Is Porsche Taycan worth it
The Porsche Taycan is an electric saloon and shooting brake produced by Porsche, a German automobile manufacturer. The initial concept version of the Taycan, known as the Porsche Mission E, made its debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Taycan was officially introduced as a fully production-ready model at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. This marked Porsche’s entrance into the electric vehicle market with its first series production electric car.
The Taycan is available in multiple variants, each offering different performance levels, catering to various customer preferences. Porsche has plans to potentially introduce additional derivatives in future models, further expanding the Taycan lineup.
In its debut year in 2020, the Taycan achieved significant sales success, with over 20,000 units delivered. This accounted for approximately 7.4% of Porsche’s total vehicle volume for that year.
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Additionally, a modified version of the Taycan Turbo S model is currently being utilized as the official Formula E Safety car, showcasing the vehicle’s high-performance capabilities and its role in motorsport.
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Nomenclature
The name “Taycan” (/taɪ-kɒn/9 ) has its roots in Turkish, where “tay” means “lively young horse.” This name choice is a nod to the horse on the coat of arms of Stuttgart, which is also present on the Porsche crest, symbolizing the brand’s connection to the city.
Porsche’s Naming Tradition
Porsche decided to use the names “Turbo” and “Turbo S” for its high-performance models, despite the fact that electric vehicles like the Taycan do not have traditional turbochargers. This decision follows the tradition set by Porsche for its high-performance derivatives with internal combustion engines, where “Turbo” has been historically used to denote top-tier, powerful variants.
Design
The Taycan’s interior features Porsche’s first-ever fully digital instrumentation, boasting up to four digital displays. Among them, the most prominent is the curved, free-standing 430 mm (16.8 in) configurable driver’s display. Additionally, a 280 mm (10.9 in) infotainment center screen is situated to the right of the instrument cluster. An optional screen next to the infotainment display allows the front passenger to personalize the infotainment system.
The center console incorporates a 210 mm (8.4 in) portrait-oriented, touchpad-controlled screen that provides information about the powertrain’s status and offers advice to the driver on using the car’s power efficiently. Despite the all-digital layout, the dashboard features the classic Porsche clock at the top, blending modern technology with traditional elements.
The exterior design of the Taycan, created by former Porsche Exterior Designer Mitja Borkert, heavily draws inspiration from the Mission E concept car. It retains most of the design elements from the concept, with the exception of the “suicide doors” and B pillars. The Taycan’s design highlights include a retractable rear spoiler, flush retractable door handles, and an advanced regenerative braking system.
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The Taycan’s unique drivetrain layout allows Porsche to combine classic short-nosed front proportions, commonly found in traditional Porsches, with the elongated proportions seen in modern front-engine models towards the rear.
This combination establishes clear design connections to existing Porsche models. At the front, the car features distinctive four-point LED daytime running headlamps. The rear showcases a short notchback-style boot lid, housing a full-width light band that functions as taillights and turn signals, and provides access to one of the two luggage compartments.
The other compartment is located under the front bonnet, boasting a claimed capacity of almost 100 liters. High-performance Turbo and Turbo S models of the Taycan come with carbon-fiber trim and 20-inch wheels, enhancing their sporty appearance.
Taycan Cross Turismo
The Taycan Cross Turismo is a versatile version of the Taycan, combining the shooting brake/wagon design with crossover-like features. It comes with additional body cladding and rugged black plastic trim, giving it a more rugged appearance. The Cross Turismo also offers an off-road Design package and a ‘Gravel’ drive mode for added capability. The luggage compartment in the Cross Turismo holds up to 446 L (15.8 cu ft) of cargo, providing more space than the standard saloon version. With the rear seats folded, it offers an impressive 1,212 L (42.8 cu ft) of cargo space, making it ideal for those needing extra storage capacity.
Taycan Sport Turismo
The Taycan Sport Turismo shares the same estate/shooting brake profile with the Cross Turismo but lacks crossover-like styling elements. It offers a sleeker appearance while maintaining the practicality of a wagon. The Cross Turismo models are all-wheel-drive, while the Sport Turismo is available in a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) variant, known as the base Taycan Sport Turismo. The luggage compartment of the Sport Turismo also provides ample space, accommodating up to 446 L (15.8 cu ft) of cargo, similar to the Cross Turismo. With the rear seats folded, it offers the same impressive 1,212 L (42.8 cu ft) of cargo space, ensuring versatility for various needs.
Chassis
The Taycan’s body is constructed using a combination of steel and aluminum, joined through various bonding techniques. Hot-formed steel is used for the B pillars, side roof frame, and seat cross member to enhance safety. Boron steel is employed for the bulkhead cross member, further improving the car’s safety features. Forged aluminum is used for the shock absorber mounts, axle mounts, and rear side members, contributing to reduced weight. Nearly 37% of the car’s body is made of aluminum, emphasizing a balance between strength and weight reduction.
Powertrain
The Taycan is equipped with a new battery-electric all-wheel-drive drivetrain that features a permanent-magnet synchronous motor on each axle. The power distribution to the wheels is managed through a single-speed gearbox at the front, which has an 8.05:1 gear ratio.
At the rear, power is transmitted through a two-speed transmission and a limited slip differential. This unique gearbox setup includes a short planetary first gear (16:1) for maximum acceleration and a long-ratio second gear (8.05:1) to optimize top speed and efficiency.
The Taycan draws its power from a 93 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which weighs 630 kg (1,389 lb). Interestingly, this battery pack serves as a structural chassis component, helping to maintain a low center of gravity and enhance the car’s overall rigidity.
To improve rear-seat legroom, the battery pack incorporates “foot garages,” clever recesses in the structure. The battery pack operates at 723 volts (835 volts fully charged, 610 volts empty) and consists of 33 modules, each containing 12 LG Chem pouch cells, totaling 396 cells.
The Taycan’s powertrain lineup includes various versions, starting with the high-output Turbo and Turbo S models. Later, the 4S powertrain was introduced, featuring a slightly less powerful rear motor while maintaining the same front motor on all three variants. Additionally, a base model was introduced, which omitted the front motor and featured a smaller 79.2 kW-hr battery.
When the Cross Turismo body was introduced, the base model was designated as the Taycan 4, equipped with a larger battery and two-motor all-wheel drive, providing outputs comparable to the rear-motor Taycan.
Porsche also introduced the “Performance Battery Plus” option for the regular Taycan in fall 2021, featuring the larger 93 kW-hr battery and a single-motor variant of the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo powertrain.
The GTS powertrain was unveiled alongside the Sport Turismo body in November 2021, utilizing the larger battery and more powerful motors to bridge the performance gap between the 4S and the Turbo models. The 4S Sport Turismo comes with a smaller battery as standard, but customers have the option to upgrade to the larger battery for more extended range capabilities.
