Porsche's fast, new EV is a very powerful wake up call for Tesla
The Stuttgart-based automaker's new EV is a 630 horsepower rebuttal against Elon's Model Y.
Elon Musk's Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report may offer the Model Y performance to customers looking for something a bit faster than the run-of-the-mill EV, but it may not be enough to perform against Porsche's new machine.
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The performance luxury brand is taking a new direction with the all-new version of the compact Macan crossover SUV, transitioning from a gas-guzzling machine to an all-electric powerhouse.
On the outside, the new Macan is an evolution from the already good looks of the gas powered car. It features a distinct sporty "coupe"-style roofline, while it gets slightly bigger than the outgoing gas-powered car — growing about two inches longer, three inches higher and eight inches wider to give it a dominating footprint on the road. 2024 Porsche Macan Turbo Interior Porsche
The benefit of a bigger car on the outside is a bigger car on the inside. Passengers in the backseat can enjoy more legroom, while an additional 4.4 cubic feet of trunk space can be used to carry more of their stuff. As an added bonus of becoming an EV, the Macan gets a little 2.9 cubic feet of space in a little frunk under the hood.
On the inside, tech is the name of the game. The Porsche features three screens for both the driver and front seat passenger dominating the dashboard. Athough Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard on the Macan, Porsche knows that drivers can be intimidated by too much screen. As a result, the new Macan features what Porsche calls a "minimalist mode," which turns off unnecessary displays for the driver to focus on the road.
The party piece of the Porsche is its powertrain, where in lieu of gas power is two electric motors powered by an updated 100kWh 800-volt battery pack. In the standard Macan 4 model, it makes 402 horsepower, 479 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels, and is good for a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds - slightly slower than the Tesla Model Y's 4.8 seconds. 2024 Porsche Macan Turbo Porsche
But the real powerhouse is in the appropriately named Macan Turbo, which makes 630 horsepower and 833 lb-ft of torque to push it to 0-60 in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 161 mph - not only faster than the Model Y Performance, but faster around the track than Porsche's $183,000 911 GT3.
On the charging and electric range side, Porsche says the Macans are expected to feature a range of around 300 miles. Additionally, its battery management system will allow DC charging up to 270kW, which can charge the car from 10 to 80% in 21 minutes on the appropriate charger.
As a dedicated sports car manufacturer, Porsche has incorporated some additional features onto the EV Macan that make it worthy of the shield on its hood, including an advanced air suspension system, four wheel steering and a trick rear differential it calls Porsche Torque Vectoring to keep it moving in the corners.
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Porsche says that the new Macan will start at an MSRP of $78,800 before delivery fees, while the high performance Macan Turbo model will begin at $105,300 before delivery fees. Orders can be processed at Porsche dealerships, but the marque expects the first deliveries to begin during the second half of 2024.
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