Porsche Macan Electric review

Reinventing oneself at the pinnacle of success is undoubtedly one of life's greatest challenges, yet the best make it look effortless – which brings us to the new Porsche Macan Electric.

You see, the existing (petrol-powered) Macan has just experienced its best sales figures yet. Its blend of delicate driving dynamics, high-quality interior design and reasonably accessible price point seems to have helped it appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers, from young professionals to seasoned boomers.

So is this all-new Macan Electric more of the same? Well, the exterior design bears a close resemblance to the original, but the existence of a pair of motors and a battery under the skin makes this a very different car.

Indeed, the all-new Macan propels Porsche into the ever-growing electric SUV segment, where it will be competing against a disparate range of rivals. They include – but are not limited to – the BMW iX3, the Kia EV6 GT, the Lotus Eletre, the Tesla Model Y Performance and the VW ID 5 GTX.

We've already seen the Stuttgart-based car maker enjoy electrified success with the excellent Porsche Taycan so have they managed to maintain that momentum with the Macan Electric? Read on to find out...

The Porsche Macan Electric is available in four variations: the entry-level, single-motor Macan, the Macan 4, the 4S and the Turbo. All share a 95kWh useable capacity battery and Porsche’s innovative 800-volt Premium Electric Platform – a platform also shared by the new Audi Q6 e-tron.

While the upper three versions all use a drive motor per axle, the bottom-rung one only has one – with 356bhp – for the rear one. However, Porsche (being Porsche) has put a lot of time and effort into making sure the Macan feels nothing like its Ingolstadt counterpart.

Distinguishing features include a bespoke steering rack, specially developed Pirelli tyres, specially positioned motors to aid weight distribution and innovative two-valve dampers first introduced on the Porsche Cayenne.

So does the Macan Electric's engineering translate into a driving experience worthy of the Porsche badge?

Well, we’ve sampled both the Macan 4 and Turbo on the tight and sinewy Route Napoléon just outside Antibes, and also the Macan and 4S on German roads.

On both occasions it was immediately apparent that the Macan’s steering is a cut above rivals'. It's quick, slack-free and delivers decent feedback, allowing you to really lean on the front tyres with confidence through quick corners.

It also manages to feel keener and more agile than a petrol Porsche Macan through quick changes of direction despite weighing around 350kg more.

The car’s optional four-wheel steering system – available only on the 4S and Turbo – has plenty to do with that. With it, the rear wheels turn at opposite angles to the fronts at low speeds, shortening the car’s turning circle by more than a metre and making it feel alert and agile. At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the fronts, helping to improve stability.

The Macan is genuinely astounding down an undulating country road, exhibiting little body lean and remaining settled over mid-corner bumps. Although the single-motor model is noticeably slower-feeling than the upper-level 4S and Turbo, that fine handling makes it really dynamically capable. Point to point, a Kia EV6 GT or Tesla Model Y Performance might be able to hang on to the tail of a Macan, but their drivers certainly won’t be as relaxed.

In terms of pure performance, the single motor Macan needs 5.7 seconds to get from rest to 62mph, which feels only moderately quick. The 402bhp Macan 4, with its official 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds, seems a good deal punchier in the real world.

In pure performance terms, the 630bhp Turbo with its 0-62mph of 3.3 seconds and top speed of 169mph (32mph up on the 4) feels a bit like overkill, and we can imagine many of even the keenest Macan owners being perfectly happy with a 4S (510bhp, 0-62mph, 4.1 seconds) instead. Indeed, the 4S can be ordered with the same active suspension and driveline technology as the Turbo.

Is the Macan Electric actually fun, as well as fast? Well, yes – but with a caveat. The 4 will plaster a smile on the face of most drivers, but if you obsess over steering feel and on-the-limit handling you’ll want the Turbo. And that’s because it has a Porsche-developed electric motor that sits way out behind the rear axle (a bit like with a Porsche 911) rather than on top of it as it does in the 4.

