Review: 2024 Porsche Macan Turbo Electric throws its weight around effectively

·  Macan Turbo Electric has 288 miles of range

·  It weighs a lot, but Macan Turbo Electric handles well

·  With 800-volt architecture, Macan Electric can charge at up to 270 kw

Sporty electric vehicles face a major obstacle: weight. With the Taycan hatchback and wagon, Porsche has been able to—mostly—overcome that issue to create a sharp-handling and engaging car. Now it’s the compact Macan’s turn as it morphs into the Macan Electric.

I recently drove the 2024 Macan Turbo Electric—one of Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2024 finalists—and found that the transition of Porsche’s top-selling vehicle to fully electric power has its plusses and minuses for dynamics, as energy efficiency of course skyrockets. 

Once again, Porsche mostly succeeds in making a sporty and engaging vehicle, even one weighing a few 9-volts shy of 5,400 pounds.

Macan Electric marks debut of PPE

A decade ago, for the gasoline version of the Macan, Porsche engineers had to modify VW Group’s MLB platform to make the Macan handle like a Porsche rather than the very similar Audi Q5. This time around, they were involved from the start to create the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. 

That left little to do to the platform itself to get the Porsche character. According to a Porsche spokesman, the main change versus other PPE vehicles (most notably the 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron) was to flip the rear motor 180 degrees to improve the weight distribution and leave space for the available rear-wheel steering rack to fit between the motor and battery. The result is a near-perfect 48:52 front-to-rear weight balance.

A skateboard-style electric platform, PPE makes room for an 800-volt, 100-kwh battery in the Macan Electric with 95 kwh of usable capacity. A duo of permanent-magnet motors, one on each axle, team up to produce 576 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque, which can improve to 630 hp and 833 lb-ft with 10-second shots of overboost. Porsche says the electric motors allow for five times faster control of the all-wheel drive system, and the distribution of power changes with the drive mode.

Macan Turbo Electric: A Porsche-specific driving feel for an EV

Without much work needed on the platform itself, the Macan Electric gets Porsche-specific suspension tuning and a lot of performance equipment to create that Porsche feel, especially in the top-of-the-line Turbo model. Every Macan Electric has a four-corner air suspension, adaptive dampers, and a quick 14.2:1 steering ratio. The Turbo also comes with an electronically controlled locking rear differential and a set of 14.8-inch front rotors with 6-piston calipers (an inch larger than the base model with two extra calipers) and 13.8-inch rear rotors with single-piston floating calipers.

My Turbo tester also came with the optional rear-wheel steering and a set of 255/40R22 front and 295/35R22 rear Pirelli P Zero Corsa summer performance tires rather than the standard 20s on all-seasons. The rear steering can turn the rear wheels up to 5 degrees opposite of the fronts at low speeds and in phase with the fronts at high speeds for more stability.

My drive involved track time at Atlanta Motorsports Park and street drives on twisty northern Georgia roads. The Macan Electric performed admirably in both venues, well mostly. It felt familiar yet different at the same time. The steering had the quick, direct response expected in a Porsche, and the small-diameter steering wheel felt on point as well. While it provided some feel, it wasn’t the kind of telepathic feedback you get in gas-powered Porsches. That big, heavy wafer of battery between you and the road saps feel. The ride was always firm but never harsh, like a Porsche ought to be.

The battery had a noticeable effect on handling, both good and bad. On the track, the low center of gravity worked with the air springs and adaptive dampers to help this compact crossover turn in sharply. The difference, though, was the feel of a quick weight shift below me every time I turned into a corner. From there, the suspension took a set, leaned in a controlled manner (not bad for 6.7 inches of ground clearance in Sport+ mode, down from 7.2 inches regularly), and carved precise lines through even the tightest turns.

The brakes had a natural, progressive feel, and they held up well on the track, which is impressive given they had to arrest 5,393 pounds of SUV. The tires, on the other hand, didn’t. After about 25 laps around the 2.0 miles of Atlanta Motorsports Park, they frayed as big chunks of rubber separated from the edges. That could be the effect of all that weight, it could be the tires, or both. It’s likely both as the same model tires did the same thing on the Hyundai Ioniq 5N.

I was also impressed that track time didn’t sap too much battery or cause the motors and/or battery to overheat. Each four-lap session drained the battery by about 9%, so we were able to go for half a day without having to recharge the Macan Turbo Electric for more track sessions.

