PROLOGUE

Please keep in mind that this review has been done by someone who drives a Mercedes GLC 63S AMG as a daily driver and enjoys a Lamborghini Huracan Performante as a weekend fun car. I am also an EV skeptic because after my first Tesla S P100D test-drive, I was deeply disappointed with range and the emotional part of the drive, even though I loved the gadget feel of the car (from a gadget lover's perspective).

Now let's start the short review. 

INTRODUCTION

When I picked up the Taycan Turbo S, the car had already done almost 3000 km and it was fully charged.

Based on the consumption of the previous driver, the calculated range in Sport mode was around 304 km. Not bad I thought. When I drive my Lamborghini the way I usually drive it (full throttle whenever legally possible), the range is also around 300 km (83 l fuel tank), so quite comparable. Unfortunately little did I know about the previous driver and his driving style because my real Taycan consumption ended up to be much lower. More about that later.

The new keyless go needs a little bit getting used to it since the door handles pop up already when I approach the car, not when I touch them. At the same time, the car opens. Not sure this is something I like from a safety point of view but I am pretty sure this can be changed in the car's setup menu. At least I hope so.

Inside the car and in front of the steering wheel, the Taycan feels a little bit like a smaller Panamera. I'm not a fan of the touch display because it is difficult to hit the right buttons when you are driving. Also, the display is a finger print magnet, even if it isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

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Overall, the ergonomics of the car are OK but not mind-blowing, the seating position is typical Porsche (very well adjustable to a perfect position), the interior also suggests that you are sitting in a real Porsche, it even smells like a Porsche. The interior quality is as good as expected and Tesla could definitely learn here from Porsche.

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I started the car in "silent" mode, the car I drove also had the optional PESS (Porsche Electric Sport Sound). I switched to the PESS and suddenly, I actually felt a little bit of emotion driving this car. Funny. My daughter mentioned it sounds like a car from the future and I have to agree. Very well done Porsche, the PESS fits the Taycan perfectly, even if it is a synthetic sound, which btw. is also carried outside of the car, not only into the interior. Good for pedestrians and a little bit of sympathies for the car and yes, people can hear it outside and often turn heads to see what kind of weird sound this is.

The first time I accelerated, I was overwhelmed with the spontaneous linear throttle response. If you think a n/a engined car has a good throttle response, try the Taycan in Sport or even Sport Plus mode. This is actually the thing I liked most about the Taycan Turbo S, the instant (and I mean instant) throttle response when you press your foot down, it is something you need to experience for yourself to understand the impact on driving. For casual and/or comfort oriented drivers, this may not seem like a big deal but for a sports cars buff like me, this is life changing. Compared to the Taycan Turbo S, my Huracan Performante has a laggy throttle response and yes, I know how this sounds. If someone ever drove the Performante in Corsa mode, well...you won't believe what I am saying but it is true, the Taycan Turbo S has the best throttle response I ever encountered on any vehicle and I drove many in my life.

This amazing throttle response goes so far that it can be dangerous too: You are always faster than you intend to be. Launch Control? You don't really need it. In Sport or Sport Plus mode, when you are standing at a stop light, just drop your foot fully on the throttle and the Taycan Turbo S jumps forward as if someone just released the car from a gigantic   contracted rubber band. It is unbelievable! Forget about launch control because with launch control, you have a lag of around one second before the car jumps forward. It feels spectacular but not as spectacular as the fully dropping of your foot on the throttle when standing still. Weird. It would be very interesting to measure acceleration in both modes but I kind of have the feeling that launch control doesn't really offer much of an advantage, other than it might push a little bit more power into the system ("overboost").

I started the car with a 303 km range display but this dropped fast once I was on the Autobahn.

I did over 260 kph four times for a couple of seconds only but drove full throttle most of the time on the Autobahn. Traffic was dense and we even ended up in a traffic jam (holiday season), so the resulting 200 km range was actually closer to 150 km if I had the chance to drive my "usual" way. I also did five launch control starts during the test drive. 

Overall, the car was more fun to drive than expected but more about this in the verdict at the end of the review.

