Having just picked up my friends, we’re four-large in the facelifted Taycan, and we’re all laughing our hats off. It’s been just over five years since I first drove Porsche’s maiden EV soon after its launch here in the Netherlands. Admittedly, it was the first EV I had ever driven, if you don’t count a forklift or a delivery van. In true Turbo S fashion, the performance and specifically the accessibility to performance absolutely shocked me. I think today as I did then of how ludicrous one would need to be to (1) sell that car to a member of the public and (2) to buy it. Evidence of my first impressions was captured in a video I have shown to anyone curious about what performance like that does to you. In that, you can clearly hear my breath being removed from my lungs as I was shoved so far back in the seat that my eyes had forgotten which way to point. It was truly uncomfortable… uh, I mean impressive.
Configuration:
Almost exactly how I would spec it, this is the base model Sport Turismo body with RWD and the small battery (79.2kWhr). I believe in launch control I was getting nearly 375hp, but for all I knew it felt like a lot more. Straight line performance makes for tedious memory work you know. Tires were the factory Goodyear F1 265/65R21 and 305/30R21 on the front and rear respectively, with just enough sidewall and footprint to allow a consistent baseline of mechanical grip, as well as a minimal level of NVH (noise-vibration-harshness). With the speaker-provided “electric sports sound” which I heard was made in conjunction with sound designers from Star Wars, NVH is negligible. The low frequency hum when not accelerating does however become a little annoying, especially for passengers in the rear. Toggle the PSM (Porsche Stability Management) into sport and you unlock a predictively playful attitude that most EVs (and most current ICE sports cars for that matter) lack. Combined with the chassis and damper tuning, your passengers will be laughing with you all the way.
Revised dampers:
Porsche has refined its experiment since, bringing a new dimension of dynamic control to what is an already class-leading chassis. With an extra 240kg courtesy of my friends, one would expect a car with such immediacy of input to break apart dynamically, even with all these updated systems. However, Porsche proved once again why they dominate those aspects so well.
I confess, the roads here are very well maintained, mostly pristinely surfaced, and you would be hard-pressed to engage the car in such way as to challenge its chassis or suspension. Nevertheless, and also owing to how well these systems work in conjunction with the tires, I was surprising myself with the confidence afforded to me as I plowed through tightening bends and off-camber corners. We are in the middle of Autumn too which makes the establishment of a connection between driver and car ever more precarious. Changing grip levels, changing surface temperatures and the ever so present reminder of the extra weight I was carrying due to some laughing coming from my passengers was in no way to the detriment of the car. If not obvious by now, Porsche has, with this facelift, increased the performance capability gap between the Taycan and its competitors even further. In comparison to my personal favourite, the 1111hp Lucid Air Dream Edition, it feels more cohesive than before, albeit still a less comprehensive product than the Lucid.
Further comparisons to the Lucid:
Taking a systems engineering perspective, the Lucid feels like a more cohesive product, although more luxurious. Its breadth of capabilities is more expansive, and that’s where some space is left for the Taycan’s focused approach to shine. The Taycan is a lot of fun. The Lucid is just all-out impressive. Both tickle that very hard-to-get-to itch any of us with a penchant for a good time in a car have. And both do so in a very sophisticated way. I think Matt Farah did it well recently, having acquired a second hand Taycan for himself. In his case an AWD Taycan 4 example in the same body style guise.
Industry shift:
That brings me onto my next point. This great decade-long push to introduce EVs to the market has had one very positive impact for us, enthusiasts. As much as it has somewhat suffocated Europe’s automotive industry, the millions of cars produced as a result of it have largely depreciated. And most of them to less than half their original MSRP. The technology moving quickly also expedited that process. Not to mention the fantastic leasing deals you can get for brand new in most countries with a mature market. Getting into a 20000–50000-kilometre pre-owned RWD Taycan with the extended range battery is about the best way you can extract value from car ownership if you do insist on it being electric. Of course, one should make sure to find one with warranty still ongoing and with the thousands of spec varieties built, for a base car, one can even be picky with colour and particular features. Some of which, like the Burmester sound system, I feel are necessary.
I would even venture to say that a deal like that which I describe above offers about as much joy one can extract from a modern car. Let me not even mention the fact that the most ecologically friendly decision one can make when buying a car is to buy one second hand. With all these new ADAS and general drivers’ assistance systems in all our favourite sports cars, rendering them numb anyway, I would personally rather have the benefit of quiet daily transportation in the shape of an engaging four-seater EV. Especially here in the Netherlands with our dense charging network, relieving any sense of range anxiety.
Rationale aside, I just was not expecting to have as much fun as I did with this car. My friends all loved it too, barely managing to hold onto each other through corners. All the while with the sonorous signature of a scooter and the engagement of a car half its size. No one cares when you drive this, no one looks or points fingers, making it ideal for a bit of selfish fun without causing any attention to be diverted your way. To that extent, it appeals to my most hedonistic and naughty of needs, in much the same way a purpose-built sports car would.
With special thanks to the Porsche Centrum Gelderland and its chairman Mark Wegh.
