There’s no mincing words: the Porsche Taycan is Stuttgart’s battery-powered shot at Tesla and the high-end EV segment.
It isn’t the first big four-door car in the lineup — there’s the similarly-sized Porsche Panamera — but the Taycan is an all-electric option. It occupies much the same market as its traditionally-powered sibling, starting in the six-figure price range and only going up from there. It’s an altogether different proposition however, with a bigger focus on tech and the instant-on accessibility of prodigious electric power.
The Taycan is brand new for 2020. No matter the trim level it comes with four-wheel drive, with a motor for each axle. The Taycan uses a novel dual-transmission setup, with a single-speed gearbox up front and a two-speed item in the back. This aids acceleration, which is nothing short of rapid: even the base 4S does 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds. Plump for the top-spec Turbo S and you’re looking at 2.6 seconds — longer than it’ll take to read this sentence.
Charging can be sports-car-speedy too, though that’s very much based on where you plug the Taycan in. The 800-volt electrical architecture allows for quick additions, like 62 miles for five minutes of charging. Porsche says the battery can be topped up from five to 80 percent in 22.5 minutes on the fastest DC chargers.
Leading Porsche’s push into the EV market, the Taycan understandably majors on tech. The interior features no less than three screens, two of which are center console infotainment items. Buyers can even option a fourth for the front passenger. Standard features include adaptive air suspension, forward collision warning with emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and Apple CarPlay.
The brand-new, 2020 Porsche Taycan debuted at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, with production set to happen in Porsche’s hometown of Stuttgart.