A fleet of all-electric Macans take to the road at the Sepang International Circuit for a dynamic handling circuit (All photos: Porsche Malaysia)
Female autonomy has long been tied to freedom of mobility. Though women on the road may be nothing to bat an eye at today, they have not always been afforded the liberty of movement. In late 19th-century Britain, it was deemed scandalous for ladies to even be astride bicycles, while those in Saudi Arabia were barred from driving until 2018. But this has never stopped the female populace from fighting for the right to decide their path. Historical figures such as Aloha Wanderwell, who circumnavigated the globe in a car in the 1920s, legendary aviator Amelia Earhart and revered NASA researcher Katherine Johnson are a few who paved the way for humankind’s travels. The fairer sex has always held a key role in the automotive world, and in line with this year’s International Women’s Day theme of Accelerate Action, Porsche Malaysia honoured this legacy with an exclusive event to support and encourage women behind the wheel.
Hosted at the Sepang International Circuit in mid-February, the marque invited 19 participants to its Sportscar, Electrified women’s driving experience, a full-day programme designed to build confidence, engage with sport driving and learn about emergency scenarios in a safe environment. “Whether it’s mastering a slippery road or making quick decisions, we want to empower women [to] be in control and accelerate forward,” said Christopher Hunter, CEO of Sime Darby Auto Performance.
The rides of the day were a rainbow fleet of all-electric Macans and facelifted Taycans, both introduced in Malaysia last year, with the former allotted to the dynamic slaloms and circuits while the latter were our loyal companions along the over- and understeer focused components. While most brand drive days are about letting participants indulge in the raw catharsis of pressing the throttle flat and zooming down the track, the regimen at Sepang’s Driving Experience Centre prioritised immersive scenarios and edifying emergency simulations for guests to truly appreciate the seamless opulence and practicality of the Stuttgart-based marque’s marvels.
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Attendees were sorted into four small groups of five or fewer, each under the guidance of an instructor with years of racing and motorsport experience, who would be by our side for all the practices. Before rolling out, our mentors walked us through the importance of seating setup, taking advantage of Porsche’s 16-way adjustable configurations to ensure the body was fully held and reduce risk of injuries that might come from getting tossed and tumbled about during skids.
Our first stop for the morning was the dynamic handling circuit on an asphalt pad with the Macan 4, the manufacturer’s first all-electric compact SUV sports car in its signature Provence hue. One after another, we were shown a demonstration run along a course with a starting slalom and sweeping curve followed by a speed-up and braking area. Intended to test agility and lane-change performance, this simulation of daily driving manoeuvres came as a perfect warm up, especially for EV first-timers not yet accustomed to the instantaneous torque.
It was also a prime display of the vehicle’s adaptive air suspension, ensuring more precise handling even during sudden evasive movements owing to its wider damping detection range. The Sport mode setting for this activity promised swift throttle response and reduced body roll which, when combined with the Macan’s already super-smooth handling and steering (15% sharper than its predecessor), made for an exceptionally intuitive ride through the orange cones. (For a little bonus competition, the average time of each invitee’s attempts was recorded and prizes were awarded to the speediest driver of the day.)
Following this, it was time to take the Macans on a longer, more challenging route: the 1.5km handling circuit with 15 turns and undulations in the 4 and Turbo models. Meant to mimic winding roads, the tight triple apexes and varying inclines put one’s attention and instincts to the test, requiring proper application of accelerating and braking techniques. In a convoy of four led by the instructor, participants swapped positions after every round to ensure each person got a chance to watch and follow the lead car directly. Winding curves demanded the eyes look further ahead and navigate with care, while longer stretches meant getting to enjoy the thrill of the Turbo’s 470kW output. Though we may not have gotten to touch the hundreds — which the top-range model can reach in an astounding 3.3 seconds, by the way — the hill-like paths and tight turns made great preparation for any future rural excursions or cliffside drives.
Thanks to the intimate group sizes, we concluded our runs of this portion early, offering us a bonus opportunity to be taken on a one-on-one go of the course with our instructor who gave tailored advice on how to approach specific segments and which steering techniques to employ on track as opposed to regular roads.
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The latter half of the day brought a light drizzle with it — all the more fitting for the next session on the kick plate, a device used to reenact an automobile’s rear wheels coming out, causing it to turn sharply and possibly spinning. By driving onto a wet hydraulic plate at speeds between 30kph and 50kph, the surface would randomly snap the rear tyres left or right, as might occur during inclement weather conditions. Guests were tasked to stay calm and maintain their sense of direction, counter-correcting their vehicle without leaning too far into the other direction and, as an added obstacle, avoiding the water gates in the way.
Though a demo from our mentor made the whole exercise appear daunting, once inside the cockpit of the Taycan 4S, our anxieties melted swiftly — not just because of the handsome all-black interiors, though that did not hurt. For its impressive acceleration, nothing is compromised in terms of sensitivity or accuracy, which made surprise trajectory corrections and swerving to avoid spouting water an absolute breeze. The Taycan’s automatic Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system was another welcome boon in loss of traction scenarios, increasing security without implementing artificial measures that supercede the driver’s authority.
At last, the most anticipated part of the event arrived for us — the low-friction skid circle, performed in the base Taycan. If the word “drift” is enough to get the Teriyaki Boyz song playing in your head, the scene was not quite action-packed Dutch angles through the streets of Tokyo. Instead, a circular track sprayed with a slippery surface enabled drivers to trigger oversteer and attempt to maintain a controlled drift. At an understeer, one felt the car moving further out with a gradual increase of the throttle, but when the gas is hit suddenly — the instructor demonstrated with a brisk toss of the backseat passengers — the car whipped out, spinning continuously unless the brake was applied. Another catch? No PSM this time, as we were given full rein of the rear wheel drive.
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Despite being neither especially fast nor furious at a modest 20kph, for newbies trying the technique for the first time, it was enough to get the adrenaline pumping. After a couple of failed tries, we finally succeeded (we use this term generously) in hitting that sweet spot between drifting and countering with each stomp of the pedal, though our luck ran out about halfway along the length of the ring.
The day’s programme naturally highlighted the cutting-edge features of the German manufacturer’s releases, but the women in attendance were reminded that the knowledge and actions adopted from the enriching experience were applicable to every form of daily driving, regardless of one’s vehicle.Though unruly road conditions and loss of control are (hopefully) uncommon situations, knowing how to handle and react to dire situations ensures motorists of all genders are able to seize their path and move forward fearlessly.
This article first appeared on Mar 17, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
