Road test
PORSCHE Taycan 2020
Impressive performance for Porsche's first electric car
August 12, 2020
Pros and cons
Pros
- Brilliant performance
- Outstanding handling
- Exemplary steering and braking
- Faultless driving position
- Meticulous finish
- Remarkable comfort
Cons
- Indecent price, vehicle and options
- Relatively low driving range
- Mediocre visibility
- Irritating touch controls
- Tight rear seating
Overview
The Porsche Turbo S badge figures proudly on the back end of our Taycan tester, yet you don’t hear a thing when you push the start button. It’s perfectly normal: Porsche’s first fully electric car obviously doesn’t have an internal-combustion engine, much less a turbocharger. But with 761 horses champing at the bit, it more than merits the lettering, which designates certain of the celebrated German brand’s sportiest creations.
The Turbo S version tops the Porsche Taycan lineup, which also includes 4S and Turbo variants. All models have one electric motor per axle, giving them de facto all-wheel drive. They are currently the only electric vehicles with a two-speed transmission. Power is supplied by a 93.4 kWh battery; a smaller-capacity battery is in the works for the 4S, which will drop the Taycan’s real starting price.
As of August 2020, prices started at $131,360 (including Performance Plus battery, panoramic roof and Porsche Mobile Charger Connect charger). In theory, without those three mandatory features, the cost could be reduced to $120,900. In reality, bare-bones Porsches are rare indeed, and the hefty options catalogue can quickly raise the bill.
A prime example, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S we drove included no less than $23,410 in options—the cost of a Honda Civic automatic sedan—topping out the price at $238,810. Who says you can’t dream?
Verdict
No, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S does not have the driving range of a Tesla Model S, which sells for a lot less. Yes, the heady sound of Porsche’s flat-six engine is missing. But the Stuttgart automaker did not sell its sporty soul by going electric; quite the opposite. As elegant in corners as it is ferocious in a straight line, the Taycan should also share the benefits of Porsche’s good reputation in terms of reliability.
Evaluation
Body and cabin
With its teardrop shape, globular headlights, thin taillight bar, oversized wheels and tires, and yellow-painted brake calipers, the Taycan is unmistakably a Porsche. Its resemblance to the Panamera is striking, but the two models share not a single body panel. In fact, the Taycan yields 4 cm of height, 5 cm of wheelbase and 9 cm of length to its sibling. It is closer in terms of dimensions to a Tesla Model S, its main rival.However, the Taycan is 6 cm lower than its American competitor, and it shows in the cabin, which is less airy and bright than that of the Model S. Less roomy, as well, especially in rear foot room. The Tesla holds the advantage for cargo space, mainly because of its hatchback body style. The Taycan’s traditional trunk cannot match its rival’s in terms of versatility, despite the 60/40 folding rear seatbacks.
On the other hand, front occupants are royally treated to 18-way power-adjusted sport seats. These sublime bucket seats provide impeccable support without sacrificing comfort. The low driving position is reminiscent of that of the Porsche 911, but less extreme; sports car fans will love it, even though the steering wheel hides the top of the gauges for some drivers.
The meticulous finish and high quality of materials are equaled only by the sharpness and rapidity of the digital displays. An innovative curved display screen faces the driver; a control screen facing the passenger is also available—for a price ($1,280). Climate and car control functions are accessed on a third screen; the only physical buttons are found on the steering wheel and doors.
While it all combines to heighten the high-tech feel of the cabin, it makes for an uneasy experience for the driver, at least in the beginning. With nearly everything—even the direction of airflow—controlled by touch-sensitive buttons, the merest task requires taking one’s eyes off the road. The cryptic labelling of the buttons on the steering wheel and the unusual logic of the instrumentation also involve a learning curve. The avalanche of buttons on the console of the outgoing generation of Porches suddenly seems less repellent.
Safety
What would you say to paying $1,090 to add blind-spot detection on your $131,000 Taycan, while your neighbour got it free of charge on his $25,000 Kia Seltos? Welcome to the wonderful world of German luxury car brands. At least Porsche delivers as standard automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure alert and lane-keeping assist.Adaptive cruise control is optional across the board, as are crash-avoidance assist (with Swerve Assist), Intersection Assist (which detects an on-coming vehicle on making a left turn) and emergency stopping if the driver does not react to traffic.
It is important to remember that these systems do not replace the vigilance of the driver, that they can fail and that they are not very compatible with our harsh winters. On the other hand, the safety benefits of AEB are amply documented, notably in studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Consumer Reports.
No North American agency has evaluated the Taycan for crashworthiness, but the Euro NCAP association awarded it its top score (5/5) after a battery of strict tests.
