Putting the Porsche Taycan Turbo S to the Test
On a chilly November day in Medford, Oregon, GreenCars’ editors had the chance to drive the new All-Electric 2022 Porsche Taycan Turbo S. The experience has changed life as we know it. It looked so innocent sitting in the parking lot. Just a white Porsche that someone had stretched like pizza dough to include four doors and an ample backseat. A family Porsche. There’s generous room in the trunk and the rear seats even fold down for more storage. But this car offers far more than meets the eye.
Porsche Taycan Turbo S: Built for Speed and Luxury
The Taycan is currently the fastest electric car in the world. Perhaps we should say it is the “quickest” electric car since we are talking about zero to 60 mph times or rolling 50 to 100 mph times. In either case, if you step on the accelerator (especially in Sport Mode), the car launches with neck-cracking immediacy. How fast? How quick? Zero to 60 mph happens in an astonishing 2.4 seconds. Likewise, 50 to 100 mph happens in the blink of an eye and the car has a top speed of 162 mph. That is impossibly fast. Perhaps drivers will be lining up at the chiropractor’s offices for Porsche-badged neck braces.
That said, you are in complete control of the Taycan and it will be as gentle as a mother’s embrace around town if you wish. It will take you to the mall like an ordinary car. But may the gods of horsepower help you if you step down on the go-pedal of this sublime beast. We defy you to keep your foot poised and reasonable while driving the car. It is impossible. In fact, the swift and silent rocket is so well designed, so comfortable, that you think you are only traveling at about 35 mph, when a glance at the ergonomically perfect electronic dash informs you that you are gliding along at 60 mph. How can this be? Because this car is a masterpiece of engineering and design.
Backroads where aged pickup trucks travel the 45-mph speed limit seem completely ridiculous. “How can this person be driving so slow,” you bellow! Then you realize they’re going the correct speed as the Taycan whispers in your ear, “Let’s GO!” Though you won’t be turned into a speed demon in the same way that a Dodge Hellcat might seduce you. No, this Porsche lures you into high speed pursuit practice with the subtle siren song of some forgotten god of terminal velocity. “You can do this,” it coos… and with the Taycan, you can.
In fact, that may be the biggest setback for this magnificent Porsche. It does absolutely everything well. It has a range close to 200 miles(EPA estimated) on a single charge. It is proudly posh and offers comfort beyond compare. There is even room in the back seat for a six-and-a-half-foot tall passenger to lounge without danger of his head touching the tinted glass roof (which is magnificent). The brakes are a thing of wonder. You have probably never seen bigger rotors and calipers in your life. But they need to be because this car manages to haul you back down to zero just as fast as it launches you into warp speed. And in corners, this thing is on rails. The Continental Pro Contact tires hug 21-inch Mission E Design wheels with silent determination but never give an inch.
A Sublime Sports Car
We realize this is a review and we should probably say something negative about the car. Okay, how about this? The fascia on the lower rear bumper area is plastic. Also, some may giggle at the “fake” burble and throaty roar that the car exudes from its excellent interior speakers. But sound is an important part of the feeling that you are blasting down the highway. We rather like it. Plus, you can change the sound if you like or even turn it off. Did we mention that the stereo offers an instant trip to the orchestra pit? The sound system is sublime.
The touchscreen controls in the cockpit could not be simpler or more user friendly. When you touch the “Park” button, the emergency brake is engaged. When you push the “Reverse” lever, the rear camera comes on and another screen shows you a clever view of the vehicle from above. How do they do that? Push that same lever down and you are in drive. And drive, dear friends, is all you will ever want to do once you try this Taycan. This is a family-friendly electric sports car that even Jeremy Clarkson would love.
While the base model Taycan actually starts at under $100,000 MSRP, this Turbo S as tested was closer to $200,000 MSRP. And that’s a good thing. Because if this car were around $100,000, we might all be tempted to sell our houses to own one. It’s that good.
