Around the World: Porsche Taycan
Porsche New Zealand has announced the pricing of its all-electric Taycan sports car, with the first customer deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. The models include the Taycan 4S, priced from $203,900, the Taycan Turbo ($289,900) and the Turbo S from $366,900.
Here's the opinion of the Taycan from global experts.
The Porsche Taycan is the first all-electric car from the German luxury brand. Photo: Porsche Media
Top Gear
The British magazine and website gave it 8/10.
“This is Porsche’s first all-electric car, previewed by the Mission E concept way back in 2015. A car we’re expecting to re-write the rule book on what an EV is capable of. A torch-bearer for the future of the performance car. No pressure.
Stefan Weckbach, the man tasked with delivering the Taycan, insists that while he’s driven every EV on the market, the only benchmark that mattered was making it drive as much like a 911 as possible. Aim for the moon and all that. So, starting from a very blank piece of paper in mid-2014, this is what Porsche has come up with.
Based on a new ‘J1’ platform, it slings a 93.4kWh lithium-ion battery between the two axles, each with a motor attached, four-wheel steering, suspension loosely related to the Panamera and a rear-mounted two-speed gearbox allowing the Taycan to reach its accelerative potential from take-off, but boost efficiency once you’re up and running.”
The Taycan looks like a cross between the 911 and the Panamera,. Photo: Porsche Media
Car wow
This British website is a fan of it, giving it 9/10.
“Sure, all its electrical gubbins might have more in common with what you find lurking under the skin of a Tesla Model S than a petrol-powered 911, but the Porsche Taycan’s slinky body leaves you in no doubt this is an electric car designed to turn its volts into outright velocity.
Its curvy bonnet, subtle air intakes and sleek sloping roofline look like a cross between the 911 and the Panamera, while the laser-like full-width brake light and optional uber-aerodynamic alloy wheels give it its own futuristic flavour.
This theme continues inside, where the Porsche Taycan combines the 911’s driver-focussed cabin layout with more tech than you can shake a memory stick at. In addition to the widescreen digital driver’s display – which replaces Porsche’s trademark analogue rev-counter – there’s a central infotainment screen, a touchscreen for the car’s heating and ventilation controls and an optional screen above the glovebox for the front-seat passenger.
All the batteries needed to keep these screens running – as well as power the Taycan’s electric motors – are tucked beneath the car’s floor but, despite this, you still sit nice and low in the driver’s seat.”
The Porsche Taycan has a 93.4kWh lithium-ion battery between the two axles. Photo: Porsche Media
Caradvice
The Australian website gave it 8.6/10.
“The Taycan is lovely to drive around town. Quiet, yes, insulated, of course, and luxurious in the way it wafts from traffic light to traffic light. The ride is firm, but it’s impressive, and it truly does feel smaller the more wheel time you get.
We loved the docile way the throttle responded in Normal mode, and it’s as easy to drive as any other Porsche we’ve ever tested. It’s as quick as any, too, or certainly feels it.
A Porsche strong point – steering – remains well executed here, too. It’s not supercar sharp, but it’s nicely weighted and direct, even on twisty roads. The savagery of the power delivery masks much of the weight, but it is hefty if you get really enthusiastic on a twisty road.
Open the taps on the Autobahn, we nudged 250km/h, and the acceleration is relentless, with no dip in progress. None. Just continue to punch all the way to the speed limiter if you are so inclined.”
The Porsche Taycan performed on on twisty roads. Photo: Porsche Media
Car and Driver
The American website compared it to the Tesla Model S.
“Getting in and out of the Taycan's low-mounted front seats and around the intrusively thick base of the B-pillars is moderately bothersome. But once you're in there, the view forward is the perfect blend of retreating hood and bulging fenders. Thanks to the aggressive roofline, the rearward view is, well, slitty, but the exterior presence it enables is totally worth it.
Driving it only furthers the sports-car sensation. It feels impossibly solid, so approachable and trusty that you find yourself comfortably flirting with its extremely high limits on the first on-ramp. Which is very Porsche, and very high praise for a car that weighs 2379kg. Part of the magic is in its great steering, with a tight on-centre valley followed by linear effort build-up. And despite our car's 21in wheels, Porsche continues to impress in its unwavering commitment to ride quality.
The Taycan, clearly a response to the Tesla Model S and that car's first real competitor. Judged from the driver’s seat alone, the Taycan is the better car. It meets the high expectations of this storied brand, proves its real-world range.”
The Porsche Taycan has the 911’s driver-focussed cabin layout. Photo: Porsche Media
