Porsche Taycan review

The Taycan sits somewhere between a sports car and a saloon, in a way that very few other cars do. Even fewer of them are electric. Even after four years, if the idea of a Taycan appeals to you and you have the not inconsiderable wherewithal, it's one of the very few choices.

To keep it at the pointy end of things, the Taycan has now had its refresh. 'Refresh' not 'facelift' because the design has hardly changed: just front air intakes and lighting updates.

Instead, stuff that matters has been attended to. Most obviously range has grown, by a combination of better efficiency and bigger battery. Also it can charge at higher power, and because the improved efficiency means each kilowatt-hour added at the charger takes you further, you now spend even less time stopped for a given time driving.

Air suspension is standard on the lower Taycans, and on the top versions it's a clever new active suspension. The Taycan didn't need to drive better, but this system keeps the driving smarts and also improves the comfort.

How sporty?

In many ways, very. For a start it's blinding-quick, not just in a straight-line drag race but in instant response to your pedal inputs. But those things are of course AWD-electric-generic: no need to wait for wheelspin to subside, or drop down through gears or spool up turbos. Even so the Taycan differs from most EVs in that its acceleration tails off less at Autobahn speed, because it has a two-speed transmission that shifts up to keep the rear motor at the most muscly rpm.

To put numbers on it: the cheapest RWD-only Taycan has more than 400bhp and cracks 0-62 in 4.8 seconds. The Turbo S is half that, thanks to 952bhp. And if you're happy to throw out the back seat and go with the Turbo GT Weissach pack it's 2.2s, via a Veyron-troubling 1,034bhp. We're reviewing that car separately.

That said, acceleration – even acceleration like you've been caught in an avalanche – doesn't define sportiness. Neither does grip, although the Taycan has absurd amounts of that. We're also looking for precision in the controls, agility and a sense of connection with the road.

The Taycan's low driving position helps a lot. So does its delightfully precise steering. There are times when you could almost be in a Cayman. But does it have the last word in interaction with the surface beneath? Not quite. In the end, weight counts against it.

Any EV is heavy. Porsche adds lots of systems to counteract the weight: on the Turbo S you get a front motor, an active rear diff, active suspension, four-wheel steering. But each of those in itself adds more weight and you're at 2,300kg. This is the modern weight spiral. It swallowed a dog to catch the cat to catch the bird to catch the spider to catch the fly. I dunno why it swallowed a fly.

What else might you buy?

Well, the Taycan is so low-slung it really does feel like sitting in a sports car. Looking at four-door coupe bodies but with an engine, you've got Porsche's own slightly roomier Panamera, and the BMW M8 Gran Coupe, and the AMG GT four-door. None of them is as low-slung. Closest electric rival is the Audi e-tron GT and the RS version of the same, which will soon get similar improvements because they share the Taycan's electrics and platform.

Most competing EVs are taller saloons and hatches. Among them are the Tesla Model S Plaid if you don't mind sitting on the left, and the BMW i4 M50 and i5 M60, and Mercedes’ AMG EQE 53. And the Jaguar I-Pace, which isn't really an SUV.

If you want the most fun in EV, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the clear choice. The Porsche is about speed and precision; the Hyundai is about putting a smile on your face.

What about the improved range and charging?

This is a big advance. New battery chemistry – using less cobalt than before – means the packs are more energy dense, and can be charged faster. The Taycan Turbo S, for example, now has WLTP efficiency similar to the Tesla Model S Plaid. It always lagged Tesla in the past.

The standard pack is 82kWh net, the bigger one 97kWh. The bigger one accepts charge faster, so at a 350kW charger (of which more and more exist) you ought to be able to draw 320kW for 10 minutes: that's 200 WLTP miles added. A 10-80 per cent juice-up is 18 minutes, or 33 minutes on a 150kW charger.

The battery can also accept its highest charge current at lower temperatures now, so it doesn't need as much energy-sapping preconditioning as you approach a charge stop.

Finally, significant improvements in the motors, transmission and high-voltage electronics, plus less resistance from tyres and air drag, mean that every kilowatt-hour out of the battery goes further anyway.

WLTP range varies from 424 miles (big battery, RWD Taycan, no draggy or heavy options) down to 296 miles for a twin-motor 4S with smaller battery and big wheels, etcetera.

And how is it in the daily grind?

Very good. It rides really very well, especially with the active ride which makes it almost spookily smooth even over very broken surfaces. The steering isn't twitchy so it's relaxing on a long motorway trip, and optional 4WS improves urban manoeuvrability.

Any of the four seats are comfortable, though the back ones don't give you much leg space, and the boot isn't that big.

The multiple display and touchscreen systems work well given a little learning. The driver assist is fine, though it's disappointing that anything beyond the legal minimum of systems are on the options list.

The Taycan's first big upgrade wisely concentrates on efficiency. Pretty much everything else was fine anyway.

This unusual four-door electric GT is an alluring combo of style, interior well-being, comfort and technology for an everyday car. The improved range and charging makes this year's version even more compelling.

That's probably a solid set of reasons to buy it. If maybe not enough to justify the scary prices. But wrap all that around the Taycan's magnificent capacity to devour interesting roads and it's a compelling machine indeed.