An overview of the India-bound Tesla challenger.
Exterior – Quintessentially Porsche, Yet Refreshingly New
The Porsche Taycan is one of the rare cases where the production version actually looks like the concept that gets people excited. While the rear end along with that, the lightbar does not bring anything new to the table, the front end is certainly distinctive. The one very good thing about this front end is that it does not look like it misses a grille. Something the Ford Mach-E does. That is partially thanks to the 911 inspired design, which is mid-engined anyways.
The way the headlights sit is the most distinctive part of this car. While in other colors it works quite well, but in the launch color, white! From certain angles, it looks like very happy, because of the way the bumper curves up, like a smile above the number plate. In other angles, because of the air channel, the car looks like its been crying for several weeks. Nevertheless, it’s distinctive. The 21-inch ‘Mission E’ wheels do suit the car quite well and cause some excitement from the side. I say this because the side profile is quite simple, as in many Porsches.
The sloping roofline adds the final Porsche element and minces some of the rear headroom. Finally, there is a mega panel of glass that also doubles as a roof. Overall, Porsche has done a phenomenal job here.
Interior – Displays!
Open the door and hop in and the first thing(s) you realize is the number of displays in this car. With the optional passenger touchscreen this car’s dashboard has not one, not two, but 4 touchscreens! The most interesting touchscreen is the gauge cluster. For now the sides of the curved display house software toggles including the headlight controls. However, the entire piece must be a touchscreen, meaning that if Porsche wants, and is allowed to, they can make the central part of the gauge cluster a touchscreen as well!
The steering wheel is very well made, but the drive mode selector could have done with some gloss black elements. The quirkiest of all of these touchscreens is the one taking up the center console. I believe this unit is the exact same one seen in the Huracan Evo from Lamborghini.
One place where Porsche Tay(can) singlehandedly beat Tesla is in interior quality. Made from the finest materials in the industry, and built with immaculate craftsmanship, this interior is definitely up to German standards. The rear seat experience leaves things to be desired for sure, and the ‘foot garages’ AKA carved out batteries don’t seem to have done much for the headroom. Plus the windows don’t roll all the way down at the back, adding to the cocooned feeling. It’s good enough for moderately long journeys and has an optional touchscreen at the back for climate control. Taking the total tally to 5 touchscreens!
The Internals
The Taycan is based on the new J1 platform developed by Porsche. The car has dual motors, each of the permanent magnet type, and has all-wheel drive. The vehicle has power sent to the front wheels through a single-speed gearbox, and power sent to the rear wheels through a two-speed gearbox to improve peak acceleration. The car combines the power of these motors to give a total output of over 750 PS. Such a number is quite crazy, especially when considering it silently whirrs its way onto achieving that. That is if you don’t drop 500 dollars on an electric car noise track.
The Taycan 4S comes with a 79.2 kWh battery. It can sprint 0-100 km/hr in 3.8 seconds. The decked out version, the Taycan Turbo S does the same in just 2.6 seconds. What is questionable is the EPA estimated 325 kms range for the Taycan Turbo. Porsche has hired a private testing agency and claims 442 kms of range. For reference, the most expensive Model S (P100D) has a range of 507 kms and costs far less than the Porsche. We will have to wait till Porsche clears the air on this one.
A Very Promising First Attempt
Porsche has been really gunning electric with this car and their entry in Formula E. More than the product itself what stands out here is the change of scenarios. The Porsche Taycan seems to be one of the first, if not the first focused attempt at dethroning Tesla. No other electric car has created so much buzz, than this one and that says a lot. While the Audi E-Tron, Jaguar I-Pace, Mercedes EQC all exist, but all of them are more down the price spectrum, relatively. At this price range, for early adopters, the Porsche is sitting pretty.
The recent confirmation that Porsche is bringing this vehicle to India shows the company’s confidence with the Porsche Taycan. Yes, the price tag is going to be eye-watering (above $180,000 in the USA for the top-end variant), but it opens up a pathway for more electric cars to come to India and that is certainly exciting for the industry.