Porsche Taycan Review

EV Universe

Welcome to our Porsche Taycan EV review!

The Porsche Taycan is a product line of electric vehicles (EVs) made by Porsche, the German automotive manufacturer. It debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show as the Porsche Mission E. A few years later, the production version was revealed at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Taycan entered production in that calendar year for the 2020 model year. It is available in multiple body styles and models.

EVU Hot Take:

Pros

• Gorgeous design
• Porsche driving feel
• Quality materials and fit/finish

Cons

• Tight on space
• Heavy
• Lower range

Porsche Taycan Construction

The Taycan’s body is primarily a combination of steel and aluminum. The side roof frame, B pillars and seat cross members are made of hot-formed steel to reduce costs, while the bulkhead cross member is made of boron steel for greater strength.

Front and rear bumpers of the Porsche Taycan are also made of steel. Aluminum components include all other body panels, rear side members, axle mounts and shock absorber mounts. About 37 percent of the body is made of aluminum, which substantially reduces the vehicle’s weight.

“File:Porsche Taycan at IAA 2019 IMG 0251.jpg” by Alexander Migl is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Porsche Taycan Instrumentation

The Taycan uses Porsche’s fully digital instrumentation, which includes up to four separate displays. The 8.4-inch center console has a portrait orientation and is controlled by a touchpad. It shows the powertrain’s status and provides advice on using the car’s power.

The 16.8-inch driver’s display is free-standing and configurable by the driver. The 10.9-inch infotainment screen is located to the right of the instrument cluster. An optional screen allowing the front passenger to customize the infotainment cluster is located to the right of that cluster.

“Panoramic view of a turbo with black interior” by Jb000ts is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Porsche Taycan Body Styles

The Porsche Taycan is available in three body styles, including the Sedan, Cross Turismo and Sport Turismo. Porsche has also planned other styles, like a two-door coupe and convertible that could enter production based on market demand.

Sedan

The Sedan body style of the Taycan is a 4-door saloon. This option combines the short front proportions of traditional Porsches with the longer rear proportions of modern front-engine cars. Notable front features include four-point LED daytime running headlamps, while characteristic rear features include a short notchback-style trunk lid and a full-width light band that includes taillights and turn signals.

Cross Turismo

The Cross Turismo body style is a 4-door estate version of the Taycan that combines styling elements of a station wagon and coupe. For example, it has additional body cladding and rugged plastic trim. This body style also incorporates crossover features like an off-road package that includes a “Gravel” drive mode.

Sport Turismo

The Sport Turismo has the same profile as the Cross Turismo, but without the crossover styling elements. This difference gives the Sport Turismo the same silhouette as the Cross Turismo, although it has the lower ride height of the Sedan body style. In addition, the rear spoiler of the Sport Turismo is the same color as the body, and the wheel arches have no cladding.

Porsche Taycan Powertrain Review

The Porsche Taycan has an all-electric powertrain that uses synchronous motors with permanent magnets. It has all-wheel-drive (AWD) or rear-wheel-drive (RWD), depending on the model. The motor for the rear wheels uses a two-speed transmission with a first-gear ratio of 15.5:1 and limited slip differential to deliver maximum acceleration and longer second gear for greater speed and efficiency. Models with AWD add a second motor in front with a single-speed gearbox that has a ratio of 8.05:1.

The lithium-ion battery pack has a capacity of 79 kilowatt hours (kWh) or 93 kWh, depending on the model. Each battery has 33 modules that contain 12 LG Chem pouch cells, for a total of 396 cells per battery. The battery packs weigh 1,389 pounds and also serve as structural components for the chassis. In addition, the battery is located under the floor of the vehicle to provide a lower center of gravity.

Porsche Taycan Charging

The Taycan has developed an 800-volt charging system specifically for it. A DC fast charger with this voltage provides 270 kW of power, which can charge the battery pack from 5 to 80 percent in 22.5 minutes under ideal conditions. The Taycan’s charging system is also backward compatible with 400-volt DC chargers via an onboard step-up converter. You also get access to Electrify America’s speed-charging infrastructure for three years when you buy a Taycan.

This EV is equipped with a charging planner that preconditions the battery to a particular temperature, which helps minimize charging time regardless of the outside temperature. This feature allows you to set a departure time, which the planner uses to warm or cool the battery to the ideal temperature. The Taycan also comes with a mobile charger and charging dock for home charging the car in 11 hours via a 9.6-kW connector.

In addition, Porsche provides Taycan owners with an energy manager for their home’s circuit panel. This device optimizes charging costs for solar power and provides blackout protection in the event the battery’s power draw exceeds the circuit’s capacity. This can occur if you turn on a large appliance like a washer or dryer while the car is charging.

