2026 Porsche Taycan E-Shift | PH Review

Can simulated PDK gearchanges really save the Taycan?

You’d imagine Porsche will be hoping the option of a new E-Shift simulated gearbox will give Taycan sales the boost they so desperately need. As you may have heard, customer demand has halved in recent years, which, given it remains a great car to drive, is more than a little concerning for a brand rolling out yet more EVs. Clearly the four-seater needs something to grab people’s attention at a time when interest in high-end electric cars has tapered more quickly than English World Cup optimism.

First thought: maybe it needs an engine. Obviously we’re talking about a simulated one, but with Porsche’s first E-Shift gearbox now officially added to the options list - from base saloon to fully specced-up Cross Turismo - the Taycan now has something that only Hyundais, Kias and one tiny new Honda have had to this point. The bar has of course been set very high, with the brilliance of the Ioniq 5 N and following 6 N well documented. But Porsche says its system is different to what’s come before.

Well, it doesn’t half sound familiar on paper. The simulated ‘PDK’ has realistic torque curves to mimic a combustion engine and gearbox, six close-set ratio speeds and two overdrive speeds for explosive lower-speed performance or relaxed cruising, as well as engine braking, which is controlled by the regen. It also has a simulated hard limiter, and it can even run in ‘auto’ mode if you’d prefer to let the software do the shifting. In short, it promises to do all of the things that Hyundai’s system does, so it’s not exactly reinventing the wheel - and yet it does have a different character.

Before we get to that though, it’s worth mentioning that the E-Shift is only a £750 option if you add it to a Taycan already equipped with the Sport Chrono and Bose sound system. If you go for a lower-ranked model, the E-Shift option costs about three grand because it automatically adds those options to make the system work. But since most British Taycan buyers already go for the £96k Black Edition (which gets these bits as standard), most buyers will pay the smaller price for E-Shift. Moreover, Porsche, perhaps a touch optimistically, reckons the resulting residual value increase means the option basically pays for itself.

It’s also worth noting that the 2027 model year Taycan gains new infotainment tech that uses a much smarter AI system, so it’s now capable of receiving multiple instructions in one, conversational go. You could, for example, ask for a temp change in the cabin and directions to an address in one sentence, and you could add a third command without having to re-awaken the system with “Hey Porsche”, because it keeps listening to you for several seconds after you stop speaking. As far as voice tech systems go, this is now easily one of the best.

Admittedly, the infotainment screens themselves don’t get any bigger, which means there’s still a pretty thick black bar around the displays, making the setup look very much like the last-gen tech it is. But new menus, customisable widgets and changeable shortcuts mean the digital stuff is more intuitive. Best of all, the mechanical switches on the steering wheel remain, with a customisable one that can be double-tapped to switch off the annoying ADAS features, if that’s your preference.

All that said, the most interesting changes arrive with the gearbox option, because it adds not only an E-Shift dial next to the Drive mode one, but also two shift paddles behind the wheel. These look and feel exactly the same as those fitted to real PDK cars for the simple reason that they are. In normal running, when the car is being driven with E-Shift off, they control the regenerative braking, giving Taycan drivers two modes of strengths for the first time, albeit still with no one-pedal mode for city driving.

As the GTS we’re driving confirms, there’s no difference in the way an E-Shift Taycan drives when you set off. To ‘awaken’ its new settings, you need to press the button in the middle of the E-Shift dial. Do that, and the screen ahead suddenly displays a rev counter with a 7,500rpm redline, and the Bose speakers play the subtle, bassy rumble of a simulated engine. The tone is recognisable from the Taycan Turbo GT, but a rev counter needle that’s wobbling up and down courtesy of a few dozen simulated revs confirms that the system is inspired by something real - probably a V8 Panamera. It’s certainly very different to the video game-inspired tones of a Hyundai N EV.

You can’t rev it in neutral though, which is a bit disappointing, but perhaps this has something to do with the fact the Taycan (unlike those Hyundais) plays its fake engine sounds outside as well. It’s not until you’re in Drive and on the move that your pedal inputs have an impact on the simulated engine tones. In Normal mode with the system set to Auto, the tone is low in volume and the simulated shifts are so smooth you can’t actually feel them. But in Sport and Sport Plus, the volume rises, the bass increases and the shifts come with a quick but noticeable jolt of torque.

Drive steadily and the system feels perfectly believable - so much so that it’s genuinely pleasing to leave it in its auto mode all the time, as you would a PDK - but it’s when you click the E-Shift dial to Manual and get a move on that the real detail can be felt. Floor it from low revs and in a high gear and the simulated engine response bogs down, gradually raising the speed. Click back two or three ratios and it bursts into what is meant to seem like its sweet spot, making the car charge forwards like a regular GTS would. Don’t upshift and your head will be shoved forwards as you hammer into the simulated hard limiter. It’s unnecessary, but rather brilliant stuff.

Interestingly, the torque curves of each gear aren’t as noticeable as they are in a 5 or 6 N because Porsche has set up the E-Shift so it has a negligible impact on straight-line performance. That means it gets to peak torque much quicker, so you don’t have the same sense of an engine powering towards a high-rev crescendo. Conversely, the engine braking doesn’t feel quite as aggressive if you click down the ratios - oh, and there’s no fake exhaust gargling or crackling produced by the rear speakers like in the Hyundais. So it’s less characterful in a (faked) mechanical sense - and less visceral, too.

That said, this isn’t a pseudo hot hatch; it’s a four-seat Porsche, so the use case and type of buyer are likely different. When questioned about it, Porsche tells PH that it was wary about fully simulating an engine torque curve precisely because it would have meant handicapping performance - something Hyundai was prepared to live with. If that makes it seem like a more cautious attempt at mimicking combustion, then Porsche will likely live with that verdict, too.

Expect E-Shift to be rolled out to other Porsche EVs in due time, but for now, it’s exclusively a toy for the Taycan. It’ll actually come as standard on top-of-the-range Taycans - including the left-hand-drive-only Manthey Kit ‘ring record holder - but best of all, even those who go for the most sensible rear-drive car (which can now do 435 miles thanks to new Continental tyres, by the way), will have the option of paddle shifts. Whether that increases the amount of people still interested in buying a Taycan remains to be seen - but those that do will now be in the position to have more fun. Who can argue with that?

SPECIFICATION | 2026 PORSCHE TAYCAN GTS E-SHIFT

Engine: 105kWh lithium ion battery (gross), two electric motors
Transmission: Two-speed, 8 augmented ratios, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 700 (overboost)
Torque (lb ft): 583 (with Launch Control)
0-62mph: 3.3 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 2,285kg (DIN)
MPG: 3.4mi/kWh, 389 miles range (WLTP)
Charging: Up to 320kW DC for 10-80% 18 mins, up to 22kW AC
Price: £118,265 (£119,015 with £750 E-Shift)

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