2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S | UK Review
Away from the careful orchestration of a car launch, what is the £150k Porsche EV actually like?
Typically a manufacturer's launch route for a car, especially an electric car, will follow a carefully plotted course months in the planning. Certain aspects will come to the fore here, others there, electricity will be topped up at this point, yes there'll be food here but don't be late back to there - you get the idea.
For the UK drive of the Taycan - arguably the most significant new Porsche in a decade and a half - the situation was far from typical for obvious reasons. So the key to YZZ was ours (in a plastic bag) for an afternoon starting at Porsche GB in Reading, with specific instruction to... well, do whatever really. Drive any route you like, don't worry about charging it, there's hand sanitiser in the cupholder and see you in a few hours.
So we did as instructed: mooching around towns and cruising down the M4, blasting some of our favourite Berkshire B-roads and loping along A-roads. While not an exhaustive assessment - because there's still only so much that can be achieved in three hours - it was adequate time to consider Porsche's EV away from the background noise of launch hype and expectation.
Externally, the Taycan manages to be both quite unlike anything else and yet also recognisably a Porsche - which is quite the trick to pull off. The inside follows suit; there's a Porsche steering wheel, Porsche fonts and Porsche logos on the screen, but a haptic feedback section, touch controls around the dials and new readouts never before seen in a Stuttgart sports car as well. Plus a superb driving position; the batteries prevent the seat going right to the floor but, ensconced by the cabin with the wheel out to your chest, it feels as good as could reasonably be expected.
The point of revisiting all this is to emphasise how well the Taycan integrates usability with a show car-level wow factor. It feels really special as well as instantly familiar, which is a neat balancing act as well as an attractive selling point to existing customers intrigued by the prospect of a Porsche EV. One likely to cost them a six-figure sum in any configuration.
The sense of familiarity continues on the road. Again, this isn't to sell the Taycan short - rather that the endless engineering hours spent on accelerator calibration, brake feel and steering response have all yielded results, because there's just-about-sufficient Porsche weight and resistance to mark them out. Nic called the Taycan "underwhelming" at low speed on the international launch, which feels a little harsh given a lot of modern Porsches are typically inoffensive at regular pace - though it's clear that the job for manufacturers of distinguishing their EV offering from the rest is going to be extremely tough with similar powertrains all located in the same place.
Nevertheless, it only takes one slip road to feel how different the Taycan is to any other Porsche, the immediacy and violence of the acceleration enough to make a GT3 seem almost torpid by comparison. Without a build-up of power or any noise (beyond the quite likeable Electric Sport Sound, if it's on), the speedo becomes pretty vital in avoiding serious trouble; Porsche says 49-74mph takes 1.7 seconds, which is eminently believable. This is a large saloon capable of 0-124mph within half a second of a Huracan, without noise or gearchanges or any real way of gauging speed beyond the gradual tailing off of acceleration and the number on that screen in front. Good job it's super clear and crisp, then...
The Taycan would be a superb place to spend 200 or so motorway miles between charges. Obviously there's the prodigious overtaking ability, but combined with the serenity of relative silence - wind and tyre noise pretty well suppressed as well - it becomes a four-wheeled oasis of calm. Is doing 200 motorway miles between charges sufficient? Personally, it absolutely is, because much more than 100 without a coffee, more confectionary or another wee sounds like lunacy. But it is strange for Porsche not to have pushed for a class-leading figure as far as range goes.
That said, if the Taycan makes something like a Panamera feel a bit old hat on the motorway, it's nothing compared to its performance on minor roads. Because it defies all rational expectation. Picture in your mind how a car of this size (5m long, 2.1m wide) and this weight (2,295kg before anyone is in) should drive, even one from Porsche - and the Taycan does it better. It turns more immediately, grips harder, deals with imperfections better, pulls more traction from the road. By getting so much of the mass low and centralised, there seems to be no inertia to the Taycan's movements, ably assisted by the immediacy of the electric power. There's no hint of dynamic slack in a car that weighs as much as a Range Rover.
