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.

Recommended Videos

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
Image used with permission by copyright holder

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.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

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.

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…
I drove 500 miles with Android Automotive, here’s why every car needs it
Google News on Android Automotive on the Chevy Equinox 2025

The worlds of smartphones and cars have long been colliding, as Google and Apple have prioritized building new experiences with CarPlay and Android Auto, respectively, even as carmakers have continued to develop their own infotainment experiences. 

Despite the success of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both platforms have key issues, namely that they run on top of the car’s operating system, which means they lack the tight integration that yields the best experience and rely on your phone for certain functions. To address these issues, both companies have also been developing operating systems that can power cars.

Read more
Uber partners with May Mobility to bring thousands of autonomous vehicles to U.S. streets
uber may mobility av rides partnership

The self-driving race is shifting into high gear, and Uber just added more horsepower. In a new multi-year partnership, Uber and autonomous vehicle (AV) company May Mobility will begin rolling out driverless rides in Arlington, Texas by the end of 2025—with thousands more vehicles planned across the U.S. in the coming years.
Uber has already taken serious steps towards making autonomous ride-hailing a mainstream option. The company already works with Waymo, whose robotaxis are live in multiple cities, and now it’s welcoming May Mobility’s hybrid-electric Toyota Sienna vans to its platform. The vehicles will launch with safety drivers at first but are expected to go fully autonomous as deployments mature.
May Mobility isn’t new to this game. Backed by Toyota, BMW, and other major players, it’s been running AV services in geofenced areas since 2021. Its AI-powered Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) tech allows it to react quickly and safely to unpredictable real-world conditions—something that’s helped it earn trust in city partnerships across the U.S. and Japan.
This expansion into ride-hailing is part of a broader industry trend. Waymo, widely seen as the current AV frontrunner, continues scaling its service in cities like Phoenix and Austin. Tesla, meanwhile, is preparing to launch its first robotaxis in Austin this June, with a small fleet of Model Ys powered by its camera-based Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. While Tesla aims for affordability and scale, Waymo and May are focused on safety-first deployments using sensor-rich systems, including lidar—a tech stack regulators have so far favored.
Beyond ride-hailing, the idea of personally owned self-driving cars is also gaining traction. Waymo and Toyota recently announced they’re exploring how to bring full autonomy to private vehicles, a move that could eventually bring robotaxi tech right into your garage.
With big names like Uber, Tesla, Waymo, and now May Mobility in the mix, the ride-hailing industry is evolving fast—and the road ahead looks increasingly driver-optional.

Read more
The Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the $7,500 tax credit
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

After a brief and confusing absence, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit — and this time, it's sticking around (at least for now). So, what happened? Let’s unpack the ride.

The Ioniq 5, a sleek and tech-savvy electric crossover, initially made headlines not just for its design, but for being built at Hyundai’s brand-new Metaplant in Georgia. That domestic assembly qualified it for the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires vehicles to be made in North America with batteries sourced from trade-friendly countries. But early in 2025, the Ioniq 5 vanished from the list. Why? Likely due to its battery packs, which were then still being sourced from SK On’s Hungarian facility.

Read more