Road & Track review. Talk about living under a rock for the last 6 months - why don't some journalists do their homework?

svp6

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
512
Reaction score
596
Location
MN
Vehicles
4S
Country flag
New Road and Track review here. Some positives (high quality, good impression on the track), but overall the tone is critical on the Taycan Turbo S being "disappointingly inefficient" with the range being "178 miles less than the model S". This is very irritating - as it perpetuates the concept that model S and Taycan range in real world highway drive are exactly the same as EPA.

Having driven 3 different Tesla's so far, I could hit the rated range on the highway only under ideal conditions - outside temp around 80F, driving at ~75 mph. I was never able to exceed the rated range (no, I do not hypermile a Tesla). Most of the time highway driving means a 15-40% range cut, depending on outside temps. So for Tesla, I find the EPA range overly optimistic.

For the Taycan, there are multiple threads showing that the car actually exceeds the EPA range by a large margin on highway driving. Most infuriatingly, Car and Driver published a head-to-head comparison of the Taycan Turbo S and Model S performance on a 100 mile run (continuous driving at 75 mph on a 6.5 mile oval track) - and extrapolated that the real range advantage of the Model S was more like 10 miles.....

So why did not our trusted author read at least car magazine publications before writing absurd things up like "Tesla laughing this round—at the Porsche drivers walking 178 miles home"? For me, I guess I will have to walk - but perhaps only 10 miles in real world. It is worth it though given how beautiful the car is and how well it is made.

At the end of the day, this will definitely make it on may EV and petrolhead sites, discouraging people on even considering a Taycan. How annoying.
Sponsored

 
Last edited:

ron_b

Well-Known Member
First Name
Ron
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Threads
327
Messages
1,587
Reaction score
1,677
Location
SF Bay Area, USA
Vehicles
2020 Taycan 4S
Country flag
I completely agree with you @svp6, I had read this article yesterday but was so disappointed in it only quoting EPA and the poorest of range tests probably with performance tests intermixed. I couldn't bring myself to post it, but I am glad you did.

I only trust people who care about the car would not base a decision on one article from one trade rag. Jason is pretty obviously with some bias, based on the other articles I checked from him.
 
OP
OP
svp6

svp6

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
512
Reaction score
596
Location
MN
Vehicles
4S
Country flag
I completely agree with you @svp6, I had read this article yesterday but was so disappointed in it only quoting EPA and the poorest of range tests probably with performance tests intermixed. I couldn't bring myself to post it, but I am glad you did.

I only trust people who care about the car would not base a decision on one article from one trade rag. Jason is pretty obviously with some bias, based on the other articles I checked from him.
Equally upsetting is the fact that there is no link for comments - or at least I could not find one. This is a great way of never being criticized for what you write..... Luckily many other automotive outlets show the discrepancy between EPA and highway range.
 

ron_b

Well-Known Member
First Name
Ron
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Threads
327
Messages
1,587
Reaction score
1,677
Location
SF Bay Area, USA
Vehicles
2020 Taycan 4S
Country flag
Equally upsetting is the fact that there is no link for comments - or at least I could not find one. This is a great way of never being criticized for what you write..... Luckily many other automotive outlets show the discrepancy between EPA and highway range.
Yes I was trying to add comments also. Very questionable practice from Road and Track, throw what ever on the wall and don't let people comment.

I find the closing comment the most telling on the authors understanding of Porsche and it's clientele.
Much of the Taycan is disappointingly inefficient: The car is heavier than we’d expect, it offers far less cabin and cargo space than its exterior size suggests, and it has an unnecessarily complex powertrain. Porsche would likely have been better off paying attention to the type of performance its customers will actually use.
Just to point out the weight thing that so many who want to complain about the car bring up. It weighs 5121lb vs a Tesla P100D at 4941lb so it's 3.5% heavier. Yes it has a dual speed transmission and maybe some sound insulation.
 
Last edited:

charliemathilde

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
510
Reaction score
437
Location
CA
Vehicles
911
Country flag
I think the biggest challenge with this review is they are coming from the perspective of “an EV by Porsche” instead of ”a Porsche, with electric motors”.

the difference is in weighting the strengths and weaknesses of the car. Range and price seem to be overwhelming driving dynamics and experience.

but if range and price are important to you then ... the taycan is not for you. The pricing is on par with the Panamera line and definitely on the high side. This is also introducing the high end of the line first. There will undoubtedly be an $80K model eventually just like the low end Panamera.

so R&T isn’t wrong that this is a tough sell cross shopping with a Tesla for value.

but they completely miss the point that Porsche is really setting this up to cross shop against the Panamera, and here the taycan is much more appealing. They also miss the catch 22 Porsche faced with the taycan. If it was cheaper and with more range as well as lighter but didn’t handle like a Porsche and over heated on the track like Tesla then they’d be completely fucked. Journalists would crap all over that product and it’d set back EV development years.

