Base Taycan is best - Road & Track review

[f1eng]

I'd be really curious to see track times on a wet track for base RWD taycan vs. 4S. My guess is that the lighter RWD Taycan may have higher speed in the bends than the 4S, thanks to reduced weight from the lack of FWD and the smaller battery. Maybe enough to match the 4S time.

The power to weight will favour the 4S.
The RWD may be nicer to drive on the road but on a track the 4S will probably be quicker wet or dry.

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[f1eng]

Cheapest? Really?

Yes.
There are over a dozen Taycan models. The base RWD is the cheapest of them.

I didn't claim it was cheap.

I have no idea about US prices. Here I wouldn't spend over £100k on a base model.

 

[kort]

Having been issued a base RWD as a loaner for my 4S and also spending an afternoon in a turbo at PEC Atlanta I can tell you that while the base RWD is an ok car it isn't close to a 4s and the 4s is a fine car but the turbo has so much more oomph.

so if you are ok with just ok there is nothing wrong with a basic RWD car but it in no way offers the pleasures the AWD models offer.

 

[Clod Reed]

 

[OTPSkipper]

The only time the rwd feels tepid to me Is from 0 to 10mph. Feels like it has been electrically nerfed to limit the 0 to 60 time. After that it feels fine. It does everything I need it to do. Feels faster than my old car. I think that is all that is important.

I have said it before, what I like best about the rwd is the extra feedback I get through the steering Wheel. The 4s steering feels numb to me. To me, steering wheel feel is part of why I buy a Porsche

 

[Archimedes]

I’ve driven the base, 4S, and Turbo. All good cars. It’s really just about how much you want to spend. IMO, from a dynamic perspective, the options you choose are as much, if not more important than the power. I have a 4S and it’s way more power than I really need.

 

[Fish Fingers]

I agree that the RWD is sluggish 0-10 mph. Then on it's pretty quick.
Up and moving it is very nippy (faster than my previous M2 was) in real world driving.

No idea how it compares to the other models as I've not driven any of them.

 

[rs38]

but the winter tyres work wonders in wet and cold (< 10 C) conditions, the braking, cornering is just ...

that's a big and old urban myth and widely disproved.
quite fresh summer tire are always superior to winter tires even if below 10° and or wet.
And the difference is never even a tiny one! it's big like >3m for a 100-0 brake.

 

[Archimedes]

that's a big and old urban myth and widely disproved.
quite fresh summer tire are always superior to winter tires even if below 10° and or wet.

That's a pretty broad (and inaccurate) statement right there...

 

[rs38]

ever did some vbox timed braking, acceleration and slalom tests with both winter+summer tires, same dimensions on the same car at the same day with wet and/or ~5C ?

 

[Porsche-Guru]

that's a big and old urban myth and widely disproved.
quite fresh summer tire are always superior to winter tires even if below 10° and or wet.
And the difference is never even a tiny one! it's big like >3m for a 100-0 brake.

I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that… based on my own experience.

Last December, I had just replaced all 4 tyres on my BMW 535 with brand new Michelin PS4S Summer tyres. My rear tyre got a nail within a week. Managed to get it repaired, but within another day, I damaged my front left on the motorway. Big cut in the tyre with debris on the road. Had to be towed.

Long story short, I replaced lol 4 tyres (as I had planned a car trip to Chamonix in the meanwhile, so needed winter tyres) with Conti Winters on the fronts and Michelin Alpines on the back.

I could see a clear difference straight away. I have a couple of roundabouts on my way to work, and on a wet day, the rears never broke, neither did the traction light come on. On my summer treads, on a wet day (same time of year) I manage to get my rear out and the traction light blinking almost every time.

In my humble opinion, the winters definitely provide greater grip and cornering over summers in wet cold days. I am no expert… but I definitely rate the winters (at least the Michelin Alpines) way better in cold wet conditions than Michelins PS4S.

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Traction is controlled by PASM (and its equivalent for other makes) in modern cars so neither low driver skill nor high wheel torque create a real world problem.

Sorry to pick you up on this one. PASM is the active suspension management that has nothing to do with traction. PSM is probably what you mean - Porsche stability management

 

[f1eng]

Sorry to pick you up on this one. PASM is the active suspension management that has nothing to do with traction. PSM is probably what you mean - Porsche stability management

Indeed it was.
I am not a fan of the letter descriptions I often get them wrong.
Sorry.

 

[Midlifecrisis]

I think when it is all going pear shaped PSM also stands for Please Save Me!

 

[4thPcar]

As is often the case with Porsche, base is best as the saying goes. Meaning the base car usually gets the best / most rewarding drive, and the best value. It seems to echo what many have written on this very forum.
In the Apple News link below, the story comes to this conclusion
“The Base Porsche Taycan Is the One to Get
Porsche’s rear-wheel-drive Taycan is its cheapest EV, and might be its best.”

https://apple.news/A0Af6NqPSQWOXhO2lphzKSQ

In my experience with the brand these past 40 years or so, it is the "S" series that holds its value best over the long term, and it certainly provides a better drive experience over the base. However this is one case where I am glad I stuck with the base model, partly due to constraints on my budget and research I did in advance. Anything faster will simply allow me to catch up to traffic faster and/or collect more speeding tickets.

Of course anyone that spent more will want to justify it, and it's certainly their prerogative to spend as much as they want on a car. I also own Porsche stock, so please go for it!

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