Harder, better, faster, stronger. The Porsche Taycan has been completely renewed, so time for a first test with the new Porsche.
The Porsche Taycan has now been on the market for five years. At that time, Porsche’s competitors were of course not standing still. A first test should show how much better it is after the update.
How new is the Porsche Taycan in this test?
Pretty. The Porsche Taycan did not change much on the outside, although you can easily recognize the latest model by different light units and the absence of the vertical black stripe under the headlights. But according to Porsche, more than half of the budget was spent on improving performance and efficiency. All versions go further, consume less and deliver more power. Not bad for an interim update.
The nose of the Porsche Taycan loses the vertical black stripe.
What powertrains are there in the Porsche Taycan?
There are basically four versions: a rear-wheel drive variant, a four-wheel drive Taycan 4S and then the Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S, both of which also have four-wheel drive. The latter two have the new, large battery with a net capacity of 97 kWh as standard. On the Taycan and Taycan 4S, the large battery is optional, as standard it produces 82 kWh net, which is approximately the same size as the large battery from before the facelift. If you go for that large battery, you can charge DC faster (320 kW instead of 270 kW) and the car will also get a little more power. The Taycan goes from 408 to 435 hp and the 4S goes from 544 to 598 hp. The Turbo versions have 884 or 952 hp maximum power. For all four-wheel drive variants, this power is only available at the press of the push-to-pass button on the steering wheel. Not that you really need that. In any case, the Porsche Taycan is somewhere between ridiculous and devastatingly fast. During the intro we drive the 4S and the Turbo S and the latter is really pointless overkill. On the wet roads around Seville you can hardly use the 4S’s 598 hp. Even when overtaking, you don’t need the extra power under the button and you will still be at 200 km/h in no time.
Beautiful interior in the Porsche Taycan, you can also watch videos on the passenger display.
Can the chassis of the Porsche Taycan cope with that power?
Certainly. Porsche doesn’t have to explain to you how to build a good chassis and even a very heavy EV like the Taycan feels surprisingly agile. During the introduction we will of course have a fully loaded version with four-wheel steering, adaptive dampers, air suspension (which has been standard on every Taycan since the facelift) and the new Active Ride chassis that is also available on the Panamera. This can quickly give each wheel more or less damping and ride height, so that the carriage remains completely flat even under hard braking or high cornering speeds. It feels a bit awkward at first, but the faster you go the less prominent it is, especially with everything in Sport Plus. It then feels so natural that it seems as if the system no longer works, but Porsche swears that it will still remain active.
Has the interior of the Porsche Taycan also been renewed?
Yes, but the Porsche Taycan remains a bit cramped inside in relation to its outside dimensions. Almost five meters is quite long, but there is really no legroom on the back seat and the 407 liter trunk is not an echo chamber either. You do have a nice frunk of 84 liters in the front. The instrumentation has also been updated and now provides more information about the temperature of the battery and what consequences this has for the achievable charging rate. If a charging station is the limiting factor, the instruments will indicate this during a charging session. The infotainment system does what it should do, but is certainly not impressive for this segment. But as a whole, the updated Taycan certainly feels impressive.
The back seat of the Porsche Taycan is not very spacious.