In November of 2024, RUSSH was invited on a very special road trip – a chance to be one of the first people in Australia to drive the newly launched Porsche Macan 4 all-electric.
An electric car devotee, in 2021, I walked into a Porsche dealership to ask questions about when we might see an electrified Macan arrive on the market. So, it was a true privilege to be one of the first to discover the new Macan – and also an experience that defied expectations.
The elegant yet undeniably sporty fleet of all-electric 2024 Porsche Macans met our group at the airport. A futuristic-yet-luxurious sight that puts the “sport” into Sports Utility Vehicle.
Each vehicle is customised with Porsche’s new range of colours - each more luxurious than the last. Two that caught my eye: a Macan in classic British Racing Green atop brushed gold- and silver-accented alloy wheels; a soft purple Turbo model reminiscent of a thin cloud high in the sky as the sun begins to set.
Once the door shuts with that oh-so-satisfying thunk, the bustle of the outside world melts away. It’s quiet, soft and enveloping.
Despite having a long options list, no piece of tech is too ostentatious in the Macan. Much like Porsche’s other SUVs, it instead rises up to meet you where you are – instead of sticking its gadgets in your face.
The silence persists after you clack in your seatbelt. A tap of the push-button start normally revives a vibrating engine ready to take you where you’re going, but there’s none of that here. Instead, there’s a hush that comes with driving the electric Macan.
It isn’t quite silence, but the kind of whisper that lets you hear your thoughts as you begin on your journey.
Porsche had curated an escape for our group to test the Macan 4 electric. It was a tour of winding roads leading to Eden Health Retreat, a luxury wellness retreat in Queensland’s Currumbin Valley. It was as much about recharging myself as it was about rethinking what a luxury SUV can do and can be.
After the hour-long venture through the lush Queensland rainforest, Eden Health Retreat waits with its evening menu of activities. A welcome courtesy of Porsche Australia's CEO Daniel Schmollinger, drinks by the resort's pool and then a reading of the current astrological placements in our present moment.
We head to dinner, a nourishing experience designed with consideration of mind, body and soul. We finish the evening with a sound bath, medication and cacao ceremony, to invigorate the spirit and wind down the body. As we retire for the evening to recharge, so do the cars, plugged into their DC chargers to be ready for the next morning.
Not that the car even needed a top up – I took special note that the range is almost kilometre for kilometre. We drove 32 kilometres to Eden and used 34 kilometres of range. And we were not driving with battery conservation in mind. The Macan 4 promises roughly 516km of range and you will get it.
Our big drive day starts with yoga and a nutritious breakfast before we eagerly await to experience another drive. It's wildly wet morning in the Queensland rainforest, but we could not be cosier in the cars. I very happily turned by seat heater up to two and nestle into the leather
SUVs are renowned for their high-driving positions. An assertive vantage point from which you can peer over traffic as you move. The result, however, is an experience that can make you feel like you’re driving a hatchback on stilts. As I began my journey and started threading the Macan electric through the ancient greenery of Queensland, I was pleased to feel none of this turbulence. Just a planted, zippy wisp jetting to our destination.
The Macan moves in such a way that is so unapologetically Porsche. Every SUV the company makes has sports car DNA at its core. Going electric hasn’t changed that vision at all with the Macan.
It’s heavy, of course—those batteries don’t come light—but Porsche has channelled its sports car heart into every curve and corner. The weight doesn’t work against you; instead, it anchors the car to the road, delivering grip that feels almost magnetic.
It drives low to the road, connecting you with the driving experience. It anchors to the corners like a vine that has latched itself onto a larger trunk. It is every-bit as commanding as a petrol- or diesel-powered Porsche, but with more speed available at all times thanks to its new electric architecture.
It’s commanding, yet effortless. Thrilling, yet safe. Racey, yet refined.
Inside, the design mirrors the drive: enveloping, enticing and luxurious. The bucket-like sports seats cradle you through the bends but feel luxe enough for a cross-country trek. The dashboard of screens stretches deep and wide. The new screen on the passenger side is a revelation that offers the, offers the ultimate road trip perk for the passenger princess in your life: music control at your fingertips, turning them into the ultimate co-driver.
And then there’s the aesthetic. Porsche’s design language is evolving, and the Macan Electric is a study in refined modernity. The front end nods to the all-electric Taycan with a sporty edge, and the colour palette feels fresh, almost personal. It’s an automotive canvas on which Porsche has painted a masterpiece.
Let's talk options for a moment. There's everything you'd expect, from wheel selections to comfort or sports seats. I appreciated that you can opt for heated seats in the back too and that there is an ultra luxurious massage seat option. Passenger displays are a delightful option perfect for those who like to road trip often. And if you're looking at the Turbo iteration, know that it accelerates faster, and the interior has a different feel.
It was hard not to be impressed by a car seemingly built on contradictions. Heavy, yet lightning fast. Electrified, but with a sports car soul. An extraordinary feat of engineering, three years on from when I first asked enquired about the possibility of this car, it's more than I could have ever expected.
See more at Porsche Australia.
