• Five variants on offer
• Pace ranges from brisk to bonkers
• 4S is the sweet spot, but we can understand you wanting more

Electric motors

There are five versions of the facelifted Taycan to pick from: the base rear-wheel-drive Taycan is the only single-motor model; the 4S, Turbo, Turbo S and Turbo GT are all twin-motor, all-wheel-drive variants, though with massively differing levels of performance.

They’re named to fit in with the rest of Porsche’s range, even though some will quite rightly point out that electric cars cannot be turbocharged.

All five models have a standard horsepower rating but can access more with ‘overboost’ (another misnomer) that kicks in when using launch control for the fastest starts and during hard acceleration – something that’s further enhanced in facelift models by the new ‘push-to-pass’ function. Activated by a button on the steering wheel, this summons maximum power for 10 seconds, aiding overtaking.

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To add extra confusion, the Taycan and Taycan 4S are available with an optional Performance Battery Plus that boosts horsepower in normal running and during periods of overboost when compared to the standard battery. This battery is standard on the rest of the range. It’s also been upgraded for the facelift models, with increased capacity and newer composition for improved charging.

Option this and the Taycan goes from 408hp to 435hp peak power, while the Taycan 4S sees an increase from 544hp to 598hp – though those are overboost figures, and in normal driving you’ll be reduced to 462hp or 517hp. Before this gets too confusing, all you really need to know is that the regular RWD Taycan won’t feel all that quick if you’ve just stepped out of a Tesla, while the 4S is fast enough for most people without feeling totally insane. It’s arguably the sweet spot of the range.

But this is Porsche, and if you want bonkers the firm is happy to provide it. Even the standard Turbo overboosts to 884hp – some 177hp more than the normal driving figure of 707hp – while the Turbo S is now up to 775hp or 952hp. That’s enough to do 0-62mph in 2.4 seconds, something the launch control system makes incredibly accessible.

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The Turbo GT takes this even further, however. Developed by the same team at Porsche responsible for cars such as the 911 GT3 and GT3 RS, this is 75kg lighter than the Turbo S and can go all the way up to 1,108hp, albeit for just two seconds at a time. The only Taycan with a steering wheel paddle to make activating its push-to-pass function – known here as the Attack Mode – easier when driving on a racing circuit, this can do 0-62mph in as little as 2.2 seconds.

For this you’ll need the no-cost option Weissach package, which adds extra aerodynamics and removes another 70kg in weight – largely by deleting the rear seats – but the non-Weissach version still does 0-62mph in 2.3 seconds. The most savage demonstration of the Weissach’s performance is the 0-124mph time, which at just 6.4 seconds is an astonishing 1.3 seconds faster than the Taycan Turbo S.

We’ve experienced this acceleration (from standstill, on track), and it is a physical event far removed from the realms of regular driving.

What’s it like to drive?

• Fast, fun, and highly capable
• Huge range of chassis tech
• Active Ride suspension especially clever

Porsche has thrown everything it can at the Taycan in a bid to deal with the immense weight of its battery pack – this is a car that weighs nearly 2.3 tonnes in most versions, and in addition to the standard air suspension and adaptive dampers, can be equipped with rear-wheel steering, torque vectoring, and some very clever roll stabilisation technology. Top models get all of this included in the price, but it can be added to any Taycan at extra cost.

Has all this effort worked? Has it ever. The Taycan absolutely breaks the mould of EVs being one-dimensional to drive. It’s heavy, yes, but it’s not often you really feel it. In fact, it’s only during the briefest of moments when it’s changing direction or dealing with big crests or compressions that you’re aware of the masses involved. Lesser Taycans without all the clever tech aren’t quite as good at hiding their bulk, yet this is still the best driving EV of them all.

There’s an enormous amount of traction on offer from the all-wheel drive system, with a motor on each axle and sophisticated torque vectoring meaning the Taycan can send its considerable power exactly where it needs to go. Add in weighty, accurate steering and the Taycan builds vast amounts of confidence whilst allowing the keen driver to have fun, too.

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Rear-wheel drive models are cleverly set up to prevent you smoking the rear tyres from a standstill, but you’re still able to slide it about should you want to. If anything it doesn’t feel potent enough for the exceedingly capable chassis, so we’d upgrade to at least the 4S to make the most of it. The Turbo models will really get you moving.

New for the facelift is Porsche Active Ride. This replaces the previous electromechanical anti-roll technology with a new system that uses pumps and motors to move the damper fluid about – to such great effect that cars equipped with Active Ride no longer bother with conventional anti-roll bars at all. What’s more, the system can control diving under braking, squatting under hard acceleration and even lean the car into corners.

This is all a little counter-intuitive if you’re an enthusiastic driver – though can make things very smooth inside the cabin if you’re not pressing on – so Porsche automatically turns these more controversial features off when you change the driving mode out of Normal and into Sport or Sport Plus. This gives you a more authentic set of reactions to work with, making faster driving more involving, if still occasionally a little… odd.

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We think of it like rear-wheel steering, which also changes car behaviour away from the norm in a generally good way. There’s a tiny learning curve, then after that you may never want to go back to conventional suspension. Even challenged by the huge performance of the Turbo GT – which gets Active Ride as standard – on a racing circuit, the extent of the composure this system can deliver in extremes is quite sensational.

We’re less enamoured of the brakes. These mix regenerative and friction braking in a manner that makes the pedal a touch less consistent that we’d like. You get used to this at normal road speeds, but when driving faster it can be disconcerting. This is especially the case with the Turbo GT on track, which despite having powerful 10-piston calipers and ceramic brake discs will quite easily activate its ABS, thanks in part to the softness and lack of feel in the left-hand pedal.

That said, very few other cars can hold a candle to the Taycan’s overall handling balance, and no electric car really comes close at all. It offers the ride comfort of a limo with the steering, incision and body control of a sportscar. If you want the ultimate EV to drive, this is it.