What's really worth noting, however, is that there's some enjoyment to be taken from the process as well. The brake feel is as good as we've come to expect from Porsche, somehow combining the ceramic discs and recuperation capacity into a firm, consistent, predictable travel. The precision of the pedal next to it means those enormous reserves of power and torque aren't overwhelming, and the accuracy of their response (along with the steering) means it's a more immersive and less binary dynamic experience than you might imagine for a large electric saloon. That it powers away from bends with that natural, intuitive, rear-driven feel is also encouraging. Some have suggested that perhaps the torque vectoring capabilities could act more dramatically, which is understandable in something Porsche-badged. On the other hand, you'll never convince the mass audience of EV viability by creating a GT-R-style experience at this money; the Taycan feels very well sorted, incredibly so in fact - in a conventional manner.
For the Turbo S, rear-wheel steering, adaptive air suspension and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus are standard. Sport Chrono means the usual Porsche modes - Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, Individual - are there on the steering wheel, along with a new 'Range' setting to eke out the last few miles as required. As you're probably aware, only Sport and Sport Plus introduce some regenerative braking, with one or two criticisms raised already that a level beyond the Taycan's modest contribution (even in those modes) might be worthwhile. It probably comes down to personal preference, and wanting to preserve a 'normal' feel for those new to EVs. On this experience, without having to choose gears or gauge speed from noise, and with such finely-honed pedals, it's actually nice to have something additional to do.
A car this big and fast needs a lot of slowing down, too. On a related note, so exceptionally calm is the ride quality - eliminating the float that can come with air set ups and yet never punishing - it can be left in Sport Plus without any concern. That the Taycan is able to be both accommodating for passengers and so dynamically assured, even in Normal mode, is a mighty feat. Everything about the Porsche EV comes across as really well executed - it requires no acclimatisation, no excuses, no second chance at anything. The Taycan simply does everything that would be required of a car, to a standard higher than very many others. It just so happens to be electric.
That even extends to range. It showed an estimated 198 miles on leaving Porsche Reading; not loads, sure, but it's hard to imagine many super saloons showing much more than that if they've been driven hard and then filled up. We drove it for 115 miles across three hours, averaging 38mph and 45.2kWh of energy use in that time. The drive included constant motorway speed, acceleration between bends, slowing for them, one or two launches and pootling in traffic. Back at Porsche it showed... 115 miles less than we started on. The Turbo S range doesn't suddenly plummet on more enthusiastic use, or read overoptimistically when the going is more gentle; what you see there is what the car is going to cover. Quite frankly, those who need to cover larger distances than the Taycan in less time will still be better served by a big diesel.
Those that do not have to cover 300 miles in one hit - which must be most of us - will be amply served by the Taycan. Overwhelmed, in fact, by the sheer breadth of capability the car possesses, answering a lot of the queries customers will have about Porsche electric vehicles in a resoundingly positive manner. Once the UK extends its public charging network, 200 miles of charge will be 20 minutes away. But even ahead of that moment, the Taycan's unimpeachable quality and Porsche styling ensure that it never feels anything less than a £150,000 product. Nor does it feel like a distant relative of the sports car family either, it feels like a Porsche.
And yet doubts remain. They have to, because very seldom is a car perfect out of the box. Such an enormous kerb weight is still irksome, even allowing for its inevitability given the current technology. That a car this large isn't actually all that accommodating for four rankles too, probably due to the same cause. And, er, well - there's the fact that most of the nation can't afford one.
Objectively speaking, it would be difficult to make the list any longer than that. With some planning - and probably less than you might think - it would be a pleasure to use a Taycan for tens of thousands of miles a year. It would be comfortable, fast, cheap to run, extraordinarily capable and a lovely device to use. The problem Porsche has, even allowing for the fact that it has comprehensively nailed the brief here, is the problem that all the manufacturers are going to have - which is how on earth to replicate (or replace) the joy and sense of connection that's exists with a combustion engine. Because the fact is a Mercedes-AMG E63 raises more of a smile at idle than a Taycan does during most driving. For the vast majority of buyers, that simply won't be a concern - because the car is new, cool, and exceptionally good. For those who still derive some joy from driving, however, they might find the new Porsche, and potentially many more new cars in fact, very easy to appreciate, but very much harder to love.