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REVIEW

Drive: The powerful and torquey drive is amazing, the power seems to be produced effortlessly, it is just there, no drama, no noise, nothing. Just the tire noise (which btw. is pretty low) and as the car gets faster, the wind noise. My daughter mentioned a very smooth and linear power production and she was right. Very unusual compared to combustion engines because there is no shaking/trembling or any kind of mechanical noise in the process. The power is just there and it comes in a very linear way whenever you need it. Thats it. No drama.

Throttle response: Breathtaking, amazing, outstanding, out of this world, crazy good, I don't even know where to beging to describe it and keep in mind that I am already used to my Huracan Performante, one of the cars with the most outstanding throttle response on this planet. The Taycan Turbo S easily outperforms the Performante in this domain. After you press the throttle, there is actually no after or before. The throttle response moves linear with your throttle foot, it is an instant response, as if your brain is connected to the throttle. Amazing. Judging by how the Taycan Turbo S jumps forward from standstill when you instantly press the throttle, I'd even say that Porsche artificially reduced the throttle response to make sure nobody accidentally ends up in a wall with this car. Don't forget that you are still moving almost 2.4 tons and they need to be stopped as well.

Traction/ESP: Amazing traction and ESP setup, I was really impressed. I could basically keep my throttle foot down and do the craziest overtaking, curves, whatever and the car just kept on going, without any traction issues, instabilities or whatever. I was driving on EV optimized (noise/wear) winter tires and the Taycan Turbo S was still fast as hell without any hints of traction issues or instabilities under any driving situation. So impressive! The Tesla S P100D was a completely different beast in that domain, the ESP shut me "off" a couple of times. Very dynamic and sporty ESP setup and the "AWD" setup was neutral all the time, maybe with a tiny bit more power on the rear in Sport Plus mode, even permitting some drifting in this car.

Performance: Breathtaking. Literally. My son got car sick after 150 km and he never gets car sick. You are always too fast in this thing due to the spontaneous throttle response and power/torque. A couple of times I ended up being faster than I wanted and unfortunately this also means that if you are not careful in this car, you are going to end up with losing your driver's license. Even up to the top speed of 264 kph (speedo reading), the performance is phenomenal, you never get the feeling that the car is slow. Most impressive is always starting off from standstill in Sport or Sport Plus mode. Just make sure you inform your passenger because otherwise you end up being cursed on. My daughter wasn't prepared and was quite mad at me. The feeling is sensational, nothing I ever experienced in any car, including the Tesla S P100D or my Huracan Performante. Slingshot is maybe the right description for it...maybe Porsche should have named this car Slingshot Turbo S instead of Taycan Turbo S. It would have fitted the driving behavior perfectly.

https://youtu.be/0rQjcu0UVik

Chassis: Due to the EV optimized winter tires, it is difficult for me to rate the chassis setup but from my experience with other cars in this class and my own Huracan Performante which is also on winter tires right now, the Taycan Turbo S is a sporty as it gets for a 2.4 ton car. Actually, I was deeply impressed with the setup and how it handled in sharp curves and my guess is that the low gravity point due to the (heavy) battery location helps a lot in that. The Taycan Turbo S felt at least as good as my former Mercedes E63 S AMG on winter tires, which is impressive since the Mercedes is over 300 kg lighter. There was a slight "movement" in the chassis in some very sharp and fast curves but this may be due to the winter tires and a slightly more comfort oriented setup since Porsche probably wanted to keep some comfort left for their electric sedan. This would definitely be a point I would improve but there is nothing really wrong with it since the car felt very stable and safe all the time. I just missed a hint of "go-kart" feel. Compared to the Tesla S P100D, the Taycan Turbo S feels like a sports car. The Tesla S more like an ordinary E class with sport chassis.

https://youtu.be/Nb8cncNtNwU

Steering: The steering is direct and quite sporty but I expected a little bit more...how to put it...stiffness. It moves a little bit too light for my taste, even at higher speeds. The precision could be a tiny bit better but maybe the winter tires are to blame as well, it was difficult to tell. You won't feel the weight of the Taycan Turbo S though, believe it or not but it feels almost like a 911 Carrera S and this is an amazing achievement. Maybe this is the reason why the steering feel is a bit lighter, so that the illusion in this 2.4 ton car is even better. Porsche did a great job in hiding the weight and I think a big deal in doing this has been done through the steering setup.

