Forum member test drives

feye

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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.
Great review, thanks!!! Are you not at all concerned that the glass roof is heating the car too much in hot summer? I live in Florida type climate and I am a little concerned.

Will you order a Taycan?
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Woodie4s

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As promised I am posting my impressions of the Taycan. I test drove a Taycan Turbo this morning. The dealer stated that I was the 2nd person to test drive the car. When I arrived at the dealer, the outside air temperature was 25 deg. F. partly sunny. The car I drove was a Standard white car with a red interior. Pretty much how I would spec it. It had the Turbo Aero wheels. I thought they were eh, I would do the Sport Aero wheels. It is noticeably smaller than a Panamera. I think better looking & better proportioned. There was a Turbo S inside the store that was the metallic white/black interior./ Mission E wheels. I like the Mission E wheels, but I am nervous about 21" wheels with the crappy roads where I live. The all-black interior is kind of boring, but to each his own. Really on the fence about spending extra for the metallic, standard white looks very good too. The car is fairly compact. I am 6 ft. & was very comfortable. Seats are very supportive. The back seat is quite snug for adults, especially with tall people driving. The trunk is small, but rear seats do fold down. Fit and finish are superb, Lightyears better than Tesla. Tech and driver interface goes to Tesla for ease of use. The Taycan had the optional Burmeister system. It sounded amazing, but it is way too expensive IMO. I am going to skip on ordering the electric charge door. The turbo did not have it, I thought it had a cleaner look than the Turbo S that had it optioned. So, driving impressions:

1. Very fast off the line no matter what drive mode you are in. Sport + is neck snapping fast. I would go for the sport chrono package as the drive modes are easily accessed via the knob on the steering wheel.
2. Steering is light and nicely weighted. great feedback. Much better than Tesla. The steering wheel very nice. small with a nice thickness. Feels good in your hands. The car is planted in the twisties & I took some fast corners, no noticeable lean or body roll.
3. The car was optioned with the fake noise. It sounds like a vehicle on the Jetsons cartoon. It is absurd & annoying. I turned it off after 2 minutes. I would not pay a dime for this.
4. My biggest disappointment is the braking. Having driven a Model S for the last 6 years, I have really, I mean REALLY appreciate the hard regen feature on throttle lift. 1 Pedal driving is fantastic. Unless you have driven a car with hard regen for an extended period, It is difficult to describe how beneficial it is. A blessing in stop/go traffic in Model S. When you lift off the accelerator on the Taycan, it just coasts even with regen on. Braking via pedal is absolutely required. I believe this is a major fail on the Taycan. Hard regen increases range & brake life as well. I think, a better driving experience.
5. The car had 90 miles of range when we began. I drove hard for at least 25 minutes on back roads, did not bother with highway driving. Range dropped by 8 miles upon return. I cannot comment on the range. It is something you will have to live with to determine.

Overall, I think it is really nice. I have a real concern about the braking though. If Tesla did a wholesale redesign on the Model S, I think I would stick with Tesla for the braking alone. If no change is coming, I cannot see going back to the same car after 6 years. I do not like the Model 3 and I do not like driving SUV/crossovers. So, I am going to think about placing an order over the next week or so on a 4S.

If anyone has specific questions, I will try to answer with the brief amount of time I had with the car.
Hi,
Thanks for the detail review. You mention the seat comfort, were they the confirm or sport seats ?

thanks
 

charliemathilde

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Great review, thanks!!! Are you not at all concerned that the glass roof is heating the car too much in hot summer? I live in Florida type climate and I am a little concerned.
during the test drive it was sunny but cool. It is “winter” here. However I’m not concerned. The glass is insulated and tinted, and tinted enough I didn’t have any issues with glare. If it’s as good as the Tesla glass roof, it won’t be an issue with summer. Ymmv.

Will you order a Taycan?
well I’ve been trying but still don’t have an allocation. So, probably yes, eventually. My family would much prefer to ride in it than the 911, and I’d much rather drive the taycan than a panamera.
 

Miwa

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Drove a Taycan Turbo today. Was better than I expected, as I was concerned by how big of a car it is. I put in a deposit finally. :)
 

Lfcdan

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Drove a Taycan Turbo today. Was better than I expected, as I was concerned by how big of a car it is. I put in a deposit finally. :)
congratulations
 


feye

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Drove a Taycan Turbo today. Was better than I expected, as I was concerned by how big of a car it is. I put in a deposit finally. :)
If you don't mind, what exactly was better than expected? :)
 

Miwa

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If you don't mind, what exactly was better than expected? :)
I was worried that it'd feel too big, as it's not a small car. I didn't try to park it, but just driving around, it doesn't feel big.