SPECIFICATION - PORSCHE TAYCAN TURBO S
Engine: Permanently excited electric motor, one per axle
Transmission: Single-speed (front) twin-speed (rear), all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 761 (launch control overboost, otherwise 625)
Torque (lb ft): 774 (launch control maximum)
0-62mph: 2.8sec
Top speed: 161mph
Weight: 2,295kg (DIN)
MPG: N/A (257-mile range)
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £138,826 (as standard; price as tested £149,241 comprised of Electric folding exterior mirrors for £210.00 Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) for £2,315.00, Wheels painted in Jet Black Metallic for £842.00, Thermally and noise insulated glass including privacy glass for £1,301.00, ParkAssist including Surround View for £1,002.00, Night Vision Assist for £1,566.00, Lane Change Assist for £548.00, Ambient lighting for £299.00, Side airbags in rear compartment for £291.00, Heated steering wheel (i.c.w. Sport Chrono Package and Leather Interior) for £189.00, Advanced climate control (4-zone) for £581.00, 150kW DC on-board booster for £294.00, Mobile Charger Connect for £767.00 and Public charging cable (Type 2) for £210.00
That said, I wonder how you'd feel after owning the thing for a year? There's clearly more to it than traffic-light grand prix starts, but it still seems a bit anodyne. Who knows, seems like it's the future.
200 mile range in recent sunny weather would, if this is like every other EV, drop precipitously in winter etc. Hell I used to get an indicated 195 miles range in a dinky i3 around this time last year.
There’s no excuse at all for the flagship model, or indeed any of them to require an optional upgrade to get decent charging speeds. I know it’s de rigueur for Porsche to option everything, but even so.
That being said if I suspect this isn’t a car that Porsche fans will purchase as their only car, and there’s no doubting it would be far better appointed and put together than the Model S. I’d expect savage depreciation though, for a first generation product.
Agree on depreciation. You’d need to be very brave to buy one outright.
And the low CoG allows for similarly precise road manners.
An E63 at idle excites you more than a taycan only if your only erogenous zone is your ear.
(that said, nobody ever mentions that the taycan’s rear seats are almost useless and that as such it should be compared to a 911 rather than a panamera - and I think this is the biggest problem of the taycan, almost as bad as the Aston Rapide).
200 miles between charge is no problem IF there are fast charging stations at your destination.
IF not, then 200 mile round trip, give a realistic safe range of 80 - 90 miles.
If this is a GT then I would rather have longer range and less performance.
If this is a sports car I would like an engine and option to change gears.
This is a lot of money for something that to my eyes misses both bases.
Tesla S P100 has a 50% better range (300 miles), and costs 30% less, and has identical performance.
To those who think the Turbo name is daft, it's no different to BMW's model names no longer adding up to their engine sizes, or indeed 'normal' 911s not being called Turbo even if in fact they have them - Turbo is simply a trim level, nothing more.
As for the brakes, I wonder how long they’ll last and the cost of replacements...
I went home feeling underwhelmed. Personally I think it's just another massive electric munter.
It's huge on the outside and small on the inside (rear leg room is pitiful) despite weighing nigh on 3 tonnes. It costs the absolute Earth (and does nothing to save it), and the range is disappointing. Only 1 hour without a coffee/toilet break? Sorry but I regularly drive 3+ hours without stopping. It's called a Thermos and a normally functioning bladder.
I don't see what all the fuss is about. Tesla have been making electric cars that do the straight line thing for a while now. So what if this thing can go around a corner better. It's hardly a sports car. It will eat tyres if driven with any kind of gusto.
- You come out in the morning to a full 'tank', in the case of the Tesla, a real world 300 miles. We used a supercharger once.
- Goes like hot snot.
- Maintenance is not required and never servicing it does not invalidate warranty, in the case of the Tesla (seriously!). I'd imagine Porsche won't be the same as they are all about selling more and more 'stuff' to owners.
- You'll never need to replace a set of brake pads unless you drive like a tool.
- Range anxiety is honestly no more a thing than in a petrol car (with the Taycan's lower range it might be, moreso than the Tesla).
For all but the most PH of company directors, 300 miles daily is plenty. Obviously everyone here commutes to Spain every morning via the moon, wees in a bottle whilst driving and never sleeps (even during lockdown), but let's not forget that the average commute is something like 8 miles. For the overwhelming majority of people an electric car would be an absolutely fantastic daily.
We just need to wait for them to be sensibly priced, which we're getting there on (not with this one, though).
The issue I have with this, other than the "Turbo" thing (which all manufacturers are guilty of) is the styling at the front. The rest of it is quite pleasant. It's much better executed than the Panamera for example. The front is just gopping though. It needed more 911 in it, as the current lights just make it look odd.
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