Porsche Macan Electric charging and range

The battery can be treated as a single 800-volt unit or two 400-volt packs. Plug it into a 350-kw fast-charger on the driver’s side and the Macan Electric can charge at a rate of up to 270 kw, which will add 155 miles in 10 minutes or take 21 minutes to go from 10-80%. Make that a 400-volt charger, and software will treat it as two batteries, adding 75 miles in 10 minutes and going from 10-80% in 33 minutes. The charge port on the passenger side is only for a Level 2 (AC) home charger, which requires 10 hours to charge from 0-100%.

Even with all its power, the Macan Turbo Electric has good range. It’s rated for 288 miles on a charge, as is the 502-hp 4S model. The 402-hp 4 model has 308 miles and the 335-hp base model tops out at 315 miles with an efficiency of 2.9 miles per kwh.

 

Macan Turbo Electric: Power galore

The current top Macan gas model is the GTS. Its twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 makes 434 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque, which is good for a 4.1-second 0-60 mph run. While the Macan Turbo Electric weighs 1,000 pounds more, its 630 hp unlocks a 3.1-second run to 60 mph when using the standard launch control function. No launch control is needed to tap into that power at any time, though. The power comes on immediately, but it was well controlled on the track and didn’t upset the balance when rolling into the throttle on corner exit or even with dabs of maintenance throttle through longer corners. Thanks to the overboost function, max power was available in every straight because it resets whenever you let off the gas, for instance for a corner.  

On the road, it has more power than you’ll ever need and can knock you back in your seat when flooring it in a straight line. It’s also content to toddle along at city speeds with conservative throttle application, and it doesn’t feel like a greyhound that always wants to run.

The tradeoff here is sound. Rather than the growl of the GTS’s twin-turbo V-6 or the throaty howl of a Porsche flat-6, the Macan Electric’s motors make no sound at all out of the box. For $490, Porsche will sell you a Porsche Electric Sport Sound that creates the spaceship whir we’ve come to expect in some EVs. It seems about right, and raises in pitch with more throttle, but doesn’t compare to a good engine sound.

Macan Electric cabin does it better than gas Macan

The Macan Electric stretches 2.3 inches longer than the gas model on a wheelbase that is 2.4 inches longer. The larger size gives it more rear seat space, though it is still cramped for tall passengers, and Porsche isn’t even pretending it’s meant for five adults as the brand calls it a 4+1 rather than a five-seater. The fast rear roofline also saps some space, as the Macan Electric tops out at 16.5 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 46.5 cubes with the rear seat folded down, figures that trail the gas model’s 17.7 and 53.8 cubes, respectively. A little of that space is added back in the form of a 2.9-cubic-foot front trunk.

Otherwise, the Macan Electric feels much like other recent Porsches as it takes a step forward versus the aging gas version. A small, knurled lever on the dashboard serves as the shifter like it does in the new Cayenne and Panamera, and the dash takes on the stacked horizontal shape of the 911. A small-diameter steering wheel fits the sporty character, and the Sport Chrono clock timer sits atop the center of the dash. Porsche provides few buttons, and the separate haptic touch controls for the climate system feel low-end.

The Macan Electric gets a standard 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen. The gauges aren’t hooded, and the scooped out area looks odd from the passenger seat, but I noticed no sun glare on the screen. Options include a head-up display with an augmented reality overlays and a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger that can control navigation, phone, and music functions, as well as connected home, steaming, and other apps.

The infotainment screen is home to the Sport Chrono timers, the My Porsche app, and a cloud-based charging planner that the Porsche says works faster than a native version. 

Porsche Macan Electric price and features

While the 2025 Porsche Macan Electric starts at $77,295 with the addition of a base rear-wheel-drive Macan Electric, the Macan Turbo ups that to $107,295, including a $1,995 destination charge. It comes fully loaded, though, with leather upholstery, 8-way power-adjustable front seats, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, wireless smartphone charging, ambient lighting, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic roof, carbon-fiber interior trim, a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, a synthetic suede roof liner, a 14-speaker Bose audio system, and all-season tires on 20-inch alloy wheels.

In true Porsche fashion, Porsche offers many options. My tester had rear-wheel steering ($2,040), the Sport Chrono Package ($980), 22-inch Exclusive Design wheels with carbon-fiber aeroblades ($7,410), the InnoDrive driver-assist system ($960), the passenger display screen ($1,570), the augmented reality head-up display ($2,520), Copper Ruby Metallic paint ($2,490), and the Premium Package $1,300) with four-zone automatic climate control, cooled front seats, and heated rear seats. That brought the price to $130,725.

That’s a heavy price for a heavy vehicle, but the 2024 Porsche Macan Electric wears its weight well and a high price is to be expected for a top-end Porsche. It’s faster than its gas brother, handles almost as well, feels similar inside, and looks like a next-generation model. It does it all while foregoing gas for electrons and, perhaps, by leaving our air a little cleaner in the process.