Drivetrain pros/cons and future trends?

It genuinely surprises me how much traction mine can muster even in soaking wet conditions. As long as you've not got any steering lock on and the road surface is generally sound it'll put all 430hp down from a dig in seemingly any weather. Whether that continues as the tyres wear out will be interesting to see.

FWD EVs should really be reserved for the very lower end of the market, Dacia Spring and the like.

What do they have that can carry 5 people and luggage and do a sub 4 seconds 60 sprint? An old M5 touring - but were the rwd variants that quick..?

Interested as to what EV is suppose to be a realistic alternative to an RS6 or M5?

I’ll certainly have to add it to my watchlist!

Really? If I take Evo magazine as an example, they are still extremely lukewarm to any kind of performance EV. The latest Taycan Turbo Weissach package got 3.5 stars. They've still not even nominated an EV for their car of the year, never mind winning it. Performance cars have for many decades moved on from just outright performance as the main barometer, using a Golf R, M3 or 570S fully is more than enough performance for the road.

For me it's the opposite, EVs are more useful as a replacement for practical and ubiquitous every day vehicles, where they certainly do have worthwhile advantages.

I suspect it’ll settle on cheap EV’s being single motor RWD as it’s cheaper to engineer and package a drive axle that doesn’t have to also steer, deal with emergency braking forces, or have to work with crumple zones and crash structures. Only reason we see cheap FWD EV’s at the moment is because to save overall development cost they’re based on existing FWD ICE platforms. The VW ID range vs the e-Golf is testament to this approach.

Mid to higher end longer range will be dual motor AWD, with each axle optimized for different efficiencies for cruising, acceleration, regen, etc. I also understand that a big reason long range versions of EV are usually AWD, is because it reduces rolling resistance more than it consumes power by slightly driving the axle not in use than to simply let it freewheel.

And then the high end and performance preferred layouts will be tri-motor (2-rear, one front), or quad-motor setups.

Pure FWD platforms I think will disappear outside of niche vehicle formats where FWD packaging is worth it for a low load floor, such as for vans, MPV’s etc.

Surely very few are taking a more expensive and less practical Taycan Turbo S over the BMW M5. Not to mention an M5 can do the actual performance side of things with track days.

£60k more for a Taycan Turbo S vs an M5 realistically means we are talking different ends of the market here. Even a M5 CS is cheaper and a Evo car of the year. You’re up into 911 Turbo or GT3 levels at this price which isn’t fair on the Taycan.

The Taycan 4S I drove isn't a patch to drive on the M5 base car. Very much more M-lite than M car so isn’t price comparative as outgunned.

Not to mention a Taycan is more M3/4 or RS4 rival personally in size which brings up even more money savings.

Surely no one driving a Taycan Turbo S thinks then have an M5 or RS6 rival

Um:

Forethcoming all new MINI EV, basis for the next decade or more of the 3 and 5 door hatch line - FWD

Forethcoming all new Renault 5 (& Alpine A290) EV - FWD

All new Fiat 500 EV - FWD

And each time you use the power it'll cost an extra few pence. In the other two cars a spirited b-road blast costs £20 a go...

Apparently ice is more fun than performance EV, but I've always thought the 'extra' fun has to be held against the huge extra cost of having that fun each time you indulge!

You're comparing these cars based on track performance - most such cars never see a track. In the real world an M3 CS wouldn't shame an i4 M50 or the EV6 on any road, at least not until 120mph+, which is unrealistic.

In terms of a drivers car for the road, if you want a fast machine you're going to struggle to beat the more performance orientated EV's.

In terms of outright dynamic performance, whilst the i4 can't lap at the pace of an M3 CS, if you show it a corner in the real world it can generate almost as much mechanical grip and lateral g force, and upon exiting the corner will put its power down quicker. These aren't cars that are only fast in a straight line, don't fall for that generalisation... The first wave of performance EV's are on par with ICE. Wait for the second generation..

Well I'm a driver, I've had endless high performance ICE cars, I like driving and experiencing the capabilities of an performance ICE too.

To claim an EV drivers car is an oxymoron, is a moronic thing to say - because it's obviously not true as an outright statement of fact. It's subjective.

As a driver, I appreciate the capability and efficiency of EV performance, it gets done what ICE can do but in a far neater way and far less crudely. As an engineer, that speaks to me - it's a better designed machine, capable of doing the job it was designed to do more competently than what went before. That's valid, even if others want to be more mechanically involved in the process of getting the best from a compromised ICE powertrain for their kicks.

I also expect Evo are well aware that their remaining mag buying audience are 95%+ not fans of electric cars and tailor their journalistic stance as such.