Styling
We've said this before when viewing the 4S and Turbo (the top two models in the electric SUV's current four-strong range) from the perspective of the base car (and the Macan 4, which is visually similar), but flipped the other way then you get the same outcome: which is that the Turbo doesn't look much different to the entry-level base-spec Macan. Obviously, as standard it wears a bigger and bespoke-designed set of alloy wheels, while there's a subtle difference beneath the lower lamp clusters at the front, where a body-coloured spar separates the outer air inlets from the illumination units. Then there's the boot badging, which is probably the easiest single giveaway that you're looking at the 639hp Macan and not the 360hp rear-motor derivative.
But while various exterior details on the flagship EV Macan are finished in Turbonite, the dark-grey finish exclusive to capital-T Turbo Porsches no matter what's under the bonnet (or not, depending), if the owner of a base-spec version gets busy with the tick boxes come ordering time, there's not going to be a lot to aesthetically separate the two vehicles. Some will like this ultimate discretion shown by the Macan Turbo, while others might feel that they should have something that marks out their car as special and 30-grand more than the entry-level SUV. However, provided you like the overall shape of the second-generation Macan in the first place, little about the Turbo is going to put you off. It also suits strong colours, too, such as the yellow in the pics or even the highly attractive Papaya metallic orange of our UK test version.
Interior
The inherent quality of the Macan Mk2's interior means that every car in the line-up feels superb inside... which, again, brings us back to that feeling that the Turbo, while sumptuous and ergonomically bang on the money inside, nevertheless doesn't feel any more special to sit in than the single-motor RWD at the other end of the range. Clearly, as the grandest model, then much of the Turbo's interior toys come as standard, rather than being optional extras - so heated, 18-way electrically adjustable Adaptive Sports Seats in the front are fitted from the off, as are the Sport Chrono package with the dash-top clock (in our car, this item was upgraded to a Porsche Design face for another £783), a heated GT Sport steering wheel, a carbon and leather interior package, and all the accents being finished in Turbonite. But the extended leather trim fitted to our tester was £1,602, while further desirable luxuries such as the 10.9-inch Passenger Display (£1,112) and a Burmester High-End Surround Sound System (£2,778) are further cost options, which means you can soon end up with a Porsche Macan Turbo tickling into the six-figure realm if you're not careful.
Practicality
Like any other Macan EV, the Turbo has plenty enough space for four average-height people onboard, even if it's not exactly generously proportioned inside. The standard seating set-up is what Porsche calls the '4+1', which speaks volumes about the usability of the centre-rear passenger position, and further the Turbo's enhanced rear motor - which gives it the extra performance over the Macan 4S - cuts into boot space at the back by 60 litres, reducing the SUV's figures to 480 litres with all seats in use and a maximum of 1,288 litres with the rear row folded down. However, it still has the 84-litre front boot as an extra sop to family-SUV practicality.
Performance
Anything with a four-figure torque output and headline horsepower beyond the 600hp marker is blatantly going to be quick, with the old proverbial capital 'F', even if it does weigh 2.4 tonnes. And thus the electric Macan Turbo proves. With its single-gear transmission and massive, massive on-paper numbers, the effects in reality are startling. You depress the pedal on the right in the Macan all the way, it picks up outrageous numbers on the speedometer in very, very short order. In terms of the sheer drama of its acceleration, it has plenty to provide.
What it doesn't have, of course, is much in the way of a soundtrack to go with this coruscating speed. The Turbo is fitted with Porsche Electric Sport Sound (PESS) as standard, which - in the wider scheme of EV voices - is one of our favourites; a booming, enhanced overlay of the Macan's dual motors, which doesn't in any way attempt to mimic an internal combustion engine. It's an appealing tune, but it can't hope to match the sonorous singing of the
snarling V6s that used to power the majority of the Mk1 SUV's line-up. To that end, no matter how forcefully the Macan Turbo tries to rearrange your facial features while it's doling out its full 639hp and 1,130Nm in Launch Control mode (and a 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds is quite astounding for a machine so heavy), it's undeniable that a certain something has inevitably been lost from the original car.
