Porsche currently has one EV in the price list: the Taycan. The Stuttgart sports car brand is notorious for its long and expensive option lists. Does that kite also apply to the Taycan? In this edition of Back to Basics: the Taycan 4S.
Porsche Taycan 4S
€ 111,845
The Taycan is currently available in three flavors: as 4S, Turbo and Turbo S. The latter two are true sprint cannons, but you certainly don’t have to be ashamed of the 4S. The electric motors on the front and rear axles together produce 435 hp and 640 Nm of torque. In the ‘overboost’ function with Launch Control, the Taycan 4S delivers 530 hp for a short time. Thanks to the battery capacity of 79.2 kWh, the Taycan 4S will theoretically go from 335 to 408 km. The maximum rapid charge power is 225 kW, when charging with alternating current it is 11 kW. Including costs for roadworthiness, the Taycan 4S is for € 110,700 in the price list. However, the above amount is because you automatically have to tick the ‘Mobile Charger Connect’, or an expensive charging cable, in the Porsche configurator for € 1,145.
If the above values are not quite sufficient, but is a Taycan Turbo just a bridge too far? Then you can opt for the ‘Performance Battery Plus’. With an additional cost of € 6,886, this is immediately one of the most expensive options for the Taycan 4S. For that amount you get a larger battery capacity of 93.4 kWh and a higher maximum fast charging power of 270 kW. The theoretical range is then 389 to 464 km. Not only the range, but also the power increases. With the ‘Performance Battery Plus’, the Taycan 4S delivers 490 hp and 650 Nm of torque, with 571 hp in the overboost function. That does not immediately lead to very big improvements in the sprint figures. 0-100 km / h remains the same with 4 seconds, from 0-160 km / h the faster 4S gains two tenths with 8.5 seconds and from 0-200 km / h the difference increases to four tenths. In practice you will probably not notice that difference.
Timid
At launch, the Taycan was on large 21-inch wheels and, partly because of that, it looked quite sporty. In the basic version, however, the Taycan 4S is fitted with 19-inch ‘Taycan S Aero’ wheels. These make the Taycan look a bit less thick. The simple white lacquer also contributes to this. As standard, the Taycan has LED headlights and the signature LED bar as one large rear light. Matrix LED headlights are an option for € 1,822. Keyless Start and front and rear parking sensors are also standard equipment. In addition, adaptive air suspension is also included. You will have to open the charging lid manually, as an option this can be done electrically for € 661. Also striking: the Taycan 4S has red brake calipers as standard.
Of course there is a wide range of options available for the exterior of the Taycan 4S. In addition to white, you can choose from 16 other colors for the paint color, and a total of seven different wheel designs are available. With the SportDesign package you can optionally opt for a sportier designed front and rear bumper and side skirts. You will have to make the cut for that: the complete package costs € 4,902. As far as the charging cable is concerned, the home charger is therefore ‘standard’ included. A Mode 3 charging cable for public charging stations costs € 315. That is striking, because it often belongs to the standard equipment. A wallbox for faster charging at home can be ordered for € 440.
Lots of screens
In the interior of the Taycan you sit standard on 8-way electrically adjustable seats that are covered with black leather. It is also a fairly boring affair, because the moldings are also black. All of that can be spiced up to your liking with things like colored seat belts and moldings in the car’s exterior color, as long as you pay. The Taycan always has three screens on board: the slightly curved instruments in front of your nose and two touchscreens on the center console. Porsche Communication Management with navigation is included in the price, as is separate climate control with two zones. For music lovers: the standard audio system has 10 speakers and 150 watts of power. You will not find ’empty buttons’ on the Taycan, because the operation of almost all car functions is done via the screens. That’s a good thing, because you will already have to dig into your pockets for seat heating, for example.
In terms of safety systems, the Taycan comes with Brake Assist as standard to help prevent an impending crash. Furthermore, the previously cited parking sensors are standard, but that is where it ends. Adaptive cruise control and lane change assistance cost € 1,848 and € 817 respectively. For € 3,243 you can also go for Porsche InnoDrive, with which the Taycan can drive semi-autonomously. Since the rear window of the Taycan is quite narrow, a reversing camera may not be an unnecessary luxury. Porsche apparently knows this too and asks € 718 for it. Then the camera will clean itself.
If this Back to Basics teaches one thing, it is that at Porsche you are never ready for the starting price. If this article had to include all the options, it would be way too long. However, the most expensive option for the Taycan 4S is worth mentioning: these are the ceramic PCCB brake discs with the brake calipers in high-gloss black. For that alone, you can leave € 10,304 at the Porsche dealer. It is clear: the Taycan 4S will never be a prize winner.