Can Porsche’s electric Macan Turbo coax people out of its combustion-engine sibling?

When it comes to sportscar makers going eclectic, Porsche has led the way. In December 2015 – when only a handful of car companies had an electric offering - the supervisory board at the Stuttgart manufacturer gave the greenlight to the Mission E project – a car that would eventually become the Taycan.

While it marked the start of an aggressive electrification strategy for one of the world’s largest sportscar makers, the launch of the Taycan was just the beginning. The real test of the company’s new direction came with the arrival of the new all-electric Macan in 2024 – historically the marque’s best-selling car.

Until now, the formula for the Macan has been pretty straightforward. While the Cayenne had the tough job of getting people used to the idea of a performance SUV in the early 2000s, the Macan slid into its slipstream in 2014, as a smaller, more accessible and well-styled family SUV with punchy performance.

Serving a decade with only a few tweaks in 2016, 2019 and 2021, the first-generation Macan was a hit and took the title as the marque’s best-selling model from 2015 onwards, until the Cayenne broke its sales streak in 2022. By then the Taycan had been out for three years, taking on the Tesla Model S and others with force but the time had come for Porsche to take a leap of faith and switch its cash cow to electric.

Well, not quite. Like many carmakers in the throes of transitioning to EV, Porsche got spooked by the recent consumer shift back to combustion and hybrid-powered cars, so much so that CEO Oliver Blume announced in March 2025 that the marque would be launching a mid-sized SUV running combustion engines to run alongside the all-electric Macan.

‘We will be developing an SUV, a typical Porsche SUV,’ said Blume. ‘Of course, it will cost us money, but for the future it gives us extra flexibility.’ Blume went on to reveal that the forthcoming combustion SUV won’t be badged as a Macan, rather as an ‘independent model line’ with a ‘new design.’

While we await the new arrival, Macan buyers in the UK at least, are faced with a choice. Buy a new, combustion-engined first generation Macan, which Porsche has given a stay of execution to, or opt for the new all-electric second-generation Macan.

While impressions of the former are well documented, getting behind the wheel of the later felt like a novel experience. Most car manufacturers choose an obscure model to lead their charge into EVs but Porsche did the opposite, so expectations are high.

The exact model I’m sitting behind the wheel of is the Macan Turbo, which ironically is void of any turbochargers at all given its underpinnings consist of a 100kWh battery. Of that, 95kWh is usable, which is enough to cover off anywhere between 230-260 miles in the real word – a little less than the 336 miles of range stated by Porsche.

Despite the slightly unusual choice of model name, Porsche stuck fast to its established nomenclature when it first started producing electric cars, so the Turbo denotes the top model. The Macan EV range starts with the Macan Electric (from £68,500) before moving onto the Macan 4 (£71,200), the Macan 4S (£76,900) and the Turbo, which weighs in at £96,900.

But that’s just the base cost of the top-ranking electric Macan. This particular car is packing plenty of optional extras, which soon push the price well above the £100,000 mark. There’s the Copper Ruby Metallic paint, another £2,250. The Exclusive Design wheels (£2,463), ventilated massage seats in the front (£1,176), head-up display for the driver (£1,694), rear-axle steering (£1,445) and a passenger-side touchscreen display (£1,112), which takes it to near enough £119,000.

Still, this is a Porsche, so you can expect premium prices, particularly if the drive is noticeably better that the rivals – think Mercedes EQE 500 AMG and Lotus Eletre. Compared to those two, the Macan is a clear winner when it comes to driving dynamics. The Turbo produces 630bhp and excels at the daily drive duties in and around town, where its comfortable, well-sized and swift. The 2.4-ton weight is noticeable over slow speed lumps and bumps, not helped by the optional 22-inch wheels.

On a clear country road, it’s feels spirited for an EV and is extraordinarily capable at carrying pace along a challenging stretch. The combination of instant power delivery to all four wheels and two steerable axels (when optioned), helps it defy its size and weight.

The Turbo doesn’t go for blunt, neck-breaking acceleration like you feel in a Tesla or a Taycan Turbo GT (which will do 0-62 mph in a ridiculous 1.9 seconds). It’s still frighteningly fast but it feels well calibrated, with a 0-62 mph time of 3.3 seconds – faster than a 911 GT3 but a whole lot less dramatic owing to the quiet calm of the electric powertrain.

On the inside, there’s plenty of screens – a wide central touchscreen, a curved digital display for the driver and the option of a passenger touchscreen, on which they can play videos or games while driving. It’s as well put together as you’d expect from the masters of build quality and there’s a surprising amount of room for rear passengers too.

With no combustion engine components to contend with, the cabin has a flat floor in the back and a storage space under the bonnet as well as the conventional boot. It’s not a large family car by anybody’s standards but it ticks the mid-sized SUV box with aplomb.

On the outside, it’s an entirely different car to the combustion Macan. Sitting side by side, the electric sibling is a cleaner design, with similar design cues as the electric Taycan, such as the headlights and taillights. Yet there’s something slightly awkward about the styling of the electric Macan compared to its more handsome and conventionally styled combustion-engined sibling: the first-generation Macan has the benefit of being around for more than a decade, so it’s grown into its skin over those years.

When it comes to appraising the electric Macan Turbo, particularly against its still-on-sale combustion sibling, much of it boils down to preference and, of course, cost. The electric Macan Turbo is a brilliant all-rounder and much faster than any small family car needs to be. In its class, it’s without a doubt the leader with its slick styling, trick interior and remarkable performance but it lacks some of the drama its predecessor used to serve up.

As for cost, the highest spec combustion Macan, the GTS, is almost £22,000 cheaper than the £96,900 Turbo. Which begs the question, has the electric Macan shifted the game on enough to coax loyal Porsche fans out of their combustion-engined cars? Time and, perhaps more tellingly, sales figures will tell. For now, the Macan Turbo offers a tantalising blend of performance, technology and practicality but it comes at a price.

Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, from £96,900, Porsche.com