Do you have the money for a Porsche Taycan GTS (2021)? Then emigrate to a country where you can actually drive. Because for the latest Taycan variant you need hairpin bends, long swingers and left-right combinations. A private circuit would be ideal…
What is striking about the Porsche Taycan GTS (2021)?
That he pulls a long nose at the other Taycan variants and is the first to break through the limit of 500 kilometers range. The GTS has the same 93.4 kWh battery as the Taycan and Taycan 4S with Performance Battery Plus, but on paper it is between 20 and 40 kilometers further on a full charge. And that’s crazy, because it’s a fraction more powerful than those two and should therefore drain its battery faster.
The secret lies in the more efficient powertrain software debuting in the Taycan GTS. Porsche also rolls out the software over the rest of the Taycan range, but chooses not to homologate those models again. Their current WLTP score therefore remains, while they can actually progress further. So count on the entry-level Taycan and Taycan 4S actually having a longer breath than the GTS, even though the specs still mention a range of 485 and 464 kilometers respectively.
What’s good about the Porsche Taycan GTS?
Let’s face it: all Taycan models are excellent! From the basic rear-wheel-drive Taycan with 408 hp to the insane Turbo S, which speeds to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and immediately dislocates your neck. The introduction of the GTS therefore seems to be a bit of a fill-in exercise for Porsche. For example, he simply reduced the power of the two electric motors of the Taycan Turbo, but then 82 hp.
The Turbo comes to a maximum of 680 hp, the GTS stops at 598 hp. Both have the same torque of 850 Nm. In the 100 km/h sprint, the two do not differ much: 3.7 seconds against 3.2 seconds. For the shape, the limiter of the Turbo is set at 260 km/h and that of the GTS at 250 km/h. It is a somewhat artificial way of distinguishing between the two.
But what makes the GTS a GTS? Because with the Porsche 911, the three-letter combination indicates that you have the most track-able street version of the model series. And so we got to take the Taycan out on a Mickey Mouse job on the Spanish island of Mallorca, where we could feel the GTS’s stiffer undercarriage offer slightly more rolling resistance. We were also again surprised by the party trick of the electro-Porsche: the – huub huub barbatruc – make it disappear from its weight.
In a normal world, the 2300 kilo (!) Taycan should be a mop on the track. But the Porsche engineers apparently borrowed the Harry Potter wand and shed the excess pounds.expecto patronumt. Because without exaggeration, we can say that the GTS feels like a 1,100 kilo Lotus at the cutting edge. It frolicates from side to side, never being distracted and immediately listens to input from the steering wheel.
The grip and balance of the Taycan GTS are monumental. In the Sport Plus driving mode, the stability control allows some sliding here and there, but even if you completely silence the electronic watchdog, you can easily catch the rear if it wants to pass the front. Porsche has made its plug-in sports car as predictable as the plot of a romantic comedy. And that’s what you want: on the racetrack and on the street.
Well, we have to admit that we only drove the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo – the new station wagon variant – on public roads. And from Porsche we are not allowed to write about it yet, on pain of a beating with a brezel. So you still owe us the first driving impression of that car. However, we can already reveal: the GTS is just as sensational off the track as on it.
What could be done better with the Porsche Taycan GTS?
This will be looking for nails at low tide while we put salt on all the slag, because the Taycan GTS is just a fantastic (electric) car. In the sedan, it is not about headroom in the back. And in all Taycans you have to get used to the buttons on the center console. They are not physical keys, but touch surfaces that you cannot feel and therefore cannot operate blindly. You could also complain about the high price of the GTS. But yes, a Porsche is never cheap.
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When will the Porsche Taycan GTS come and what will it cost?
Talking about the price: the Taycan GTS is available from 136,300 euros for the sedan and 137,300 euros for the Sport Turismo. This makes the sedan about 26,000 euros more expensive than the Taycan 4S and 20,000 ‘cheaper’ than the Taycan Turbo. There are no other versions of the Sport Turismo yet. These will follow in early 2022.
What do I think of the Porsche Taycan GTS?
The Porsche Taycan GTS is awesome. Point! But yes, so are the other Taycan variants. And let’s be honest: in the Netherlands you are stuck in traffic with your electric Porsche or you commute with a speed of 100 km/h on mind-numbing highways. Then a 4S or even basic Taycan is more than enough. That the GTS holds its own on the Circuit Zandvoort is nice to tell at the drinks table, but in practice it is of little use. So only buy/lease if you absolutely want 598 electric horsepower and not … well … 408, 530, 680 or 761 hp.