Porsche hit the target they had to hit, even though it’s not what R&T wants.
 


feye

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2019
Threads
16
Messages
2,194
Reaction score
1,657
Location
Shenzhen
Vehicles
Porsche Taycan 4S+ 2020
Country flag
New Road and Track review here. Some positives (high quality, good impression on the track), but overall the tone is critical on the Taycan Turbo S being "disappointingly inefficient" with the range being "178 miles less than the model S". This is very irritating - as it perpetuates the concept that model S and Taycan range in real world highway drive are exactly the same as EPA.

Having driven 3 different Tesla's so far, I could hit the rated range on the highway only under ideal conditions - outside temp around 80F, driving at ~75 mph. I was never able to exceed the rated range (no, I do not hypermile a Tesla). Most of the time highway driving means a 15-40% range cut, depending on outside temps. So for Tesla, I find the EPA range overly optimistic.

For the Taycan, there are multiple threads showing that the car actually exceeds the EPA range by a large margin on highway driving. Most infuriatingly, Car and Driver published a head-to-head comparison of the Taycan Turbo S and Model S performance on a 100 mile run (continuous driving at 75 mph on a 6.5 mile oval track) - and extrapolated that the real range advantage of the Model S was more like 10 miles.....

So why did not our trusted author read at least car magazine publications before writing absurd things up like "Tesla laughing this round—at the Porsche drivers walking 178 miles home"? For me, I guess I will have to walk - but perhaps only 10 miles in real world. It is worth it though given how beautiful the car is and how well it is made.

At the end of the day, this will definitely make it on may EV and petrolhead sites, discouraging people on even considering a Taycan. How annoying.
Ignore such people! The Youtuber AutobahnSpecialist did another run with a Turbo S, 450 km range easy. Consumption is really good, very efficient car.
 

louv

Well-Known Member
First Name
Don
Joined
Sep 6, 2019
Threads
27
Messages
1,154
Reaction score
3,728
Location
Maine
Vehicles
Taycan Turbo (sold), Mini Cooper SE, Mercedes Sprinter RV, BMW K1600GT
Country flag
An excellent example of "Bloggers" vs "Journalists". One just reads a web post, and copies text and pictures. The other has a story to tell, does research, checks facts, and doesn't publish Click-Bait.
 

Reg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2019
Threads
55
Messages
1,338
Reaction score
1,611
Location
West Coast, The Best Coast
Vehicles
Taycan 4S
Country flag
so R&T isn’t wrong that this is a tough sell cross shopping with a Tesla for value.
if they want to discuss EV value cars, then the right comparison is the Chevy Bolt. Those were going out the door with a 3 year lease less than $5k/year. Tesla can't compete with value on that.
 


thenaimis

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
119
Reaction score
178
Location
Texas
Vehicles
Taycan Turbo
Country flag
I saw this for the first time yesterday and was surprised at the Tesla vs Taycan comparison.
Read up to“Nobody vill buy zis stupid car,” and decided the rest of the article was beneath my notice as was its author.
 

Reg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2019
Threads
55
Messages
1,338
Reaction score
1,611
Location
West Coast, The Best Coast
Vehicles
Taycan 4S
Country flag
but one of the biggest benefits of EVs is how their ability to accelerate has no impact on energy use in normal driving
Not sure the author knows much about Tesla or even a Bolt.

Btw, he is also missing the point on launch control.

On the taycan, launch is a part of the driving experience - you can just do it and do it repeatedly and quickly. Sure, few will do it 23 times in a row.

The Tesla S is different. It isn’t part of the driving experience, it is a party trick, like the fart app. Warm up battery, wait, go to special menu, etc. by the time you were able to do the first one, a taycan will have traveled 30 miles.

Preheat the battery by charging it to 100% and aim to finish the charge just before you plan to use the car
Turn on max battery mode – Hold your finger on ‘Max Battery’ and turn it on (45mins-60mins to fully heat, you can do this whilst the car is parked and locked)
Turn on Ludicrous+ mode (if P100D / Long Range Performance) or turn on Ludicrous mode (P90DL/P85DL) or Insane mode (P90D/P85D)
Ensure tyres are free of small stones and the ground is dry and free of stones/dirt etc.
Ensure you’ve driven a bit and used the brakes to bring their temperature up
Drop your suspension to low (if possible)
Warmer weather is best and must be above 3 degrees C to Engage Launch Mode (Model S / X only)
 
Last edited:

BlueShoes

Well-Known Member
First Name
David
Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
168
Reaction score
125
Location
Missouri, USA
Vehicles
Taycan Turbo
Country flag
I’ll echo the sentiments of several others who posted here. It’s frustrating that we routinely see comparisons between Tesla and Porsche just b/c they are both EV. Why don’t we compare Suburu and Porsche ICE’s? I mean they’re both small, light, fast, ICE’s.... right? /s.