Brakes: The car was equipped with the standard PCCB brake system and all I can say is that it delivered. Amazing braking performance, even if there were some moments when I had the sensation of a tiny hint of fading. Just a very little hint, probably indicating that I was going way too fast and the car weights almost 2.4 tons. I loved the instant brake reaction, perfectly adjusted to the instant throttle response. Without these brakes, the car would probably feel less safe.

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Quality: Top notch, typical Porsche. Of course my test car was fully loaded, lots of leather and carbon, so difficult to tell if a base car would look and feel the same. The Tesla S P100D I test-drove had a very bad interior quality but this was a while ago, so maybe this has changed.

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Consumption: I didn't expect much after my Tesla S P100D test-drive (which resulted in a range of 170 km and basically "limp mode" for the last kms) and so my disappointment was limited. The previous driver of the test car achieved 303 km in Sport mode, I achieved 200 km (and only because the Autobahn was crowded and I couldn't drive as fast as I usually do, had to switch to some country roads). I'd say that 150 km range would have been more realistic for my driving style and this is exactly what I expected. Just for comparison again: My Huracan Performante has a 300 km range when I drive on public roads in my typical driving style. Quite a difference, especially considering the fact that I can fuel up my Performante in 5 minutes. Speaking of fueling up: With the Porsche charger at the Porsche dealership, charging takes around 1 min for 1 km range. I charged the car 25 minutes and ended up with 24 km additional range. A joke. If you don't have a 800V charger in your vicinity (my Porsche dealer doesn't have one and the next ones are 60-100 km away from my location in Bavaria), charging time varies from 4.5 to almost 9 hours. Ouch. Considering the 150 km range in my hands and a usual charging time of 4.5 to 9 hours, this car is basically unusable for me. This is a sad fact. I usually do 500-600 km of driving on my weekends in my Performante, so this would be impossible in the Taycan Turbo S, unless I would drive in a more relaxed way.

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Interior and luggage room: The passengers in the rear won't have much to enjoy I'm afraid. My son is almost 1,90 m and he cannot really sit comfortably in the rear. The rear seats are only suitable for smaller people or kids. The luggage room is not much better either, this is not a car you can do long family trips in.

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Infotainment system: The sound of the Burmester sound is quite good but not really much better than the much cheaper Burmester (which is actually not really a Burmester system) in my GLC 63S AMG. Overall, you get your typical modern Porsche entertainment system with a few adaptations to EV tech (information about charging, etc.). Nothing really outstanding but not a bad system overall.

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Driving assist systems: Didn't really try them, sorry. There was no time. Camera/parking sensors software seemed a little bit buggy since the display sometimes showed obstacles where they weren't any, not even close and the sensors were beeping without any reason.


ISSUES

Other than the slightly buggy camera/parking sensors, I didn't really encounter any issues. There was one thing though, which surprised me and unfortunately in a bad way: When I only had 46 km range left, I entered the Autobahn and fully accelerated to get to speed with the other cars. Used to the previously amazing acceleration, I assumed I get the same again. Wrong. Apparently the car reduced power due to the lower range and I put myself in a very tricky situation when the car didn't accelerate in the way (and time) I expected it to. There was no visible warning like "reduced power" or whatever, so it was quite scary for a moment. Around 20 km later, remaining range was almost 20 km, I fully accelerated from standstill and there still was that amazing instant breathtaking acceleration. So I guess that power cut happens only at higher speeds, which is even more dangerous. The ridiculous charging time is also a thing I cannot ignore. This car is useless for my driving style, I cannot drive 150 km, then wait 4.5 hours to charge up the battery and continue to drive another 150 km. This is not practical and it makes no sense. Those faster 800V chargers are not available everywhere and I cannot drive 60-100 km just to charge my car faster. Makes no sense. At home, the charging time is up to 9 hours and at your local Porsche dealer (or if you are able to get one of those Porsche charging stations installed), the charging time is up to 4.5 hours. A joke if you ask me. Even if you get 300 km range out of a full charge (and this only happens if you drive in a relaxed way but then, I guess you don't necessarily need a 215k EUR Taycan Turbo S), it still poses a serious issue if you don't find one of those 800V chargers to charge your car again. Buyers should be aware of that! Speaking of buyers: The technology advances fast and I cannot believe what Porsche managed to build in only two years or so. Meaning: Lease, don't buy, the next gen Taycan can already be a different beast and you may regret buying it. Lease cost is quite high right now, so you need to decide for yourself what a Taycan is worth to you.

