Driven: 2025 Porsche Macan Turbo Electric – Goodbye Baby Cayenne, Hello Taycan SUV

Before we do that though, I need to address something. Specifically, a feature article I wrote back in October of 2021, when Porsche was still testing the Macan EV as a prototype. That story was titled ‘The Porsche Macan EV Might Already Be the Best Car in the World and Here’s Why’ - a bold thing to say, yes, but let me just try and jump back into that mindset if I could.

What I did back then was I tried to work out a system for figuring out what it would take for me to consider a specific vehicle for the position of “best overall car in the world”, or at least a contender for that crown.

This is what I came up with: “It must belong to a popular segment, it must be practical, it must be fun to drive, high-tech, safe, emissions-free and available in most markets. You also need some brand recognition and while pricing is more of a subjective factor, it also can’t cost $1,000,000, otherwise you can’t really call it a popular choice. This is an everyday car.”

From there, I narrowed things down to a segment and a form factor, specifically SUV/crossovers that are emissions-free. Of course, there are plenty of those types of vehicles hovering around, but how many of them are truly sporty in the way they drive? Pretty much none. Fast? Yes. Sporty? No.

That’s when I arrived at the Porsche Macan – the regular, combustion engine variant, which genuinely drives in a sporty manner for a vehicle its size. From that point, it was easy for me to assume that a battery-electric version of the Macan should tick all those boxes and be in the running for ‘Best car in the World’.

After driving the flagship specification recently, meaning the Macan Turbo Electric, I’ve arrived at a definitive conclusion. This isn’t the best car in the world. Not even close. It is mind-numbingly quick though, and from certain angles, really cute. It’s got a lot going for it.

I also made the assumption (and again, this was back in 2021) that Porsche would price the Macan Electric, the entry-level one at least, from around $60,000, which didn’t happen. It costs upwards of $75,300, while the Turbo is a $105,300 affair in the States (or a minimum of €118,438 here in Romania where we conducted the review). More on pricing later. Let’s kick things off by looking at its appearance.

Design Evaluation

There are a lot of really good angles on the Macan Electric. The front end is gorgeous, or at least I think so. The tiny headlights look really sharp and modern. The rest of it is nice enough, and overall, I’d say that this is easily one of the best-looking compact luxury SUVs in the world.

The only thing that sort of irked me was that they didn’t give it the same door handle treatment they did the Taycan. Flush door handles would have looked great on the new Macan. Instead, you’ve got this fresh and modern aesthetic, but with conventional door handles. Should have gone “flush”, but maybe that’s just me.

Opting for a Turbo, instead of the 4 or the 4S, means more aggressive looks, bigger wheels, special trim, it’s a whole production. The Turbo is clearly the best-looking (standard) spec when it comes to the Macan Electric, but you certainly get close to it just by ticking a few extra boxes on your options list.

Our test car came with the Provence colorway, a dark violet hue that’s said to “capture the beauty of the lavender fields in France’s Provence region.” Hmm, I’ve been to that region, and I don’t remember any lavender fields, but that just points to poor attention to detail on my part. Another awesome option was the 22” RS Spyder Design wheels, which cost an extra $3,900 – and that’s without the Turbonite finish ($1,300).

Then you’ve the carbon and high gloss black elements, Turbonite ‘electric’ logo, and the monochromatic Porsche badges (representative of the Turbo specification), which can be found everywhere from the hood to the wheel hubs, on the steering wheel and even on the key.

All things considered; I think Porsche did a solid job with the exterior design of the Macan Electric. Could they have done anything different about the rear end? Probably. I would have liked a more sloped roofline, something more coupe-like, but I certainly like this better than the internal combustion engine Macan.

Whether everyone’s going to be a fan of the ‘cute’ aesthetic, that remains to be seen. This is a product aimed at a younger audience, which is how it should be. Besides, it’s our youth that’s going to grow up exclusively with battery electric cars around them.

Interior Assessment

The interior of the Macan Electric is sort of a mixed bag. It doesn’t look as futuristic as that of the Taycan, and it’s also not as elegant as that of the gasoline-powered Macan. The build quality is good, but not the best among all-electric SUVs. This is a growing trend where carmakers are simplifying EV interior designs to the point where the ambiance doesn’t feel as robust as before.

Some of the highlights include the panoramic sunroof, Porsche Electric Sport Sound technology, the Sport Chrono package, leather-wrapped GT sport steering wheel with carbon trim, heated and ventilated seats, a passenger display, the Burmester surround sound system, heated windshield, a head-up display with augmented reality technology, Surround View with Active Parking Support, 4-zone climate control and the Air Quality system, among others.

The specs were great, and the seating position simply flawless for a compact SUV – or any SUV/crossover for that matter. If there’s one thing Porsche gets right, it’s the driving position. Thankfully they get many things right, not just one.

There is one glaring issue here, as far as I’m concerned. Rear knee room isn’t particularly impressive, and if the person in front of you is already tall-ish, you might struggle to fit comfortably in the back. Otherwise, there’s plenty of space and the practicality is quite decent – you get 45.5 cu.ft (1,288 liters) of space in the trunk with the backseat folded down, and 17 cu.ft (480 liters) with the seats in place.