And, understandably, you pay for the bonkers power with some one-shot range. Officially, the Turbo will do between 322 and 367 miles to a charge, with the spec of our car (pertaining to the 22-inch RS Spyder alloys, predominantly, at £2,741) pegging that more accurately to 340 miles. But that would require you attaining 3.6 miles/kWh from the ultimate Macan, which seems ambitious in the extreme for a dual-motor EV with 470kW on tap. We did manage to get the Turbo to 3.4 miles/kWh while driving it more gently back towards Reading along the A4 from Newbury, but while enthusiastically enjoying its powertrain out on the North Wessex Downs, we saw a considerably more alarming 2.1 miles/kWh from the Porsche. At that rate of consumption, and assuming an 80 per cent battery charge from a public DC unit (rather than 100 per cent, typically done at home on an AC wallbox), you'll have emptied the Macan's 95kWh battery pack in 160 miles. At least the Porsche's advanced 800-volt architecture means recharge times are swift, the Macan Turbo managing 10-80 per cent at its fastest 270kW DC rate in just 21 minutes.
Ride & Handling
This is, as you might expect from this German company, an utterly superb thing to drive. The way the Macan Turbo blends exceptional ride comfort and refinement with genuinely engaging, rewarding handling manners is phenomenal, again considering its chunky kerb weight. On the motorway or edging through town, the Porsche is close to flawless. The Turbo comes with Adaptive Air Suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard, and this does a simply magnificent job of smoothing out the road surface and ensuring that even 22-inch wheels don't spoil the Macan's supreme composure in the slightest. The cabin is also fantastically isolated from outside noise contributors, so at a 70mph cruise the passenger compartment is near-silent. For an SUV with the emphasis on the 'S' of its model type, the Macan Turbo is remarkably dignified.
But it also comes with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), Power Steering Plus and, for an additional £1,445 on the test car, Rear-Axle Steering (RAS) too. And it adds up to a thrilling experience at the wheel of the Macan, the more compact of Porsche's two SUVs remaining one of the best vehicles of this type to drive of all, despite its switch to electric propulsion. The steering, for example, is beautifully weighted and feelsome, and once you've attuned to the slightly weird pivoting sensation that RAS brings to the party, you know instinctively that you can lean on the Macan Turbo's chassis with almost total impunity. The body and wheel control is immaculate for the Porsche's form, and when you get on the power early in a corner then you sense the Turbo will transition to oversteer if you manage to break its huge levels of grip, rather than ploughing into fun-sapping understeer. It's honestly a riot to drive, even if its ultra-powerful drivetrain is a little bit too mute for proceedings overall.
Value
The main problem with the Macan Turbo is not its lack of a combustion engine, but rather the other models in the range. It's exactly £20,000 more expensive than a 4S, which feels almost every bit as quick in the real world and ever so slightly improves the theoretical range to 376 miles. But both the Macan 4 (£71,200) and the single-motor Macan (£68,500) represent even better value and longer-legged tendencies, although they lack for some of the choice equipment that is standard on the Turbo. Or, admittedly, its demented pace too.
It's normally unfair to compare a flagship version to base-spec and say one is better than the other due to price, because you're usually getting something completely different (a bigger engine or sportier chassis tune, for example) for your money with the top-dog variant. But this is the problem with EVs: all their motors and power delivery feel broadly the same, so while it is markedly quicker for acceleration than the other models, the Turbo doesn't provide enough of a stark dynamic difference to its stablemates to easily justify its steep asking price. Further compounding the issue is that the Mk1 Macan is still on sale alongside the electric family, with its own four models (regular Macan, then Macan T, Macan S and Macan GTS) priced from £56,000-£75,000 - representing a tempting and more affordable way to sit yourself in a Porsche SUV if you so desire.
Verdict
Let's be clear, the original Macan was always one of the very best SUVs to drive in the world. Brilliant across the board, only select models of its own
big brother, the
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and the
Aston Martin DBX could get close to it dynamically.
And, to an extent, that remains true of the electric Mk2. All versions are genuinely fantastic to drive, including this brutally powerful Turbo. But it's inevitable that the loss of an internal combustion engine has taken away some of the Macan's character, and it's a big enough part that - unless you absolutely need supercar-embarrassing acceleration from your EV - we think some of the variants lower down the hierarchy make more sense. They drive almost every bit as sharply, they're considerably cheaper, they're all more than fast enough for anyone's reasonable on-road needs, and they've got greater one-shot range capabilities too. That said, the Macan Turbo is, in isolation, one of the very finest electric SUVs out there, so there's no shame in hankering after one if that's your bag.