MikeMcan wrote: ↑Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:18 pm
COULD AN ELECTRIC MACAN BE THE BEST EVER!
As an Ex Macan SD and then Turbo owner, never thought electric powered cars would be up to much till I tried out a Tesla X last week. WOW the power delivery is something else.
As auto boxes have in general had slippage, Manual gear boxes have generally been considered the best driving experience for control. Not anymore as an electric motor brings even more control than manual, as direct drive at all times with no gear change gaps, and max Torque at any speed from Zero right up to max speed.
The Tesla X was not for me, as not as rewarding to drive as the Porsche Chassis,
But made me think an electric Macan will be amazing to drive.
What driving experience /thoughts have others had with electric powered cars.
Having lived with a Tesla Model X as my daily drive and family hauler since Feb, I can tell you that I'm never buying another diesel again and any petrol engined cars I buy will only be for fun use on track or as a weekend toy. As far as drivetrain performance in the real world of stop/start traffic and motorway cruising goes, EV is a huge step forward in my book. As good as PDK is, it feels agricultural compared to a well sorted EV. You have to experience it to believe it as Mike clearly did!
I soon got used to the lack of powertrain noise and don't really miss it, especially at low speeds in stop/start traffic or at motorway cruising speeds. I remember having to crank up the music volume several notches in my Porsche at speed, but I hardly ever have to adjust it on the Tesla - maybe 1 notch up at 75 mph for wind/tyre noise. On hard acceleration I've got used to the subtle turbine noise of the Tesla motors and I quite enjoy it now I've tuned into it. In the real world it's considerably faster than my 997.2 C4S too. To keep up in a straight line to 100 mph would require a full red-line thrashing through the lower gears in the C4S, but it's always totally effortless in the Tesla and the instant torque response is unmatched. I only have the 480 hp base model 75D, but the P100D performance with well over 700 hp is frankly ridiculous, despatching all-comers with ease in the 1/4 mile and not much can live with it up to its 155 mph limiter either. My 75D starts to taper off at around 100 mph, but that's not really a bad thing in the UK. The 550 hp 100D is probably the better choice for high speed Euro driving, but it's a fair bit heavier (150 kg) and barely any quicker up to 70 mph. But as you might expect it pulls more strongly up to its 155 mph limiter and has about 50-60 miles more range. Mine is limited to 130 mph, which is plenty for UK driving!
Downsides? Range perhaps if you live somewhere remote or don't have home/work charging. Then there is battery weight. This will be the main challenge for Porsche making a long range EV SUV with handling to match the current Macan. It will be heavier for sure, but some of that can be compensated for with use of lightweight chassis materials and perhaps less clutter in the cabin. Minimalist efficient design is actually quite important for an EV. Premium ICE vehicles have been getting quite lazy with weight increase over the years, but moving to EV is likely to focus engineering attention on weight saving. Emotion/soul/driver engagement/engine sound? Well I think that all depends on the focus of the car in question. The Tesla X is not a sports car, but it handles decently well and better than most for a large 7-seater SUV. Only the smaller Macan and the Cayenne have better handling and the latter is pretty marginal IME. Put it this way, it's not at all difficult to drive at jail threatening speeds along a country road in the Model X. It has all the grip and power you need, it just reminds you of its weight when you are heaving along an undulating road or winding through a series of sharp bends, where a Macan would feel more nimble and composed on a demanding road. But if you put this kind of EV powertrain in a more focused sports car then it has the potential to be a major weapon, like the NIO EP9 for example.
So yeah, bring on a fully electric Macan replacement. It's basically what Tesla are planning with the upcoming Model Y (i.e. mid sized SUV) and what Jaguar are doing now with the iPace. VAG look to be positioning Audi as their premium EV brand for the next few years with their E-tron range, so Porsche will probably shell one of those platforms up in future. I'm looking forward to it anyway!