The 2024 Porsche Macan Electric Review: The Most Popular Porsche, Now with More Bragging Rights

To Porsche enthusiasts who only have eyes for two-seater sports cars, this fun little coupe-shaped SUV may be overlooked. But to those who love a fun, capable sports car that’s equally at home commuting to work and school, it’s everything. Because it delivers everything. 

And with the redesigned 2024 model, the list of everything just got a lot longer: More screens, more luxuries, a new design and an all-electric powertrain that delivers a lot more power than comparable Porsche Macan gas-powered trim models. In fact, the top of the line Macan Electric nearly matches the power of the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid—the Porsche Macan Electric Turbo produces 630 HP vs the Panamera’s 670 HP—at almost half the price. Makes you think twice about an EV, huh?

Read: Porsche Cayenne versus Macan: Performance SUVs That Handle like a Sports Car

I had the luck to sneak away for a few days on the Southern California coast with the Porsche Macan Electric, driving not just the Pacific Coast Highway, but taking it through some mountain passes in the famed Santa Monica Mountains, routes that amble from hairpin turns and narrow valley rims to four-lane neighborhood connectors designed for big trucks and iron man bicyclists. 

It’s a drive that allows the Porsche Macan Electric do what it’s designed to do: accelerate easily up a hill, through a curve and get up to speed quickly, all while feeling light, fast and effortless. The electric all wheel drive system of the Macan Electric 4 I drove, which has a range of up to 308 miles, presented only a momentary blink of hesitation when I floored the accelerator; I had to wonder, was this a *thinking* moment of aligning systems for speed? Designed to give you fair warning before the blast of speed? Or perhaps intended to mimic the gas-powered motor? 

Either way, it was neither the instant torque that some electrics present or the more drawn out press/pause/power sequence of torque lag that most gas-powered cars elicit when you floor the accelerator. 

Read: Porsche Taycan Turbo S: An Electric Car Like No Other

And once up to speed, the Porsche Macan Electric held the road beautifully, as you’d expect from a Porsche. I was able to take it around every curve at speed, slowing only as a caution on wet pavement or when getting too far on the other side of the speed limit. 

Holding on through the curves is effortless thanks to a steering wheel that fits beautifully in your hands. It’s on the thinner side, not overly pudgy and easy to hold, which is something I really appreciate; you don’t want your hands to grow fatigued from gripping the steering wheel.

And staying on the perfect drive line is easy, too, thanks to the perfectly balanced weight that makes the Porsche Macan Electric feel weightless. Even this  SUV with passenger capacity for four and cargo space to match feels light as air on the road. 

Read: Your New Car is Built For Off-Roading. But Does It Have What It Takes for Overlanding?

The weather was wintry and wet during much of my time with the Porsche Macan Electric, which was, as it turned out, just fine. I loved being able to climb in, cozy down into the comfortably bolstered seats and tap the starter (which is on the left side of the steering wheel, per Porsche’s racing heritage). Pop on the seat heaters, turn up the music and allow the leather seating (yes, leather is an option; this is not always the case in EVs) and elegant finishes separate me from bad weather. It might be the moment we love our cars most, I think. 

Out on the road I was grateful for the all wheel drive grip on the pavement, crisp displays, both head up and driver’s screen, and “Hey Porsche” voice activation to turn down the cabin temperature when it got cozy enough. You don’t need much heat when mountain roads fire up your adrenaline. 

For the redesigned Macan, Porsche forged into EV territory, the first all-electric car in the lineup since the award-winning Taycan rolled out a few years ago. But electrification isn’t new to Porsche. The brand has used gas/electric hybrid technology and plug-in hybrid electric powertrains to boost the performance of its gas-powered engines, and most of the top-tier trims in its four-door models have some measure of electric power.

However, Porsche aims to serve the customer who wants what she wants— gas or electric. So, the Macan offers the option of gas or electric; otherwise, the exterior design, interior features and details are the same in each model. 

While the Porsche Macan is still available in a gas-powered line-up, the electric collection is where the power is. The Electric models increase HP by 100 or more, but also, the price tag by $10,000 or more. All gas-powered models are AWD, however; here is how they line up:

• Porsche Macan starts at $62,900 and generates 261 HP 
• Macan T starts at $68,500 and generates 261 HP
• Macan S starts at $74,500 and generates 375 HP 
• Macan GTS starts at $89,000 and generates 434 HP

And here is how the electric models line up: 

• Porsche Macan Electric starts at $75,300, is rear wheel drive that produces 355 HP and a 315 mile range 
• Macan 4 starts at $78,800, is AWD that produces 402 HP and a 308 mile range
• Macan S starts at $84,900 that generates 509 HP and a 288 mile range 
• Macan Turbo Electric starts at $105,300 that generates 630 HP and a 288 mile range

The screens in the 2024 Porsche Macan are a great option. We first saw these in the Porsche Cayenne and the upgrade is now available in the Macan. They include a large center touchscreen with “Hey Porsche” voice activated assistance, a digital driver display, a head up display with augmented reality (a $2,520 addition) and a passenger screen (a $1,570 addition) that allows your passenger to co-pilot or simply tune out and watch TV.  

Add to that the leather upholstery, a choice of seats (sport or comfort) and the option of heated rear seats, and everyone will feel good. Our Porsche Macan Electric 4S came with standard a Bose Surround Sound system that filled out the cabin experience, perfect for both soaring along mountain roads and crawling through traffic. 

Creature comforts serve to soften the experience when the Porsche Macan Electric isn’t doing its thing. And the electric range, when driving in normal mode and using regenerative braking (tap the diamond icon on the steering wheel) will use the least amount of battery charge. But the power under foot and the delightfully designed drive experience are the charm of this sport SUV and why, even side by side with its nearly identical sibling, it deserves to have an elevated ego.