epirali

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XLR82XS

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Nice article except for this line:

" But it was late June and climate change is doing its thing, and those thermally insulating layers of metal can only do so much."

:facepalm:
 
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fullmetalbaal

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As much as I'd love to believe his message (I am in the process of trading in a 911 GTS for a Taycan 4S), he's full of it.

Just another garbage article from an author that IMHO mostly just spews out stuff you either get from the marketing brochure or is a knee-jerk reaction to something he noticed during the test drive, without any reflection/further analysis.

The 3 great insights we get this time: the insulated metal [sic] of the glass roof is not enough to fight the heat; not all EA chargers are 350kw; he'd prefer buttons over a screen for AC. That's it. Somebody handed him a Taycan 4s for a weekend, and those are the insights?

Also, no discussion about known issues (software, OTA - early teething problems of a new car, or the fact that the interior isn't quite as nice as a panamera) or what it brings to the table that other EV or other sport sedans don't. Or: the rear seats are not amazing for an adult, the trunk is small, if you need to use it, go for the CT... or whatever.

I'm sorry, a good 911 is WAY more engaging on a spirited drive. If what he's looking for is solely the immediate response on pedal tip-in - sure, you get more of that in an EV. But by that measure, my model 3 is a better car than my 911 .... yeah, not so much.

Why they have this guy writing about cars really escapes me... it feels like he got promoted into it after writing about cell phones for 3 years.
 

Kayone73

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Agreed, as a former 911 owner, the Taycan is not a 1:1 substitution, but the Taycan is the closest thing to driving a Porsche sports cars with the additional practicality of 2 more doors, real rear seats and trunk, and no the Panamera has nowhere near the driving dynamics and handling of the Taycan IMHO.

If you really want a 911 then get a 911, but if you want a practical EV sports sedan that captures some of the spirit of driving a Porsche 2 door sports car, the Taycan does a pretty good job with that, and nothing currently on the market can compare in terms of driving experience.
 

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Just another garbage article from an author that IMHO mostly just spews out stuff you either get from the marketing brochure or is a knee-jerk reaction to something he noticed during the test drive, without any reflection/further analysis.
We'll have to agree to disagree. As a long, long, long time Ars denizen, I find Dr. Gitlin's writing to be informed, and he has the appropriate experience to be writing.

Plus we can just argue with him on the forums for fun too. :p
 

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We'll have to agree to disagree. As a long, long, long time Ars denizen, I find Dr. Gitlin's writing to be informed, and he has the appropriate experience to be writing.

Plus we can just argue with him on the forums for fun too. :p
He has a background in pharmacology, then started writing science articles for Ars, then moved to automotive via a stint of writing about racing games. AFAIK his experience with cars is mostly driven by what OEMs give him for a few days at a time.

I guess it depends on what the bar is, and whether we are looking for entertainment or actual reviews. I have Top Gear for entertainment, I'm looking to sources like Ars for actual reviews.
 

Miwa

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I think you're putting more emphasis on the headline (which is A/B tested for clicks) than the actual content...
 


nycebo

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Just another garbage article from an author that IMHO mostly just spews out stuff you either get from the marketing brochure or is a knee-jerk reaction to something he noticed during the test drive, without any reflection/further analysis.

SNIP

Why they have this guy writing about cars really escapes me... it feels like he got promoted into it after writing about cell phones for 3 years.
I'm confused. What do you really think? :p

In all seriousness, you raised some pretty good arguments.
 

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Many of us face the dilemma of buying a sports car versus the daily trade-offs they come with. If you need something more practical for daily driving, then most resort to buying a daily driver and a weekend sports car. The best situation is when you can have a car that is good enough at both (daily driver and sports car) so that you have one less car in your garage, and you get the enjoyment of the car on a daily basis.

In the past I've had 911's as the third car in the garage. As I've gotten older and my kids have gotten bigger, I was driving the 911's less and less. I went through several iterations of trying to find an amazing all around car (Panamera ST Hybrid, RS5 Sport Back, Tesla Model X), but was never happy with my options.

This is where the Taycan comes in. It's the first car I have found that is an incredible daily driver, but also has enough "sports car" DNA to be enjoyed on the weekend. It makes a pretty convincing argument that one car can do it all. So the author might be right, that the Taycan really is better than the 911.
 

