Base RWD Taycan Compared to Optioned AWD Taycan 4S

[buruburu]

Over the past couple days I was able to get myself into fairly basic 2021 RWD Taycan while my 2020 Taycan 4S was in the shop for some repair. Over the course of 5 days, I had the chance to put it on some back roads under some spirited driving conditions. For those that are still thinking about whether to go for the RWD base or the AWD 4S perhaps this can swing you one way or the other.

The Cars

2020 Taycan 4s

• 93.4 kWh battery
• Premium Package
• 14-way Adjustable Seats
• SportChrono Package
• Rear Axle Steering
• Air Suspension
• InnoDrive

2021 Taycan RWD

• 93.4 kWh battery
• Base seats
• Springs & Shocks
• [About as base as it gets]

Base RWD or 4S?

The best way that I would describe the RWD Base Taycan is that is feels like a C5 Z06 Corvette. That is not a bad thing. Corvettes are NOTHING to laugh at. They are easily the best $ for value for an true race car. If you've driven one before, perfect, skip the rest of this section. For those that aren't familiar, the power and throttle response is very linear and predictable. Like the 4S, Porsche got the throttle mapping perfect. Only difference is that in the 4S you can feel that the car is just waiting for you to give it that extra bit of throttle to go extra fast. The 4S is as like you're riding on that knife edge and you can easily control if you're going over that edge. Transmission shifts between the base and 4S are very different as well. Shifting in the 4S is more pronounced. RWD was much smoother. In fact for the first couple days w/ the RWD, I was questioning if the RWD even had a 2 gear transmission.

I was able to hop behind the wheels in a F82 BMW M4 w/ SMGs during the spirited drive and when you compare the M4 to the Taycans, the M4 is a lot more vicious. Throttle response is very violent and the steering felt a little loose. The M4 will shove you into the seats much harder than the base and 4S Taycans, but that is more due to how violently the torque ramps up. In the corners, I have the upmost confidence in the Taycans on how much power I can feed into the corner, but on the M4, I just didn't have the confidence on not having the rear break loose on me with the sudden torque increase. Had the chance go hop behind the wheels of a 930, but I quickly hopped out saying "nope.... not going to drive this thing in a spirited manner when I'm not used to no power brakes". But man, 911 has really really grown huge.

IMO, the Base RWD Taycan would make for an excellent daily driver for those that prefer a more relaxed controlled ride. 4S is still controlled, but with more spice. Would I still get a 4S over the RWD? Yes without a doubt, but that's because I've been driving 400+ hp cars for quiet a few years by now. I find the 4S 0-60 to be normal, but that's just me. If I could only drive the RWD, I'd still be plenty happy as it's still an excellent handling car with more power than you would need 95% of the time. Now a base RWD with the smaller battery might be a different story, but I have no reference points. Another question is whether any of this is due to the SportChrono package. It's possible, but would need to get my paws on either another base RWD w/ SportChrono or another 4S without SportChrono.

Regen is also very different between RWD and 4S as well. Regen in the base RWD is much smoother vs in the 4S where it's much stronger. It makes sense as the 4S has 2 electric motors and having 2 instead of 1 probably means that it's able to regen at a much higher rate. Why does this matter? I noticed that in the RWD, the regen gauge would often times get closer to peak regen according to the power meter especially doing the initial slowing down phase. I'll need to pay attention more to this on the 4S and will report back. What this also suggests is that perhaps Porsche didn't do enough regen tuning across the different models and trim. This is also important as this would end up affect how the car slows down automatically w/ ACC or InnoDrive. In the base RWD I didn't have the same complaint that I have in my 4S where it felt like the 4S was break checking everyone behind me if it decided that it needed to slow down because someone had cut in front of me or when it does its PIRM range mode dance.

Air Suspension vs Standard Springs & Shocks

Short story, I liked the standard springs & shocks. I think it might actually ride better than the air suspension. There's 1 dip in the road on I-5 southbound near Lynnwood, WA right in the middle lane where the air suspension in my 4S just can't deal with properly. It would feel like I just smack a pot hole with so much force that I might have potentially bent a rim. In the RWD w/ standard springs and shocks, it absorb the impact perfectly. No harshness whatsoever. However, I would still want my air suspension. Long wheelbase w/ low ride height means road humps are the devil doing. You want that ability to raise the car so you don't even up scrapping the underside of your car. My ideal suspension set up with be GM magnetorheological shocks w/ airbags to raise the car. I had them in my ATS-V and I still miss them. If I can get them with airbags, I would be tempted to ditch the Taycan. That's how much I love those things.

