Driving review - Taycan GTS versus RS e-tron GT

[or1]

I am far from an expert on this. What I can try to describe is what I think and feel. But I cannot exclude that much of it is imagination: “it is a Porsche, it should drive better”.

There is one aspect that is definitely real, however, although the judgment is subjective: electric sport sound. I appreciate very much being able turn it off, as I can do in the Taycan and not in the RS. I don’t have to listen all the time to what in the RS seems like wheel bearings going bad. Having all sounds with “natural” causes is good, whether they are telling that all is OK or something is wrong. There is interesting life in the natural EV sounds: wheels, motors, gears, wind. It is not as brutal as with ICE, if someone wants to compare with that, but what about refinement instead? The relative silence of driving electric appeals to me, and a fake sound is subtracting from that experience.

Another theme is drive modes. The RS goes into Comfort when started, and it is a few button presses to switch mode. And the difference between Comfort and Dynamic is not that big to me, so I mostly left it in Comfort. Why they don’t allow the car to remember a mode choice is beyond me - it would be a very easy way to let most drivers be happier.

The Taycan always starts in Normal, alas no memory there either. But the other modes are so much easier to set with the small knob in the steering wheel, that I actually do it. I prefer Individual, with Sport as the basis, chassis height mid (some bad roads around here, and the efficiency difference is not important) - and sound off of course.

I should also note that I don’t have rear wheel steering on these cars. The improvement in turning radius is too small to matter to me, living in the Norwegian countryside. My speed is often 50 to 80 km/h where the effect may not be quite clear. It would have been another thing to break, too. But what matters most is winter driving. I want to know that if the back end goes kind of sideways, it is because of a slippery road, not a steering action. I don’t do track days either. I am not sure that my choice was wise, but think it works well and I don’t miss rear wheel steering.

Final caveat: this report is for 20” wheels with winter tires, Hakkapelliitta R3 on the Taycan. It will have Mission E 21” in summer, but it’s a while until that.

To me, the comfort level of the Taycan in Normal mode is at least on par with the RS in Comfort. Most bumps are absorbed rather well. (The weight of the cars must have something to do with this.) But the Taycan is not as hard going into a bump, then firmer in its response afterwards and finishes them off more quickly, while the RS tries to be softer after them and they last longer in a way. I prefer the Taycan.

In road holding and attitude I feel the Taycan more planted. The steering is where there is the largest difference to me. The RS understeers, the Taycan rather not. When I turn the RS steering wheel, the car goes there with precision and without fuss (in speeds and turns that don’t stress it much), but there is very little resistance in the wheel even though I feel the car has its own resistance to the direction change. In the Taycan, on the other hand, the resistance I feel in the steering wheel is kind of a direct image of the car’s resistance. I also feel that the Taycan is even more stable at higher speeds.

It is as if the Taycan is more ready to do twists and turns. I know very little about horses, but can try a comparison (the Taycan is marketed with horse associations…). The RS is a dependable, strong, conscientious horse that does what it is guided to, and is easy to operate on long journeys with comfort. But it does not show any enthusiasm for its work. The GTS is equally dependable and strong, but adds that bit of enthusiasm: it wants to do the turns, and it plays well with more involvement from the driver.

This may be my own imagination. I would be very much interested in hearing other drivers’ thoughts. But as you understand, maybe except for some long trips where not being so “involved” in the driving is preferable, I think the Taycan is a clearly better experience.

But does it have a “soul”? Actually, that is a word I would reserve for other types of creatures. But maybe Porsche’s intention is to say that their cars have personalities, and more so than other cars. I will not argue against that. Also, although I have not driven a 911 (yet), in no way can I see why a car needs an ICE engine to have a personality. Driving a good EV is a fine experience, albeit different. And driving a Taycan attentively is even more of a good experience than driving an RS e-tron GT.

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[Porsche-Guru]

... Also, although I have not driven a 911 (yet), in no way can I see why a car needs an ICE engine to have a personality.

Good write up...

On the personality issue...
Personality could be mix of many things .... looks, behaviour, intelligence, sound, design, build, etc, etc... and because it very 'personal'', it is highly subjective.

As humans, we use our senses (sight, sound, touch, etc...) to ascertain our world and sound play a pretty important role in this.

The aural sensation of an ICE is very much a personality in itself.

