Practical experience Porsche Taycan: owners about their electric Porsche

The rationale behind a Porsche Taycan may need some explanation. In the higher segment, the electric car can no longer be ignored, although it is mainly SUVs. If you don’t want an SUV, the choice is certainly not huge, although that is now changing thanks to newcomers such as Nio and Lucid. If an electric station wagon is the criterion, then only the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo or the slightly higher Taycan Cross Turismo remain. Or an MG 5 of course. Add to that the fact that with such an EV you eliminate an important disadvantage of many Porsches – fuel consumption – and you understand how unique this product is. In any case, this positioning is bearing fruit: in terms of Dutch sales, Porsche’s youngest is already close behind the much older Macan.

Comfort and space Taycan

Perhaps the best thing about such a rational Porsche are the owners who really review it. The car is usually used daily, so space plays a role. In that respect, the Taycan does not disappoint its users. “Space is also ample, with front and rear boot space of 84 and 408 liters respectively, and a folding rear seat. The passengers in the back also have something to complain about because of the saved foot space in the floor and two centimeters of extra headroom due to the panoramic roof,” said the user of a 2021 Taycan 4S. “Is this also practical?” another user wonders , and then answer his own question. “Yes! My children have more space than in the BMW (420i Gran Coupé, ed.). The trunk is a bit smaller, but still big enough.”

In the above cases it concerns the ‘normal’ Taycan. The Sport Turismo should be even more practical, but we have not yet read anything about owners who take it to the hardware store or furniture giant. The owner of a beautiful red Taycan Sport Turismo does take him on holiday: “Just back from a long weekend in Germany with friends and kids. The only conclusion is that the Taycan is an ideal travel car. All the stuff in the back, a little more in the front door and off you go.”

Interior and infotainment

As far as interior is concerned, Porsche is sailing a modern course. By default there are three screens. A digital instrument panel, the central touchscreen and a horizontal touchscreen in the center tunnel with which you can operate the climate control, among other things. A fourth screen is even available at an additional cost, with which the passenger can also enjoy himself digitally. Nobody talks about the latter screen, but people are mostly positive about the central screen. “Entertainment works well and smoothly. Sound from Bose is fine. Navigation is also smooth and on longer journeys, the car also redirects me to (super) fast chargers. I have used this a few times and it is very pleasant”, says this driver. A Taycan 4S driver has a critical comment. “It looks great, all those touchscreens. But in terms of ease of use, such an iDrive controller is much more pleasant to operate while driving. Although I cannot complain about the interface of both the PCM and Apple CarPlay, both are at a high level.”

Does it drive like a Porsche?

However rational the Taycan may be, it remains a Porsche with corresponding qualities. “The handling and steering are excellent and the air suspension and ‘power steering plus’ add an extra dimension to that,” said the owner who opted for the rear-wheel drive standard version. How does it do it motorically? “The acceleration for the basic version is more than enough to move smoothly in traffic. You really don’t need more.”

This owner of a Sport Turismo goes into great detail about the driving characteristics. “Driving a Taycan is fundamentally different from driving a petrol or diesel car. Especially the response to the power pedal is very direct. And at the same time full torque, which gives a very controllable acceleration. Overtaking is a piece of cake”, he writes enthusiastically. “The difference with other EVs is that a Porsche can accelerate out of corners wonderfully. It stays very flat and has a lot of traction.”

Just like just about every electric car, a Porsche Taycan puts the necessary kilograms (at least 2,025) in the shell, although it seems to disguise that nicely. “Only with fast left/right turns do you feel the weight of the car needs to be converted. The steering feel is precise and the car follows the chosen line without drama. The straight-line stability is also like on the proverbial rails.”

The owner who previously praised the space offer is also pleased with the handling. “My previous 4 Series Gran Coupé already offered loads of driving pleasure, this Taycan is the superlative. The air suspension chassis offers the ideal balance between comfort and yet very tight, sporty. The steering behavior that gives you perfect feedback without exaggerating and makes you completely forget that you are on the road with such a heavy EV. The acceleration at the traffic lights and even more so at the intermediate sprints. Powerful brakes when you want to come to a (quick) stop again. This Taycan does it all really brilliantly.” Even an owner who fitted his Sport Turismo with large 22-inch wheels remains generally satisfied: “With these wheels, the car is still comfortable in sport mode. In ‘sport plus’ it is not very comfortable on a bumpy road, but the Cayenne was not.”

Disturbances and irritations

In this section we read a lot about teething problems and teething problems, even with brands that normally have their affairs in order. The Porsche Taycan is not completely carefree either. In mid-2021, more than 40,000 units were recalled due to a critical software error, which caused the car to stop spontaneously. One of the reviewers indicated that this was an inconvenience.

“At the end of the summer I had to deal with the well-known failure of the systems while driving,” he writes. “This was a known issue and I had hoped my car would hold up until the planned major software update which was literally scheduled three days later. Unfortunately not. It happened after I used launch control and I was stranded a few hundred yards from home.” Has the problem been solved now? “Car was picked up at my house and brought home neatly a few days later with the major software update. After that, the problem has not reoccurred and the car is really a loyal companion.”

Apart from this now solved problem, the Taycan does not seem to have any structural problems. One owner reports a faulty shock absorber after 10,000 kilometres, another is occasionally in conflict with the door lock. One rider has to deal with a repetitive thump between 95 and 115 km / h. Although he writes that it seems to be a known problem, other riders do not report it.

Porsche Taycan: range and consumption

Finally, the range and power consumption of the Taycan, again showing that a traditional body shape has an advantage. The wind simply has less influence on a lower carriage with a relatively small frontal area. Users report quite favorable consumption figures. The owner of the basic model: “Consumption is an average of 19.4 kW/100 km after 7,000 km. I charge with solar panels at home and also at Lidl, which offers you half an hour of free charging as a customer. The average range at this time of the year is about 410 km.” This 4S driver consumes a little higher, but probably also drives a bit more firmly. “In terms of consumption, I tap after 5,000 km without too great distances at 22.6 kWh/100 km. Seems pretty okay to me for such a sports car with 21-inch rims and a pretty smooth driving style.”

The absolute king of economy resides in the south of France, where the favorable climate can positively influence consumption. “The average consumption over more than 26,000 km has dropped further, partly due to the increased temperatures! It is now an incredible 15.7kWh/100km!” He later reports that consumption has fallen even further. “15.5 kWh/100km, incroyable! The range is now going up to about 450 km because of these temperatures.” Due to positive experiences, this owner has now ordered a new Taycan.

The next owner also ordered a successor relatively early. “After 10 months of electric driving, I have decided to exchange the GTS for another Cayenne Coupé Turbo S,” writes the owner who previously fitted his car with beautiful 22-inch wheels. “The main reason is the very limited range. In practice this turns out to be about 300 km. If you do not keep to the speed, this will be considerably less.”