Porsche Taycan Turbo S the quirks and all

The new Porsche Taycan, high end EV that has some balls, but also some annoying features. Let's take a closer look.

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Time to answer the common pricing questions I am getting about the 718 GT4 / Spyder, the C8 Corvette and a few silly comments about dating and stuff.

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[ArgonixX]

Hi Nick, nice to see this honest review. As a Taycan Turbo S owner i can confirm most of the quirks, especially the B pillar is a real turn off. Turning the air vents to focused gives me the feel i like so not a major issue for me, but as you said is is overengineered. The Gearbox issue you mentioned is rarely noticeable with my driving style, i got surprised a couple of times the car went into lower gear slowly decelarating into corners and feeling the little bump of the gearshift. This only applies to sport modes as cruising in normal mode leaves the car in second gear. But as you said the overall driving experience is beyond stellar, which easily compensates for all the quirks. BTW: I’m the guy you missed on your Germany trip because of my own stupidity if you remember. Maybe next time...

[djbiltv]

got the Burmeister in my 911. When my wife asked why did I order such an expensive sound system, I told her it's because it reminded me of her, loud and expensive, and that it made me feel she was with me all the time in the car.

[ErikTheAndroid]

So glad to see a reviewer calling out this new screen everywhere no button bullshit. Buttons are so, so much better than using a touchscreen for everything.

[jefffenn]

Nick, I bought a taycan turbo s in aug 2023. I had before this, '16 BMW 435, ' 01 e39 m5, 16 f10 m5, 22 tesla model Y performance... Then went into the porsche. I suddenly don't have the itch to change cars!! Best car I've ever owned and driven! Hands down. I love it so much. The breadth of capability from comfortable daily driver to bombing down a back road... So so amazing!

[alexisinla]

I pulled up next to one of these at a red light on Sepulveda near Santa Monica Blvd in pre-covid times. That stretch between there and Wilshire Blvd is almost completely open. When the light turned green…I'm not sure I even had time to blink before the guy launched off the line. Just incredible car, minus that wretched HVAC system.
Stay safe!

[TheJohn]

I do not like the trend of having menu-driven controls for stuff like climate control, radio, etc. A dedicated button falls easily to hand (even when you miss slightly) without having to ever take your eyes off the road whereas if you miss the climate control (or whatever), you *must* look at the screen. That's obviously a dangerous design.

[ashishpatel]

never buy a first year model. especially when it's something drastically different than what a company has been known for doing.

[yuraplus]

I never drove more exciting car... sensational. Unlike anything else ...ever. Quiet assasin. This car kills all others on a road including fancy bykes with it's acceleration... playing with them before killing, brutally. My teeth dried out from smiling for 3 hours.... Unbelievable and unexpected experience. Bravo Taycan Turbo S... in my eyes, the quiet assasin on the road.

[kuglepen]

This video was so long it gave me range anxiety.

[ronb]

Thanks for the review, just a few items of feedback.

At 7:15 you talk in detail about Tesla's one peddle driving like as is true wiyh the Chevy Bolt EV and Leaf and others. The Taycan by design does not do hard Regen when the accelerator is released, that's true. They instead perform Regen when the break peddle is used. You can clearly see that when you press the brake pedal you will notice the energy graph changing to show power being put into the batteries. But I can can do 265 KW regeneration up to 0.4G breaking force. Porsche says 90% of all breaking will be done with regeneration/recuperation. The range of the Taycan is near 250mi with ordinary freeway driving.

Also, PDCC is a chassis control to deal with body roll in high speed cornering. It uses active rollbars to counter-twist the frame. I think what you were showing in the video was the active suspension compensating for body-roll which is base on the 4S and above Taycans.

[ChuckJ]

I've owned a 4S for 9 months now and I love it. I drove the Turbo S when I was considering buying one but I agree with you it's a party trick that is liable to get you in trouble. I have no problem with the B pillar and don't have my seat go back when I get out. I had a 991 before the Taycan and the 4S is faster so it's plenty fast for me. We took a road trip and charging is no issue, but you have to uncomfortably take it down to 10% to get the max charging out of it. Best road tripping is drive to 10% and stop charging at 80%. The ride is incredible! I have not had the gear switching issue that you have had. You missed the worst item- Porsche connect. It is worthless. Fortunately you don't need it anyway, but you can't even tell how much air is in the tires before you hit the road. Some people have said that it causes the 12v battery to die, but I haven't had that issue. You are correct with the center box, but fortunately I never seem to have to get in it. Overall, I have had 18 Porsches since 1967 and I like this one the best. You are correct, however it is not a sports car it is a gt car- but the 911 is getting very gt also. I have the two tone leather and I do like it. My wife loves the passenger display and I like the night vision. Maggie, my small Poodle just loves the whole thing and almost won't let us drive it without taking her.

