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MissionC

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there also seems to be a general misconception about this sound. Good or bad I cannot opinion since I have not heard it yet. However, the sound is not fake. It is the sound of the electric drive train that has been amplified and redistributed by the speakers. Similar to what quite a few manufactures do with the sound of their ICEs so as not to be drowned away by more and more restrictive regulations on outside noice..... :)
I had the chance to play with a Taycan yesterday, but not drive it. I was in my dealer tweaking my 4S build (changed wheels and dropped glacier blue headlight option) and he indicated that without the sound the car is really, really quiet when accelerating and at speed. I want a little noise so am keeping the sound. From what I understand, and I could have misheard, the sound package isn’t just an MP3 file (as many have joked) but as mentioned above, is live sampled from the actual noise of the electric drives and not just mixed into the stereo system but plays through the speakers regardless of audio settings. Even when the car is sitting still, with the sound it emits a really nice (to my ears) burble that has a bit of character.

On another note, just seeing the car in person and going through it (I was in the car for about 45 minutes) it absolutely lives up to my expectations. The rear seat is much bigger than I thought. My son is almost 6 feet tall and had zero issues with leg room or head room (and he’d complain otherwise) and has huge feet and the foot garages were fine. The trunk is way more than adequate for my needs and I can easily see my family of four taking trips in it. Cannot wait to own this car!
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ThomasDK

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The reason Porsche uses the brake pedal for recuperating is it is the only way to be able to drive the car really hard! I also love 1 pedal driving, but I understand the choice! And the Taycan can recup so much power, if it was in the speeder pedal, it was like hard breaking when you lift the food!
 
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Thank you for your post Zardoz ... but one point I guess you misunderstood: Even when breaking with pedal the Taycan uses regen in 90% of all breaking and not the brakes!
I don't really understand this comment. If you are depressing the brake pedal, aren't you using brakes? Ok, there is regen but that was not the point. You can drive a Tesla aggressively too, stomp the brakes if you want to stop. 1 pedal driving is fantastic From the reply's I am reading, early EV adopters expect more from Porsche?
Those of you who have never lived with an EV, after a Taycan, chances are you never go back to ICE
 

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I don't really understand this comment. If you are depressing the brake pedal, aren't you using brakes?
actually on the taycan you are very rarely using any mechanical break...... all the break feel you are experiencing is pure regenerative breaking. the actual mechanical discs are only used during the last 5ish% of the break pressure band on the pedal..... so when you break really hard into a tight corner that you are blasting towards......

for the one foot driving i agree 100% for everyday driving and i certainly hope that porsche will update this at a later date since it’s software driven anyway. however, i do understand Porsche’s idea but think they need to modulate the one pedal part better and more like going down through the gears on an ICE......... Because a lot of people need that extra feel as well when driving in a very spirited fashion...... an ICE does not coast either unless you do not go down through the gears on approach to a tight bend........
 

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there also seems to be a general misconception about this sound. Good or bad I cannot opinion since I have not heard it yet. However, the sound is not fake. It is the sound of the electric drive train that has been amplified and redistributed by the speakers. Similar to what quite a few manufactures do with the sound of their ICEs so as not to be drowned away by more and more restrictive regulations on outside noice..... :)
I have experienced it. I drove with it on for 5 minutes, then shut it off. I preferred it Off. It felt like sound for the sake of sound. Meh. I have music for that.

For me, a car has to have sweet sound, or no sound: A 2000 BMW M5 V8 at full throttle. A naturally aspirated inline six with no cat, being wound out into its powerband on a racetrack. Or... the sweet, peaceful, silence of driving electric.
 


TIM

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The reason Porsche uses the brake pedal for recuperating is it is the only way to be able to drive the car really hard! I also love 1 pedal driving, but I understand the choice! And the Taycan can recup so much power, if it was in the speeder pedal, it was like hard breaking when you lift the food!
From what I can remember Porsche also choose not to use 1 pedal driving because they analysed that it's more "energy efficient" to let the car roll in "free wheel" instead of braking with regen when the gas pedal is realeased
 

charliemathilde

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I have experienced it. I drove with it on for 5 minutes, then shut it off. I preferred it Off. It felt like sound for the sake of sound. Meh. I have music for that.

For me, a car has to have sweet sound, or no sound: A 2000 BMW M5 V8 at full throttle. A naturally aspirated inline six with no cat, being wound out into its powerband on a racetrack. Or... the sweet, peaceful, silence of driving electric.
couldn’t agree more. Rather just have music. And that’s a nice v8. My E90 is still delightful.
 

svp6

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From what I can remember Porsche also choose not to use 1 pedal driving because they analysed that it's more "energy efficient" to let the car roll in "free wheel" instead of braking with regen when the gas pedal is realeased
I don't know - maybe they are correct, maybe not. The fact that Tesla with aggressive regen not attached to the pedal has much better range at comparable battery size would suggest otherwise. Of course Porsche losses may be somewhere else, not in the drivetrain. Time will tell.
 