One thing that is for certain, the car sits really low. It almost reminds me of trying to get in and out of an R8. I've been spoiled sitting in the higher Macan these past few years. :p
 

kmcdonal

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Went for my test drive today. For background, I have owned sports cars for the better part of three decades, but this will be my first Porsche purchase. I have owned Japanese sports cars (e.g., 3rd gen RX-7, 350Z, WRX, etc.). That said, I have driven Porsches before and have riden in them numerous times.

Here are my thoughts from my Turbo S test drive in Denver today:
  • As others have mentioned, this car is brutally quick. I have driven some quick cars over the years (e.g., Nissan GTR) and always wondered what they would be like with another 100HP. This car is so quick that at least on the street, there is zero need for more horsepower. We did about ten acceleration tests and I actually couldn't take any more. Never had that happen before in other cars. I walked away feeling better that my 4S should have plenty of power.
  • I was most impressed by the handling. I have owned some light cars that really communicate to you as you take corners fast. I have been disappointed with where the car industry is going with those really numb electric steering set-ups. However, I was quite impressed with the Taycan. Surprisingly it did not feel heavy. It just hunkered down and ate up the corners. I didn't have a lot of time in the car, but it seemed to have some nice feedback. It felt surprisingly similar to a 911 Carerra 4S I drove recently.
  • Others have said they were disappointed with the brakes, but I didn't come away with a really strong positive or negative impression from the brakes. They scrubbed off a lot of speed in a hurry. Enough said.
  • I did find the steering a little light at low speed. As a result, I am going to order my car without the 4 wheel steering / power steering plus.
  • Ride was quite smooth for such a high performing car. The roads around Denver take a beating with our weather, but the car seemed to just soak up the bumps.
  • One of the things that was pretty impressive was that the demo car had all season tires and was not in Sport Plus for most of the test drive. It just goes to show how much performance this car has.
  • Overall I thought the car's performance felt a lot like a 911. In other words, everything just felt like it worked together and was set up for people who enjoy driving.
  • The car is very sleek in person. That said, it was longer than I was picturing from the photos.
  • The front seats are great for tall drivers. I am 6' 3" and I had no problem sitting in the front. I had probably an extra two inches of headroom. The main display is partially obscured due to my height, but I get that in a lot of cars. I did appreciate how adjustable the steering wheel was. It allowed me to find a good position, something I struggle with in other cars due to my height.
  • The headrests do stick forward a little which can feel a little funny at first. However, I now know why they have them like that. Every time you hit the accelerator, your head snaps back and hits the headrest. You really could get whiplash from accelerating if the headrests were not set up like that. Just crazy.
  • The back seat is tight. My head hit part of the headliner. My legs were OK when the front seat was set up for me, but it was tight. I wouldn't want to be in the back myself for more than about 20 minutes. However, if I were under about 6' tall, I would be fine back there.
  • I got a bit distracted by the performance (he-he) so I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the range. However, I did notice that the car said about 200 miles of range when I got in. This was mid-day and other people seemed to be taking it out. The sales rep said they have been seeing about 250 miles of range although I take that with a grain of salt.
After the test drive, I finalized my 4S config. I have a February build slot with an April delivery. Looking forward to it.

Porsche Taycan Forum member test drives Taycan Turbo S
 


struther

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Went for my test drive today. For background, I have owned sports cars for the better part of three decades, but this will be my first Porsche purchase. I have owned Japanese sports cars (e.g., 3rd gen RX-7, 350Z, WRX, etc.). That said, I have driven Porsches before and have riden in them numerous times.