Drive a 911 or any car with a good engine/ exhaust note - and I'm certain you will appreciate the aural personality of an ICE, that is clearly missing in the Taycan (or any electric car).

Having said that... the Taycan is a fabulous car and it its own unique personality.

 

[TonO]

I agree!!

 

[Skilly]

Good write up...

On the personality issue...
Personality could be mix of many things .... looks, behaviour, intelligence, sound, design, build, etc, etc... and because it very 'personal'', it is highly subjective.

As humans, we use our senses (sight, sound, touch, etc...) to ascertain our world and sound play a pretty important role in this.

The aural sensation of an ICE is very much a personality in itself.

Drive a 911 or any car with a good engine/ exhaust note - and I'm certain you will appreciate the aural personality of an ICE, that is clearly missing in the Taycan (or any electric car).

Having said that... the Taycan is a fabulous car and it its own unique personality.

To emphasize the idea that an ICE car provides additional emotional responses, just listen to this and think about how it makes you feel. In person, these were so loud, you could feel it in your chest as they moved past you.

 

[f1eng]

Drive a 911 or any car with a good engine/ exhaust note - and I'm certain you will appreciate the aural personality of an ICE, that is clearly missing in the Taycan (or any electric car).

I have a flat plane crank N/A V8 Ferrari which revs to 9000 rpm and sounds great.

I didn’t like the sound of the Taycan faux addition on demo, didn’t spec it and haven’t missed it.

If my Ferrari went eerily quiet I would find it odd.

I understand why people prefer a false noise to real, to make relatively low revving turbo engines with high boost and few cylinders sound sporty now that is what we often get, but on an EV silence is the bonus factor so I relish it.

 

[RingoDingo]

To me steering is the most important aspect of a car's "soul." In other words, how connected do I feel when my inputs become output in the car's behavior and to what degree can I infer what's happening at the wheels based on what I feel in my hands. That's where the Taycan shines for me, even more than ICE vehicle's I've owned, many with hydraulic steering.

Of course I miss the hand in glove interoperation and coordination between right hand and left foot with a manual transmission and the feeling of operating an actual machine, but the days of manuals are long gone, and I much prefer the simplicity of an EV drivetrain to the mysterious mechanics of a modern automatic transmission - even a DCT or PDK. So steering rules.

 

[kempez]

Not gonna lie: sometimes I miss the AMG V8 in my C63. Then I settle down and enjoy the steering and chassis of the Taycan, then feel the instant torque through/out of a corner and all is well again.

 

[or1]

I have a flat plane crank N/A V8 Ferrari which revs to 9000 rpm and sounds great.

I didn’t like the sound of the Taycan faux addition on demo, didn’t spec it and haven’t missed it.

If my Ferrari went eerily quiet I would find it odd.

I understand why people prefer a false noise to real, to make relatively low revving turbo engines with high boost and few cylinders sound sporty now that is what we often get, but on an EV silence is the bonus factor so I relish it.

Exactly.

i understand to some extent that one can miss the high sound volume and the feelings it causes. But my main car has been electric since 2015, and I find it both rewarding and interesting to live in the lower sound level of an EV, and interpret the real components in it.

 

[Genyosai]

As humans, we use our senses (sight, sound, touch, etc...) to ascertain our world and sound play a pretty important role in this.

The aural sensation of an ICE is very much a personality in itself.

Well said.

Hopefully this doesn't get me in trouble out here (no offense to anyone just in case), but the way I like to explain it is like this:

EVs are like sex without sound.
Fun. Feels great. But, not quite the same.

I'm a fan of both EVs and ICEVs. I don't have a Taycan, I have an e-tron GT. It's the favorite of all the EVs I've owned, but it's not the favorite car overall. That would be my Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Giulia makes me want to drive for no reason at all. The GT does not, though it's fun in its own way and is an excellent road-tripper (we recently did a 5,000mi+ round trip from SC to MD to AZ to SC).

Each have their place and there's room for both.

 

[RingoDingo]

Giulia makes me want to drive for no reason at all. The GT does not, though it's fun in its own way and is an excellent road-tripper (we recently did a 5,000mi+ round trip from SC to MD to AZ to SC).

Should have gotten a Taycan

 

[JustWatching]

We are a transitional generation.

I really wonder what the generation 20 years (maybe a bit longer ) from now that never sat in an ICE will think when they hear an engine roar.

