The Porsche Taycan is a serious challenger to Tesla’s Model S, which has a stranglehold on the high-end electric vehicle (EV) market. We’re impressed by how well Porsche kept its DNA in building the Taycan, particularly in terms of driving performance, handling agility, ride comfort, and workmanship.
But as an EV, the Porsche’s limited range and long charging times can’t match the benchmark set by Tesla. Unlike with a Tesla, accessing and using public charging isn’t as seamless an experience. Whereas Tesla has their proprietary supercharger network, Taycan owners on a long drive have to find public chargers, which aren’t always as easy to source, conveniently located, or have other services near them (such as places to eat and shop). Then, the user has to fiddle with an app to use it—with Tesla you just plug in the car. The Taycan’s instrumentation doesn’t highlight the information that’s pertinent to an EV, such as displaying the vehicle’s range as soon as the driver opens the door or the rate of charging while the car is plugged in.
The Taycan 4S's EPA-rated range is 235 miles; the lowest-rated Model S is currently 348 miles. Our advice: use that official range as a guide when planning trips. Keep in mind that it takes nearly 11 hours to charge the 93 kWh battery on 240 volts.
Like every EV, all of the Taycan’s available power can be unleashed the instant the driver pushes down on the accelerator pedal, which gives a thrilling forward rush as the car sprints from 0-to-60 mph in just 4 seconds.
The Taycan is long and wide, but the way it handles belies its size. Like its Porsche brethren, the car capably and quickly tackles corners, which instills driver confidence. It really does feel like a four-door sports car.
We were all surprised at how comfortable the ride is; the suspension absorbed bumps impressively, even with our car’s optional 20-inch wheels and tires.
The front seats are so supportive and comfortable that it’s likely you’ll run out of driving range before you feel the need to get out of them. Our car has the optional massage function, which is truly icing on the cake.
There’s a decent amount of cargo room to store bags and gear. Like many EVs there’s a small front trunk, which makes for a handy place to keep the portable charger and cable. The rear trunk is relatively spacious and folding down the split rear seats makes it easy to carry longer items.
Outward visibility is severely hampered by the small windshield, short side windows, and steeply raked rear window. Compounding this is that the Taycan is very low, wide, and curvy—the rear fenders almost dominate the view back in the side mirrors and even small SUVs tower over the car. It takes a lot of guesswork to place the car straight while parking, and not rub the curb when parallel parking. In addition, the Taycan is a low-slung car that requires substantial ducking to get in the front or rear seats.
It takes a lot of time to learn the controls, especially since not all of the buttons and knobs are clearly labeled. For example, it isn’t easy to pick up at a glance what the steering wheel rotary buttons and hieroglyphics mean. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to reach the two monochromatic touch screens that are on both the angled center console and the dashboard, which handle the climate, navigation, and entertainment functions.
Oddly, interior ambience is quite dour, and not as impressive as in other Porsche models—especially for the Taycan’s price. For example, it lacks chrome door latches, suede on the dashboard and seats, or wood trim on the door and dash panels. It’s a challenge to gracefully get into the rear seat, mainly because of the car’s low height, steeply sloped roof, and wide door sill. Once inside, the dark interior and small windows, makes the rear seating area feel snug. Passengers sit with their knees in the air because the seat cushion is fairly low and lacks under leg support.
Porsche equipped the Taycan with charging ports on both front fenders. This setup gives owners more flexibility for in-home or public charging. Buyers also get three-years of free 30-minute charging sessions on the Electrify America network.
However, this network is neither as widespread nor as quick or seamless to use as the Tesla Supercharger network.
While forward collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detention are standard, blind spot warning (BSW) is optional—outrageous for a $100,000-plus vehicle.