All things being equal... 2021 Base Taycan w/ performance plus battery vs 2021 4s without perf plus battery?

[PotRoast]

if you had decide between a '21 Base Taycan w/ performance plus battery vs '21 4s without perf plus battery - both same price, mileage and options, which would you choose and why? Is the range that dramatically different?

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[daveo4EV]

if you had decide between a '21 Base Taycan w/ performance plus battery vs '21 4s without perf plus battery - both same price, mileage and options, which would you choose and why? Is the range that dramatically different?

my standard answer is: No EV owners has ever said "my EV has too much range." - and I go with that perspective in all my purchase decisions.

my new perspective also is that I'm not buying North American EV's without supercharger access (via native port or adapter)…and VW/Audi/Porsche have yet to commit to supercharger access unlike most other EV vendors in North America.

Taycan's a great car - either will be fine - but given longevity of most vehicle purchases I advise getting exactly the way you want it so there are no regrets.

 

[I888I]

Is there ever an argument for having less battery?

 

[daveo4EV]

Is there ever an argument for having less battery?

cost

and honestly in the 3+ years I've owned my Taycan only a few times have I actually "used" the extra capacity - the rest of the time you're hauling around weight/capacity that you're not actually going to use/need 98% of the time.

so unless you're routinely driving the car down to 10% or less battery capacity the "bigger" battery is a waste as you never "tap" the capacity.

personally it's piece of mind for me and I do occassionally "push" my range and I know I've pulled electrons from those extra modules - but 250 days a year I don't use the extra modules.

 

[ShiftyWolf]

if you had decide between a '21 Base Taycan w/ performance plus battery vs '21 4s without perf plus battery - both same price, mileage and options, which would you choose and why?

In the 4S, the performance plus battery also increases max HP and torque, does it not? From what I understand, it may have no real impact in real world 0-60 but will improve response in highway passing. My seat of the pants said the performance battery 4S was faster from 50-70mph than the GT e tron.

I don't have hard facts on any of this so asking as much as contributing here.

 

[LHitchen]

Ultimately it depends on your daily driving will you personally need the extra mileage? Remember the claimed range is very different to real world and will drop again in colder months. Also a consideration are both cars like for like in terms of options for the same price.

 

[FlyingPoint]

To the OP:

The question to ask is not the size of the battery, but rather the mission you intend for your vehicle and where and how you intend to use the vehicle. If road tripping is in your mission profile, perhaps an EV is not quite up to the task at this time.
For example, I have a few vehicles so road tripping never entered into my decision tree. I simply don't road trip the Taycan - I can't be bothered with the whole public charging BS and time wasted.

 

[DerekS]

if you had decide between a '21 Base Taycan w/ performance plus battery vs '21 4s without perf plus battery - both same price, mileage and options, which would you choose and why? Is the range that dramatically different?

I had the base. It was notably slower than 4S and higher.
And I wouldn't have any Taycan without the PB+.

 

[fgwinn]

if you had decide between a '21 Base Taycan w/ performance plus battery vs '21 4s without perf plus battery - both same price, mileage and options, which would you choose and why? Is the range that dramatically different?

Do both cars have the 150kW charging option for 400v chargers? I think one could make an argument that this feature could be just as important as the higher capacity battery.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Mass is never a positive.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Is AWD important to you (snow etc)?

Is longer range important to you?

Is more speed important to you?

Answer these 3 questions and you have the basis of your answer.

 

[Fish Fingers]

In the 4S, the performance plus battery also increases max HP and torque, does it not? From what I understand, it may have no real impact in real world 0-60 but will improve response in highway passing. My seat of the pants said the performance battery 4S was faster from 50-70mph than the GT e tron.

I don't have hard facts on any of this so asking as much as contributing here.

Performance stats....

 

[f1eng]

I have never used the full range of my Taycan in the year I have owned it.
I resent the weight of the battery.

The logical choice depends on use case.
Long trips on straight roads more weight is less of a disadvantage than the shorter range.
Shorter trips on twisty (ie fun) roads the extra weight is a big disadvantage and the less range is of zero consequence.

Most people are somewhere in between those extremes best choice depends where.

OTOH most people just want to have a bigger margin and will plump for the big one anyway, particularly in countries with a cr@p charging infrastructure.

I have a CT4S and all CTs get the big battery but my use case is 99% the second one and on my 4 or 5 long trips a year I stop for a comfort break and dog excercise way before I have used up the battery and just choose a cafe with chargers on my favoured route beforehand.

Given the majority view I am sure a car with the big battery will be much easier to sell used.

 

[MrB]

Literally and figuratively, “your mileage may vary” is never truer than when this question is posed.

It really just comes down to your own use case, allied to the environmental factors that would pertain to where you live. As above with f1eng, my car came with the PB+ as standard so no choice in the matter, but for me it’s been a beneficial option as the majority of my nigh-on 40,000 miles have been done on dual-carriageways or motorways with constant speed cruising. With my principal journey being Norfolk to Heathrow and back, the larger battery capacity has allowed me to only need one charging stop in the more clement weather, only really needing two stops when the weather gets really cold (as noted on another thread, however, my lack of a winter wheel/tyre set means I tend to jump on the train then anyway).

If your usage pattern supports the smaller battery then physics will dictate that you will have a more nimble (for an EV) car due the lower weight being lugged around and, for a Porsche, that’s got to be a good thing, I’d argue. That said, I went for a CT as I wanted the extra clearance (still scuffed the underside of the lip spoiler on Saturday, mind you) and so I accepted that I wouldn’t be at the pinnacle of what’s ultimately possible handling-wise for the Taycan.

As for the resale, if that’s a thing for you, it may affect the value, as far as my reading on here has led me to believe.

As with the questions asking what range people should expect, there are so many variables involved that I’d suggest it’s nigh-on impossible to provide an accurate, definitive answer.

Lovely problems to have to think through though. Even with my usage case, in your scenario, I’d go for the 4S with the smaller battery as I’d probably suffer the extra charging stops it might create for the extra “oomph” and reduced weight.

 

[DL_AU]

Residual value is an interesting element in the equation. A simple rule of thumb is that the more you spend, the more you lose. It would be brave to assume that the larger battery is 'gravity defying' in this regard.

Like most of the people on this forum, I like the options that I specified; they weren't cheap, but I don't begrudge their cost. The same probably applies to those who specified the larger battery; few will regret their choice.

One of the options that I selected wasn't on the list, but I ticked it anyway: 'Add lightness' (aka standard battery). Defies gravity on every corner; does not depreciate.

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