Base Model Provides Playful Fun: 2025 Porsche Macan Electric Review

With the drive mode dial turned to sport, I bury the accelerator. A futuristic ascending digital tone emanates as the Macan Electric shoves me to the seatback and speeds quickly approach triple digits. The tone comes courtesy of a $510 Porsche electric sport sound option. But the pull comes standard from the rear-mounted electric motor. Welcome to the future.  

All versions of the new-for-2025 Porsche Macan Electric use the same 100kWh battery pack, stuffed into a new preferred platform electric, or PPE structure. But this base model stands alone in offering rear-, not all-wheel-drive. It also will travel the farthest on a single charge, 315 miles. Intuitively enough, it weighs the least, too.

Knowing that, I jumped at the chance to spend a few days of my Southeast Michigan summer feeling out Porsche’s second full EV model. I endeavored to find out if the Macan functions well as a premium compact crossover, offers the appropriate electric vehicle advantages, and, critically, if it still feels like driving a Porsche.

In short: The 2025 Porsche Macan Electric caters to a new, younger class of buyers. You get a lot of tech-forward features like automatic unlock and lock, as long as it senses the key fob. Automatic start, too. And more than typical (for a Porsche) driving aids. You also get plenty of passenger space, cargo space, and a frunk — not to mention, 315 miles of driving range. Critically, however, you still enjoy a lively, fun-to-drive machine — one that makes it easy to reach the limit and play.

2025 Porsche Macan Electric Review

Same Name, Entirely Different Beast

To fully understand the Porsche Macan Electric, look at it from two perspectives. On one hand, it enters the market as the long-awaited, second-generation model. Engineers not only built a new chassis, but they also replaced the powertrain as well, ditching internal combustion for electric propulsion. 

On the other hand, however, the folks in Stuttgart in fact still build and continue to sell the first-generation Macan alongside this new creation. And that makes the Macan Electric the first generation of a new model of the same name. Simple. Right?

Truthfully, Porsche hedged. Many buyers need more time to get comfortable with battery electric vehicles and their various pros and cons. For those ready to embrace the new, the Macan Electric sits on dealer lots ready to go.

According to Porsche, that accounts for a third of Macan buyers. The rest chose to stick with igniting hydrocarbons and zipping around in a lovely, albeit aging, compact that first arrived in 2015.

Bigger Than Before

For the third of buyers who choose the Electric, they get a longer, wider crossover. It also stretches this wheelbase by a few inches and shortens the front and rear overhangs to really stick the wheels in the corners.

The Electric spans 188.4 inches from nose to tail, 2.3 inches longer than the ICE Macan. And, it rides on a 113.9-inch wheelbase, 3.4 inches longer than the ICE. Both width and height stay within a few tenths of an inch of one another. 

Designers took advantage of the new specs and reduced powertrain constraints to pen a more swoopy, coupe-like body with a steeply raked front and rear windshield. It results in an easy-on-the-eyes shape, but not a huge difference in space inside.

Rear passengers definitely get more legroom, and both rows enjoy ample headroom. Though, I do wish Porsche mounted the seat bottoms a bit higher for more support.

Cargo space ends up about even between old and new. You get 18 cubic feet of space behind the second row, 47 cubic feet with it folded. That said, without an engine in the way, Porsche provided 2.9 cubic feet of frunk space to enjoy. It looks large enough to swallow a carry-on case with little trouble.

Overall, the Electric looks nice, sharper than its predecessor — or contemporary — I particularly like how you get four streaks of light up top for the daytime running lights, with the main beams tucked down beneath.

One Battery, Many Motors

All Macan Electrics use the same 800V, 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This base, lightest, RWD Electric gets the most range out of it, a respectable 315 miles between charges. And that’s the official EPA range number. In my testing, I started with an estimated 359 miles of range on a full charge.

It’s also the only Macan without AWD, which means a single, permanent magnet motor mounted on the rear axle propels it along. No worries — it makes 355 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque. Plenty to get 2.5 tons worth of German electronics to 60 mph from rest in 5.4 seconds and eventually hit 136 miles an hour with your right foot planted.