I know you are all referring to the sound a 911 or similar makes. But I have to say, the other day I walked into the garage as my wife was starting her Q7, belts going, fans spinning, mechanical parts brushing...it sounded archaic...maybe the same way people felt when they moved to cars and heard a horse neighing. And when I am on the road and an ICE speeds up, I think to myself I can do the same in almost complete silence.

I get it, there was a time when that sound inspired in me what you all describe...we are probably not too far from it being in the rearview mirror (pun intended).

 

[RAHRCR]

I find the discussion about Audi RS E-tRon understeer to be interesting. I cant imagine a road scenario where this could be tested. My 4S CT (albeit with the full performance package) cant easily be tested at that limit on the road. Candidly there is just too much grip. In a track test, these things can be fairly easily uncovered with a little skill but not on the road.

Personally, I haven’t driven the Audi but I have a hard time believing that it can easily be pushed into understeer without driving it at 10 out of 10….that’s a high bar in a road situation. By definition, the folks on this forum prefer Porsche but the Audi is no slouch.

A preference for the Taycan is understandable given the “Porsche tuning” but the rationale is a little head scratching.

 

[RingoDingo]

We are a transitional generation.

I really wonder what the generation 20 years (maybe a bit longer ) from now that never sat in an ICE will think when they hear an engine roar.

I know you are all referring to the sound a 911 or similar makes. But I have to say, the other day I walked into the garage as my wife was starting her Q7, belts going, fans spinning, mechanical parts brushing...it sounded archaic...maybe the same way people felt when they moved to cars and heard a horse neighing. And when I am on the road and an ICE speeds up, I think to myself I can do the same in almost complete silence.

I get it, there was a time when that sound inspired in me what you all describe...we are probably not too far from it being in the rearview mirror (pun intended).

I suspect affection for sonorous engines is sort of like beer. Will a generation brought up on white claw and other hard seltzers have the same affection for an ice cold lager on a hot summer day, the way I do when I drink one and am instantly transported to my good old fraternity days in college? Probably not. Beer kind of tastes bad (unless you develop a taste for it), just as engines are loud and not inherently beautiful sounding.

 

[simcity]

I didn’t like the sound of the Taycan faux addition on demo, didn’t spec it and haven’t missed it.

Amen to that.

I appreciate the actual, real sound a machine makes, be it a reciprocating, rotary, turbine or jet engine or what about a couple of juicy electric motors whining mercilessly to 16K , rather than some fake, plastic, aural enhanced BS.

 

[Irish Guy]

We are a transitional generation.

I really wonder what the generation 20 years (maybe a bit longer ) from now that never sat in an ICE will think when they hear an engine roar.

I know you are all referring to the sound a 911 or similar makes. But I have to say, the other day I walked into the garage as my wife was starting her Q7, belts going, fans spinning, mechanical parts brushing...it sounded archaic...maybe the same way people felt when they moved to cars and heard a horse neighing. And when I am on the road and an ICE speeds up, I think to myself I can do the same in almost complete silence.

I get it, there was a time when that sound inspired in me what you all describe...we are probably not too far from it being in the rearview mirror (pun intended).

Most ICE cars today are underwhelming on the sound front. The most visceral petrol engines are mostly behind us now - ubiquitous turbocharging and downsizing produce artificially flat torque curves and uninspiring aural reward. It’s almost as if car manufacturers have been readying the world for EVs by taking away what traditionalists loved most. Long before EVs kicked off a debate about soul, purists were bemoaning the loss of manual transmissions, dwindling of cylinders, and disappearance of the linear power curves associated with naturally aspirated engines.

I agree with you wholeheartedly about what future generations will think of ICE cars. I fear that the beauty will be lost on them because the point of transition ironically bore witness to the greatest ever ICE performance with a blurring of the lines with EVs, but with deficiencies laid bare by the superior attributes of electric propulsion (EVs and turbocharged ICE cars both have flat torque curves, but only group has lag).

No EV is likely to capture the raw thrill of a world-class, naturally aspirated ICE engine screaming to redline - an Italian V12 or V10, a Porsche flat-6, etc.

I love the Taycan, though, because Porsche has shown us that an EV can still offer a thrilling drive. But I’ll always keep a manual ICE car in the garage for weekends.

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