[maseratiupgrades]

Taycan Turbo S. There is also clunkiness not associated with the gear shift, but that as well as the uncertainty of exactly when it will shift (it is 95% predictable knowing that it shifts at 62 mph- my car does it at 59) are minor enough not to dwell on. The acceleration never bores me but is addictive. When in a hurry, the extra safety from distancing myself from cars behind when making lane changes is soothing, pleasing and exhilarating (particularly in the Turbo S) with the extra confidence of the car staying flat because of Porsche handling dynamics. Launch control is stupid and just makes one feel sick. But once rolling the acceleration pedal is very progressive and predictable similar to naturally aspirated motors but with far greater reward as the pedal travels lower. Entry and exit because of B pillars is antithetical to a luxury car, but the car is worth the annoyance which diminishes along the learning curve from getting in and out. Added bonus is the B pillar actually protects the front occupants sides. The material lining the B pillar, to me is not bad ( not hard plastic, but has give and has a comfort touch feel) So far, over 1000 miles, no scratches on it (Perhaps because of Nick's heads up on the issue). To me, it is a super fast executive saloon that can handle its weight approaching sports car levels and with the right tires can make respectable track times.

[BastianTS]

7:40 the Taycan does have regenerative braking but the "lift off braking" is just not as strong. The real recuperation only activates if you use the brake pedal. I googled some numbers for comparison: The Taycan can regenerate a maximum of 265kW compared to 77kW of a Model 3. So the Taycan has much stronger regeneration capabilities. I would guess the advantage would be that there is no need to get used to the system when comparing to a ICE car, as well as being able to choose wheter to recuperate or to roll.

[ChuckJ]

Nick: Thanks much for this much anticipated review, it was great. I bought one (4s) because I don't have $200k to spend and like you, the ridiculous acceleration is not required for this 991 owner since the 4S is just as fast as my 991. At 75, I bought it for the responsiveness and quietness along with magic carpet ride. My kidneys are old. I definitely understand your 2 speed gearbox issue which if I drive it in sport plus I know I will have because of the 991 PDK does the same thing. I thought, however if you were in normal you would not experience this. My shock was when I got on the freeway and it shifted down as I entered the acceleration lane. It leapt forward like a horse after a calf out of the shute. Sure to annoy any older passenger, but great for getting on CT parkways where you nearly stop, then go when there is an opening. You will be in instant formation flying- even with a 4S. Most places don't have that kind of system, they have acceleration lanes. IMHO anything more than a 4S is a waste of money. There are some interesting options, however one being night vision. Here in Arkansas we have these recalcitrant dear that love to see if they can beat you across the road, I'm hoping that will solve the problem.
Thanks again for a great review. I knew the vents were ridiculous as the acceleration, but I didn't notice the problem when I drove it in distributive mode. Completely agree with the PDCC. I completely agree it is not a 911 which I have driven for years and love. But alas, my old body and ears needed smooth and quiet. Interestingly, I did not have a problem entering the car. I will not have the seat full back as I think your car may have been set up for. That is a problem. More over-engineering.


I love software guys, - especially quality guys. They look for all the over-engineering which is a growing problem. I knew the lack of buttons was a mistake also. Hopefully we will set it and forget it except for the volume which is on the wheel.


Chuck

[real_Sandman]

The Taycan actually has one of the strongest recuperations in EVs with >250kW, but Porsche decided to put this completely on the brake pedal to give it a "normal/gasoline" driving feel.

[WinterCharmVT]

7:35 -- a minor correction, the regenerative braking is available in the Taycan. It's the green bar when you press the brakes. The friction brakes are only used when the regenerative braking is maxed out. :)

[JoshHway]

Nick, this video is exactly the reason I love your videos. I appreciate your perspective, especially on the vent critique, and I think you and I would agree on a lot of car design ideas. Keep up the great reviews!

[nolanicol]

The 2 gears only come into play in Sport and Sport Plus modes when you want faster acceleration. If you want a smooth ride on the back roads or the most efficient range and highest top speed on the highway, use either Range or Normal modes.

[nolanicol]

You can slide your finger up or down over the temperature setting to change it and change the volume by sliding 2 fingers up or down on the scratch pad—Much easier than tapping the center, lower screen. Makes something which seems like a big deal, not a big deal at all.

[chrischristensen]

Only Porsche could design a “triangle” with 4 sides!