Reader Test Team Porsche’s electric Taycan rated
The rst electric Porsche is a four-seat sports car with up to 750bhp and more than 200 miles of range
THE NAME ‘TAYCAN’ comes from Turkish; it’s a combination of the words for ‘lively young horse’ and ‘soul’. This may be Porsche’s first electric car, but we clearly should be in no doubt that it’s still very much a proper Porsche.
Just look at the spec sheet; even the cheapest model (for now, at least) makes 523bhp. Or how does 750bhp and 0-62mph in 2.6sec sound? Having driven the Taycan already, we also know that its handling is very much in the vein of the Porsche 911 and not so much the Tesla Model S.
Thankfully, the scintillating performance doesn’t come at the expense of efficiency; the Taycan has an official range of between 207 and 288 miles, depending on specification. What’s more, it’s the first electric car to use an 800V architecture, meaning a 350kw public charger can refill its battery in as little as 20 minutes.
As well as having space for four people, the interior is beautifully designed and built, with really plush materials, while featuring all the latest technology and a multitude of screens.
So, will it make readers excited to go electric?
40 May 2020
ANIRUDH KAPOOR
30 Dentist MercedesBenz C-class
“The Taycan represents the future of technology. For me, it’s the first electric car that’s appealing in its own right.
“The design is stunning; it makes Teslas seem plain. It has the spirit and soul of a ‘proper car’, and it looks futuristic without becoming alien.
“The ultra-fast charging and long range mean you could live with it daily, but you can also enjoy the Porsche side of it, because it has great performance and, I’m told, sports car handling.
“I commute 50 miles per day, so even the Taycan’s shortest range of 207 miles would be enough. Still, I’d feel more at ease with the 250-mile model, but then that would have a significant cost implication.
“All the screens inside are cool; the concave instrument display is very intuitive, and it’s good that the touchscreens give haptic feedback. I’m not sure the second touchscreen for the front passenger is necessary, though.
“My criticisms are that the leather could feel more premium and the back is a bit cramped; I was only just comfy, at 5ft 8in tall. The boot is a lot smaller than what I have at the moment, too.”
Age Job Drives ‘The Taycan is stunning; it looks futuristic without becoming alien’