Buying a Porsche Taycan in the US was a six-digit layout before today. Porsche’s first full-battery electric vehicle was only offered in packages starting at $ 103,000 for the Taycan 4S to $ 185,000 for the Turbo S (reviewed here).
Today, Porsche now opens the lock for Taycan ownership with a base model offering of $ 79,900. With federal and state EV incentives, the price could drop below $ 70K. But what did Porsche cut to get the price there?
‘Affordable’?
Porsche sold 20,000 Taycans in the first year, and this is already Porsche’s best-selling model.
Now the ‘affordable’ Taycan is finally coming to the US shores, saving £ 200 by removing the cumbersome front engine and offering a smaller battery option of 79.2 kWh. To date, Porsche has not even said whether it will release the Taycan base in the US, let alone its home continent Europe, where it will cost £ 70,690 in the UK and similarly in mainland Europe. So today’s news is welcome.
The US $ 1,350 destination cost and the $ 7,500 federal tax credit deduction will put most buyers at $ 73,840 before enlisting state and local incentives, as well as electric savings on gas use.
The base model of the Porsche Taycan specification sheet is still very impressive, whether the 79.2 kWh performance battery or the $ 5,600 upgrade of 93.4 kWh ‘Performance Battery Plus’ was chosen. It is known that Porsche uses LG packs in its Taycan.
The standard Performance Battery offers the ability to deliver up to 402 horsepower (300 kW) and 254 pounds of torque from the Taycan’s single rear engine. Equipped with the optional Performance Battery Plus, the car can deliver up to 469 hp (350 kW) and 263 lb of torque. Regardless of the battery configuration, the Taycan can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 5.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 143 mph. With the standard battery, the Taycan covers the quarter mile in 13.7 seconds, while the larger pack shortens the sprint to 13.5 seconds.
The Chinese variant gave the 0-100 km / h (0-62 mph) time of 5.4 seconds, but it is unclear whether this is a slight improvement compared to the last few kilometers per hour.
Porsche Taycan loading
Like its more expensive siblings, the Taycan base will charge up to 270 kW at compatible charging stations. However, the smaller battery option will only charge at 225 kW.
Regardless of size, it both takes just 22.5 minutes to charge from 5% to 80% when the appropriate charge and temperature of the battery are met, and the car is mated to a compatible high-speed DC fast charger .
At 50 kW stations, it will take a substantial 93 minutes to charge the 5-80% charging gap, and home chargers will charge at 9.6 kW in just under 10 hours.
Porsche originally demanded a 350 kW payload from Taycan and promised an upgrade when it became available.
Taycan loses front car
As we mentioned, the loss of the front car will reportedly shed 200kg of the gross weight of the vehicle. Interestingly, Porsche notes that the front trunk will not get bigger (just 2.8 cubic feet) with the subtraction of the front car, but the rear will retain its 14.3 cubic feet of cargo space (compared to the 12.9 cubic feet of the Turbo / S). It remains to be seen what effect this will have on the range, as the AWD Taycan uses its leading car primarily for eco-driving.
Taycan wheels and brakes
Although only half of the wheels will be able to brake the standard Taycan, Porsche says it will still be able to recover 265 kW, a very healthy stopping power. But it’s a lot for two tires to absorb without slipping, especially in snow or gravel.
Also for brake calipers, the brakes will be black on the standard Taycan versus the red on 4S and yellow on the more expensive Turbo models.
The Taycan is standard with 19-inch Taycan Aero wheels, six-piston front brakes and four-piston rear brakes. This setup is similar to the Taycan 4S, but the color of the wheels and the brake flaps differ. The Taycan has standard black brake calipers and alloy wheels painted in brilliant silver, while the 4S is equipped with red brake flaps and polished alloy wheels with high-gloss black spokes. As on other Porsche Taycan models, Porsche Surface Coated Brakes and Porsche Ceramic Coated Brakes, as well as 20- and 21-inch wheels are optional. Regenerative brakes remain via the brake pedal, as well as its leading recovery of 265 kW.
Porsche Active Suspension Management with dashboard controls is standard, but adaptive air suspension can be ordered as an option. With air suspension, the Taycan can lower its impressive drag coefficient from 0.24 to 0.22.
Complete specification sheet
The same features found in other Taycan variants are all here: Porsche Connect with Apple CarPlay, Feature on Demand, Plug and Charge, Apple Music, on-air updates and three years of free charging from Electrify America – all are standard at the car included. . Additional optional equipment, such as Porsche InnoDrive with Traffic Jam Assist, a 19.2 kW onboard charger, Head Up screen, 14-way massage chairs, upgraded sound systems and various exterior colors and interior finishes are available to choose from in a Porsche typical layout for sports cars. Taycan buyers will be able to track the progress of their car from their smartphone, from build to delivery, through the Porsche Track Your Dream service.
Electrek’s Take
I think Porsche is going to sell a ton of these $ 80,000 variants, and that’s why: Aspiration people will want this beautiful car without having to break the bank according to the specifications. Let’s really be, these are specifications they do not necessarily need in daily life. The top speed of the base model Taycan, for example, drops from the 155-161 km / h of its cheaper siblings to only 143 km / h. As for 0-60 times, look at the drop from 2.3-4 seconds for another second to 5.1 seconds for the base model. Striking, but turning onto the highway would still be a jaw-dropping walk.
It is also interesting that the sister company Audi will release the Audi GT-based Audi GT.
To me, the size of the battery is the biggest difference here. At just 80kWh, the Taycan base is likely to barely reach the 200-mile magic baseline (EPA figures are closer to the announcement, according to Porsche). I say “probably” because Porsche saves weight and efficiency with a smaller battery and no front engine. On the other hand, Porsche Taycan 4S / Turbos will use its leading car for highway efficiency in the most eco-friendly environment. It is also known that Porsche is artificially reducing its declared EPA range. Why? Some speculate that they want a larger buffer for compliance with warranties.
The AWD Taycan 4S with the same battery is 199 EPA miles. If I had to guess, I would say that the EPA range would be around 215 for the $ 80,000 model and 245 with the Performance Battery Plus. These are respected numbers, but for many, the 300-400 mile range that Tesla offers on similar Model S batteries is hard to ignore. The RWD Taycan in China has a NEDC of 489 km (303 miles), but it is quite optimistic compared to the EPA kilometers.
The other part of the equation is charging options. At Electrify America 350 kW stations, 20 minutes is fantastic and barely enough time to use the toilet. But on the more common 50kW stations, it will take 90 minutes to charge, which is long, even if you plan to enjoy a meal or go shopping while stopping.
But as we have said in the past, there is a lot of room in the market for Porsche here, and they are likely to pick up the most new Taycan customers from ICE sports cars and sedan alternatives.
Porsche Taycan teen Tesla Model S
As someone who owns every S-3-XY model and has driven the higher-specification variant of the Taycan, I can unequivocally say that there are undeniable plows here. Fit and finish, styling, handling, interior / exterior design, CarPlay, convenience and customer service come to you. Reach and availability of levies is the obvious big win for Tesla.
In fact, if I’m a typical Porsche customer, the only thing stopping me from picking up a Taycan is the prospect of a brand new Electric Macan AWD SUV that many people are announcing this year and will be on the way in 2022. .
Oh, and one last thing Porsche wanted us to know: the Taycan is the most powerful standard model variant Porsche has ever made. So not a bad package at all, and dare I say ‘tempting’?
You can find local deals on Porsche Taycans, including the new $ 80,000 model here.
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