Porsche Taycan test drive review - An electric sportscar par excellence

Porsche Taycan (Image: Arjit Garg/ Zee News)

It's not everyday that a technology comes and turns the market upside down and that's exactly what electric vehicles have done to the global auto industry. While some automakers failed to reckon the force, others are doing pretty good. Take for example Porsche! Once a sportscar maker, they have now entered into electric vehicles with the launch of Taycan and what a success it has turned out to be.

Despite being the first-ever electric vehicle from the house of the German performance carmaker, the Porsche Taycan has outsold the iconic and posterboy of Porsche, the 911 in the global market in 2021. We recently took a Porsche Taycan for a spin around Delhi-NCR to understand what makes this EV such a hit globally. Here's our Porsche Taycan test drive review. 

Design

Watching the Porsche Taycan in person, you realize how far along we have come in terms of EV design. You see a very dashing looking sportscar and don't even realize it has an electric energy powering it. The Porsche Taycan gets a very familiar Porsche design language with an elongated boot having distinctive inverted L-shaped four-point LED lights, unique flush door handles, sensor based charging ports on both sides and a floating roof merging neatly into the boot having a light strip running through the rear. I even like the Frozen Metallic Blue paint that makes it look opulent.

Cabin

If it’s a Porsche, it has to be luxurious and feature packed and the Porsche Taycan is no different. The Porsche Taycan gets all the bells and whistles one can imagine in a luxury sedan. Right from the panoramic fixed glass roof that adds to the roominess to slat free AC outlet, a lot of innovation can be seen flowing inside the cabin. The chrono on the top of dashboard is reminiscent of Porsche’s racing pedigree.

The 16.8-inch curved instrument display is the best screen I have ever seen and is futuristic to say the least. There are four more screens, one on the central tunnel, two on the dashboard and one at the back elevating the tech quotient. While the Taycan is a four seater vehicle, that can be converted to a five-seater on request, it’s not really high on practicality, especially at the rear seats. Also the boot space is not that great. However, having another storage space in front instead of an engine is a boon.

Range and Performance 

The Porsche Taycan is available in two different battery packs, a 79.2-kwh one and a bigger 93.4-kwh pack with a claimed range of upto 484 km on a single charge. And if you think an electric vehicle can't perform, then you are mistaken. The top spec model can do 0-100 in just 2.8 seconds. That's fast, very very fast. There are multiple variant options to choose from, namely Standard, Turbo, Turbo S and 4S.

The top-speced Turbo S produces 761 hp and 1050 Nm, making it the most powerful EV on sale in the country. The entry-level Taycan, on the other hand, has a rear-wheel drive (RWD) setup making 408 hp. The Taycan 4S delivers 530 hp, while the Turbo gets 680 hp output. All the other variants apart from entry level Taycan gets an all-wheel drive setup.

Like any other EV, the torque on the tap pushes the car to a flying start at the blink of an eye. The steering is very balanced and feels good to hold. Taking a tight turn in a car as long as Taycan is no less than a breeze. Since the battery pack lowers the centre the gravity, it keeps the car planted all the time. However, the ground clearance is a problem for Indian roads and at few speed breakers, I had to think twice before passing over them.

All in all, the Porsche Taycan is a force to reckon with, a proper sportscar that is a healthy alternative to gas guzzlers. As for the pricing, the Porsche Taycan was launched in India at Rs 1.5 crore (Ex-showroom) and goes upto Rs 2.31 crore (Ex-showroom). There are a total of 7 variants on offer across two body types, and two battery packs.

Verdict

What exactly is a Porsche Taycan? For me, it's a no-nonsense electric vehicle that's high on style and super on performance. If you are super rich with bag loads of money, want to own a German car that goes incredibly fast, but don't want to hurt the environment as well, the Porsche Taycan is the perfect choice for you.