The Porsche Macan Turbo Electric redefined performance SUVs for me | Stuff

Introduction

The petrol-engined Macan has long been one of Porsche’s cash cows, and an obvious entry point to the brand. The second-gen version has gone electric, raising the asking price considerably – but also the level of performance. Go for the imposingly named Porsche Macan Turbo Electric and you’re looking at a compact SUV that’ll embarrass a fair few ICE supercars.

Things kick off with the base level Macan, followed by the Macan 4, Macan 4S and the Turbo range topper. All are built on the Premium Platform Electric architecture shared by the Audi Q6 e-tron, and offer plenty of boost-like electric oomph to make up for the lack of old-school engine noise.

Not having ever driven a Macan before, my test was made all the more memorable by a serious package of options on my loaner car that covered all the bases: superb metallic paintwork; a full leather interior; heated and cooled seats front and back; plus a panoramic sunroof. The cocktail of extras took the Macan Turbo’s base £96,900 price to a heady £118,761 – but the driving experience went a long way to justifying such a terrifying outlay.

The styling

I quite like the way the Porsche Macan Turbo is reasonably understated, with many folks having to look twice before they cottoned on that it was a new, electric version. I don’t know if that renders this particular Porsche a little on the innocuous side, but it works for me as I’m not an attention seeker. My example was finished in a super cool Copper Ruby Metallic paint, which looked black most of the time until a rare bit of winter sunshine brought out the best of this delicious hue.

Picking my way around the car when it arrived it was the little details that stood out, like the neat black trim flourishes, colour-coded door handles and the matrix LED lights. The Macan is over 4.7 metres long, but it somehow doesn’t feel that big compared to some SUVs. Better still is its width of just over 2.1 metres. Sure, this is a biggish SUV, but it’s more manageable than most, which really works in its favour around backroads and supermarket car parks.

The 20in, five-spoke Macan Turbo wheels looked a treat too and the tyres with their respectable sidewall height helped to make this model look sensible rather than silly. This being an SUV, there’s also plenty of space on offer with the front and back rows offering more than enough accommodation and comfort for most families. Storage options are impressive too, with the electric tailgate revealing 480 litres with the seats up and a commendable 1,288 litres with them down. This is boosted by the space under that sizeable bonnet, with 84 litres in there should it be needed.

The drive

Driven steadily, the all-electric Porsche Macan Turbo feels quite sensible on the road and is as easy to master as any other EV. However, once I’d started dipping into the drive mode options it was clear to feel that the Macan has a lot of muscle on offer. It’s got the benefit of twin motors and four-wheel drive, which comes in very useful in Sport and Sport+ modes. These are accessed via a rotating dial on the steering wheel. Meanwhile, the posture of the SUV can also be tweaked via the menus on the main infotainment screen.

Once the performance modes have been selected the car feels like an altogether different beast, as well as suggesting that it could get someone in a whole world of trouble if they weren’t ready for the truckload of torque. Getting the power down is no problem for the Macan though and, even through the corners and being reasonably high off the ground, it handles admirably. The ride is quite stiff mind, despite the adaptive air suspension on my car, which is exacerbated by our dismal road surfaces. Get it on a decent stretch of B-road though and the Macan is a blast and a tad more manageable than the larger Cayenne.

In terms of efficiency, Porsche stats suggest the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric is good for between 3 and 3.29kWh per mile, which during my time with the car seems to be about right. It weighs 2,405kg so is never going to be super-efficient, plus there are the performance options on tap that can quickly deplete the battery. The wheel and tyre choice seems perfect for the job in hand too, although even in Comfort mode the Macan EV does, as I say, feel quite rigid to drive.

The technology

Porsche has a very decent array of in-car tech on offer with its current EVs and there isn’t anything I would change. I really like the touch-and-click panel that houses the climate controls, heated seats, rear screen demist and what not at the front of the centre console. The steering wheel isn’t all that busy either, although many everyday menu options can be controlled using the simple-but-effective button collection. My car had a head-up display too, which I relied on more than the crisp and clear instrument panel.

Some the stuff could be a little more intuitive, mind. I had to consult the in-car manual to find out how to switch off the heated steering wheel, via a button that sits in-between the bottom spoke. Elsewhere though, everything worked in much the same sensible fashion as it did when I drove the Porsche Taycan a while back. I like the chunky Porsche approach when it comes to operating controls within the infotainment system, with no-nonsense icons that took me exactly where I wanted to go. There was a Burmester audio system too, which wasn’t too shabby either.

Porsche Macan Turbo Electric verdict

I’ve seen a few of the model variants now and I think it very much depends on the trim and options that make this SUV look better than others. I have to say that the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric that I got given has to be one of the best of the bunch, although with the inflated £118,761 price I’d have every right to expect it to make a statement if I was buying it myself.

Want the car but on a budget? Well, there’s the two-wheel drive base model that starts under £70k and the middle-ground Macan 4 Electric makes sense if all-wheel drive is a must-have. Me though… I’m sticking with the Turbo… until it goes back.

Porsche Macan Turbo Electric technical specifications