Porsche’s electric Macan Turbo is an automotive existential crisis

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Maybe it was the grey color, the slightly bulbous roofline, or the vaguely SUV-like proportions of the electric Porsche Macan, but as I shuttled kids and groceries around city and suburban streets , I never once noticed a longing stare from other drivers. Unlike with other cars I’ve tested, no enthusiasts stopped to ask me questions.

The 2026 Porsche Macan Turbo simply blended in, leaving in its wake a raft of existential questions. What is a sports car, anyway? Does it need to be overwhelmingly extroverted? Should it match the leaner, lighter look of its gas-powered sibling?

Drive one and the questions cease. Maybe that’s because the acceleration makes it hard to breathe? Or maybe it’s because, by the numbers, the Macan is a sports car at heart despite its rather humdrum crossover body style.

My passengers would agree. The kids I drove to soccer practice, both my own and others, gave the punchy acceleration high marks. The G-forces it reports on the head-up display ($2,660) can easily mimic the pull of gravity. Stab the accelerator at 70 mph and it lurches as though it were standing still. (Don’t worry, fellow parents. I did not try that with children on board.)

On winding roads, the car comes alive, thanks in part to the four-wheel steering ($2,150). Drop it into Sport Plus mode, and the car literally drops on its air suspension. Are we sure this is another anonymous crossover? Maybe anonymity is a useful trait in a car this responsive and powerful.

Unlike most two-row crossovers, you get the feeling of sitting in the Macan, not on it. The wheel extends far enough to make a sporty driving position possible, and the classic Porsche chronometer ($1,040) perched atop the dash ticks off the seconds it takes to get the kid to soccer practice.

The 2027 Porsche Macan Turbo EV is a two-row crossover with 630 horsepower and a 100-kilowatt-hour battery. The EV, which the automaker provided to me for a week, starts at $112,700. However, the one I drove rang up at $149,610, including destination fees. Yes, the options alone could buy a nicely equipped Chevy Bolt . With Porsche and options, if you have to ask…well, it’s better not to.

The Porsche Macan Turbo EV I drove came in Slate Grey Neo (a $2,620 upgrade), which was really well executed and among the best greys I’ve seen. If you crave luxurious anonymity, then this grey is your color.

There were a slew of other options, and in my view, not all of them are worth it. I’d skip the passenger display ($1,710); my kids liked that it could play YouTube videos, but they can’t ride up front, and my wife was underwhelmed.