Turbo S gets ceramic brakes, but the Turbo’s tungsten-coated stopper s h ave b ette r fe e l T h e Tayc a n’s a b i l i t y to m a n a g e a n d m a s k i ts ow n
The acceleration is explosive enough to make its occupants feel uncomfortable
26 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 28 AUGUST 2019
Δ when extended, unlike many
petrol engines, at least one of which
i s m a de b y Por s c he. T he r e ’s a s ou nd
enhancer that might on paper appear
completely pointless because all it
do e s i s pl ay a n a c ou s t ic a l l y op t i m i s e d
version of what’s already there, but I
quite liked it. It adds character to the
car’s muted voice, and even if it’s only
a sliver, it’s appreciated nonetheless.
We’re going fast now and I’m
learning all the time. The suspension
takes big chunks of Panamera
componentry but the actual three-
chamber struts are unique to the
Taycan. The car rides eerily well but
i s s o de f t l y d a mp e d i n Sp or t a nd
Sport Plus that with that steering
and devastating acceleration, it’s
monstrously fast from point to point,
e v e n on d i f f ic u lt r oa d s. No c a r i n my
experience has ever managed this
amount of mass so well. No, you can’t
lob it as you might a shorter, lighter
c a r, but onc e y ou’ v e g u ide d it i nt o t he
apex, its composure is phenomenal.
But i s it f u n? We l l , y e s , b e c au s e it s
capabilities will leave you slack-jawed
and anything that can do that is
always amusing, and no, because it’s
still nothing like the fully immersivedriving experience of, say, a 911. And
with four doors, that mass and that
wheelbase, but without a f lat six or
any gearbox, that’s not too surprising.
There’s still stuff I’d change here.
Most notable is the lack of ‘engine’
braking when you come off the
accelerator. It is Porsche philosophy
that, broadly speaking, one pedal
should make the car go and the other
should make it stop, and while you
can vary the degree of off-throttle
deceleration, I’d like more, even at its
peak in Sport Plus. I kept barrelling
up to corners tapping a non-existent
paddle for downshifts that weren’t
there. You need to use the brakes – or
w h at fe e l l i k e t he br a k e s – f a r mor e
t h a n i n a nor m a l c a r. I n f a c t , up t o
80% of the available deceleration
does not require the massive discs at
all. Took me a while to get my head
a r ou nd t h at one , t o o.
I have a smaller issue with thebrakes themselves: buy a Turbo S
and ceramics are standard, although
I far preferred the meatier feel of the
still mightily powerful tungsten-
c oat e d br a k e s on t he Tu rb o.
In fact, with the Turbo costing
around £15,000 less than the Turbo
S at approximately £120,000, I’d
seriously consider it for its smaller
20in wheels, even more compliant
ride and better-feeling brakes,
although I would tick the option for
the S’s standard four-wheel steering,
which helps to shrink the car in
tight turns and provides formidable
stability in quick curves. But most
owners will, of course, fork out the
additional £15,000, not for what
it bu y s t he m but for w h at it s av e s
them: the thought of friends and
neighbours concluding that the
additional letter is absent through
finite financial resource.So let’s for a minute forget the
Tayc a n i s e le c t r ic. Ju s t i n t e r m s of
w h at a nd how it do e s w h at it do e s ,
i s t h i s a pr op e r Por s c he? I n t he s e
d ay s of C ay e n ne s a nd Pa n a me r a s ,
and based on first impressions of the
prototypes I drove, unequivocally so.
If you want to enjoy driving a Porsche
more than this, you need one with
its engine behind the driver. And yet