2020 Taycan 4S Risks?

exav8tor

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I've had my 4s since mid July and had it parked in the garage most evenings and connected to an EO charge point. I have a profile set to charge to 80% and use the EO timer, which is set to charge from 00:30hrs each morning to take advantage of the energy tariff.

I have used the app and it has has generally worked, its not wonderful and has limited capabilities with the odd connection issue but I've been able to initiate seat warming / cooling and check battery state / trip data.

It hasn't been perfect and I've have had a few issues that have just gone away, drive fault & emergency sos button not working for about a week. I do have a seat rattle but Porsche dealer is working on resolving that - awaiting part. Also have the problem with spoiler not being aligned which the dealer has told me porsche are aware of and so they are awaiting further details for a fix. Note the spoiler issue affects both 2020 & 2021 models I believe.

The 2020 model, at least the UK spec, doesn't have the wireless phone charger and the FoD doesn't seem to be enabled.

HOWEVER, and this is the big one, I still find myself thinking up an excuse to go out and drive the car. It is certainly a drivers car and definitely puts a smile on my face each time I get in it.

Also I have had a few different ICE loan cars from Porsche while they have had it in the workshop and honestly cannot wait to get back into the Taycan.

The choice of whether to go for a 2020 model for me, would come down to how impatient I was feeling, what sort of discount is offered & whether the additional 2021 model features were important. There is still a risk that you could wait months to get a 2021 model that shows a number of faults.
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Is anyone tracking all the known issues with the 2020? That would be super useful. I know there was a nice list for my 2015 Macan on MacanForums. When I took delivery I made sure the dealer went though every item.
Depends on how high (or low) your threshold is for calling something an "issue". In my book, the 12V battery problems are indeed an issue, but e.g. the rattles are not.
 

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I've had my 4s since mid July and had it parked in the garage most evenings and connected to an EO charge point. I have a profile set to charge to 80% and use the EO timer, which is set to charge from 00:30hrs each morning to take advantage of the energy tariff.

I have used the app and it has has generally worked, its not wonderful and has limited capabilities with the odd connection issue but I've been able to initiate seat warming / cooling and check battery state / trip data.

It hasn't been perfect and I've have had a few issues that have just gone away, drive fault & emergency sos button not working for about a week. I do have a seat rattle but Porsche dealer is working on resolving that - awaiting part. Also have the problem with spoiler not being aligned which the dealer has told me porsche are aware of and so they are awaiting further details for a fix. Note the spoiler issue affects both 2020 & 2021 models I believe.

The 2020 model, at least the UK spec, doesn't have the wireless phone charger and the FoD doesn't seem to be enabled.

HOWEVER, and this is the big one, I still find myself thinking up an excuse to go out and drive the car. It is certainly a drivers car and definitely puts a smile on my face each time I get in it.

Also I have had a few different ICE loan cars from Porsche while they have had it in the workshop and honestly cannot wait to get back into the Taycan.

The choice of whether to go for a 2020 model for me, would come down to how impatient I was feeling, what sort of discount is offered & whether the additional 2021 model features were important. There is still a risk that you could wait months to get a 2021 model that shows a number of faults.
I think this is well said. I have had my 2020 since June. I had one charging issue on day #2, but that was before I got the updates. Since then I have had a few minor things (e.g., Bluetooth issues), but nothing significant at all.

I use the app from time to time to preheat the car and start direct charging. I do have a timer set up to charge each night to 85%. I have never experienced the dreaded 12V issue.

The car is a dream to drive.
 

chrisk

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Is anyone tracking all the known issues with the 2020? That would be super useful. I know there was a nice list for my 2015 Macan on MacanForums. When I took delivery I made sure the dealer went though every item.
Here is the list of software issues I have posted before https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/s-w-update.3696/post-50690

However the dealer cannot fix any of these without a software update from the motherland so the list is practically useless at delivery.
 

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I was also thinking about a 2020 4S as I've seen a few sitting at a nearby dealer. When forum members say the build quality is a strong point, is that just referring to the materials used?
 


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I was also thinking about a 2020 4S as I've seen a few sitting at a nearby dealer. When forum members say the build quality is a strong point, is that just referring to the materials used?
I personally don't find the materials used in the (standard) interior of the 4S to be anything special for this price point. It is not bad but the materials don't feel better than my 2015 Macan S and to me they feel a little worst than Panamera, Cayenne, BMW X5, Mercedes E class that I am familiar with. There is a lot of hard plastic on the doors, speaker cover plastic also does not feel or look expensive. Door handles are plastic (or at least that how they feel).
The instrument panel screen behind the steering wheel looks very nice.

I am sure the upgraded interior feels better than the standard one so if the interior look and feel is important to you then you should consider that option.
 
