Porsche Electric Macan Turbo Review: Anonymous Looks, Sports-Car Performance

The electric Macan Turbo has 630 horsepower and a 100-kilowatt-hour battery, according to TechCrunch. It wore Slate Grey Neo paint, a $2,620 upgrade, and the publication wrote that the car blended in, with no enthusiasts stopping to ask questions. That anonymity contrasted with its performance: TechCrunch said the head-up display, a $2,660 option, reports G-forces that can mimic gravity, and that stabbing the accelerator at 70 mph made the car lurch as if it were standing still. The publication said it did not try that with children on board.

On winding roads, TechCrunch reported that the Macan comes alive, helped by four-wheel steering, a $2,150 option. In Sport Plus mode, the car lowers on its air suspension. The reviewer said occupants feel as if they sit in the Macan rather than on it, and the steering wheel extends far enough for a sporty driving position. A classic Porsche chronometer, priced at $1,040, sits atop the dashboard.

TechCrunch listed numerous options and said some are not worth the cost. It would skip the passenger display, a $1,710 option; children liked that it could play YouTube videos, but they cannot ride up front, and the reviewer’s wife was underwhelmed, saying, “Our washing machine can play YouTube videos.” The publication also would forgo an illuminated Porsche wordmark on the front seatbacks at $690, puddle lamps that shine PORSCHE onto the pavement at $420, Porsche crests on the headrests at $640, and an illuminated Turbo badge on the door sills at $1,230.

That Turbo badge prompted objections from friends who noted that EVs technically cannot have turbos, TechCrunch said. The publication rejected the criticism, writing that automotive names have long been divorced from reality and that almost every Porsche these days has a turbo, even those not labeled as such. It also cited BMW model numbers that stopped reflecting engine displacement decades ago and the Ford Galaxie, which never traveled between star systems using a hyperdrive.

As an EV, the Macan Turbo charged from 19% to 80% in exactly 20 minutes on a 350-kilowatt charger, according to TechCrunch, and returned about 285 miles of highway range. Large wheels, a $4,110 option, and sticky tires, a $660 option, reduced range, but TechCrunch said the remaining range was more than enough to drive from New York to Boston with charge to spare. The advanced driver assistance system, a $1,140 option, worked well enough even though TechCrunch said it hunted a bit in the lane. The AI-powered voice assistant interpreted queries and commands well. The reviewer initially thought it was the only way to turn on the heated steering wheel, a $720 option, before discovering a small button hidden on the inner rim between two spokes.

TechCrunch noted that drivers can open the door and walk away, with the $4,960 Burmester sound system continuing to play until the door is locked, serving as a reminder. Porsche traditionalists can press a vestigial power button to the left of the driver’s display. The publication said the navigation system and its EV integration were underwhelming. At a 22% state of charge, it asked the car to find the nearest fast charger. The car directed it to two chargers that were meant to be used sequentially, not as alternative options. The first was a 50-kilowatt charger in a mall parking lot ten minutes away. TechCrunch’s account ended there.