Taycan test drive was a snooze-fest, is this the future?
Discussion
Apologies in advance for offending the Taycan owners on here, but we have a deposit down on a 2WD and finally got round to test driving one. Annoyingly, despite insisting on testing a 2WD the dealer produced a 4S on the day.
Anyway, cut a long story short, it is the first electric car I have driven and I was disappointed by the 4S. It was nicely put together but just very dull to drive at normal speeds. It felt heavy, limited feedback because no engine noise (silly artificial electric sound thing aside).
I get that you can put your foot down and travel very quickly but that wears off after time and is not something you can do day to day in the real world. I think car reviewers have been very kind to it so far, maybe other EV's are just so poor?
The Cayenne we have is exceptional considering it is a 4x4 and I assumed Porsche would do the same for EV"s.
Was I expecting too much?
I actually got quite depressed afterwards thinking future generations are not going to know what they missed.
Anyway, cut a long story short, it is the first electric car I have driven and I was disappointed by the 4S. It was nicely put together but just very dull to drive at normal speeds. It felt heavy, limited feedback because no engine noise (silly artificial electric sound thing aside).
I get that you can put your foot down and travel very quickly but that wears off after time and is not something you can do day to day in the real world. I think car reviewers have been very kind to it so far, maybe other EV's are just so poor?
The Cayenne we have is exceptional considering it is a 4x4 and I assumed Porsche would do the same for EV"s.
Was I expecting too much?
I actually got quite depressed afterwards thinking future generations are not going to know what they missed.
Seriously considering cancelling it, the tax benefits make it very attractive to run through the company and the Cayenne is going to start costing money. So it makes sense from a "head" point of view, but not from a "heart" point of view.
Maybe I just need to accept that it is a consumer product like anything else and enjoy the fun cars on the drive while I can.
Maybe I just need to accept that it is a consumer product like anything else and enjoy the fun cars on the drive while I can.
Discombobulate said:
And having driving both the Cayenne and Taycan I am surprised you didn't like it. I was left thinking it's the best saloon on the market at the moment - for combining refinement and drive. As a benchmark I am a serial M5 / RS owner.
To be fair, I think I make allowances for the Cayenne being a 4x4 but I remember when I tested it and I was amazed that a car like that could drive so well. I just didn't get that with the Taycan (in the context of being an EV). I also have a 997 and that is a car that is fun without doubling the speed limit. I thought that was an unfair comparison though.
Sierra Mike said:
The only electric car I’ve driven is an i3 which I quite liked. My only expectation is that the Taycan is at least as good. By all accounts, I shouldn’t be disappointed.
I would say that hoping a near 100k car is as good as a city runabout that you “quite liked” is a pretty low bar for it to get over. I doubt you would have the same attitude to an ICE powered vehicle.One of the problems with this car is that the tax situation is distorting the buying decision. If there was no tax help it would be an easy “no way”, but with the tax break it is borderline for me.
The thing I can see happening is that EV’s are so dull to drive that we will all end up accepting self driving cars and then it is game over.
DMZ said:
On the other hand, you get a load of tax benefits on a luxury vehicle, it's better for those around you as it doesn't emit anything, it's comfortable, it's quiet, and it doesn't really cost anything to run.
But you get all that from the competition at a cheaper price point?ds666 said:
I don’t agree they are all dull to drive . I’ve had an ipace for nearly 2 years and it is a great drive . Great to hussle round the bends and makes overtaking effortless - genuinely safer than any ice car I have .
The tax does distort the company car position massively . I haven’t bothered with company cars for years but the change to electric with low bik is a no brainer
Off to test an I-pace as a comparison this week (as well as the Audi e-tron), Poletsar seems difficult to get a test drive unless you live in London or Manchester.The tax does distort the company car position massively . I haven’t bothered with company cars for years but the change to electric with low bik is a no brainer
I also now get why Tesla is so strongly favoured by the financial markets (I always thought they would be toast once the big manufacturers got into the EV game). I think I was wrong. I now think they will win.
Because it is hard (impossible?) to make an EV properly engaging as a real world car it doesn't matter if you have decades of motorsport heritage, it doesn't matter how it drives because they will all be much of a muchness.
Cars will become just another white good, like a washing machine or a dishwasher. So you just need to know the stats, like how much range, how quick it charges, see if you like the look of it online. No surprise really that you can't walk into a Tesla or a Polestar dealer in most towns and go for a drive.
Quite depressing really.
Because it is hard (impossible?) to make an EV properly engaging as a real world car it doesn't matter if you have decades of motorsport heritage, it doesn't matter how it drives because they will all be much of a muchness.
Cars will become just another white good, like a washing machine or a dishwasher. So you just need to know the stats, like how much range, how quick it charges, see if you like the look of it online. No surprise really that you can't walk into a Tesla or a Polestar dealer in most towns and go for a drive.
Quite depressing really.
Thanks for the replies, all interesting points of view.
On the Cayenne: I am comparing Cayenne to Taycan for a couple of reasons. First of all the Taycan would replace the Cayenne so there is an obvious personal comparison to make there. But more interestingly, the Cayenne exceeded expectations when I drove it. With a young family we needed a load carrier and I just didn't expect it to be so good. The Taycan just didn't exceed expectations for an EV. So I agree expectations are important, based on reviews I read, this was supposed to be the EV that you would want to drive. I think, deep down, Porsche know this isn't, why else would they offer a silly electric woosh sound?