Premium Package?

So what about the Premium Package? I would say you want the Premium package. The first thing that I noticed and made me sad when I hopped into the Taycan RWD was that I couldn't adjust the headrest forward for more support. If I was always wearing a helmet while driving, I wouldn't of noticed. Another thing that I noticed was that the steering wheel adjustment was manual. Not sure if this is because it was the base RWD or because it didn't have the premium package. Because the steering wheel adjustment wasn't electronically controlled, it also meant that it didn't have Exit settings which I enjoy. Another difference that I noticed is that there appears to be a difference in camera resolution. Without the SurroundView, the image appears to be slightly lower resolution when compared to the Premium Package w/ SurroundView. Without the Premium Package, you also get the constant reminder that you're missing a feature when park assist turn on and all you see is a top down view of your Taycan in a field of black. Oh, and vented seats... Yeah... not having vented seats even in the PNW made me sad.

Headrests are adjustable in/out with 14-way seats. I have them and it includes electric steering adjustment and memory. I do not have the premium package.

No SurroundView

SurroundView

Constant Reminder

 

[submatrix]

Nice writeup. As a RWD owner with all the same specs as your loaner, I found your comparisons interesting and illuminating.

Regen is also very different between RWD and 4S as well. Regen in the base RWD is much smoother vs in the 4S where it's much stronger. It makes sense as the 4S has 2 electric motors and having 2 instead of 1 probably means that it's able to regen at a much higher rate. Why does this matter? I noticed that in the RWD, the regen gauge would often times get closer to peak regen according to the power meter especially doing the initial slowing down phase. I'll need to pay attention more to this on the 4S and will report back. What this also suggests is that perhaps Porsche didn't do enough regen tuning across the different models and trim. This is also important as this would end up affect how the car slows down automatically w/ ACC or InnoDrive. In the base RWD I didn't have the same complaint that I have in my 4S where it felt like the 4S was break checking everyone behind me if it decided that it needed to slow down because someone had cut in front of me or when it does its PIRM range mode dance.

This is interesting, as I've tested ACC a few times now and definitely have not gotten the sense that it is brake checking people behind me. Both the rate of acceleration from stopped while in traffic and the rate of braking in response to a jam up ahead have been pretty good. My main complaint would be that ACC does not handle people merging into your lane in front of you very well. It picks up and reacts to the new car later than I would if I were driving.

I've also only tested ALK once, and briefly. It performed fine on the freeway provided there were constant lines on both sides, but had trouble with some trickier lane situations and even oversteered me out of the lane on one occasion. I have an upcoming road trip where I will be utilizing both ACC and ALK though, so I'll definitely have more thoughts after that and will do a writeup.

Air Suspension vs Standard Springs & Shocks

Short story, I liked the standard springs & shocks. I think it might actually ride better than the air suspension. There's 1 dip in the road on I-5 southbound near Lynnwood, WA right in the middle lane where the air suspension in my 4S just can't deal with properly. It would feel like I just smack a pot hole with so much force that I might have potentially bent a rim. In the RWD w/ standard springs and shocks, it absorb the impact perfectly. No harshness whatsoever. However, I would still want my air suspension. Long wheelbase w/ low ride height means road humps are the devil doing. You want that ability to raise the car so you don't even up scrapping the underside of your car. My ideal suspension set up with be GM magnetorheological shocks w/ airbags to raise the car. I had them in my ATS-V and I still miss them. If I can get them with airbags, I would be tempted to ditch the Taycan. That's how much I love those things.

Coming from the air suspension in my Model S, I've also been pleasantly surprised at the comfort of the steel springs in mine. It's not quite as pillowy as my Model S' air suspension, but I also feel more connected to the road as a result.

Another thing that I noticed was that the steering wheel adjustment was manual. Not sure if this is because it was the base RWD or because it didn't have the premium package. Because the steering wheel adjustment wasn't electronically controlled, it also meant that it didn't have Exit settings which I enjoy.

