Taycan 4S first drive
Discussion
Coming from a long line of ICE cars I was given a company vehicle to use over the last couple of weeks, so thought I’d give a quick overview for anyone interested. It seems there’s plenty of Evangelism on this site which I don’t share, however I didn’t believe all EVs are s
t either so here are my ‘findings’.
• Acceleration – quick yes absolutely. Taycan weighs 2.3 tonnes I think so it really defies physics especially the 4S I tried. Traction due to the weight and 4wd is incredible.
• But it is BIG. So WIDE as well, especially noticeable on narrow country roads. Taycan does not look massive but holy fk it is a big beast.
• Weight. It’s so fast. But so heavy. You do feel the weight and it does affect handling.
• Cost. I’m not a light footed driver but I was not averaging much over 2 miles per kwh. I make that 97kwh from a full battery so probably about 4p per mile overnight. That’s not bad.
• Soundtrack. I quite like the ‘Battlestar galactica’ noise it feels very futuristic.
• Range. Well at 2 miles per KWH you’ll barely get 200 miles out of it. I read a lot of nonsense about range not being an issue as average mileage is only 2 miles per week and nobody needs to tow a tank from London to Edinburgh which I’d have to disagree with. Range is a real issue if you have to go anywhere, particularly on the highway or in the cold where it does drain fast.
• That said there are chargers around, on the odd occasion I was further out I was fortunate not to have any issues charging.
• Depreciation- no issue for me, great having the use of a company vehicle, I enjoyed it. Not sure I’d buy one myself but I notice used values are looking tempting now if of interest.
With a 500 mile range think I’ll hang onto my petrol Cayman for a while longer. That said if I was doing serious mileage EV would certainly be worth consideration, keeping it under warranty of course..
t either so here are my ‘findings’.• Acceleration – quick yes absolutely. Taycan weighs 2.3 tonnes I think so it really defies physics especially the 4S I tried. Traction due to the weight and 4wd is incredible.
• But it is BIG. So WIDE as well, especially noticeable on narrow country roads. Taycan does not look massive but holy fk it is a big beast.
• Weight. It’s so fast. But so heavy. You do feel the weight and it does affect handling.
• Cost. I’m not a light footed driver but I was not averaging much over 2 miles per kwh. I make that 97kwh from a full battery so probably about 4p per mile overnight. That’s not bad.
• Soundtrack. I quite like the ‘Battlestar galactica’ noise it feels very futuristic.
• Range. Well at 2 miles per KWH you’ll barely get 200 miles out of it. I read a lot of nonsense about range not being an issue as average mileage is only 2 miles per week and nobody needs to tow a tank from London to Edinburgh which I’d have to disagree with. Range is a real issue if you have to go anywhere, particularly on the highway or in the cold where it does drain fast.
• That said there are chargers around, on the odd occasion I was further out I was fortunate not to have any issues charging.
• Depreciation- no issue for me, great having the use of a company vehicle, I enjoyed it. Not sure I’d buy one myself but I notice used values are looking tempting now if of interest.
With a 500 mile range think I’ll hang onto my petrol Cayman for a while longer. That said if I was doing serious mileage EV would certainly be worth consideration, keeping it under warranty of course..
The range debate quickly becomes almost religious, I love electric cars have an electric mini and for local stuff its amazing .... however the argument you have to stop is true but range makes you stop when you don't want to. We went to Bath for weekend, its 250 miles plus 50 miles when there chasing around with friends. We stopped on way down as wanted a coffee but wouldn't charge fast as would be 80% . On the way home we didn't want to stop, in most electric cars would have NEEDED to stop as no time/opportunity to charge when away . Once you get to real 300+ mile range (any weather) its def doable again. Looking forward to the new iX3 and XC60 as they are next gen, Tesla is close but don't fancy a Tesla.
It's certainly no Cayman 
They are a big car...though I use mine on very tight country roads and you do get used to it. Though I'd prefer it if it were 6in narrower...that goes for a lot of modern cars.
There are some circumstances where it's weight shows but not that many. Mine gets driven hard and it's a really incredible machine considering how heavy and wide it is. As noted, it's no Cayman (or Caterham in my case)....but then it's not designed to be (and those cannot carry 4 people and luggage in absolute comfort).
Range is "nonsense" because of your following point on chargers. There are plenty of fast ones around now, and using them is a piece of piss.
I'm perhaps fortunate that my usual longer distances are within 200 miles and have destination chargers. So these days I rarely need to use public chargers. On the few occasions I have, I/the family go to the toilet, maybe then grab some food and the car is full. The days of me driving 400 miles non-stop are now gone and, frankly, driving is better for it.
My OH had range anxiety extraordinaire when I bought the Taycan. And it went berserk when we found ourselves needing to use it for a trip to Cornwall. But it all worked just fine - one stop which we do anyway in any car.
I had no home charger when I got mine, and that's a pest...but that's in the past now. I do not miss visiting petrol stations, and do not miss the faff of that. I plug in at home when I need to (not often) and it's done.
I don't see me buying another ICE car - possibly another classic at some point, but for a daily/family car, no more.
They are a big car...though I use mine on very tight country roads and you do get used to it. Though I'd prefer it if it were 6in narrower...that goes for a lot of modern cars.
There are some circumstances where it's weight shows but not that many. Mine gets driven hard and it's a really incredible machine considering how heavy and wide it is. As noted, it's no Cayman (or Caterham in my case)....but then it's not designed to be (and those cannot carry 4 people and luggage in absolute comfort).
Range is "nonsense" because of your following point on chargers. There are plenty of fast ones around now, and using them is a piece of piss.
I'm perhaps fortunate that my usual longer distances are within 200 miles and have destination chargers. So these days I rarely need to use public chargers. On the few occasions I have, I/the family go to the toilet, maybe then grab some food and the car is full. The days of me driving 400 miles non-stop are now gone and, frankly, driving is better for it.
My OH had range anxiety extraordinaire when I bought the Taycan. And it went berserk when we found ourselves needing to use it for a trip to Cornwall. But it all worked just fine - one stop which we do anyway in any car.
I had no home charger when I got mine, and that's a pest...but that's in the past now. I do not miss visiting petrol stations, and do not miss the faff of that. I plug in at home when I need to (not often) and it's done.
I don't see me buying another ICE car - possibly another classic at some point, but for a daily/family car, no more.
Early-bird said:
Can somebody explain how the warranty works, an ICE Porsche can run extended warranty to 15 years or 125k miles. A Taycan battery warranty only goes to 8 years or 100k miles. Can that be extended? Else I can see why 2020 / 21 Taycans can be bought comparatively cheaply.
Currently the battery is "only" covered for 8yrs/100k miles. Doesn't mean they will all drop dead at that point, but there you go.Rest of the car is the same as all other Porsches.
andrewpandrew said:
Early-bird said:
Murph7355 said:
Currently the battery is "only" covered for 8yrs/100k .
Not great if you re buying a 40 grand 2020.This one explicitly excludes batteries...
Edited by Early-bird on Friday 6th March 15:48
Early-bird said:
If you extend the standard Porsche warranty can run to 15 years or 125k miles.
This one explicitly excludes batteries...
The Extended Warranty T&C were updated 15 Sept 2025 and the HV battery is covered by the policy. However, it is also listed under wear and tear items, so the exact intent or interpretation is unclear. I'm guessing that age/mile related battery capacity deterioration is not covered (beyond the terms of the 8 year factory warranty) but a battery failure in years 8 to 15 is covered. This one explicitly excludes batteries...
Edited by Early-bird on Friday 6th March 15:48
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