Porsche Taycan
Driven on UK roads for the rst time, Porsche’s electric luxury saloon puts driver appeal high on its priority list On sale Now Price from £83,422
OVER THE PAST decade or so, we’ve seen the development of electric cars that are brutally quick (the Tesla Model S luxury saloon, for example), affordable (Peugeot e-208 and Renault Zoe hatchbacks) and so well rounded that we’d happily consider one over a conventionally powered alternative; Kia e-niro family SUV, take a bow. However, none has been truly rewarding to drive – until now.
The Taycan is Porsche’s first electric car – a luxury saloon rival for the Model S. As you probably know, the German brand has a reputation for making outstanding driver’s cars – the Macan S is our reigning Sports SUV of the Year, for example – and the Taycan promises to be cut from the same cloth, despite having to cope with the considerable extra weight of a battery pack.
Slightly smaller than its petrol-powered Panamera sibling and the Model S, the Taycan is powered by two electric motors, producing a whopping 617bhp (with up to 671bhp available for short bursts) in the mid-range Turbo model tested here. Although its 0-62mph sprint time of 3.2sec isn’t quite as ballistic as the sub-3.0sec Model S Performance’s, most drivers won’t be able to tell the difference on the road; the Taycan’s acceleration is brutal.
Porsche has also engineered in some motor whirr to add some visceral drama to the acceleration, but the optional Electric Sport Sound (£354) dials it up even further with an artificial thrum that makes the Taycan sound like a Star Wars Podracer under acceleration. It will no doubt impress passengers, but the chances are that you’ll get tired of it after a few weeks’ use and turn it off.
Like the Model S, the Taycan is very heavy, weighing close to two and a half tonnes. But unlike the Model S, the Taycan hides that fact well. A long list of chassis technology, including torque vectoring (juggling power between all four wheels to aid traction and handling), adjustable air suspension, optional rear-wheel steering and active anti-roll bars (which help to limit body lean in corners), combined with the lowest centre of gravity of any Porsche currently on sale, results in a battery-powered performance car that in most respects is just as entertaining to drive as conventional rivals.
18 June 2020