Skip to main content

Hands on with the Taycan 4S

The Porsche Taycan, its first production electric car, just about broke the internet when the vehicle was unveiled earlier this year. Since then, there has been much pontificating and posturing about what the car means for Porsche’s future, for Tesla’s sales, and whether the 911 faithful will embrace the car as a true Porsche. In other words, everyone has an opinion on the car despite the fact that very few people have seen a Taycan in the flesh, let alone driven one.

The Taycan Turbo has been slowly trickling into Europe and America, but they are still exceedingly rare. The 4S model that was just announced is rarer still, as it is not even released yet. We got our first chance to look the model over, inside and out, at the 2019 LA Auto Show and record our first impressions.

As anyone with functioning retinas can see, the Taycan looks very similar to the Porsche Panamera, and this stays true in the flesh. In fact, we fully expect the Panamera to fade into history soon as the Taycan takes its place in the model lineup. The proportions of the electric four-seater are all teutonically perfect, panel gaps are non-existent, and details abound to catch your wandering eye. It is all very Porsche.

Porsche Taycan 4S

Venturing inside, it is a case of evolution over revolution. Where the BMW electric i models created an entirely new design language versus regular BMWs, Porsche has chosen to simply increase the screen count but otherwise leave the cabin alone to reflect a central Porsche-ness. The shame is, I really like the BMW i interiors. Regardless, I will certainly take the multiple small screens of the Porsche setup in lieu of the single massive screen inside of all the Tesla models. Breaking the screens into primary functions just makes navigating them much easier than the submenus of the Tesla interface.

As is expected, every scrap of leather and each perfectly weighted button is as it should be in a Porsche. Thankfully, those multiple screens seem to have killed the tendency for the automaker to absolutely pepper its interiors with buttons and switches. The simplicity inside the Taycan 4S cabin is welcome indeed.

The driving seat is comfortable and easily exited without an embarrassing scrambling procedure. Rear leg room is excellent and sitting in the rear in general is a pleasant and comfortable experience. Again, the Panamera DNA shines brightly here.

After a good poke around, the Taycan feels and looks like a well-proportioned amalgamation of Porsche tradition and futuristic technology. I can think of few better combinations on this planet of ours.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Adam Kaslikowski
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I don't have oil in my veins, but I do have it all over my carpets and clothes. Over my 10-year journalistic career, my…
Watch this Tesla Model S set a lap record at Laguna Seca Raceway
Tesla Model S red

Tesla Model S Fastest Lap at Laguna Seca

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is chomping at the bit to send a Model S around Germany’s famous Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in a bid to break the lap record set recently by the new EV on the block, the Porsche Taycan.

Read more
Electrify America opens first high-power charging station for Porsche’s Taycan
electrify america opens first charging station for porsche taycan at

One of the headline features of the Porsche Taycan (pronounced "tie-con") electric car is its 800-volt charging system. Porsche claims this high-power system should allow an 80% charge in just 22.5 minutes -- much quicker than current systems. But that won't matter if Taycan drivers can't find a compatible charging station. In the United States, Electrify America is working to get those stations ready ahead of the Taycan's launch.

Electrify America has opened the first charging station for the Taycan in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. To test it, a Taycan was driven directly from Niagara Falls (where Porsche staged the car's reveal) to the charging station. The car successfully charged at a maximum power level of 270 kilowatts, according to Electrify America. The organization claims that's the highest power currently available for charging passenger cars. Eventually, cars should be able to charge at 350 kW, according to Electrify America.

Read more
Porsche finally reveals the Taycan, its first production electric car
2020 porsche taycan photos and specs dt 1

Previous

Next

Read more