Porsche Macan Turbo - long-term-review

Our time with the Macan Turbo is at an end – but this isn’t goodbye as we’re switching to an entry-level version of Porsche’s electric SUV for a few months. Why? Because the automotive journalist’s current favoured cliché is the best version of any EV is the cheapest one with the least power. Though maybe I won’t feel so pious when I’m down nearly 300bhp…

Anyway, the Macan Turbo’s last hurrah was a family adventure to Cornwall, a four-up trip I’d dreaded since it arrived half a year ago, the coupe-esque rear silhouette and TBC real-world range suggesting space and sufficient mileage would be an issue.

Yet we squeezed three big suitcases into the boot, stuffed the frunk with beach toys, and reached Ionity Bodmin with 35 per cent battery charge remaining. With no queue, 19 minutes later we were on our way again, juiced to 80 per cent. I’d revisit twice more over the week, as the resort where we stayed had only two 7kW chargers that were always busy, and the hour-long round trip to plentiful ultra-fast chargers was a safer bet than a smaller hub with fewer (and slower) chargers closer to base. Plus we were staying with all my wife’s family, so a little break now and again did everyone good.

We’ll draw some finite conclusions in a few months, but the Turbo model treads a tricky line: being electric makes it better and worse than the previous petrol-powered Macan, both as a practical car and as a performance car.

Speaking of practicality, there are wins such as the extra boot in the nose (we misplaced a bag early on during our time together, forgetting the frunk existed), the silence of electric propulsion, and the effortless, interruption-free performance.

But, as with any EV, range and charging can be an issue. It never was when charging from home, nor on long journeys when stops were pre-planned. In Cornwall though, that topping up between the big drives was a niggle; seasoned EV drivers will accept it, but those coming to it fresh from the last Macan might find spontaneous charging a bit of a hiccup.

From a performance point of view, it was definitely dynamically better than the decade-old car it replaced (well, duh) with the weight of the batteries down low, the rear-wheel steering and time-warp power putting it far ahead. Simply, it drives and feels like a Porsche, which means it drives and feels better than just about every other performance SUV out there, regardless of power source.

Objectively it’s better then, but subjectively? The moments you power past other cars, afterburners fully lit in Sport Plus and eyes wide, are fleeting. Fleetingly over too soon and fleetingly few and far between. So you want to be entertained in other ways at other times, and for the most part the Macan Turbo does that, with stellar steering and handling. But just occasionally you want your kicks from something like the immature delight of dropping a few gears, snarling up to the red line and letting unburnt fuel pop and bang on the overrun. I never wanted for performance, but maybe a few Hyundai 5 N engagement gimmicks wouldn’t go amiss?

Perhaps that does fit somewhat with the Turbo badge though. The 911 Turbo is sometimes slightly staid, whereas it’s a boggo Carrera, a stripped-out Carrera T or the GT3 you buy for the thrills. I’m intrigued to see how the the entry-level Macan, 275bhp down and lacking rear-wheel steer, will compare. Is it just a slower Macan, or a lesser one too?

Which got me musing over whether I’d rather have that 355bhp Macan and a spare £28k for a second-hand Porsche with an engine behind the driver. Or a Cayenne S E-Hybrid, which is just as heavy but more spacious inside and has a 40-mile e-range. Or the Macan Turbo.

It’s tricky one to pin down, the Macan Turbo. It’s a very good Porsche, a very good electric SUV, and very good overall – but whether it fits your needs is more nuanced.