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To state the obvious, the 2020 is the first model year. I got a first model year 2015 Macan and it had issues that took 2 years to sort out and that's an ICE car. Software has never been a strong point for Porsche on top of that. That will have to change for them but it won't happen over night. If you're going to sell in 2-3 years then perhaps it's not a big deal. For me, I hang onto cars for 7+ years to won't be jumping into a VW group EV right away. The 2021 looks like it has addressed some of the problems but we won't know for 6 months how good a job they've done. I bet some significant issues will remain until the 2022 model.
Who knows. In 2022 we might be on the verge of switching over to a new battery technology and then you want to wait another year when it comes out, then another 2 years to make sure it works well. Isn't there always a reason to wait for better tech?

My 2020 has no issue. I once had a little rattle but it's gone. I once had a flat tire, which produced an error message. I went back to the shop to clear it. No problem. Last night I charged the car again after 491.1 km driven on a single charge and got new best range estimate:

Porsche Taycan 2020 Taycan 4S Risks? 1613448375727


It is an amazing EV overall!
 

sun

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I personally don't find the materials used in the (standard) interior of the 4S to be anything special for this price point. It is not bad but the materials don't feel better than my 2015 Macan S and to me they feel a little worst than Panamera, Cayenne, BMW X5, Mercedes E class that I am familiar with. There is a lot of hard plastic on the doors, speaker cover plastic also does not feel or look expensive. Door handles are plastic (or at least that how they feel).
The instrument panel screen behind the steering wheel looks very nice.

I am sure the upgraded interior feels better than the standard one so if the interior look and feel is important to you then you should consider that option.
Ok, so not materials used unless you get upgraded interior. So, build quality refers to just panel gaps? It sounds like there are rattles in the interior and technology not functioning well.
 


chrisk

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Ok, so not materials used unless you get upgraded interior. So, build quality refers to just panel gaps? It sounds like there are rattles in the interior and technology not functioning well.
Build quality is more than materials used and panel gaps. The exterior and mechanical parts like the suspension and steering feel very solid. This is where Taycan (and in general Porsche) shines compared to the competition. If you drive a Tesla and a Taycan back to back you will understand what I mean.
The Air Suspension in particular is one of the best suspensions, it is always comfortable and sporty at the same time in a good way. The steering feel is also very precise and connected to the road.
 
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Is anyone tracking all the known issues with the 2020? That would be super useful. I know there was a nice list for my 2015 Macan on MacanForums. When I took delivery I made sure the dealer went though every item.
FWIW I have a 2015 Macan Turbo that had a lot of early problems. Issues as small as the sunroof shade jumping the track, and as large as the front driver's side air suspension collapsing. All occured in the first few months. It's been bulletproof since. Unless you're prepared to deal with that kind of stuff again, I wouldn't buy a leftover 2020. My wife persuaded me to wait for a 2021 Taycan (arriving in April).

I was very active on MacanForum for several years and the Taycan issues aren't anywhere near as numerous as the early Macan issues. Mainly the 12V & app problems (and it appears the app causes the 12V). The 12V problem is severe but can be dealt with if you're prepared with a jump box.
 

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Ok, so not materials used unless you get upgraded interior. So, build quality refers to just panel gaps? It sounds like there are rattles in the interior and technology not functioning well.
People generally come to forums to complain. Taycans have nowhere near the rattles of the average Tesla. It's a bleeding edge product so if you expect it to be as trouble-free as a Camry, look elsewhere. I expect some headaches, and I expect them to not matter because it's just that good. If you don't feel that way about how it drives, it's probably not the right car for you right now.
 

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Well at this point in time i would not recommend 2020 to anybody. My car is in service for 12V and will not be done for 2+ months. The car rattles and software is horrible.
I can live with all of that though. What is really upsetting me is the fact that Porsche cant not service these cars.
 
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So, my issues are app related as well. No battery issues. My other advice is probably irrelevant to you as you have a Model Y; this being my first EV, we do not yet have a 240v outlet in the garage. That has been a pain (it is getting installed soon).

My app issues have been inconsistent connection, but a small part of that might be my location. At times, I cannot send the command to start the pre-heat. Setting and updating timers for preheating in the morning is a problem from the web and from the app. The other day, I could not schedule a preheat prior to a drive to the doctor. However, I was able to send the destination to the navigation. So, the issue seems to be specific to the climate control.

My other issues are the touch to lock on the handles not always working as expected. Also, my autoclose on the trunk doesn't work, particularly the one that also locks the car; it will close halfway and stop, every single time.
 

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Well at this point in time i would not recommend 2020 to anybody. My car is in service for 12V and will not be done for 2+ months. The car rattles and software is horrible.
I can live with all of that though. What is really upsetting me is the fact that Porsche cant not service these cars.
How many of these MY2020 issues are really solved in MY2021, other than wireless CarPlay?
 
 




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