Try it, Porsche Taycan 4S: the electric sports car that drives like a real Porsche

Try it, Porsche Taycan 4S

When pairing a sports car brand with the word "electric," it doesn't take long to make motor enthusiasts look disapproving. Supercars are loved not only for their speed and acceleration, characteristics that electric cars have already been able to enhance and in many cases overcome, but also for their lines and above all for the rumble, sometimes unmistakable, able to excite at least as much as the rest. This is the state of mind in which we got behind the wheel of the Porsche Taycan, after having tried many Porsches, with curiosity but also with many doubts. Here's how it went.

Federicovecchio.com Porsche Taycan in brief

Taycan is the first fully electric Porsche and is truly revolutionary; the 800-volt architecture places it at the pinnacle of modern technological evolution in the field of electrification

Porsche out ..

The loss of the thermal engine has not altered the Porsche soul. You can see a mile away that Taycan has kept the nature of the brand intact, with its unmistakable, rounded but at the same time aggressive lines, embellished with various aerodynamic appendages, such as the inserts on the bumpers and side skirts. I never pause long to describe the aesthetics of a car, because some beautiful photos, such as those taken by Federico Vecchio for this test, speak for themselves and allow you to judge for yourself. We therefore describe only a few details, starting with the basic rims (obviously you can choose between various models), expertly modeled by Porsche to offer a "full" design, able to wink at aerodynamics, but with a black and metal contrast. able to lighten the look.

Door handles retract electronically, creating a unique streamlined body, and extend as soon as the key with the transponder is detected. On both sides of the car, near the front wheel arch, there are electronic doors (they fit inside the vehicle) which hide the charging sockets, which can be opened by touching a small protuberance adjacent to the door. Unlike many other manufacturers, Porsche has inserted a Type 2 connector on the driver's side and a second connector on the driver's side of the CCS Combo2 type. This solution has a dual function: it allows you to recharge the battery with slow charging systems (Type 2) on both sides, or to use the fast charging columns via the passenger side connector.

Federicovecchio.com Federicovecchio .com The rear trunk has a capacity of about 400 liters, slightly less than that of a Panamera and twice as large as that of a Cayman, just to give some indications. In short, Taycan is not a super sports car that forces you to give up, especially considering that it is a four-seater and, sitting in the rear seats, it is not bad. There is also a front trunk, in this case with only 84 liters of capacity, and it is necessary to use the classic safety hook to open it, a solution that cannot be shared and which greatly limits the ease of access.

..and Porsche inside, but with more screens

Once on board you find yourself in an environment with the distinctive features of Porsche, such as the seats, the central canal, the "Crono" package with the clock and the steering wheel driving mode selector and, in general, the driving position. But everything else makes us understand that we are in a different car, and "everything else" is represented by the OLED screens that surround us. The first, in front of us, 16.8 "inches, curved, houses the instrument panel. A second 10.9 "screen is the center of the infotainment and also becomes the screen for CarPlay. Another identical screen is located in front of the passenger position and an additional screen, this time 8.4 "placed vertically, allows you to adjust the climate and also offers itself as a touchpad to interact with the infotainment screen. All the controls are touch-sensitive, and if on the one hand this choice will lead you to have the dashboard of the car full of fingerprints, the controls are very intuitive.

Note the choice of positioning the mode selector guide at the front, next to the curved instrument panel screen. We have already seen imaginative solutions in the world of electric cars, including the total elimination of a lever by Tesla (for the Model S), which places the gear selector directly on the central touchscreen. We are not particularly happy with these solutions, and the choice of Porsche does not prove particularly successful, especially when you have to maneuver.

Federicovecchio.com Federicovecchio.com The infotainment system is generally fluid and intuitive, just like Porsche has always got us used to it; we very much appreciated the choice of integrating tactile feedback on the climate control screen in order to have confirmation of the command's success even while not looking at the screen.