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VERDICT

I hate to say this but I fell in love with the Taycan Turbo S. The performance is phenomenal, the throttle response alone is worth the experience and Porsche managed to make a real sports car out of an EV weighting 2.4 tons. Kudos to the Porsche engineers, especially since five years ago, there was no Taycan on their radar. The Taycan Turbo S is fun to drive, not only as a driving gadget but as a sports car and the PESS (Porsche Electric Sport Sound) is an ingenious solution to offer a little bit of emotion to keep the driver hooked. It works, believe it or not. My son started to find the PESS sound annoying after a while but my daughter absolutely loved it, because of the "futuristic" approach. In my opinion, this is a must have option and I'm certainly not someone who enjoys artificial sounds.

The driving experience in the Taycan Turbo S is surprisingly sporty and fun, mainly because of the very linear power/torque distribution and the amazing throttle response and breathtaking instant acceleration under all driving conditions. Yes, you can drive in this car quietly and comfortable but do you really need a 215k EUR car for that?!

It is amazing how Porsche managed to get a 2.4 ton car feel so alive and nimble, the (in my opinion a bit too light) steering certainly plays a role, probably the weight distribution of the low gravity battery position as well. No matter how they did it, this car is certainly way more fun to drive than a Tesla S P100D and probably even a Panamera Turbo S. I get why some people choose the Panamera Turbo S though since the range of the Taycan Turbo S is, to wrap it in some nice words, terrible. US drivers will probably easily get 300 km range out of the Taycan Turbo S but this is no car made for the German Autobahn. I am not surprised that Porsche decided to limit the Taycan Turbo S at 260 kph because over 260 kph, the battery would probably be emptied ridiculously fast. 

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So here's the big question everyone will ask: Would I get one? The answer is: Definitely yes. But... 

I enjoyed driving the Taycan Turbo S tremendously and if Porsche would put one in my garage tomorrow, I wouldn't say no. Even for a nice lease rate, the Turbo S would be interesting as a daily driver (I can charge it over night at home) and I would love to own one since it would be a nice contrast to my Huracan Performante. 

As a weekend fun car though, the Taycan Turbo S sucks. Big time. No matter how much fun this car is, the fun ends after 150-200 km. At least here in Germany. In speed limited countries, you may be able to squeeze 250 km range out of it while still having fun in it. If you could recharge the car in lets say 15-20 minutes, this wouldn't be a real problem. Not possible though, not even with that magnificent 800V charging station. 

As long as charging times exceed 15 minutes, this whole EV revolution is...no revolution. I am pretty sure that at some point, charging times will be acceptable but paying 215k EUR for a car I can drive only once a day for 150-200 km? Not worth it. Unless I'd use it as a daily driver and don't do more than 200 km daily. Then it would actually make sense because I could recharge it over night at home.

Now I understand why Whoopsy got himself a Panamera Turbo S instead. Makes more sense. A hybrid. It may not be as fun as the Taycan Turbo S (yes, I mean it) but at least you can enjoy the fun longer.

Sorry but I still think that EVs aren't ready for primetime yet, especially those who are supposed to deliver extraordinary performance. Either manufacturers need to come up with some new battery tech which allows much higher capacities at similar or lower weight or they come up with innovative charging methods...or both.

If you have the money and some other cars as well in your garage and you badly want one, get it, you will love it but be aware of the range and charging issues. Everything else, you will enjoy tremendously, this is a fantastic car. No doubt! 

I will be test-driving the Taycan 4S as well at some point in the near future, just to see if the cheapest and "slowest" Taycan can offer a similar experience as the Turbo S. Stay tuned.

