As mentioned above I had been invited to the brand-new Porsche Experience Center at Hockenheim for driving the Taycan. I've watched some of the online reviews and my expectations were rather low, esp with regards to interior space and the weight. So here is what I learned.
We were a small group, about 7 customers + company + a dog. After having a superb lunch, while watching a trackday, we got a one-hour introduction into the Taycan, e-mobility and everything.
Here is a view from the restaurant:
This presentation wasn't too technical, but I learned a couple of things. One being that you can order a larger battery for the 4s (83,7kWh instead of 79,2 kWh), that you can home-charge at 11kW only (22kW update is coming), and that the two motors will be disengaged with some kind of freewheel while coasting. Unfortunately, no one could explain the details.
Then we got an instructor, an hour time and the track. But let's start with the car.
The Taycan is big, more than 4,9m long, almost 2m wide (without mirrors) but only 1,3m high, which is a tiny bit higher than a 992. I think that this and the low front of the car makes the Taycan appear a lot smaller than it actually is. It is a very beautiful car with a strong, modern, but different presence.
The front trunk is rather small, rear trunk is no space wonder either, but at least the rear seats are foldable.
Seating position in the front is as good as it can be. If you like sitting in a more recent 911, you'll feel like home.
The biggest surprise for me is the backseats. Although the car is so low, even my son (1,95m) can comfortably sit in the back without any compromise in the front. Only downside is, that the head will easily touch the roof, when you lean towards the door. Porsche has built what they call a "foot garage", a spacing in the battery pack to place your feet and I did not expect it to work that good.
When discussing other ELVs here, some RT members like to point out, that these cars are "gadgets on wheels". Well, the Taycan is the Gadget-King. The car we had featured at least 5 displays with a gazillion options. Most of those displays have touch feedback, meaning that you'll feel a mechanical sensation in your finger-tips when successfully hitting a button. The lower display in the middle serves as a touchpad. I found this quite useful, because you can keep your arm on the armrest while working through the uncountable options. Speaking of options: All nannies can be disabled, the amount of regenerative braking can be configured, there are various drive modes (range, normal, sport, sport+) etc.
The Porsche track has a lot of tight corners, a steep turn, a 200m straight (they did 220 km/h with a GT2 RS) and as many complications as a Patek. I couldn't find a photo of the track, but this render comes pretty close.
Driving the 2,4t Taycan through this maze is just so much fun. The car is no 911, but this is easy to forget. Only in fast corners the tires will squeak and then the 2+ ton will decide to heavily understeer; it is more than amazing what the engineers were able to achieve. My son did a 15min stint, instructor on the passenger seat, me in the back and after that he had to take a break because he got motion sick ... like me; but I pretended that everything was fine.
When driving in Sport or Sport+ you'll not only hear the artificial sound but you'll also hear the gear shifts from the rear. I know, that it's computer controlled etc, but I have to admit, that I liked it. It adds something to the overall sensation and gives you an idea about the state of the car.
I couldn't care less about a launch control start. The Taycan (we had the Turbo, not the S), is very very fast, but without any scientific proof, an unnamed electric car feels more brutal up to 40 or so. Our car had the "Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB)" and as you would expect, they are fantastic, although you'll feel the weight during heavy braking. Mechanical braking blends in with regenerative braking, as Nick already explained, and it is just perfect. Porsche claims, that 90% of braking is regenerative, the rest is mechanical. That’s why the brake pads must be replaced after 6 years (if I remember correctly).
After the 1h driving I had a quick look at the trip counter (that we did not reset) and energy consumption was at 560 Wh/km - which may seem crazy but appropriate for running around a track. For those not familiar with these numbers: My Tesla Model S consumes around 250 Wh/km, a Model 3 is below 200Wh/h, both for normal driving. The Porsche people claimed that one can drive the Autobahn at 200+ km/h for 250km with a full battery.
Thanks for reading so far; the rest will be about Tesla, not because I think that this is especially interesting, but because a lot of people compare these two cars.
My P100D is a wonderful car; it's just so unenganging and perfect for getting from A to B, likely the best DD I ever owned. But it's in no way comparable to a Taycan. Whereas the Tesla is a very fast sofa on wheels, the Taycan is a Porsche. The Tesla has more space, probably uses less energy and tries to get the driver out of the equation with Autopilot and other nannies. The Taycan is more joyful and wants the driver to take the next turn a bit faster than the previous one and creates a smile on your face while driving.
I was thinking that the price difference between those two cars is just nuts. After that day I think that the price for the Taycan is ok.
For now ELVs are the future and the Taycan proves, that it will not as bad as some may think ... if Porsche and other car makers can get the obscene weight under control.
Cheers
Rick
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