Driving

The Taycan in this test is the 4S and is equipped with two electric motors capable of generating a maximum power of 530 horsepower, which accelerate it from 0 to 100 km / h in 4 seconds (but only with launch control). The maximum speed is 250 km / h. Performance numbers aside, what radically changes compared to other electric ones we have tried is the absence of regenerative braking when the accelerator is released. On the contrary, as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator, the car will continue by inertia and considering the imposing mass and the weight of 2300 kg, you will be able to travel hundreds of meters with only a marginal loss of speed. Have you ever tried, with a classic car, to accelerate and then put the gearbox in neutral? More or less this is the feeling you get.

Taycan is not completely without regenerative braking, in fact it comes into play when you press the brake, an action that will activate the calipers on the discs only if the regenerative braking is not enough to decelerate what is required. According to Porsche, classic regenerative braking is not compatible with the sporty driving style of its cars, and moreover it boasts the ability to generate, in this way, up to 275 kW maximum during the braking phase. As an example, the possibility of gaining a range of 4 km with braking from 200 km / h to zero is shown. We cannot judge these figures and we do not question that probably a sports car such as a Porsche may not be compatible, in terms of driving styles, with the classic behavior of regenerative braking. However, we believe that recovery under braking, considering the number of seconds in which regenerative braking is activated when the brake is pressed at medium speeds (certainly below the 200 km / h in the example) is almost totally irrelevant in terms of autonomy recovery.

Federicovecchio.com The driving style is that of Porsche, well planted on the road, it is agile and allows you to tackle a mixed route in safety. This is not a foregone conclusion considering the weight of the car and above all the way in which the loads are distributed, which are decidedly different from other Porsches. Despite this, there is still the feeling, or rather, it is clearly perceived especially during the first hours of driving, that we are sitting in a heavy car. We tend to be a little more cautious when starting to push the accelerator, but the electronics, chassis and active suspension quickly put us at ease. After a few kilometers it becomes clear that the 2300 kg of weight is not a problem.

Taycan is equipped with various driving modes, starting with Normal which is the most suitable for everyday use and then moving on to Sport up to Sport Plus; in addition we also find Range - to optimize efficiency to the maximum - and Individual to be able to customize each parameter in a different way. The throttle response varies according to the position of the Drive Mode and being equipped with pneumatic suspension, the height from the ground which reaches the minimum in Sport Plus or Range mode also varies.

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The height of Taycan was the subject of concern on our part as we immediately realized that the front splitter could have touched in many situations if we had not been very careful, in this case the front camera was very useful and has avoided, in combination with the pneumatic lift that lifts the car off the ground as much as possible, from scratching the front spoiler even in demanding situations. Compared to 911, however, it loses daily usability as you have to be much more careful with ramps and bumps of all kinds. The fun lasts approximately 350 km, which becomes even less than 300 in the most demanding driving modes and with heavy feet. This is an autonomy that we can only define as sufficient for such a car, especially considering that Porsche does not have its own charging infrastructure. The maximum recharging capacity declared by Porsche is 270 kW even if the lack of columns capable of these numbers is the main problem; charging from 5 to 80% is possible in 25 minutes with the suitable column, which becomes 35 with the most common fast columns.

Let's configure it

The Taycan 4S starts from a list of 110 thousand EUR . By adding a series of advisable or otherwise desirable accessories, such as increased battery capacity, folding mirrors, leather interior, a paint color other than the basic one, parking camera, LED headlights, heated seats, transponder opening, Bose audio system and heat pump, it easily reaches 135 thousand euros. We don't think it makes much sense to give a price assessment.

Verdict

Porsche Taycan is probably the coolest electric car of the moment, as it brings with it the peculiarities of the Porsche brand with a propulsion respectable electric. The comparison with Tesla comes almost natural, but we don't think it's spot on. At this price it is possible to buy a Model S Plaid, which offers better performance from all points of view, from acceleration to maximum speed, has a better autopilot and, above all, a much higher range. According to sheer numbers, the Taycan is not top of the class, but the soul, style, design and driving feel are those of Porsche, and for some that will be more than enough. In short, you don't choose Taycan because you want an electric car, you choose Taycan because you want a Porsche, and then because you want an electric Porsche. For all the others, non-stellar autonomy is probably the main flaw, especially when you have to recharge a battery pack of almost 100 kWh.

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