One last thing: So far, I wasn't sure if EVs are really going to be the future but after driving the Taycan Turbo S and actually realizing that Porsche was able to give an EV the typical Porsche "genes", I am convinced that EVs are going to be the future. The throttle response, the torque and power, these are things that can be barely replicated in cars with combustion engines. And this is the beginning only, who knows what kind of technology and software we are going to see in 10 years. EVs are the future, if we like it or not but Porsche made it perfectly clear that EVs don't have to be boring to drive. Give car manufacturers and battery tech developers another decade or so and combustion engines are done. Unfortunately. Or maybe luckily? Drive the Taycan Turbo S to create your own opinion but be ready to be amazed, not only in a positive way (charging time).

 

UPDATE and Addendum (Taycan 4S in comparison)

 

Taycan 4S differences vs Taycan Turbo S

0-100 kph acceleration video...

https://youtu.be/sIdCp6E8S0U

  • Energy consumption similar, no difference actually, which is surprising. The pic shows a pretty high consumption but this is me, the estimated range was (similar to the Turbo S) around 330 km before I got into the car (fully charged). It is a little bit weird that there doesn't seem to be a difference but maybe this is how EVs work, I don't have a clue.
  • Performance difference is substantial: On the same part (length) of the Autobahn, the Taycan 4S achieved 198 kph, the Turbo S achieved 260 kph. Huge difference. Same with lower speed acceleration: 120 kph for the Taycan 4S where the Turbo S achieved 160 kph.
  • Throttle response is only fantastic in Sport Plus mode, in the Turbo S even in Sport mode. It is maybe a tiny bit less spontaneous than in the Turbo S but it is barely noticeable (Sport Plus).
  • Chassis and steering feel very sporty, not much different from Turbo S. Especially in Sport Plus, the car feels light and nimble. ESP setup is great, car also has no traction issues at all, similar to more powerful Turbo S. Even in Sport Plus mode, the car feels and behaves very safe and controllable, very good setup.
  • Brake system: The reviewed 4S had the standard brake but I really prefer the PCCB system of the Turbo S I drove. The spontaneous and very linear brake feel of the PCCB is much better suited for an EV like the Taycan.
  • The optional extra display for the passenger often showed only "Taycan" and nothing else, which was either a bug or a loose contact (when I accelerated and braked hard, the display showed the usual information again). Not really great on a 135k (with options) car. 
  • Car had very little leather, mostly black plastic and it looked better than expected. Probably the reason why the price tag of the test car was so low, I came up with 152k EUR when I configured a 4S to my specs and I didn't go crazy on the options at all.
  • The (hard) acceleration feel was not as spectacular as in the Turbo S but still pretty impressive. 
  • BOSE sound system: The Turbo S had the Burmester, the 4S the BOSE. After listening to both, I have to say that this may be the first time I actually recommend the Burmester. Why? The Taycan is very quiet and the music quality is more "hearable" than in combustion engine cars. Yes, the BOSE sucks in the Taycan, the bass is very flat and if you adjust it to a much higher level, it gets distorted, not pleasant. Go for the Burmester if you love music.

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Conclusion: The Turbo S is definitely more desirable from a (straight line) performance point of view but if you're on a budget and badly want a Taycan, the 4S won't disappoint, especially not in Sport Plus mode. The chassis and steering setups are not much different from the Turbo S. To be honest though, I would probably get the Turbo instead, maybe not going too crazy on the options to keep cost down, simply because the Turbo should be closer to the Turbo S experience. I also do not think that the Taycan 4S is really worth it's money but compared to the Turbo S, it probably is. 

For speed limited countries, the 4S is more than enough to provide the typical Porsche Taycan experience. No doubt. 

For the Autobahn and those who love an even more insane acceleration feel, the Turbo S (or maybe the Turbo) are better choices.

Will I get one? The answer is: NO. The reason is not the quality or the experience with the Taycan, I like the Taycan (especially the Turbo S) a lot but cost. For me, the Taycan is just too expensive. This is just me.

 

 


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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), Mercedes GLC63 S AMG (2020), Mercedes C63 S AMG Cab (2019), Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019)