I miss the exit settings from my Model S' electronic steering wheel adjustment as well. My Taycan is manual and it would be nice to have the premium feel of it moving out of the way as I park and back to the driving position as I sit down to drive.

 

[XLR82XS]

Premium Package?

So what about the Premium Package? I would say you want the Premium package. The first thing that I noticed and made me sad when I hopped into the Taycan RWD was that I couldn't adjust the headrest forward for more support. If I was always wearing a helmet while driving, I wouldn't of noticed. Another thing that I noticed was that the steering wheel adjustment was manual. Not sure if this is because it was the base RWD or because it didn't have the premium package. Because the steering wheel adjustment wasn't electronically controlled, it also meant that it didn't have Exit settings which I enjoy. Another difference that I noticed is that there appears to be a difference in camera resolution. Without the SurroundView, the image appears to be slightly lower resolution when compared to the Premium Package w/ SurroundView. Without the Premium Package, you also get the constant reminder that you're missing a feature when park assist turn on and all you see is a top down view of your Taycan in a field of black. Oh, and vented seats... Yeah... not having vented seats even in the PNW made me sad.

Headrests are adjustable in/out with 14-way seats. I have them and it includes electric steering adjustment and memory. I do not have the premium package.

 

[buruburu]

Headrests are adjustable in/out with 14-way seats. I have them and it includes electric steering adjustment and memory. I do not have the premium package.

Thanks a bunch for info on the 14-way seat option. Updated the original post w/ a quote from you regarding this. I personally like having the leg adjustments as well and I find that on the base seat the lumber support is a bit on the higher side for me. 14-way seat should also add memory seat for the passenger as well as that was missing on the Base RWD loaner I had.

 

[submatrix]

Curious, do most people drive with their head on the headrest? I've never done this, but I've also never owned a car where I could extend the headrest out to meet the head.

That being said, if I had built my own spec instead of buying an inventory model, I most likely would have gone for the 14-way seats simply for the lumbar support. That's one thing I miss from my Model S. I haven't found the 8-way seats in my RWD to be uncomfortable per se, but it does feel nice having that lumbar support. And if it comes with the electric steering wheel adjustment as well as passenger seat memory, that would just be gravy.

 

[XLR82XS]

14-way are super comfortable and must especially if you're tall like me. (6' 3") Leg extensions are great.

 

[MeMyselfAndI]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
As I have been doubting a lot about getting a RWD or a 4S, I think I made the right choice by going for the RWD as a daily driver with some options instead of an option-less 4S. But, as always, it all comes down to personal preference.

 

[benver]

Curious, do most people drive with their head on the headrest? ...

Only when doing LC

 

[buruburu]

Only when doing LC

What? It's possible to not to engage LC when you come to a stop at a stop sign or stop lights?

Utterly preposterous.

 

[rich_r]

Curious, do most people drive with their head on the headrest? I've never done this, but I've also never owned a car where I could extend the headrest out to meet the head.

That being said, if I had built my own spec instead of buying an inventory model, I most likely would have gone for the 14-way seats simply for the lumbar support. That's one thing I miss from my Model S. I haven't found the 8-way seats in my RWD to be uncomfortable per se, but it does feel nice having that lumbar support. And if it comes with the electric steering wheel adjustment as well as passenger seat memory, that would just be gravy.

I know we've talked about Porsche's stinginess when it comes to standard features before, but the lack of standard adjustable lumbar support in an 80K+ car is kind unbelievable. Of course, it's no big deal when you're custom ordering since it's easy enough to check the box--- but it makes buying inventory or used Porsches a lot more challenging for sure. I see a lot of inventory cars where dealers seem to forget to check off some obvious features like 14 way seats or folding mirrors.

 

[Jhenson29]

Curious, do most people drive with their head on the headrest?

I always pull the headrests forward to my head if they’re adjustable. It’s probably just personal preference.

 

[Jhenson29]

I noticed that in the RWD, the regen gauge would often times get closer to peak regen according to the power meter especially doing the initial slowing down phase.

That’s interesting. I was just looking at this the other day. The RWD is spec’d for the same 265kW regen as the AWD, but the AWD distributes 2/3 of the available regen to the front motor. I would assume the RWD would heavily use the front brakes and would take longer to reach full regen on the rear motor.

But, it’s also just a display. No actual numbers for what’s going on…

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