Here are my thoughts from my Turbo S test drive in Denver today:
  • As others have mentioned, this car is brutally quick. I have driven some quick cars over the years (e.g., Nissan GTR) and always wondered what they would be like with another 100HP. This car is so quick that at least on the street, there is zero need for more horsepower. We did about ten acceleration tests and I actually couldn't take any more. Never had that happen before in other cars. I walked away feeling better that my 4S should have plenty of power.
  • I was most impressed by the handling. I have owned some light cars that really communicate to you as you take corners fast. I have been disappointed with where the car industry is going with those really numb electric steering set-ups. However, I was quite impressed with the Taycan. Surprisingly it did not feel heavy. It just hunkered down and ate up the corners. I didn't have a lot of time in the car, but it seemed to have some nice feedback. It felt surprisingly similar to a 911 Carerra 4S I drove recently.
  • Others have said they were disappointed with the brakes, but I didn't come away with a really strong positive or negative impression from the brakes. They scrubbed off a lot of speed in a hurry. Enough said.
  • I did find the steering a little light at low speed. As a result, I am going to order my car without the 4 wheel steering / power steering plus.
  • Ride was quite smooth for such a high performing car. The roads around Denver take a beating with our weather, but the car seemed to just soak up the bumps.
  • One of the things that was pretty impressive was that the demo car had all season tires and was not in Sport Plus for most of the test drive. It just goes to show how much performance this car has.
  • Overall I thought the car's performance felt a lot like a 911. In other words, everything just felt like it worked together and was set up for people who enjoy driving.
  • The car is very sleek in person. That said, it was longer than I was picturing from the photos.
  • The front seats are great for tall drivers. I am 6' 3" and I had no problem sitting in the front. I had probably an extra two inches of headroom. The main display is partially obscured due to my height, but I get that in a lot of cars. I did appreciate how adjustable the steering wheel was. It allowed me to find a good position, something I struggle with in other cars due to my height.
  • The headrests do stick forward a little which can feel a little funny at first. However, I now know why they have them like that. Every time you hit the accelerator, your head snaps back and hits the headrest. You really could get whiplash from accelerating if the headrests were not set up like that. Just crazy.
  • The back seat is tight. My head hit part of the headliner. My legs were OK when the front seat was set up for me, but it was tight. I wouldn't want to be in the back myself for more than about 20 minutes. However, if I were under about 6' tall, I would be fine back there.
  • I got a bit distracted by the performance (he-he) so I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the range. However, I did notice that the car said about 200 miles of range when I got in. This was mid-day and other people seemed to be taking it out. The sales rep said they have been seeing about 250 miles of range although I take that with a grain of salt.
After the test drive, I finalized my 4S config. I have a February build slot with an April delivery. Looking forward to it.

Taycan Turbo S.jpg
Thanks for posting your impressions. I have both a 350z and GTR. I was a little worried I may not see much difference in performance compared to the GTR. I ordered the Taycan for the technology mostly and hoped I would like the performance.
Compared to the GTR, do you think the Taycan handles much better? I am very impressed with the performance of my GTR.
 

kmcdonal

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Thanks for posting your impressions. I have both a 350z and GTR. I was a little worried I may not see much difference in performance compared to the GTR. I ordered the Taycan for the technology mostly and hoped I would like the performance.
Compared to the GTR, do you think the Taycan handles much better? I am very impressed with the performance of my GTR.
I don't have enough time in the Taycan to say other than that the Taycan is going to be much more livable day to day while still providing a very high level of performance. As you know, with the GTR you feel every crack in the road. The Taycan definitely soaks all that up.

This goes without saying, but the Taycan has a lot of performance options. The Taycan's performance is going to vary depending on your spec.
 

DaggieBe

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Got to drive the 4S today .. Summarized my feelings on Instagram:




Others:

- I don't like the sunroof
- The PCM crashed on me ... twice (all screens get reset .. car doesn't misbehave, but you have no screens)
- It''s very pretty

I'm waiting for a lease offer and will decide then ..
 

Friedrich

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Test Drove a Taycan Turbo:

On Saturday I did a short test drive of the Taycan Turbo. The dealership literally only allotted 30 minutes per potential buyer by appointment only as there were so many people wanting to test drive the Taycan. I normally don't use foul language and as an atheist, I only mention a god when discussing the fairy tail made up in many cultures......My first impression of the launch control take off: Holy s...t, OMG, wtf!!!
I did four launches to 100mph. Feeling the power and truly instant torque of the Taycan is totally exhilarating. Both my wife and I felt like we got off a roller coaster with brains being sloshed inside our heads! And the people people that test drove the vehicle before us (man with two teenage daughters), left the vehicle with incredibly happy smiles and repeatedly saying, "incredible....fun....amazing. you will love it"

The car was a comfortable and smooth as the Panamera, so it can be a great 4 passenger sedan as well. The steering felt like I had total control, making be believe that fear is the only limiting factor when driving this car like a sports car. I did try out the rear seat as well. I am 5'11" (180cm), and sat upright, I only had just over one inch (3cm) of room to spare before hitting the glass top, so I would ONLY recommend that people buy the Taycan with the glass roof to give more space. Otherwise, the rear seats where spacious and comfortable.

To me, the car did not feel heavy at all; however, where I test drove, i could not do any slalom or make sharp turns at high speeds, so really couldn't test that. But for me, no issues with feeling heavy with braking. I may go to Atlanta's other Porsche dealer where there used to be huge vacant parking lot next door where they would let you do anything you wanted.

