47
board from the back seat, we eyeballed the data: 60 mph in- 4 seconds and the quarter-mile in 10.5 at 130 mph including
a shift from the two-speed transmission that is on the rear
axle. Unlike the Tesla, the Porsche will replicate those num-
bers over and over again. Plus, the Taycan’s relative silence
and ease in enabling launch control (select Sport Plus mode,
U\YQONXR½\NPPRYRNa\_RYRNRO_NXRZRN[aUNaVaPN[
be deployed nearly any where—at your neighborhood four-
way stop, in a parking garage—without causing hysteria.
More surprisingly, the Porsche held its own in our 75-mph
_N[TRaRaDUVYRaUR2=.NfaUR_RμN !ZVYRQVßR_R[PR
in the range between the two, extrapolating from our 100 -
ZVYR_b[aUR_RNYd_YQQVßR_R[PRNZ\b[aa\Wba ZVYRin the Tesla’s favor. The Taycan also won the other speed test, with its consistently higher charging rate providing quicker recharging. Tesla’s Supercharger network [see “Tesla Superchargers,” see page 50] might have more sta- tions, but it also has more users, and Tesla owners have faced Y\[T^bRbRWbaa\]YbTV[Qb_V[T]RNXa_NcRYaVZR.aaUR
Electrify America outpost where we charged the Porsche,
15 plugs went unused the entire
time we were there.
There was some disagreement
\cRdURaURaURANfPN[μPV¼
electric soundtrack is appropri-
NaR_[\aObaaURNZ]YV¼RQStar
Wars landspeeder–esque noises
cNYYRfS\YY\dRQOfYV[RNRß_aObVYQb].[QQR`]VaR\b
car’s 21-inch wheels, Porsche continues to impress in its
unwavering commitment to ride quality.
These are all typical Porsche characteristics, and
let’s be honest, we fully expected the company to nail
them. Does it move forward the EV state of the art? Both
cars are spectacular allies in a world of merging lanes
N[Qa_N¦PP[TR`aV[AURfPN[Rß_aYR``YfcNPNaRaUR
space they occupied only an instant before, pouncing on
the smallest of gaps. Enabling—no, encouraging—this
megalomania are identical 1.1-second 30 -to-50 -mph and
1.6 -second 50 -to-70 -mph acceleration times, the quick-
est we’ve ever measured.
But the Taycan’s launch control hits harder than
the Model S’s, smacking us with 1.3 g’s of initial accel-
eration long enough to befog our noggin. Is this what
passing through a time-travel portal feels like? After
we retrieved our hand-held radio, sunglasses, and clip-
The Taycan Turbo S
looks like a Porsche
and drives like a
Porsche but sounds
like a Star Wars
landspeeder inside
and outside the car.