Jaf

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I was wondering if any forum members have yet to test drive the Taycan. Professional reviews are fine, but I am interested to hear from forum members on their unbiased experience. I am scheduled for a test drive this Saturday. If it happens, I will post my impressions. I have been an EV driver for over six years. (2) Tesla Model S. I have a reasonable idea of what to expect & benchmark against the only real Taycan competitor at the moment.
Yes, I drove a White on Red Turbo yesterday. I'm a long time Porsche owner and presently have 992 and Cayenne. Car is a no-brainer. Fast, handling is 911ish like and cabin comfort at a level you would expect for the price. I drove for about 20 min and it was about 30F outside. Burned about 20% of juice but we were at high speeds a lot - 80-110 up and down and around.. I had a Turbo S on order but my dealer will not see any this year on allocation so I'm now getting a Turbo in May. I want the GT, so I'll drive this and then order the GT in S form. Terrific car - its going to sell extremely well.
 

Marshall

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Drove a white turbo yesterday for about 10 minutes. I currently drive a 2018 Panamera and, as others have said, even though the Taycan is only 4 inches shorter, it felt considerably smaller. In terms of drive, it felt very much like a sophisticated 911. People have mentioned the brakes. I found them to be very similar to the Panamera.. There was no getting used to the feel of the brake peddle going from my car to the Taycan. The power of the Taycan is incredible. My SA drove the car first to show my around and we were chatting and he enters the freeway and he hit the accelerator and I was literally thrown back in my seat. I wish he would have told me he was going to do that. In terms of power consumption, the car said it had 140 miles left to go with 59% battery. The car had the "fake" sound and it reminded me of Star Wars. I am glad I did not get that option. As I was driving, there was a Tesla in front of me. I hit the accelerator and passed it with a big smile on my face. My SA adviser said "You had to do that didn't you?"--I replied "Of course". I have a 4S on order and right now it shows that it is scheduled for delivery the end of May. If the 4S is anything like the Turbo, I can't wait.
 

cometguy

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- Really liked the panoramic roof - although it is more noticeable in the back seats.
- The car looked great. It seemed much smaller than the Panamera (which was nearby), although the dimensions are similar.
Regarding the glass roof: I presume that it does not have the electrochromic (smart) glass, which can be dimmed almost to opaque via controls (like the passenger windows on a Dreamliner aircraft). The manufacturer blurb on the Polestar 2 website seems to imply that they might have smart glass in their panoramic roof, because it apparently does get darker when sunlight is strong. I wonder why Porsche wouldn't give this at least as an option... If not, I hope that Porsche will eventually give the option of no glass roof for those of us who don't want the sun brightly shining in all the time.

Regarding the Panamera size vs. Taycan, the Taycan is about 4 inches shorter in length. I suspect that this, plus it sitting lower (Taycan's roof height is about 2 inches lower), makes it appear smaller than it really is.
 
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Reg

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Regarding the glass roof: I presume that it does not have the electrochromic (smart) glass, which can be dimmed almost to opaque via controls (like the passenger windows on a Dreamliner aircraft). The manufacturer blurb on the Polestar 2 website seems to imply that they might have smart glass in their panoramic roof, because it apparently does get darker when sunlight is strong. I wonder why Porsche wouldn't give this at least as an option... If not, I hope that Porsche will eventually give the option of no glass roof for those of us who don't want the sun brightly shining in all the time.

Regarding the Panamera size vs. Taycan, the Taycan is about 4 inches shorter in length. I suspect that this, plus it sitting lower (Taycan's roof height is about 2 inches lower), makes it appear smaller than it really is.
Apparently builds after June will have the non glass roof.
The roof is apparently 7 layers of different material so they claim it has minimal impact.

I was going to hold off, but I realized that the glass roof makes the car seem that much bigger inside and on the sunniest and hottest of days I can prevent sun on my head with a $2 plastic shade.
 

cometguy

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I realized that the glass roof makes the car seem that much bigger inside and on the sunniest and hottest of days I can prevent sun on my head with a $2 plastic shade.
$2 plastic shade?! I'd love to see that at work in an expensive Porsche! Please do explain!
 

