The future is electrifying

As the lucky (and patient) owner of a new Porsche Taycan 4S in Gentian Blue, I wanted to reassure fellow driving enthusiasts that if electric cars are the future, everyone can cherish their ICE cars while knowing the future is new and exciting.

In a world of so much choice, many of us are looking for products that don’t just execute their basic functional requirements but deliver real experiences. Yes, the Taycan is just a car that gets you from A to B and, yes, the eco credentials of electric cars are still marginal, but goodness me: this is a truly beautiful car that provides a genuinely new driving experience.

On picking up my car from Porsche Newcastle, it was parked between a 718 Cayman and 911 Cabriolet, and you could see how fresh it looks by comparison. It’s clearly a Porsche but with slightly more ‘surfacing’ and visual dynamism than its illustrious cousins, and it’s much more elegant and better-proportioned that the Panamera. The view from the driver’s seat is also lovely, with the rear haunches visible in the side mirrors (à la 911) and the strong shoulders visible on the bonnet.

And as for the driving experience, it’s wonderfully different. I can’t get over the continuous, linear delivery of power, how smooth it is on the motorway yet how sharp it is in the twisty bits. And all of it is delivered in surreal silence, unless you turn on the synthesised sound, which is amusing and has the real benefit of helping you keep your sense of speed.

There are many more exciting (and affordable) electric cars on the horizon, and while I appreciate that there are infrastructure and range issues to contend with, they really do feel different and exciting. And who doesn’t want to feel excited every time they get into their car? Simon Dunstan

Newcastle upon Tyne