As for the frunk, that’s another three cu.ft (84 liters) at your disposal and you can do a lot with that sort of room. From light groceries to small packages, maybe even a backpack or two if they’re not too big/full.

Overall, the interior of the Macan Electric is a pleasant place to be. It’s sporty and very modern, but somewhat lacking on the luxury end of the spectrum. Then again, this is a Porsche, not a Bentley, so let’s try and keep things in perspective. I would say that interior quality is pretty much on par with what you might find in most rivals. Think Mercedes EQE SUV, maybe slightly better.

Driving Take

The Macan Electric is a very easy vehicle to drive, but it won’t ever let you forget just how sporty everything is calibrated to be. The steering is reasonably light yet firm when it needs to be, and you’re almost never aware of the overall size. Not that this is a big SUV, because it’s not, but it drives “smaller”, thanks to the way Porsche tune their chassis.

Another thing that helps is the rear wheel steering system, shrinking your turning circle to the point where you might think you were in something sub-compact.

During spirited driving, the Macan Electric feels supremely agile, and the body roll is kept to a minimum. It’s definitely more fun to drive than the gasoline-powered Macan, if only because of the lower center of mass. The only thing I thought could be improved on was the lack of heft, if you will. This thing feels almost too lightweight for its own good and it takes some getting used to, especially if you’ve driven other similarly sized SUVs.

What’s the issue exactly? I believe it’s the steering input, which is perhaps way too sharp for an SUV. It caught me out several times simply while changing lanes on the freeway. Nudge the steering wheel just a little and the Macan Electric will jump at the chance to obey your command in the blink of an eye. This is true not only in Sport or Sport Plus modes, but even in Normal. Last time I checked, performance SUV buyers only wanted their vehicles to accelerate like sports cars, not handle like them.

Speaking of accelerating, this being the Turbo spec, it just goes like a bat out of hell. Unless you’re getting out of a Model S Plaid or a Lucid Air, Rimac... pretty much the world’s quickest electric passenger cars, you’re going to be stunned by how fast the Macan Turbo Electric is.

On paper, it can get you from zero to 60 mph (97 kph) in just 3.1 seconds with Launch Control. Your stomach fuses with your spine as the G forces push you back into the seat without letting up. I’ve been doing this “thing of ours” for a good 20 years now and I can’t think of a single reason why you’d ever need to rocket off the line this quickly in a sports utility vehicle, even one that features a Porsche badge.

In terms of muscle, the Macan Turbo Electric is putting down 630 horsepower (overboost with Launch Control) and get this, a maximum of 833 lb-ft (1,130 Nm) of torque spinning all four wheels. Do you have any idea how much pulling power that is? Think of it like this: it’s just 89 lb-ft (120 Nm) of torque shy of what the original Bugatti Veyron would have put down. Insane.

It’s faster than a Model Y Performance, an Audi SQ6 e-tron, Mercedes-AMG EQE 53, Polestar 3, you name it. If you’re looking to buy the world’s quickest luxury compact SUV, look no further than the Macan Turbo Electric. The only way to beat it is with something that puts down over 900 horsepower, like the Lotus Eletre R or the Model X Plaid, and both of those are from a completely different segment.

Everyday Living

This is the part where we talk about range and pricing, two very sensitive topics when it comes to EVs. Let’s start with range.

According to Porsche, you can expect to cover an EPA-estimated 288 miles (463 km) on a single charge to the Macan Turbo Electric’s 100.0 kWh battery (gross capacity). Rest assured you won’t be getting anywhere near that figure during everyday driving. There are simply too many variables to consider, like with all electric cars. Maybe you can strive for 400 miles on a single charge, but again, you’d have to be driving Miss Daisy and that’s not why you’d want to buy a Turbo spec Porsche, is it? You want this type of car so that you can enjoy that brutal acceleration as often as possible, in which case, I hope you have a wall charger in your garage or at work, because otherwise you’ll be spending a lot of time at public charging stations.

As for how much this is going to cost you, well, the Macan Turbo Electric retails from $105,300 in the United States. Our test configuration was €151,088 (the equivalent of $164,000) here in Romania.

You can easily go wild with the options list, but I’d wager that you don’t need that many optional extras in order to be happy with your Turbo Electric specification. I wouldn’t spend more than an extra $10,000 on options is what I’m trying to say. In fact, I’d rather get the Macan 4S Electric, which starts from $84,900, and put $10,000 worth of options on that.

Also, why spend over $150k on a Macan EV when the Cayenne Electric is right around the corner? It should hit dealerships somewhere in mid-to-late 2025 as a 2026 model year car.

Test Drive Roundup

The Porsche Macan Electric is an exceptionally capable product. It’s better at being a Porsche than it is at being a compact SUV though, and I think the 4 or the 4S offer greater bang for your buck than the Turbo specification. Again, nobody needs to rocket off the line this quickly in everyday driving conditions.

Still, if all you care about is performance and being behind the wheel of one of the fastest-accelerating SUVs in the world, the Macan Turbo Electric was made for you.

Pros

• Driving dynamics
• Performance
• Tech

Cons

• Rear legroom
• Lackluster rear-end design