I get that there aren’t other performance oriented EV’s out there and I look forward to when there are others that can step into the lime light. But what some of these authors miss is we don’t all buy a particular car b/c it’s always the perfect value. I have a Tesla Model X and it’s absolute junk from a fit and finish perspective. It’s a ridiculously overpriced Honda Accord wrapped around an iPhone that updates every couple of weeks with new party tricks. Model 3’s are where Tesla shines and I would agree that, for some, the self driving is game changing when you’re in the car 45 minutes on the interstate bumper to bumper traffic. But for me, self driving is still a party trick. Use for any length in and around my city and you’re waiting to get hit or catch a drink from someone passing by you after your car can’t decide what speed to go.

I’m excited to have the Taycan just do what it’s supposed to do and do it well and repeatedly. And for god sake, it has buttons... glorious buttons. The taycan is a well executed EV. I have high hopes that more will follow in its footsteps.
 

CJE

Well-Known Member
First Name
Cliff
Joined
Sep 25, 2020
Threads
1
Messages
65
Reaction score
121
Location
Los Angeles
Vehicles
Porsche 911 Turbo S, Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Ford GT (part owner)
Country flag
I’ll echo the sentiments of several others who posted here. It’s frustrating that we routinely see comparisons between Tesla and Porsche just b/c they are both EV. Why don’t we compare Suburu and Porsche ICE’s? I mean they’re both small, light, fast, ICE’s.... right? /s.

I get that there aren’t other performance oriented EV’s out there and I look forward to when there are others that can step into the lime light. But what some of these authors miss is we don’t all buy a particular car b/c it’s always the perfect value. I have a Tesla Model X and it’s absolute junk from a fit and finish perspective. It’s a ridiculously overpriced Honda Accord wrapped around an iPhone that updates every couple of weeks with new party tricks. Model 3’s are where Tesla shines and I would agree that, for some, the self driving is game changing when you’re in the car 45 minutes on the interstate bumper to bumper traffic. But for me, self driving is still a party trick. Use for any length in and around my city and you’re waiting to get hit or catch a drink from someone passing by you after your car can’t decide what speed to go.

I’m excited to have the Taycan just do what it’s supposed to do and do it well and repeatedly. And for god sake, it has buttons... glorious buttons. The taycan is a well executed EV. I have high hopes that more will follow in its footsteps.
This reporter has no sense of being an owner of either of these cars. This is an armchair revue devoid of a principal reason why people chose one or another of these vehicles. Having had an early Tesla Model S and driven it for 7 years, I was quite satisfied with having it, but I was fortunate to have the balance of a 911 Turbo S parked next to it in our garage.

Driving theTesla was akin to sitting in an office chair and cruising down the highway in a nice quiet room. There was never the building excitement of an impending driving trip, nor the weekend fun of detailing the fit and finish of the sculptured machine that a Porsche represents.

Now, with a Taycan Turbo S sitting next to our 911, I feel complete. The Porsche is a magnificent driving machine. It performs on the level of a true sports car. It accelerates madly and corners beyond expectation. It is as far from a Tesla as a professional golfer is from a weekend hacker.

I think you need to own these vehicles and drive them regularly to properly evaluate them. The reporter who wrote the article in question is an observer with no skin in the game. He is imitating the feeling of ownership and as a result his review is quite useless.

Enough said...
 

Mike in CA

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Threads
14
Messages
554
Reaction score
803
Location
North Bay Area CA
Vehicles
2021 Taycan 4S, 2019 e-Tron, F250 Powerstroke
Country flag
This is a fairly old article but I remember being tweaked when I read it.

Road & Track has lost their way. They used to be the gold standard for vehicle testing and now, not only do they no longer do fact based, instrumented road tests, they instead publish opinion based, uninformed puff pieces like this one. I was subscriber for several decades. Not any more.
 

RinOC

Active Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
44
Reaction score
42
Location
Orange County CA
Vehicles
2020 Taycan Turbo
Country flag
i guess it depends on who you believe. I like the Tesla S and I think a Plaid might be great fun. The Plaid also looks pretty menacing and all blacked out. I saw one today. Also, I can find dozens of YouTube videos byreal people, not Tesla Fanatics, that get pretty lousy range when driving the car in the real world. I’ve only had my used 2020 Turbo a couple of weeks. I’ve owned so many cars as many of us have and still do but this is my favorite car ever. I mean that. in the time I’ve owned it as I have learned quickly to lose my range anxiety, this article matches my real world experience. This matches my experienceThis car is a monster. BTW, the only two cars I’ve ever run out of fuel while driving is a 1970 Mercury Montego and a 1971 MGB. Also BTW, Hello everyone from a new member.
Sponsored

 
Last edited:
 




Top