That placement, combined with what Porsche calls Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (an electronically controlled differential lock on the rear axle) not only increases agility but also allows you to slide the Macan like it's a big hot hatch, giving you the interaction you’d normally expect from a much lighter and more compact car. 

Will that matter to most people? Well, if you're a truly keen driver and want the most interactive driving experience, the Turbo is hard to resist. For most buyers, we'd recommend the 4, or even the entry-level Macan, since it has the best electric range, still handles sweetly, has more than adequate power.

Better yet, for all its sportiness the Macan is a relaxing cruiser. You might notice some motor whine around town and the rumble of its tyres across a coarse surface (especially if you opt for 22in wheels), but wind noise is well suppressed. Ride quality on the optional air suspension can be a little bit firm-feeling and choppy at low speeds, depending somewhat on road surface.

Luckily for Porsche, the steel sprung Macan single motor, on standard 20in wheels, feels quieter and more supple and compliant. The brakes are easy to modulate, which is not always the case in electric cars where the regenerative braking system has to blend in with the physical brakes.

The Macan Electric's official range is 380 miles for the 4 and 367 for the powerful Turbo, so you’ll be looking at around 300 miles in the real world. A single-motor Macan stretches that as far as 398 miles on the WLTP lab test, and returns about 320 of those in mixed real-world use.

On our test route (a mix of town, country and motorway driving) a Macan 4 returned 2.9 miles per kWh, giving a theoretical range of 300.3 miles. That’s further than a Kia EV6 GT and similar to a Tesla Model Y Performance.

The new Porsche Macan Electric’s interior design marks a dramatic change from the petrol-powered model, with inspiration drawn from the recently revised Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Panamera.

Notably, the dashboard features a striking three-screen configuration, consisting of a curved 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.9-inch central infotainment touchscreen and, as an option, a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger.

That passenger screen can display journey information or stream video from Netflix and other providers, but is tinted so it can't be seen from the driver’s side. We found it much more intuitive to use than the clunky system in the Ferrari Purosangue (not a direct rival, we admit) and far more useful than the minimalist set-up in the Lotus Eletre.

The main infotainment screen features sharp graphics and is responsive to prods and swipes. We also found it useful that certain Apple CarPlay applications such as Apple Maps can now be displayed on the 12.6in digital instrument cluster right in front of you.

It’s such a good system that we’re not entirely sure you need to option Porsche’s new head-up display, which uses augmented-reality technology to place some information, such as directions from the sat-nav, in your line of sight.

Another thoughtful addition is the standard 15kW wireless phone-charging pad, which is cooled to stop your phone overheating. Physical toggles are provided for climate control adjustments, which is good news for usability, when many models now force you to use the touchscreen to change temperature settings and so on.

In terms of audio systems, the standard stereo boasts 10 speakers and 150 watts. Upgrades are available, including a Bose system with 14 speakers and 710 watts (standard on the Turbo), or a premium Burmester set-up with 21 speakers and 1,470 watts. The Burmester system is very pricey but sounds superb. 

Design-wise, the interior surpasses its petrol-powered counterpart, resembling a Porsche Taycan inside, with its floating centre console, tall side windows and abundance of soft-touch materials. You can, of course, go absolutely overboard with the configurator and option everything from an extended leather package to carbon-fibre trim, but even if you stick with the regular specification you won’t feel short-changed.

Crucially for a sports SUV the Macan offers an excellent driving position. You sit closer to the ground than you do in the petrol Macan, so you immediately feel as though you’re in something properly sporty, and there’s plenty of adjustment for the steering wheel.

The seats are wonderfully supportive on a twisty country road thanks to great side support, but it's a shame you have to shell out if you want the 14-way seat option that brings adjustable lumbar support, or even more for the 18-way version.

With a wider interior than the petrol version, the Porsche Macan Electric has plenty of room in the front. You’re unlikely to knock elbows with your passenger and even very tall drivers won’t feel hemmed in. 