KenTO

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I am disappointed in the new and last gen 911. It is bigger, more quiet with the Turbo engines, and is more like a GT to me than a sports car. Other than the GT3/2 variations, it is also average on the track. I actually prefer my Taycan 4S over the previous three 911s I have owned, it is not pretending to be something else and is not constrained by honouring the original idea, and I love the instant torque. Still enjoy the Speedster though.
 
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XLR82XS

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I am disappointed in the new and last gen 911. It is bigger, more quite with the Turbo engines, and is more like a GT to me than a sports car. Other than the GT3/2 variations, it is also average on the track. I actually prefer my Taycan 4S over the previous three 911s I have owned, it is not pretending to be something else and is not constrained by honouring the original idea, and I love the instant torque. Still enjoy the Speedster though.
Agree about 992 - they're getting too big! I love 991.2 and previous 911 generations all the way back to late the 60s. Each iteration offers something special.
 

Mike in CA

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I think you're putting more emphasis on the headline (which is A/B tested for clicks) than the actual content...
Yes, exactly.

Having sold a GT3 to buy my Taycan 4S I have to say the author hit the correct notes and I thought the article was pretty fair. More to the point, at the end he simply said he would "rather have" a Taycan 4S over a turbocharged 911 for reasons that he explained; not that it was "better".
 

fullmetalbaal

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Many of us face the dilemma of buying a sports car versus the daily trade-offs they come with. If you need something more practical for daily driving, then most resort to buying a daily driver and a weekend sports car. The best situation is when you can have a car that is good enough at both (daily driver and sports car) so that you have one less car in your garage, and you get the enjoyment of the car on a daily basis.

In the past I've had 911's as the third car in the garage. As I've gotten older and my kids have gotten bigger, I was driving the 911's less and less. I went through several iterations of trying to find an amazing all around car (Panamera ST Hybrid, RS5 Sport Back, Tesla Model X), but was never happy with my options.

This is where the Taycan comes in. It's the first car I have found that is an incredible daily driver, but also has enough "sports car" DNA to be enjoyed on the weekend. It makes a pretty convincing argument that one car can do it all. So the author might be right, that the Taycan really is better than the 911.
And this is exactly the kind of measured discussion/reflection I'd expect in a review (hopefully longer and with more details & examples :) ) What also is essential is that you actually have experience of living with these cars, vs. a 2 day jaunt into the boonies.

I read what you wrote, and it gave me an idea what to expect. In your opinion, it has more sports car DNA than a Panamera, RS5 etc. and in fact enough that weekend drives are still fun. Now I know a bit about what is and isn't sporty enough for you, and can more easily extrapolate what it would mean for me.

This category/target market: sporty sedan that can stand in for a sports car on weekend trips - is not new. A high level "wow, you get 4 doors but it's bigger" is useless. The detail and the comparisons is where the value is IMHO.


Just to be clear: I think the Taycan is a great car, I'm picking one up this weekend (fingers crossed). I just think this article added nothing that isn't already apparent when you go to porsche.com.
And BTW, your context is making it a tiny bit less painful to trade in the 911. Still, that's going to hurt
 
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Kingske

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And this is exactly the kind of measured discussion/reflection I'd expect in a review (hopefully longer and with more details & examples :) ) What also is essential is that you actually have experience of living with these cars, vs. a 2 day jaunt into the boonies.

I read what you wrote, and it gave me an idea what to expect. In your opinion, it has more sports car DNA than a Panamera, RS5 etc. and in fact enough that weekend drives are still fun. Now I know a bit about what is and isn't sporty enough for you, and can more easily extrapolate what it would mean for me.

This category/target market: sporty sedan that can stand in for a sports car on weekend trips - is not new. A high level "wow, you get 4 doors but it's bigger" is useless. The detail and the comparisons is where the value is IMHO.


Just to be clear: I think the Taycan is a great car, I'm picking one up this weekend (fingers crossed). I just think this article added nothing that isn't already apparent when you go to porsche.com.
And BTW, your context is making it a tiny bit less painful to trade in the 911. Still, that's going to hurt
I would be interested in reading about your initial experience and assessment after about a month or so into your Taycan ownership. Do post it, please. I wonder whether you will miss your 911 less or more than you now expect you will.
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