Mechanical overview
The Taycan is the first of a series of cars that will use Porsche’s new J1 platform. Designed exclusively for all-electric models, it combines a variety of metals to achieve high impact resistance and (relative) lightness. For instance, hot-formed steels protect the passenger compartment whereas body panels are made of aluminum. The housing of the underfloor battery forms part of the safety structure of the vehicle.The heart of the powertrain, the battery is rated at 93.4 kWh; according to Natural Resources Canada, it provides a driving range of 323 km in Turbo trim. In comparison, a Tesla Model S Performance equipped with 21-inch wheels—like our Taycan Turbo S tester—can get up to 525 km from its 100 kWh battery. The Model S Long Range Plus increases that to 647 km with the same battery!
The Porsche can at least equal the Tesla in terms of charging time, at least on paper. Its 800‑volt technology allows you to add 100 km in 5 minutes 30 seconds… provided the car is plugged in at a minimum 270 kW charging station. As of August 2020, only the Electrify Canada network offered public charging stations of over 150 kW, at seven locations in Ontario and in British Columbia. The company is planning to add six stations in Quebec in the near future.
Tesla’s Supercharger ratings are slightly lower on paper, but the automaker already has a vast charging network installed across North America.
Under ideal conditions, it takes 31 minutes to add 100 km of range at a 50 kW fast charging station, like those of Electric Circuit and FLO. It takes 10 hours with a residential charging system, according to Natural Resources Canada. It should be noted that a number of factors can increase those charging times, including weather conditions and the residential electrical system.
In terms of power, it is practically a toss-up between the two rivals. Tesla wins by 17 horses and by 0.3 second in the 0-100 km/h sprint, at least on paper. All the same, the Taycan’s 761 horses rocket it to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds. You’d be hard pressed to know the difference without a chronometer.
The Launch Control function is necessary to achieve maximum acceleration, but performance is phenomenal in all five driving modes, accessible via a drive-mode dial on the steering wheel. Not forgetting the contribution of all-wheel drive that flattens the power to the road, thanks to the two electric motors, one per axle.
The Porsche Taycan is also the first all-electric production vehicle to get a two-speed gearbox. Designed by transmission specialist ZF, it works with the rear motor to improve both initial acceleration and at-speed performance.
The innovative transmission highlights the vehicle’s sporty character, along with a slew of other electronic and mechanical devices that Porsche took for the Taycan from its other series. Adaptive air suspension, rear torque vectoring, variable-assist steering, rear-wheel steering, carbon-ceramic brakes: the Turbo S gets all that at no extra cost. Our tester also featured an active roll-stabilization system, sold for $4,090. The Turbo offers some of those systems as standard equipment, others as an option; ordering all of them would add an extra $18,000 to the sticker of the base 4S.
Driving impressions
The price tag can be a shocker on any Porsche. But when you drive one, you understand where some of the money goes. The exquisite red-leather interior of our Taycan Turbo S tester was impressive, but it is on the road that its craftsmanship is fully displayed.What strikes you first? The breathtaking acceleration, obviously. Like all electric vehicles, the Taycan reacts instantaneously to a press of the pedal on the right. But when 761 horsepower is unleashed all at once, the push is phenomenal. Even without Launch Control, 625 horses propel the vehicle to 100 km/h in barely 3 seconds.
In contrast, as quick as you can say the word the carbon-ceramic brakes bring the Turbo S to a perfectly safe and rectilinear stop. Their special composition ensures they can repeat the feat without fading or overheating. Porsche voluntarily chose to limit the deceleration realized by recuperation for a more traditional driving experience. Whether or not you like the approach, you have to admit that the transition between the regenerative system and the mechanical brakes proves imperceptible.
Obviously, you don’t just drive in a straight line… and the Taycan is in its element when the roads get twisty. Handling is nothing short of sensational for a car weighing over 2,200 kg—as much as a midsize SUV. Part of the secret lies with the underfloor positioning of the heavy battery, which lowers the centre of gravity of the car.
But there’s more. The steering displays knife-edge precision backed by a genuine feel for tire contact on the road. The numerous handling improvement systems function transparently to make guiding the vehicle extremely secure and gratifying. Despite its exceptional power, the Taycan proves easy to drive, at low speed in the city as well as at speed on a twisty road.
Porsche has also succeeded in maintaining an impressively comfortable ride, thanks to the air suspension. Damping is firm but remains compliant enough for long road trips—within the limits of the displayed driving range, of course.
Even the driving assistance systems function with above-average smoothness, though they are still far from perfect. In any event, the pleasure of driving the vehicle oneself is reason enough to want to switch some of them off.
Apart from the absence of the unique Porsche flat-six sound (that the optional Electric Sport Sound feature cannot reproduce), mediocre visibility and relatively low driving range, there are very few downsides to driving a Porsche Taycan Turbo S.