Porsche’s greatest promoting mannequin isn’t the 911 or the Cayenne, it’s the most cost effective, smallest Porsche, the Macan. Certain, it technically is the model’s entry-level mannequin, nevertheless it’s additionally arguably the very best compact crossover for people who love the act of driving. By now everyone knows that the second-generation Macan is completely electrical, and my colleague Andy already went on the 2025 Macan’s preliminary first drive that noticed the launch of the Macan 4 and the Macan Turbo. That is trim stage–loving Porsche we’re speaking about, so for this second first drive Porsche let me pattern its new rear-wheel-drive base Macan and “the candy spot” Macan, the 4S. Effectively, it at the moment holds the sweet-spot title till Porsche drops the inevitable Macan GTS.
Full Disclosure: Porsche flew me on my first worldwide enterprise class flight to Stuttgart, Germany so I may drive the brand new Macan and Macan 4S. I forgot that different areas are experiencing one thing referred to as autumn, so Stuttgart was chilly and drizzly but additionally bucolic and delightful. Thanks for a enjoyable journey, Porsche!
I received’t preserve you ready on bated breath. The brand new Macan could have transitioned to all-electric powertrains, nevertheless it nonetheless maintains the unique crossover’s spirit. It looks like a barely bigger, heavier, and electrified model of the outgoing automotive. Meaning it nonetheless clings to corners that may ship different crossovers understeering into the bush, it nonetheless throws you again into your seat, and it nonetheless looks like a strong, well-screwed-together runabout. You didn’t assume an automaker as storied as Porsche would fumble the bag, did you? The electrical single-motor Macan and the dual-motor Macan 4S are nonetheless incredible, if costly, small crossovers.
First let’s cowl the fundamentals. Each of those fashions are constructed on the identical 800-volt Premium Platform Electrical structure shared with the Audi Q6 E-Tron. They’ve the identical battery with 100 kWh of gross capability and the flexibility to cost from 10 to 80 % in as little as 21 minutes. The place they differ is in worth and the way they get their energy to the bottom.
The bottom Macan begins at $77,295 together with $1,995 vacation spot, although my check automotive was specced as much as a laughable $107,465. Its single rear-mounted electrical motor produces 335 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque, and it’s the primary rear-wheel-drive Macan, as all previous-generation fashions had been all-wheel drive (and it was primarily based on a FWD platform). The bottom Macan is the least heavy model of the brand new crossover, although it nonetheless weighs a porky 5,004 kilos, which is sort of 1,000 kilos heavier than the ICE Macan. Porsche claims it should go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, which is 0.6 seconds faster than Porsche’s claimed time for the outgoing base Macan that makes use of a 261-hp turbocharged four-cylinder. The only-motor Macan has the best EPA estimated vary of the lineup at 315 miles on a cost.
Then there’s the Macan 4S, which begins at $86,895, although my check automotive’s MSRP was an eye-watering $122,845. It has a barely totally different rear motor than the bottom automotive whereas including a small entrance motor for a complete output of 509 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque when launch management is lively, and 442 hp and 578 lb-ft of torque in any respect different instances. Porsche claims the brand new Macan 4S will full the 0-to-60-mph run in simply 3.9 seconds, or nearly a full second faster than the outgoing six-cylinder Macan S. The Macan 4S features simply 265 kilos over the bottom automotive for a still-heavy curb weight of 5,269 kilos, or once more about 1,000 kilos greater than the ICE Macan S. The EPA estimates the Macan 4S will cowl 288 miles on a cost.
The electrified rear-drive Macan’s vital bounce in curb weight is noticeable when chucking the automotive round twisty roads, particularly within the base Macan. It Macan felt good, however markedly much less exact than the 4S. Consider the 4S as an expert ballerina and the Macan as an expert ballerina who’s had a pair glasses of wine. It may well nonetheless placed on an incredible present, nevertheless it’s a bit much less sharp and a bit much less exact than its 4S sibling. The 4S I drove got here outfitted with the $2,040 rear-wheel-steering possibility, which mixed with the entrance motor made it really feel like a real piece of meticulous engineering with a turning circle that was a lot tighter than I anticipated. The steering in each automobiles is exact and communicative, and the brakes are sturdy regardless of solely having two regen modes, neither of which permit one-pedal driving.
