UK Drive: Porsche’s Macan Turbo brings performance and practicality

The new electric Macan is one of the latest Porsche models that can get that Turbo badge. But can this battery-powered model provide a fitting continuation to this famous nameplate? We’ve been driving it in the UK for the first time.

The Turbo also gets several tweaks above and beyond the standard Macan. Air suspension comes equipped as standard, for example, alongside Porsche’s Active Suspension Management system, which allows you to tweak and tune the car’s ride when you’re on the move.

When it comes to range, the Macan has a claimed full-to-empty figure of 367 miles, but this will, of course, be less if you make the most of all of this car’s performance on a frequent basis. As mentioned, rapid charging does mean you shouldn’t have to wait around for long when topping back up again.

The steering, as we’ve come to expect from Porsche models, has some great balance to it and this allows you to power through corners with confidence. In sportier driving modes you get a futuristic noise to accompany the acceleration, too, and this actually adds a little drama to the process – though you can switch it off should you prefer to.

The Macan has also been designed to be as aerodynamic as possible through slippery design touches. An active rear spoiler and active front cooling flaps work to increase or lower drag when required – though the former does restrict your rearward view significantly when it is in operation.

There’s a good level of space, too. Rear-seat legroom isn’t bad, while the 540-litre boot is well-shaped and easy to access. Handily, there’s also a ‘frunk’ included on the Macan. Located where you’d usually expect to find an engine, it brings an extra 84 litres of space and provides an ideal area to store the charging cables when they aren’t in use.

Compare that to the £67,200 that the Macan Electric starts at – with that entry-level model still able to deliver a respectable 5.5-second 0-60mph time and an improved range of up to 398 miles – and the Turbo means you are paying quite the premium for that additional performance, though you do get a fair amount more standard equipment.

The Macan Electric does a good job of continuing the Turbo name. While it might not have the mechanical component that has been so core to previous combustion-engined Turbos, as the fastest and most powerful version of the Macan Electric it certainly continues its ethos.

But as with other Turbos, you are paying a premium for the privilege. Unless you need the manic acceleration of this car, the ‘regular’ Macan is probably the smarter choice and, with a longer range, you’ll have more time to enjoy it between trips to the plug, too.