Wondering about the prudence of taking your performance SUV off tarmac? Porsche has a solution.

ALWAYS having to pretend you bought in for that ‘one day, maybe’ possibility it’d be driven in an environment you really have absolutely no intention of going near: The dirt.

Such is the challenge of being the owner of a flash sports utility from a prestige, performance brand.

Porsche understands that pain, and has provided a panacea, in respect to its latest electric car.

Set to join the new Macan family is an entry choice that resolves the ‘can it, should it’ dilemma of the otherwise all-wheel-drive types’ ability to take on anything but tarmac.

Badged simply as the Macan, the base car (above) is a single motor offer, and therefore drive sends purely through one wheel set. The rears.

Porsche NZ says the derivative has a focus on something else often not in the mindset of people who buy into performance fare: Efficiency. Of all the Macans, this is the best suited by far for long-distance driving, with a cited combined WLTP range of up to 641km.

That’s quite some distance for an EV, but the Macan has quite some battery. Primarily, it’s a big one: a 100kWh (gross) unit. This feeds a 250kW motor whose involvements include a ‘highly efficient’ 480-amp pulse inverter. Also, with just one motor, it becomes 110kg lighter than the AED cars.

Fast, powerful? Yes, it’s a Porsche. In launch mode, it can produce 265kW and 563Nm. Zero to 100kmh in 5.7 seconds isn’t super-quick by electric performance standards, but it’ll put you back in your seat.

So might the price. Despite being the cheapest, it’s a Porsche, so … still a $159,900, ask.That’s not bad compared to the flagship Turbo, arriving soon, which runs in at $233k, but it’s only just $6600 below the entry AWD, the Macan 4, also set to be here prior to Christmas. So, why not just all-paw?

In conjunction to announcing the pauper pack, coming from early 2025, there’s news of a Macan 4S (above), also expected to land around the same time. This costs $182,500 and offers outputs of 330kW, peaking at 380kW on short-term ‘overboost’, and up to 820Nm. It snaps out 0-100kmh in 4.1s.

Porsche’s electronic damping control is standard, working in conjunction with adaptive air suspension, and it has Torque Vectoring Plus (and rear-axle steering.

BTW, if you happen to be the one Macan driver who does intend to go beyond Greenlane and into the proper greenery … well, there’s going to be a new off-road design package. At extra cost, of course.

It delivers a re-profiled front bumper increases the approach angle to up to 17.4 degrees with air springs set to max height. The latter has been given an extra 10mm of travel, raising the ground clearance to a maximum of 195mm.