Review: Porsche Macan and 911

Porsche has been talking about its future, promising new electric sports cars while continuing with combustion engines into the next decade.

To get a flavour of the future and a reminder of the enduring past we borrowed its all-new electric Macan and the latest 911. The electric Macan was in its most powerful tune, badged turbo. The 911 was the entry level model on power and price. The Macan costs £96,900, the 911 was £99,900. Both had extras which took the prices to £118,761 and £115,300.

The Macan is the purple car, the 911 is the red car, a shape so enduring that it is unmistakable. Even the Chinese have been unable to rip it off. The Macan is more anonymous among the confluence of smoothly crafted electric cars from China and South Korea. It preserves this subtle image with a discrete Porsche family shield on the bonnet, black on black Porsche relief lettering under the rear window and turbo script lower down.

There is no more a turbo on this car than there is on your electric food mixer or vacuum cleaner. For Porsche, the word turbo has some relevance, a link to the savage “widow-maker” 911 turbos of the 1980s which banged lots of sudden power through the rear wheels and needed respect or the skill of a Walter Röhrl. Many drivers had neither.

Today all Porsche buyers are offered free track time at Porsche’s tuition centre at Silverstone.

As an everyday, easy to use car the five-door five-seater Macan is most appealing. The hatchback, flat luggage deck combination is practical. It has a minimum width of 41in and length of 35in extending to 60in with the seats folded. That is the same load area as a double cab pick-up. I took a sheaf of eucalyptus branches to the household waste centre and came away with a pair of heavy mahogany table legs, burning on the stove as I write in the chill which passes for a northern day in mid March. There is more storage under the bonnet.

Among its extras was an extended information panel at £1,112 which allows front passengers to watch You Tube and so on. The costliest extra was surround sound audio at £2,778. Other big items were £2,250 for the special and luscious paint and almost as much for the oversized 22-inch wheels. A rear-steer axle at £1,445 added nimbleness to the standard 4WD traction.

Porsche quotes a battery range of 336 miles and 3.09 miles per kilowatt hour of electricity. My best was 3.3 miles per kWh on a quiet Sunday run but normally it was around 2.7 miles and the best range prediction I got was about 260 miles - pricey miles if you have to charge en route.

It weighs 2,405 lbs and needs heavy duty tyres and suspension so the ride control is firm but neither unruly nor too loud.

Like any electric car it gives its acceleration instantly, quietly and smoothly. Flooring the pedal induces cranial G-forces, as 576bhp and 812 lbft of torque arrive instantly. By applying launch control — the car gives a perfect start using 630bhp — the 0-62mph time is 3.3 seconds with a maximum of 169mph. Just announced, the electric Taycan Turbo GT with 1,089bhp and a price from £186,300, capable of 0-62mph in 2.2 seconds, 0-124 in 6.4 and 190mph.

Now to the 911, a true global legend in rallies, on the race track, in your street. They are everyday cars which hold their value. EVs generally are liable to depreciation as they age, viz Jaguar’s I-Pace. Using a PCP plan is an answer.

The 911 range includes cabriolet and targa models. Extreme coupe versions peak at £231,600. The rear-engined Carrera is enough 911 for me. Its 3-litre flat six with 389bhp and 354 lb ft and 8-speed automatic double clutch gearbox can reach 183mph with 0-62 in 3.9 seconds. This is an exciting car, and while only half a second slower to 62 than the Macan turbo you sense the difference — as if such time gaps matter on our roads.

It is almost 900 kg lighter than the battery-laden Macan and for many is the epitome of a sports car, one which has developed with the times and drivers’ aspirations in its 60 years.

The essence remains — occasional rear seats for small passengers, dogs, weekend away stuff with more storage under the bonnet. The fuel filler cap in the front wing is another carry-over from its foundation in the people’e car Ferdinand Porsche designed, the Volkswagen Beetle.

If you want a comfortable sporty drive then there are cheaper alternatives. The 911 has a firm ride and this one had some creaks but few cars give its level of enjoyment and satisfaction to drivers or onlookers. Visible extras included £1,397 for the Carrera S 20” and 21” front/rear wheels and the more vocal sports exhaust system was £2,249.

Fast men may croon about the manual gearbox but the automatic is much easier, with its simple toggle selector by your left knee and a button for mode selection on the steering wheel.

Porsche’s eco ratings are 28mpg and 231g/km of CO2 - escaping the new higher road tax band. I matched 28mpg on quiet flat trip but mid 20s was typical. The Macan has zero emissions and is much cheaper to use with low tariff electricity.

Fact file

Fancy a Porsche?

These are starting prices.

Cayman £53,800

Boxster: £55,800

Cayenne: £76,000

Panamera: £82,500

Taycan: £86,500

Taycan Turismo: £96,800

Macan Turbo: £96,900

911 £99,800

More: porsche.co.uk