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Porsche Macan Turbo - long-term-review - Report No:8

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Porsche Macan Turbo - long-term-review - Report No:8 | Top Gear

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Strip away the charging chat and market noise and you’re left with something rare: an electric SUV that actually feels special

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Porsche Macan Turbo - long-term-review - Report No:8

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Strip away the charging chat and market noise and you’re left with something rare: an electric SUV that actually feels special

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Strip away the charging chat and market noise and you’re left with something rare: an electric SUV that actually feels special

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Porsche Macan Turbo - long-term-review - Report No:8

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The problem with most electric vehicles is that you could write a chunk of the ‘Goodbye’ report before you’ve driven it. That’s because living with an EV is so different from life with something that has an exhaust (or ideally, lots of exhausts).

Charging and range get talked about in a way that filling with fuel never would, because you’re either telling everyone how you smugly juice up at home (overnight, on a cheap tariff, FYI) or grumbling about pricey public charging (which isn’t as cheap as my overnight home tariff). Then there’s the prerequisite to discuss peak charging speeds (which you never reach, and which drop off quickly) and, if you’re running a car in the colder months, to mention how the range vanishes with the merest frost.

There’s an amplifier effect with EVs, too, because when you take away gears and myriad controlled explosions under the bonnet, your points of connection to the vehicle – and its points of differentiation from others – are reduced. That identikit feeling isn’t helped by the fact most are mid-size SUVs (to fit the batteries beneath the seats) and that although they’re usually all quick in a straight line, they’re not designed to be sporty. So the steering and suspension set-ups are middling: safe, secure, sedate.

Which, after much prevarication, brings us to the Porsche Macan Electric, and which is not like other EVs. We tried it in two guises across the past half year or so, and whether it was the blisteringly quick Turbo or the more-than-ample base model, the steering response and weighting, pedal calibration, body control, and all that other driving stuff, were excellent. Both, of course, were not 911s (even though the Turbo could probably outrun most of those) but they felt like Porsches. And if you feel like a Porsche to drive, then you drive better than just about everything else.

The Turbo had extra agility with its (optional) rear-steering, and an extra level of comfort with its (standard) air suspension, but both can be specced across the Macan range. It was the base model that stood out, though: the Turbo lacked the OTT exuberance you’re likely after when buying a 600bhp+ SUV, whereas that Porsche polish shone through with half the power and none of the expectations. Either way, they were both EVs you kept looking forward to driving, long after the novelty of instant torque wore off.

Beyond that excellence, there were some gripes, which ranged from the usual Porsche cabin grumbles (very nice but a bit plain, and always in need of the additional leather option to make it feel worth the price of admission) to other obvious stuff, such as when driven hard, the Turbo’s ability to suck electrons was akin to a 911 Turbo drinking fuel.

Typical Porsche brilliance then? Yes, but… the question is now, how the Macan Electric finds its way in the ever-changing automotive world. The day the Turbo arrived with TG was the day Porsche announced it was building a new Macan-sized SUV with combustion and hybrid powertrains. It’s since gone further, switching the forthcoming all-electric flagship SUV above the Cayenne to combustion and plug-in hybrid power instead.

It’s also extended the life of the ICE engines in the current Panamera and Cayenne too, while the next-gen electric Boxster and Cayman will now get range-topping ICE models. The cost of the change was €1.8bn in 2025 alone, and what was once a profit margin only lagging Ferrari now looks distinctly average. Plus Taycan sales in 2025 weren't great. And a new CEO is inbound…

You get the feeling, had Porsche had a crystal ball, the Macan Electric might not have existed for another generation. Regardless, if you’re after something sub-Cayenne-sized, be it ICE or EV, you won’t find a family hauler that drives any better.

# data.attributes.body.processed
The problem with most electric vehicles is that you could write a chunk of the ‘Goodbye’ report before you’ve driven it. That’s because living with an EV is so different from life with something that has an exhaust (or ideally, lots of exhausts).

Charging and range get talked about in a way that filling with fuel never would, because you’re either telling everyone how you smugly juice up at home (overnight, on a cheap tariff, FYI) or grumbling about pricey public charging (which isn’t as cheap as my overnight home tariff). Then there’s the prerequisite to discuss peak charging speeds (which you never reach, and which drop off quickly) and, if you’re running a car in the colder months, to mention how the range vanishes with the merest frost.

There’s an amplifier effect with EVs, too, because when you take away gears and myriad controlled explosions under the bonnet, your points of connection to the vehicle – and its points of differentiation from others – are reduced. That identikit feeling isn’t helped by the fact most are mid-size SUVs (to fit the batteries beneath the seats) and that although they’re usually all quick in a straight line, they’re not designed to be sporty. So the steering and suspension set-ups are middling: safe, secure, sedate.

Which, after much prevarication, brings us to the Porsche Macan Electric, and which is not like other EVs. We tried it in two guises across the past half year or so, and whether it was the blisteringly quick Turbo or the more-than-ample base model, the steering response and weighting, pedal calibration, body control, and all that other driving stuff, were excellent. Both, of course, were not 911s (even though the Turbo could probably outrun most of those) but they felt like Porsches. And if you feel like a Porsche to drive, then you drive better than just about everything else.

The Turbo had extra agility with its (optional) rear-steering, and an extra level of comfort with its (standard) air suspension, but both can be specced across the Macan range. It was the base model that stood out, though: the Turbo lacked the OTT exuberance you’re likely after when buying a 600bhp+ SUV, whereas that Porsche polish shone through with half the power and none of the expectations. Either way, they were both EVs you kept looking forward to driving, long after the novelty of instant torque wore off.

Beyond that excellence, there were some gripes, which ranged from the usual Porsche cabin grumbles (very nice but a bit plain, and always in need of the additional leather option to make it feel worth the price of admission) to other obvious stuff, such as when driven hard, the Turbo’s ability to suck electrons was akin to a 911 Turbo drinking fuel.

Typical Porsche brilliance then? Yes, but… the question is now, how the Macan Electric finds its way in the ever-changing automotive world. The day the Turbo arrived with TG was the day Porsche announced it was building a new Macan-sized SUV with combustion and hybrid powertrains. It’s since gone further, switching the forthcoming all-electric flagship SUV above the Cayenne to combustion and plug-in hybrid power instead.

It’s also extended the life of the ICE engines in the current Panamera and Cayenne too, while the next-gen electric Boxster and Cayman will now get range-topping ICE models. The cost of the change was €1.8bn in 2025 alone, and what was once a profit margin only lagging Ferrari now looks distinctly average. Plus Taycan sales in 2025 weren't great. And a new CEO is inbound…

You get the feeling, had Porsche had a crystal ball, the Macan Electric might not have existed for another generation. Regardless, if you’re after something sub-Cayenne-sized, be it ICE or EV, you won’t find a family hauler that drives any better.

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Twin electric motors, 100kWh battery, 4WD

# data.attributes.field_car_headline
Life with a Macan Electric: it doesn't feel like a 911, but it *does* feel like a Porsche

# data.attributes.field_car_teaser_description
Strip away the charging chat and market noise and you’re left with something rare: an electric SUV that actually feels special

# data.attributes.field_sub_title
Life with a Macan Electric: it doesn't feel like a 911, but it *does* feel like a Porsche

# data.relationships.field_cars_group.data.meta.links.help.meta.about
Usage and meaning of the 'virtual' resource identifier.