// TECHCRUNCH — MOBILE & WEB
Porsche’s electric Macan Turbo is an automotive existential crisis
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 2026 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. “Our washing machine can play YouTube videos,” she said.
I’d also forgo the illuminated Porsche wordmark on the front seatbacks ($690), puddle lamps that shine “PORSCHE” onto the pavement ($420), Porsche crests on the headrests ($640), and an illuminated Turbo badge on the door sills ($1,230).