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So, I got to test drive a Turbo today, and it was fantastic. It’s a bev Panamera with a significantly more 911 speed and handling. I drive a 911 TTS, and I was impressed by the acceleration and steering. Strong, precise, and seemingly unending. You won’t hit this cars limit on a public road. In the ballpark of the 911 and vastly better than the model 3. You could imagine yourself driving a 911 turbo here. The handling and cornering are excellent as well. A bit short of the 911, but very good overall. The car happily ate up corners at unlawful speed. There’s a different weight balance from the 911, and I didn’t have enough time with the car to dial that in. It was odd, and I felt like the car fought me just a teeny tiny bit on hard corners. I think I’d shell out for the pdcc. This Turbo did not have it. One journalist had said the car always took the corner when he turned in hard but it sometimes felt like it wasn’t even as it was.

The only thing holding it back is the brakes. Which are mediocre. They are EV brakes and mushy. They get the job done, but they can’t hide the car’s 5100# and aren’t remotely in the same league as the 911. This was the only area that the car couldn’t hide it’s weight. I didn’t notice an issue with blending the ev and physical brakes. That was fairly seemless. I am comparing them to the 911 turbo carbon ceramics, so it’s a tough bar.

Everything else was either very good or exceptional. Overall it does indeed drive like a Porsche. Can’t wait for one to show up at the Porsche Experience Center and play more thoroughly on a track. I am impressed in how close to a 911 Porsche made a car weighing 1500# more behave.

The build quality was pure Porsche. The instruments cluster is exquisite. Remarkable definition, color and contrast. The center console is okay. Similar to the 911. The glass roof was beautiful. No issue with sun or glare, although it was only partially sunny out. Much larger and more panoramic than the 911 glass sunroof. I liked it a lot. The seats were very comfortable. This had the 14 way comfort seats. The back seat was decent. I’m fairly tall and didn’t have any issue in back. Much larger than a 911 rear seats. Adults can fit. The back seats fold down. The trunk is nicely sized. Despite being almost the size of a Panamera it feels a lot smaller and drives a lot smaller. The rear window is a tiny slit. This surprised me given the expansive roof. As others have noted, it’s nearly silent. Much quieter than a Tesla inside the cabin.

the car is much more practical than a 911, fwiw.

I had an estimated efficiency of 65Kw / 100mi as reported by the car’s trip record. I was driving extremely ... not to be written down.

pro tip: turn lane change keep assist off on your test drive. I didn’t appreciate the nanny’s interference.
 

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So, I got to test drive a Turbo today, and it was fantastic. It’s a bev Panamera with a significantly more 911 speed and handling. I drive a 911 TTS, and I was impressed by the acceleration and steering. Strong, precise, and seemingly unending. You won’t hit this cars limit on a public road. In the ballpark of the 911 and vastly better than the model 3. You could imagine yourself driving a 911 turbo here. The handling and cornering are excellent as well. A bit short of the 911, but very good overall. The car happily ate up corners at unlawful speed. There’s a different weight balance from the 911, and I didn’t have enough time with the car to dial that in. It was odd, and I felt like the car fought me just a teeny tiny bit on hard corners. I think I’d shell out for the pdcc. This Turbo did not have it. One journalist had said the car always took the corner when he turned in hard but it sometimes felt like it wasn’t even as it was.

The only thing holding it back is the brakes. Which are mediocre. They are EV brakes and mushy. They get the job done, but they can’t hide the car’s 5100# and aren’t remotely in the same league as the 911. This was the only area that the car couldn’t hide it’s weight. I didn’t notice an issue with blending the ev and physical brakes. That was fairly seemless. I am comparing them to the 911 turbo carbon ceramics, so it’s a tough bar.

Everything else was either very good or exceptional. Overall it does indeed drive like a Porsche. Can’t wait for one to show up at the Porsche Experience Center and play more thoroughly on a track. I am impressed in how close to a 911 Porsche made a car weighing 1500# more behave.

The build quality was pure Porsche. The instruments cluster is exquisite. Remarkable definition, color and contrast. The center console is okay. Similar to the 911. The glass roof was beautiful. No issue with sun or glare, although it was only partially sunny out. Much larger and more panoramic than the 911 glass sunroof. I liked it a lot. The seats were very comfortable. This had the 14 way comfort seats. The back seat was decent. I’m fairly tall and didn’t have any issue in back. Much larger than a 911 rear seats. Adults can fit. The back seats fold down. The trunk is nicely sized. Despite being almost the size of a Panamera it feels a lot smaller and drives a lot smaller. The rear window is a tiny slit. This surprised me given the expansive roof. As others have noted, it’s nearly silent. Much quieter than a Tesla inside the cabin.

the car is much more practical than a 911, fwiw.

I had an estimated efficiency of 65Kw / 100mi as reported by the car’s trip record. I was driving extremely ... not to be written down.

pro tip: turn lane change keep assist off on your test drive. I didn’t appreciate the nanny’s interference.
great review!!
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