So when I hopped into the new Porsche Macan 4 Electric in July, knowing I had a drive to a family event from Liberty Village in downtown Toronto to Picton, Ont. (218 kilometres, or 135 miles, one way) first thing on my brain was battery range. I was making the drive in one day, so 440 kilometres total.
Range anxiety is always foremost, whenever I climb behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. Where do I stop, to charge it up? Will those chargers be working? Will they be available, in the later evening, having to get back home to Toronto?
The lack of viable charging stations is a constant nagging issue for me when talking EVs, and I’ve written about it before. Not everyone has a parking space at home where they can install their own fast charging station. You can push electric vehicles all you want but until you figure out the charging station infrastructure situation in this country go lecture somewhere else. That’s my attitude on it.
Two things about that, though, relating back to my Picton drive experience. One, I started off at 96% charge in the Porsche Macan 4, with a range of 550 kilometres. So, a damn good starting point. And two, my sister and brother-in-law have a home fast charge station in Picton, which they kindly let me use, so I was able to plug it in for an hour, before the drive back home.
Not everyone who drives EVs have these luxuries, though.
Porsche Macan 4 Electric interior, battery charge read-out. Image by Mark Keast.
How Much Does a Porsche Macan Cost?
The Porsche Macan 4 from the media fleet I drove had a base retail price of CAD $99,300. Then they added features like these: interior in leather, black and bramble (CAD $1,340), 21-inch Macan design wheels in high gloss black (CAD $2,640), surround view including active parking support (CAD $1,240), and Porsche’s premium package, including advanced 4-zone climate control, heated seats (front and back), BOSE Surround Sound System, comfort seats in the front (14-way, electric).
Total retail price with all of that, and more: CAD $116,300.
Image by Mark Keast
What Did I think About the Porsche Macan 4?
I was a little surprised at the price point, expecting to to be higher. I liked the Macan because there was a sportiness to it – definitely sharp and engaging, compared to past Porsche SUVs I have written about, like the Cayenne. The Cayenne is more about family-oriented driver comfort and efficiency. There’s some sports car DNA injected into the Macan.
I was struck by how it made me feel – in part due to the low centre of gravity, responsive, so I felt nimble and stable at the same time.
Image by Mark Keast
Power Train and Acceleration
At the heart of its sportiness of the Porsche Macan 4 is a dual-motor setup generating 402 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, enabling instant throttle response without the lag of traditional transmissions.
This translates to a 0-60 mph sprint in just 4.6 seconds (or 4.9 seconds per EPA estimates). Driving the SUV for a few days almost entirely on highways gave me a quick lesson on that point. It sure felt quicker than many sports sedans and outperforms the previous gas-powered Macan GTS.
The vehicle comes equipped with an all-wheel-drive system, with real-time torque vectoring between axles, ensures precise power distribution for explosive launches and confident cornering. Also noticeable to the novice, especially those, like me, who have driven their share of lower level luxury SUV offerings, is steering precision and the balanced, stable chassis.
Image by Mark Keast
Sporty Exterior Design
What really struck me as well was the ballsy, sporty design, even the colour (Provence, more on the light purple side). Loved the aerodynamic profile from the side, the flared wheel arches, and the low slung sports car feel in the driver seat. You’re hugged by the seating, and I loved the more compact steering wheel. You have your choice of driving modes. I went with the responsive Sport setting the whole drive.
Images by Mark Keast
Images by Mark Keast
Comfort
Okay, so maybe the seating was a little hard, especially for long drives. I was fidgeting around a lot, over a six-hour total drive that day. That’s it in terms of critique. It’s hard to argue with any of it. As said, it was a smooth and composed ride, thanks to its standard air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This system uses adaptive dampers to adjust ride firmness in real-time, offering a plush feel in Normal mode for cruising while stiffening up in Sport or Sport Plus for dynamic driving, which I went with.
The cabin feels upscale, insulated, serene, with no exterior noise. A three-zone automatic climate system ensures personalized comfort for front and rear passengers. The 10.9-inch central touchscreen, running Porsche’s latest PCM software, supporting wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a crisp Bose or optional Burmester sound system for immersive audio. allows intuitive control of climate settings, reducing driver distraction. As said, the media fleet vehicle I drove featured premium leather seating.
The SUV offers the standard driver assistance features, like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and traffic jam assist reduce fatigue on long drives.
Image by Mark Keast
What Are Its Competitors?
Rivals include the BMW iX3 or the Polestar 3. I’ve never driven those, so I can’t help you there, in terms of first-person experience. Here’s a review of the BMW. No Canadian pricing has been released yet, but it is priced starting at USD $60,000 in the U.S. The Polestar 3 is priced here at CAD $102,250.
Image by Mark Keast
Bottom Line?
Bottom line? I wrote last month about how the Cadillac Optiq delivers more from a money value perspective, priced at around $80,000. But if you have the means, go Porsche. They’re next level. Sure you are paying a premium for branding (not that Cadillac is any laggard when it comes to branding), but the Porsche Macan 4 is worth the ticket if you are committed to the electric vehicle race.
How Many Fast Charge Stations in Canada?
The Canadian government sent out a news release in August updating people on charging infrastructure, announcing $25 million for 33 projects aimed at adding stations, improving electric vehicle charging availability. The Liberals are also clearly spinning away from oil and fossil fuels – no mention of oil pipelines in the Party’s announcement about major projects they are prioritizing, by cutting down regulatory hurdles, in part pointing to private companies not stepping forward wanting to build pipelines up there. That spin-doctoring is comical.
My take: I don’t agree with this at all, which was why I voted Conservative in April’s national election, when the Liberals won their minority government. We have an ocean of oil under our feet and closing windows of opportunity to pump it out and sell it to markets that still want it, maybe undercut the Russians, make a ton of money for this country, pay down our national debt, is bordering on malfeasance. Who knows, maybe end up with a surplus that we can invest for coming generations?
Image by Mark Keast
It’s biblically stupid that the Liberal Party clearly doesn’t think we can walk and chew gum at the same time – unlocking our natural resources, paving clearer, faster paths to more oil pipelines, LNG plants and ports, while encouraging and developing more sustainable, cleaner energy sources, like in the automotive sector.
I think about this this every time I step behind the wheel of a luxury electric vehicle.
But I digress. The political situation is what it is. Certainly, things are changing for the better on the sustainable driving side. When I went through a charging experience in August, driving the Cadillac Optiq EV SUV, I found the public charging experience to be improving, compared to the previous year. Canadian Press reported in July there were 35,000 charging stations across Canada now.
I have the app for ChargePoint, one of the major charging companies, on my phone, with an account linking to my credit card.
Is Porsche Switching to Electric?
Not fully 100%. Porsche has launched several all-electric models, with more on the way. Taycan was Porsche’s first electric vehicle, introduced in 2019. Then there’s the Porsche Macan 4 Electric, marking the first Porsche model to transition an existing brand to EV-only. Fully electric Porsche Boxster and Porsche 718 Cayman are on the way in 2027.
The 911, Cayenne and Panamera will continue to offer gas-only variants. The Porsche 911 is a flagship brand, with no plans to take that one electric. Models like the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid (with over 700 hp) and Panamera hybrids bridge the gap, offering electric range for daily commutes and high-performance gasoline power.
Porsche is fully entrenched in a dual strategy, staying loyal to their heritage while still taking the company into bold, new directions, like the Macan 4.
Image by Mark Keast
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
Check out my stories, and email me direct at mkeast@regardingluxury.com
