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Bloomberg

Porsche has struggled with electric vehicles since the debut of the Taycan in 2019.
But a product review like this exists separately from those problems.
When I drove the Taycan, for instance, I thought it was the best-driving electric sedan money could buy at the time. It felt adult and well-made in a sea of poorly constructed, appliance-like things made by tech bros.
So I’ve been curious to drive Porsche’s second all-electric vehicle, the Macan Electric.
The model comes in four variants: the entry-level US$75,300 Macan Electric, the US$78,800 Macan 4 Electric, the US$84,900 Macan 4S Electric and the US$105,300 Macan Turbo Electric; the starting price for the model in Hong Kong is HK$755,171 including one-for-one EV subsidy (where a car owner scraps their fuel-driven car and buys an electric car).
I tried out the Turbo recently in Los Angeles; it offers the highest level of performance of the range.

With add-ons like rear-axle steering (US$2,040) and 22-inch wheels with carbon-fibre aeroblades (US$7,410), the final price on the one I drove was US$131,970.
Being electric there are no turbochargers under the bonnet, but it does boast 630 horsepower (463kW), and springs from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds. When I drove it along a stretch of highway I could easily hit three-digit speeds. Easily. I would have given someone in a Porsche 911 GT3 a run for her money.
The Turbo Electric comes with all-wheel drive – other variants have rear-wheel drive – and a range of 288 miles (463km). Charging time on a DC 150kW charger is 33 minutes to go from 10 per cent to 80 per cent complete, or as little as 21 minutes if you use maximum charging power.
A full charge on a less powerful AC charger requires 11.5 hours, a pretty standard time.


The good
Driving the Macan Turbo Electric was a joy. It was smooth and stable on mountain-road asphalt that had been split by earthquakes, root invasions and cold snaps; the brakes gripped tightly but not too roughly as I ducked into downhill turns.
There’s a heft to the vehicle – it does weigh 5,300 pounds (2,404kg) after all – but it never felt sluggish. It coasted delightfully like a normal car when I took my foot off the accelerator, rather than abruptly jerking and slowing like other EVs, with their regenerative braking calibrated to maximum aggression.
But I was more interested in how well it held a charge over the course of daily driving.
When I left home in Hollywood, with a 76 per cent charge, I drove in Comfort mode. Eighteen miles later, I had 69 per cent left. Then I switched to Sport and toggled at times to Sport Plus modes. These tighten the steering and suspension systems.
By the time I got about 26 miles up the road, my charge had hit 47 per cent. I returned to Comfort mode and arrived at home with 39 per cent. I was pleased – I’m the type who gets range anxiety every time, even when my fuel needle falls below a quarter tank, but I didn’t feel a hint of it during my roughly 90-mile round trip.
Between that run and three other days of driving – including taking the Macan on my 10-mile, one-hour commute to the newsroom and back again, plus various coffee runs and meetings in Hollywood – the battery remained above 30 per cent. That felt good.
Porsche also gets high marks for styling that makes the competition seem bland and downmarket. The multiple screens inside, including an expansive one in front of the passenger seat, are crisp and effective for controlling the quiet, elegant environment within the cabin.
With those large wheels, a pop-up spoiler in the back, and a tall stack of chiselled LED headlights at the front, my Macan Turbo, painted “copper ruby metallic”, felt stylish and expensive parked next to a friend’s olive Audi Q5 hybrid.

The bad
There are two charging ports on the car, one on each side near the rear doors. These are the epitome of overcomplication.
The person who delivered the car to me struggled to open and close them on cue. So did I, since there is no apparent button that opens the flap, and the one located inside the flap, which you might think would close them, does not.
The ports would open and close at times when I poked around them, but I could never figure out what exactly I had done that got them to do it.
Then I got an email with images and instructions from Porsche explaining how to open them.
Emailed instructions about how to open what is the equivalent of a fuel flap? A single round release button placed on the dashboard – like the kind even my 50-year-old Rolls-Royce has – would have been a far more sensible solution.

My other gripe is the steering wheel. It could stand to lose the odd divots at nine and three – for thumbs – and the fussy stitching and multiple seams on its too-thin girth. They distract from the feel of the drive.
A thicker, seamless Alcantara or smooth leather wheel would better help the driver enjoy this vehicle’s enjoyable performance.
Conclusion
The Macan Electric is a powerful and capable SUV that feels better made than most. Its biggest challenge will be convincing buyers they want a plug-in Porsche at all.


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Luxury cars

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - JANUARY 10: Porsche Macan Turbo Electric compact luxury crossover battery electric SUV car on display at the AutoSalon on January 10, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images)

The Porsche Taycan, released in 2019, was its first electric vehicle. Photo: Porsche

On a test drive, the Porsche Macan was responsive and a pleasure to drive. Photo: Porsche

Stylish and powerful, the new Porsche Macan SUV range is all-electric. Photo: Porsche

New Mexico, cradle of low-rider car culture, looks to promote custom Chevys and Pontiacs

Joan Medina with her 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix low-rider in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo: AP 

Vicki Garcia cleans her 1963 Chevy Impala low-rider in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Lowrider Day,  February 11. Photo: AP 

A 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix low-rider owned by Joan Medina outside the state capitol in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo: AP

Joe Romero of Albuquerque with his original 1959 Chevy Impala in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo: AP

New Mexico state senator Leo Jaramillo of Espanola in a low-rider truck owned by Lorenzo Otero on Lowrider Day. Photo: AP

5 car innovations from the CES show in Las Vegas that could change the future of driving

The Xpeng X2 flying car pictured at the company’s headquarters in Guangdong, China. Xpeng’s flying car is one of the cutting-edge innovations in motoring on display at the CES tech fair in Las Vegas. Photo: Xinhua

A Honda Space-Hub electric concept vehicle, part of a new “O” series line. Photo: Reuters

A modular flying car made by Chinese company Xpeng at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: AFP

Buzz electric buses at the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles plant in Lower Saxony, Germany. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa

BMW’s panoramic iDrive is displayed during the CES tech show. Photo: AP

Pope joins EV crusade with electric Popemobile as Vatican aims for 100% zero-emission cars

Pope Francis receives the new Mercedes-Benz electric Popemobile at the Vatican. Photo: EPA-EFE

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius hands Pope Francis the keys to his new all-electric Popemobile. Photo: dpa

Pope Francis receives the new Mercedes-Benz electric Popemobile in Vatican City. Photo: EPA-EFE

The new electric Popemobile is pearl white with a cardinal red floor. Photo: AP

Pope Francis looks at his new ride at the Vatican, in December 2024. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Motoring

Porsche’s all-electric SUV has the power, the comfort and a decent range, but can it convince petrol heads to change over?


Porsche

Electric & new energy vehicles