From there, Porsche offers three higher levels of muscle. One level up, the Macan 4 increases peak outputs to 402 horsepower and 479 pound-feet. Blissfully, the range only drops by 7 miles, to 308. Going 4S raises outputs by another 107 horsepower and 99 pound-feet. And the top-of-the-line Turbo spins up a stupid good 630 horsepower and 833 pound-feet of torque.

Going full bonkers in the Turbo drops 0-60 mph times to just 3.1 seconds. Top speed climbs to 161 mph, and range drops to a still healthy 288 miles.

Regardless of trim, you only need 21 minutes to go from 10% to 80% state of charge on a DC fast charger, as long as it provides the 270 kW the system can handle. You’ll need 11 hours to completely charge a fully depleted battery on a standard level two charger.

All the Gadgets Inside

At first glance, peering inside the Electric feels familiar to other Porsche products. You get a fully digital, 12.6-inch instrument cluster and a 10.9-inch center display. The latter offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

More familiarity comes with standard heated seats and steering wheel.

My test vehicle also got a four-zone climate control system for an additional $490, heated rear seats for $600, and 14-way adjustable comfort front seats for $1,390, which then included ventilation for an additional $670. Porsche also added a Bose sound system for an extra $1,030 and the sport chrono package for $1,020. It’s only money, right?

None of that felt atypical of Porsche. But the Macan Electric also offers “wake-up” and “go to sleep” automation. Those systems automatically unlock the car as you approach and lock it as you depart.

The presence of the key fob also powers the car up; no start button pressing is required. Just shift to D and go. In a Porsche, that feels odd. I want to connect with this machine, interact with it. Control it. Not this.

Fortunately, these systems have off buttons. They’re buried in the settings, but they are there. Also fortunate, the Macan Electric otherwise feels comfortable and supportive.

Finally, Porsche built a nice and quiet cabin on the road. You hear little road noise and virtually no wind noise, even at highway speeds. Lovely!

Still a Porsche Behind the Wheel?

My test car included another option, rear-axle steering for $2,110. Offered on the Macan for the first time, all four-wheel steering complements the standard air-suspension and adaptive shock absorbers nicely.

Even better, Porsche mounted a multi-link suspension geometry on both axles. And engineers configured the links up front to behave like control arms, which control wheel movements exquisitely.

With the Electric in the sport plus driving mode, both the air springs and the shock absorbers firm up and keep the body nice and flat as you whisk through a corner. Despite its weight, the Electric willingly changes direction and makes it easy to find the limit.

Moreover, the base 20-inch wheels with low-rolling resistance tires meant that the limit arrived at lower speeds.

Running through my favorite set of roads, I hustled into corners with screaming tires and a smile on my face. Like all Porsches, the Electric does not intimidate, but rather welcomes you to go fast with smooth, predictable reactions to your inputs.

It understeers a bit at corner entry. But apply power at the apex, and the responsive, torquey motor squats the rear end and allows for a powerful, neutrally balanced exit. Get really heavy with the accelerator, and you might even need a touch of countersteering. It’s good fun. It still feels like a Porsche. 

One caveat. While good generally, steering precision and feel underwhelms when compared to other Porsches. It’s not an EV thing; the Taycan steering feels wonderful. But this Macan feels more like any other crossover.

I bet, and hope, part of the lack of feel comes from the base tire. Porsche likely spent more time making it feel right on the up to 22-inch wheel and tire setup offered.

2025 Porsche Macan Electric Review Summary

Is the Macan Electric worth at least $80K? That’s how much Porsche charges for the base model when you include the $1,995 destination charge: $79,995 exactly. And all the options on my test vehicle popped the price up to $89,315. Sure, plan on spending real money on any Porsche. But the current gasoline models start $13K less and offer better steering feel.

Then again, the base Macan Electric model offers more power and torque, which in turn provides quicker acceleration and a much faster response. The Electric also offers more legroom, more flexible storage options, and plenty of the latest tech. It’s a more capable, nicer-looking, newer version of the Macan.

More than anything, it shows a path for the future. One with electric propulsion as the norm. And in that future, Porsche proves that these vehicles still provide good fun for those of us still interested in traditional driving shenanigans.