“Electric car charging with CCS plug on Porsche Taycan Turbo S e-sports car” by verchmarco is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Taycan models have the unique feature of charging ports on both sides of the vehicle, although they can’t be used simultaneously. In the case of markets like North America that use Combined Charging System (CCS), only the passenger-side port can use DC chargers, but both sides can use AC chargers.

Porsche has claimed that the Taycan’s maintains its performance as the battery discharges. A series of 15 consecutive quarter-mile runs between a Taycan Turbo S and 2020 Tesla Model S showed that the Taycan’s performance didn’t change significantly between runs, while the Tesla’s performance got noticeably worse.

Porsche Taycan Models

The models for the Taycan include the following:

• Taycan
• 4
• 4S
• GTS
• Turbo
• Turbo S

However, not all body styles are available for each model. The main differentiators between models are the capacity of the batteries and the power the motor generates. Higher models may have additional features to further enhance performance. The performance figures below assume the driver is using the Taycan’s Overboost Power feature with Launch Control mode.

Taycan

The Taycan model is only available for the sedan body style and is the only model with RWD. The 79-kWh battery is standard for this model, but it also has an option for a 93-kWh battery. The 79-kWh battery provides 402 horsepower (hp) and 254 foot-pounds (lb⋅ft) of torque, while the 93-kWh battery provides 469 hp and 263 lb⋅ft of torque. The performance of these two configurations is the same, with a zero to 60-mph time of 5.1 seconds and top speed of 143 mph.

The range of the 79-kWh battery is 268 miles, while the 93-kWh battery has an estimated 301-mile range according to the Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). However, range can vary greatly, depending on various settings. For example, the Taycan has five driving modes, including Sport, Sport Plus, Normal, Range and Individual. Range mode has the lowest power consumption, resulting in the maximum range. Individual mode allows you to customize various settings.

Taycan 4

The Taycan 4 model is only available for the Cross Turismo body style. The 93-kWh battery is standard for this model, and no other option is available. The battery for this model provides 469 hp and 369 lb⋅ft of torque. The estimated range of this model is 215 miles according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Taycan 4 has a zero to 60-mph time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 137 mph.

Taycan 4S

The Porsche Taycan 4S model is available for the sedan and Cross Turismo body styles. The 79-kWh battery is standard for the sedan, which also has an option for a 93-kWh battery. Only the 93-kWh battery is available for the Cross Turismo body.

The 79-kWh battery for the 4S sedan generates 523 hp and 472 lb⋅ft of torque, while the 93-kWh version generates 563 hp and 479 lb⋅ft of torque. The EPA-estimated range of the 79-kWh battery is 199 miles, and 227 miles for the 93-kWh battery. The Taycan 4S has a zero to 60-mph time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph, regardless of battery type.

The Cross Turismo 4S generates 563 hp and 479 lb⋅ft of torque and has an EPA-estimated range of 215 miles. This version has a zero to 60-mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph.

Taycan GT

The Taycan GT model is available for the sedan and Sport Turismo body styles. The 93-kWh battery is the only option for this model, which provides 590 hp and 627 lb⋅ft of torque. The Taycan GT has a zero to 60-mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. The EPA-estimated range is 246 miles for the sedan, but the EPA hasn’t yet released a range estimate for the Sport Turismo.

Taycan Turbo

The Taycan Turbo and Turbo S models are so-named for their high performance, but they don’t actually have turbochargers. The Turbo model is available for the sedan and Sport Turismo body styles, and only comes with the 93-kWh battery. The Taycan Turbo provides 671 hp and 627 lb⋅ft of torque. It has a zero to 60-mph time of 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 162 mph. The EPA-estimated range is 212 miles for the sedan, and 204 miles for the Sport Turismo. The Turbo has an aerodynamic efficiency of 0.22, the lowest of any Porsche.

“Porsche Taycan Turbo S” by rvandermaar is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Taycan Turbo S

The Turbo S model is available for the sedan and Sport Turismo body styles, and only comes with the 93-kWh battery. The Taycan Turbo S provides 751 hp and 774 lb⋅ft of torque. It has a zero to 60-mph time of 2.6 seconds and a top speed of 162 mph. The EPA-estimated range is 258 miles for the sedan, and 202 miles for the Sport Turismo. The Turbo S’s aerodynamic efficiency is 0.25.

*****

Sources

https://jalopnik.com/an-extremely-detailed-look-at-the-porsche-taycans-engin-1837802533

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2022/products/porsche-taycan-sport-turismo-premiere-27075.html

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/products/taycan/battery-18557.html

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a37853137/2021-porsche-taycan-pbp-by-the-numbers/

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/

https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/taycan/taycan-models/taycan/