Whereas the usual Macan doesn’t really feel underpowered, transitioning instantly out of it and into the way more highly effective 4S made me neglect in regards to the base automotive solely. The rear-motor Macan by no means struggles for grip; it doesn’t have a mechanical limited-slip differential, however Porsche’s traction management pc wizardry makes it really feel very steady, and nearly tame. Even in Sport Plus mode, you received’t swing the tail out until you encounter a low-traction floor, and even then it slips for a quick wonderful second and instantly reigns you again in. Nonetheless, the bottom Macan will likely be greater than sufficient automotive for many patrons, and it presents an elevated Porsche driving expertise in comparison with the first-gen Macan.
The Macan 4S really felt just like the candy spot for the brand new crossover. Certain, it’s nearly $10,000 pricier than its single-motor sibling, however you get 154 extra horsepower and 107 extra pound-feet of torque. That equates to a considerably higher power-to-weight ratio, with the bottom Macan making do with 14.1 pounds-per-horsepower and the 4S dropping that right down to 10.4 pounds-per-horsepower. The considerably elevated energy mixed with AWD traction, a real mechanical limited-slip rear differential and non-compulsory rear-wheel steering made the 4S carve by way of Stuttgart’s wet mountain roads with really stunning composure, even by way of hairpins and decreasing-radius turns. And sure, once you stomp on the accelerator within the 4S you’re thrown again into your seat.
That further 1,000 kilos on the brand new Macan isn’t all the time a detractor to the driving expertise. All U.S.-spec Macans will come customary with adaptive air suspension that absorbed the admittedly minor German street imperfections with aplomb, even feeling solidly planted and extremely settled when breezing throughout practice tracks. So long as you flip off the simulated engine sounds, it contributes to a bank-vault stage of silence, solidity and safety that makes it really feel well worth the usually egregious Porsche costs.
The brand new Macan’s inside is a pleasant place to be. The wheelbase has grown about 3.5 inches over the outgoing mannequin, and the inside feels considerably extra ethereal and spacious than the ICE automotive’s borderline claustrophobic cabin. I had loads of room up entrance regardless of the usual panoramic sunroof and I’m 6-foot-8, so for those who’re taller than 99.9 % of people on this planet, preserve the Macan in your procuring record. Rear-seat room, whereas not what I’d name spacious, is a giant enchancment over the outgoing Macan too. There’s loads of foot area, and also you don’t really feel such as you’re sitting within the fetal place like in another EVs.
I’ve to notice, although, that the roomy floating middle console that gives a lot of stowage area in your knick-knacks and doo-dads is fabricated from a really un-Porsche-like onerous plastic. The within of the door pockets are additionally uncovered onerous plastic, which seems like such a nitpick, however most of those automobiles are going to promote for greater than six figures, so I’ll name out the trivialities.
Porsche expertly built-in the know-how, operating Porsche’s new Android Automotive–primarily based working system. It’s a seamless, spectacular expertise; satellite tv for pc map photos load with no buffering and you may swap between menus and features with out ever ready for something to load. My testers each got here outfitted with the $1,570 passenger display screen that was truly enjoyable to make use of. It has options like karaoke, the place you’ll be able to search practically any tune and it’ll pull up the lyrics and play the music sans vocals. You can too play video games or stream motion pictures on lengthy journeys.
Dealing with the driving force is an ordinary 12.6-inch curved digital instrument cluster that has loads of helpful configurations, although navigating its menus utilizing the steering wheel buttons reveals loads of hidden, illogical controls. For instance, I’m a 28-year-old who’s fairly tech-savvy and I needed to ask a Porsche rep how you can alter the peak of the borderline-overwhelming $2,520 augmented-reality head-up show. That’s not one thing you’ll have to regulate usually, nevertheless it’s nonetheless utterly hidden. Apart from adjusting the driving force’s show, most different features are easy, particularly utilizing Porsche’s beautiful knurled local weather management toggles.
The easiest way to summarize the brand new Porsche Macan and Macan 4S is to say that they don’t really feel extremely totally different from the first-generation automotive. Will you miss the symphony of exploding dinosaur juice below the hood? Effectively, I did. The electrical Macan drives very properly, however I nonetheless missed the driving force involvement and aural pleasure of an ICE engine operating by way of the gears. I yearned for paddle shifters, which is one thing I by no means thought I’d say.
Inside combustion attributes apart, you’d be onerous pressed to discover a compact crossover that marries driver enjoyment with luxurious, high quality and refinement in the way in which these automobiles do. Odds are, for those who’re searching for a Porsche Macan, you’re not going cross-shopping it with something that gives an expertise akin to the Porsche expertise. It’s nonetheless the Porsche of compact crossovers, it simply occurs to be electrified this time round.
