Comparing Luxury EVs: The Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S
In the ever-growing landscape of electric cars, two mighty gladiators have risen to the top of the premium luxury merchants of speed, the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the 2020 Tesla Model S. The Porsche is the dangerous new fighter in the ring going toe-to-toe against Tesla’s long time champion. But which car would you own? We decided to do a good, old fashioned shootout between these two high tech marvels. Buckle up, because this is going to be a very quick ride!
Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S: Overview
To unpack as much information as possible, we will focus on range and charging, outright acceleration, handling, interior and exterior design, price and value for your money.
EV Range and Charging
The adequate range benchmark for electric cars is thought to be 200 miles between charges. This offers plenty of miles to get to and from work, the grocery store or mall with plenty of room to push the pedal down and feel the sheer exhilaration that can only be found in one of these cars. We feel that a 200-mile range is perfectly acceptable, especially considering that most EV owners charge their vehicles up in the garage at home each night.
The official EPA rating on the Porsche base model 4S tells us that the Taycan has a range of 203 miles, the faster Taycan Turbo has a range of 201 miles and the fastest Turbo S will take you 192 miles between charges. But this may not be entirely true. By all accounts, those ratings are very conservative. Other auto magazines and blogs have reported that the model will go anywhere from 250 to 300 miles between charges. Perhaps this discrepancy falls within the “your mileage may vary” disclaimer.
By comparison, the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus model is famous for its astounding EPA range rating of 391 miles. The Tesla gets the win for range and also wins this race when it comes to charging. Porsche has installed high-speed chargers at all of its dealerships and has partnered with Electrify America to provide over 1,700 chargers at 350 stations all across the United States.
While those Porsche chargers are faster than Tesla’s chargers, Tesla wins hands down with over 16,000 Superchargers at nearly 1,900 locations across North America. Check two wins for Tesla.
Acceleration 0-60 mph
When it comes to mind-melting acceleration, the Porsche and the Tesla are two of the quickest cars on the road. They are both faster than the fastest race cars and super cars. Both offer scorching zero to 60 mph times without having to set up complicated launch codes, though the Porsche rockets quickest when dialed to Sport Plus mode.
The Taycan Turbo S will take you from zero to 60 mph in a neck-snapping 2.6 seconds, though Motor Trend and others have clocked it at 2.4 seconds; as fast as a three million dollar Bugatti Chiron (the fastest gasoline-powered car in the world). That is faster by a second than the Tesla Model S. However, with the addition of Tesla’s new Cheetah Stance upgrade, the Model S will smoke the Porsche by one tenth of a second, coming in at 2.3 seconds. So, by the finest of hairs, the Tesla wins the acceleration challenge.
Porsche vs. Tesla: Handling and Agility
For the revision of the Model S in 2019, Tesla made a lot of changes that really improved the car’s range, acceleration, handling and ride quality. While these improvements are impressive, they can’t outdistance the Porsche’s superior handling. Hey, it’s that German engineering. The Taycan is by far the more rewarding car to drive on a good road. In the twisties, this car feels like it is on rails despite its hefty 5,100 pounds of weight compared to the Tesla’s 4,900 pounds. So for handling, the agile Porsche takes the lead.
What Differs Between the Taycan and Model-S in Design?
The Tesla Model S has been around for a while and even with the nip and tuck for 2019, it is beginning to look a bit old compared to the Porsche. The Taycan showcases fresh and clean design borrowing a bit from its brother the Panamera. But the Taycan is edgier and features the biggest brakes (both rotors and calipers) we’ve ever seen on a production car. As for the interior, the Taycan is the clear winner here as well. With perfectly ergonomic leather seats and ample room for four full-grown adults, the Turbo S also sports a gorgeous tinted glass roof, really smart design throughout and extremely intuitive tech. The Porsche wins again.
Taycan vs. Model-S : Pricing and Delivery
When it comes to price, the Taycan 4S begins at $103,800 plus delivery charges. Options such as Porsche’s InnoDrive active safety suite will add $3,600 and the performance package adds $6,400 which brings the price to $113,800, plus there are lots more goodies in the Porsche stable to add to your super EV.
The Base Model S Long Range will set you back $79,990 plus delivery. There are fewer options on the Tesla compared to the Porsche. Premium paint, interior and wheels will add $8,500 while the addition of Tesla’s self-driving tech is another $8,000. Still, all in, the Model S totals out at $96,490.
The Porsche is the more premium looking and handling car by far but you pay for that premium. If price were no object, we’d all be driving the new Taycan, but in the real world, for speed, range and features, the Tesla Model S is hard to beat for the price.