I am guess every test driver did repeated launches as well, or maybe I am looking/understanding at the dash wrong. it says 65.3kwh / 100 miles. Am I interpreting this correctly???? I spent more time on enjoying and absorbing the ride than paying attention to the consumption which was one of my goals to test hard Porsche driving. Aesthetically, the dash is beautiful and modern. Both the steering wheel and dash do not look cluttered like the Panamera.

Front trunk is smaller than a 911 and Boxster with the capacity of the airplane overhead carry on as properly measured by a German airline, but the rear trunk is very spacious, according to my wife.......:CWL:

Drawbacks: 1). limited rear view.......I guess I have to get used to using rear view camera's as the vision with the side mirrors and especially the rear view mirror is extremely limiting. 2). AC control. even the salesmen could not change the AC controls while driving. this is really poorly thought through design. You have to easily be able to adjust heat, AC, and the vents while driving! Maybe it will take practice. Those two were the ONLY drawbacks we could find.

I am very impressed with the vehicle. I have not been so excited about any vehicle i have driven since i first drove the Acura NSX in the early 1990s. But the wife showed me online that high Van Cleef and Arpel jewelry can hold up to 80% of value in 10 to 15 years, whereas the Taycan will not........:whew:

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Porsche Taycan Forum member test drives TaycanTestDrivePhoto2


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Gwaihir

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As promised I am posting my impressions of the Taycan. I test drove a Taycan Turbo this morning. The dealer stated that I was the 2nd person to test drive the car. When I arrived at the dealer, the outside air temperature was 25 deg. F. partly sunny. The car I drove was a Standard white car with a red interior. Pretty much how I would spec it. It had the Turbo Aero wheels. I thought they were eh, I would do the Sport Aero wheels. It is noticeably smaller than a Panamera. I think better looking & better proportioned. There was a Turbo S inside the store that was the metallic white/black interior./ Mission E wheels. I like the Mission E wheels, but I am nervous about 21" wheels with the crappy roads where I live. The all-black interior is kind of boring, but to each his own. Really on the fence about spending extra for the metallic, standard white looks very good too. The car is fairly compact. I am 6 ft. & was very comfortable. Seats are very supportive. The back seat is quite snug for adults, especially with tall people driving. The trunk is small, but rear seats do fold down. Fit and finish are superb, Lightyears better than Tesla. Tech and driver interface goes to Tesla for ease of use. The Taycan had the optional Burmeister system. It sounded amazing, but it is way too expensive IMO. I am going to skip on ordering the electric charge door. The turbo did not have it, I thought it had a cleaner look than the Turbo S that had it optioned. So, driving impressions:

1. Very fast off the line no matter what drive mode you are in. Sport + is neck snapping fast. I would go for the sport chrono package as the drive modes are easily accessed via the knob on the steering wheel.
2. Steering is light and nicely weighted. great feedback. Much better than Tesla. The steering wheel very nice. small with a nice thickness. Feels good in your hands. The car is planted in the twisties & I took some fast corners, no noticeable lean or body roll.
3. The car was optioned with the fake noise. It sounds like a vehicle on the Jetsons cartoon. It is absurd & annoying. I turned it off after 2 minutes. I would not pay a dime for this.
4. My biggest disappointment is the braking. Having driven a Model S for the last 6 years, I have really, I mean REALLY appreciate the hard regen feature on throttle lift. 1 Pedal driving is fantastic. Unless you have driven a car with hard regen for an extended period, It is difficult to describe how beneficial it is. A blessing in stop/go traffic in Model S. When you lift off the accelerator on the Taycan, it just coasts even with regen on. Braking via pedal is absolutely required. I believe this is a major fail on the Taycan. Hard regen increases range & brake life as well. I think, a better driving experience.
5. The car had 90 miles of range when we began. I drove hard for at least 25 minutes on back roads, did not bother with highway driving. Range dropped by 8 miles upon return. I cannot comment on the range. It is something you will have to live with to determine.

Overall, I think it is really nice. I have a real concern about the braking though. If Tesla did a wholesale redesign on the Model S, I think I would stick with Tesla for the braking alone. If no change is coming, I cannot see going back to the same car after 6 years. I do not like the Model 3 and I do not like driving SUV/crossovers. So, I am going to think about placing an order over the next week or so on a 4S.

If anyone has specific questions, I will try to answer with the brief amount of time I had with the car.
I was wondering how well the heating system worked? Very little has been written about how effective it is.
 
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Gwaihir

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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
It will be a brake-by-wire system. When the brake pedal is depressed re-gen braking is blended to produce the deceleration. Moderate braking will be done using re-gen only and aggressive braking will blend in hydraulic pressure and motor braking.
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