There are two fixed cupholders just in front of the armrest, and under the armrest you'll find a cubby that houses two USB-C sockets. The arrangement is perfect for storing a passenger's phone, while the driver can use the cooled wireless charger located in a hidden cubby beneath the central air vents.

Thanks to a longer wheelbase than the petrol version, rear leg room has increased noticeably. It’s not "limo-like", as it is in a Kia EV6 GT but six-footers will fit with ease and head room is superb. However, unlike some competitors – such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N – the Macan lacks the flexibility to recline the rear backrests or adjust the rear seats to prioritise passenger leg room or boot space.

That said, the rear seats do split in a handy 40/20/40 arrangement, so you can fold down the narrower central section and slide through longer items, while still leaving room for two rear passengers.

In terms of boot space, the Macan officially has 540 litres at the back, and the boot floor sits flush with its load lip, making loading a doddle. For comparison, the BMW iX3 has 510 litres, the Kia EV6 GT and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N have 480, and the Genesis GV60 Performance has 432.

You get underfloor storage for the charging cables unless you option the upgraded sound systems, which comes with a subwoofer that takes up space. And unlike in all the rivals mentioned above, there's another luggage compartment under the bonnet, which is easily big enough for a carry-on suitcase.

For those requiring more boot or rear-passenger space, the VW ID 5 GTX (549 litres) or Lotus Eletre (688 litres) are worth considering.

The entry-level Porsche Macan is priced from a little over £67,000. It offers lots of usable range for that outlay, as well as fast DC rapid charging, but there are larger and more practical electric SUVs. The fact that the Audi Q6 e-tron can be had from around £7,000 less (although far from in like-for-like specification) does make the Porsche look a little pricey.

The Macan 4 Electric undercuts the likes of the Polestar 3 Long Range, the Mercedes EQE SUV and the Lotus Eletre but it's a touch more expensive than the BMW iX3, the Tesla Model Y Performance and the Kia EV6 GT. It’s also more money than a petrol Porsche Macan – a model that will be on sale in the UK until the end of 2025.

The higher-end 4S and Turbo derivatives are seriously expensive cars though, although the Turbo gets more of Porsche’s excellent suspension and drivetrain technology as standard. 

In terms of depreciation, the Porsche Taycan hasn't held on to its value as well as the industry predicted (a problem across the electric-car market as a whole) so we’ll be interested to see if that has an impact on the new Macan’s PCP finance rates. You can find the latest prices using our new Porsche deals page. 

Of course, resale value won't be an issue for those lucky enough to have a Macan on their company car list. Electric cars attract fantastic BIK tax breaks right now, so it will set you back a tiny amount in monthly salary sacrifices compared with combustion-engined SUVs in the same price bracket.

Standard features for the 4 include 20in alloy wheels, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a powered tailgate and a heat pump. You have to pay extra for keyless entry, privacy glass, a heated steering wheel, full leather seats and adaptive cruise control. The Turbo comes with extra standard kit, but it costs tens of thousands of pounds more.

Both cars get the same 95kWh battery with a peak charging speed of 270kW. In theory, that allows you to charge from 10-80% in around 20 minutes (significantly quicker than rivals), but you'll need to find a very fast charging station to do so.

In the UK, you're much more likely to come across a 150kW charger, which can deliver a 10-80% charge in just over half an hour. A 0-100% charge from a 7kW home wallbox takes around 15 hours.

Porsche gives you a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, while the battery is guaranteed to maintain at least 70% of its capacity for eight years/100,000 miles.

The list of standard safety technology includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), traffic-sign recognition and lane-keeping assistance. Adaptive cruise is available as an option. 

The new Macan is too new to have featured in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Porsche as a brand managed only 21st position when it was ranked against 30 other manufacturers. Mercedes came 22nd while Tesla was in 15th.

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