On trying other EV's: We have now tried an I-pace. Equally dull apart from the brakes that were "exciting", but with the added problem of it being a £40K car pretending to be a £65K car. 1 hr test drive lasted 20 mins. Local Audi haven't got an e-tron to demonstrate so can't comment.
We are trying a 2WD Taycan coming on over-night test next.
My original post was only partly about the first world problem of which expensive EV to buy.
The tax position is manipulating us into products that we wouldn't otherwise buy. I would prefer to have an honest conversation and say you are not going to get a car that is as much fun but at least we are trying to save the planet.
A few years ago Clarkson drove an Aston Vantage V12 (I think it was) on old Top Gear, with helicopter shots of nice scenery etc. He told us to enjoy these cars while we could. Then Porsche made an EV and I thought he might be wrong.
Annoyingly he wasn't.
On the Cayenne: I am comparing Cayenne to Taycan for a couple of reasons. First of all the Taycan would replace the Cayenne so there is an obvious personal comparison to make there. But more interestingly, the Cayenne exceeded expectations when I drove it. With a young family we needed a load carrier and I just didn't expect it to be so good. The Taycan just didn't exceed expectations for an EV. So I agree expectations are important, based on reviews I read, this was supposed to be the EV that you would want to drive. I think, deep down, Porsche know this isn't, why else would they offer a silly electric woosh sound?
On trying other EV's: We have now tried an I-pace. Equally dull apart from the brakes that were "exciting", but with the added problem of it being a £40K car pretending to be a £65K car. 1 hr test drive lasted 20 mins. Local Audi haven't got an e-tron to demonstrate so can't comment.
We are trying a 2WD Taycan coming on over-night test next.
My original post was only partly about the first world problem of which expensive EV to buy.
The tax position is manipulating us into products that we wouldn't otherwise buy. I would prefer to have an honest conversation and say you are not going to get a car that is as much fun but at least we are trying to save the planet.
A few years ago Clarkson drove an Aston Vantage V12 (I think it was) on old Top Gear, with helicopter shots of nice scenery etc. He told us to enjoy these cars while we could. Then Porsche made an EV and I thought he might be wrong.
Annoyingly he wasn't.
You can turn the regen braking on (I think there is a steering wheel button to do that), but the default is off. It felt more natural to me to have regen on, otherwise the speed feels like it stays with the car an un-naturally long period.
I think there may be resale value issues for the reason stated above, but if you are buying through a company and writing it down, probably won't bother most buyers. Interestingly the sales guy I spoke to was recommending a guaranteed value finance deal to mitigate that. Might be the one time the extra cost of that is worth it.
Another point - there isn't a decent colour in the range! I think it needs to be lighter to make the most of the intakes but too light and you lose the curves. Thought silver was the answer but the test one we had looked a bit flat. The other colours are a bit meh and the blue is a bit bright (looks good on a 911).
I think there may be resale value issues for the reason stated above, but if you are buying through a company and writing it down, probably won't bother most buyers. Interestingly the sales guy I spoke to was recommending a guaranteed value finance deal to mitigate that. Might be the one time the extra cost of that is worth it.
Another point - there isn't a decent colour in the range! I think it needs to be lighter to make the most of the intakes but too light and you lose the curves. Thought silver was the answer but the test one we had looked a bit flat. The other colours are a bit meh and the blue is a bit bright (looks good on a 911).
Grantstown said:
As a 4S owner, I don’t really understand why the motoring journalists are so keen on the RWD version. The magic happens because power can be instantly shifted between the front and rear. I might be wrong as I haven’t driven the RWD.
Had a RWD on extended test (school run, overnight then school run). It was pouring with rain for the whole time. Overall, slightly preferred the RWD, maybe it was just because I had longer with it, dunno. One slight wobble on standing water where the steering went v light but no traction etc triggered. Interestingly it was on springs rather than air suspension (surprisingly for a demo car). Running slightly hard on 21 inch wheels but OK. Still like driving a milk float though...fblm said:
I'm more than a little surprised by this. IMO/E the driving experience is light years ahead of the Cayenne in every possible respect including involvement and fun. The Cayenne is a remarkable truck but it's still a truck. I didn't want or need a new car and I certainly didn't want an EV after driving a few Teslas but I drove a friends Taycan and ordered one the next day. It's absolutely brilliant. I've swung from being horribly depressed about the future of motoring to loving it; honestly can't see myself ever buying another new ICE car... EV for the week, classic ICE for the weekend... sign me up.
Maybe my post wasn't clear enough, I didn't say the Cayenne was a better driving car than the Taycan. I think the Cayenne totally moved the 4x4 market to a new level (I think most people agree it saved Porker bacon) and the Taycan didn't give me the same impression Porsche has done that on EV.Maybe it is me, but I just don't get how people "enjoy" driving an EV. No anticipation when you turn the engine over, no rumbling noise from it, no exhaust bark, no gear selection fun. OK, it is fast but it is all so...boring and clinical. Again I am not saying the Cayenne does all this but an equivalent ICE super saloon would and my 997 certainly does. I also accept that the Taycan 4S would kill the 997 but that isn't the point for me.
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