screen can be paired with another identical display just for the front passenger and, alongside the usual infotainment functions, is used to configure the plethora of ambient lighting that adorns the cabin.

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In terms of size and space, Porsche says those in the front and rear now sit up to 28mm and 15mm respectively lower than before. We can confirm from our time in the car that the interior feels slightly roomier than before. The Macan EV also boasts more boot space than its petrol counterpart, with a 540-litre boot and 84-litre frunk that’s perfect for storing charging cables.

Continuing the brand’s focus on sustainability, the electric Porsche Macan is confirmed to be manufactured carbon neutral – the brand’s first SUV to be deemed as such. Porsche also says it’ll be available with several ‘ecological materials’ and we expect, just like the Taycan, that there’ll be a full vegan-friendly leather-free interior option, too.

What does the new Macan mean for Porsche? 

If you’ve been following the buildup to the electric Macan’s reveal, you’ll know its arrival is a long time coming; Porsche is known for the gentle evolution of its cars – the iconic 911 still looks remarkably similar to the original that debuted 60 years ago. The original petrol and diesel-powered Macan went on sale all the way back in 2014 and, aside from a handful of subtle facelifts, has changed very little since it launched.

Porsche says the petrol Macan will be sold alongside its newer, electric sibling for the time being – although, new emissions regulations mean the petrol model will be killed off almost immediately in Europe. The electric Porsche line-up is set to grow even further in the near future, though, with the plug-in Macan soon to be joined by an updated version of the Taycan saloon, as well as an all-new, all-electric version of the Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman sports cars.