Goodbye folks... 4s and 3 year summary review...

[snstevens]

My lease is also approaching the point where I have to decide what car to drive next.

It's likely not going to be a Taycan. Just too many issues, both in terms of sw quality and in terms of overall design/trade-offs. And their pace in the last 2 years gives me zero confidence that they will suddenly magically fix it in the next updates.

Guilty conscience is stopping me from going back to a 911. I keep waiting for the EV-Macan to be ready in the hopes that they finally get some of the EV basics right, but they keep moving that date out...

Maybe I'll just do something very different and give the Rivian a try while Porsche sorts their shit out.

If you do go with a Rivian, I for one would appreciate you posting your experience on this forum. I think it would be very interesting.

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[fullmetalbaal]

What generation are Rivian on now though? Whilst my 4s was not first model year it certainly felt like it was!

My impression is that Rivian is doing a better job updating their software. Not Tesla level frequent, but substantially better than Porsche (low bar, I know).

Some of my pet peeves about the Taycan is that we are still lacking features that frankly in 2023 a Porsche should have. And there's zero indication that they are adding it via OTA or at least in new cars. As far as I can tell, the Taycan I would buy in 2024 would be nearly identical to the one in 2021. Which is par for the course, I suppose, but given that 2021 Taycan was already running behind, not great. Tesla introduced many of these near 8 years ago, and Rivian has been more aggressive about straight out copying Tesla on the software front (e.g., dashcam, phone key).

Lastly, I feel that all EVs right now are struggling with quality. Sometimes we blame the company ("Tesla/Rivian/Lucid doesn't know how to build a car!"), sometimes we blame the novelty of it being an EV ("Well, this is the first real EV for Porsche/Mercedes/Audi, what do you expect?"). Bottom line is that there doesn't seem to be a safe pick out there. Something about paying 140K for a car only to spend a whole winter freezing without the heater working bugs me more than bad fit/finish on a 80K truck that would take a beating hauling bikes/canoe/skis. So the Rivian might not really be any better on this front, but what I want from that kind of car differs, and also at nearly half the cost, I'm hoping I can just set my expectations/bar lower (might be wishful thinking).

 

[robborover]

Lastly, I feel that all EVs right now are struggling with quality. Sometimes we blame the company ("Tesla/Rivian/Lucid doesn't know how to build a car!"), sometimes we blame the novelty of it being an EV ("Well, this is the first real EV for Porsche/Mercedes/Audi, what do you expect?"). Bottom line is that there doesn't seem to be a safe pick out there. Something about paying 140K for a car only to spend a whole winter freezing without the heater working bugs me more than bad fit/finish on a 80K truck that would take a beating hauling bikes/canoe/skis. So the Rivian might not really be any better on this front, but what I want from that kind of car differs, and also at nearly half the cost, I'm hoping I can just set my expectations/bar lower (might be wishful thinking).

Good points and I had also forgotten that the heating in mine HAS completely failed, we are sub 30F at the moment too!

I have had first gen ICE models before and had average experiences there too so not just an EV affliction.

 

[TT459S]

Hi!

Long time, no post

So my MY21 4S is being returned next week (contract hire via biz) and here are my views:

1. It was fine as a car
2. It was average at best with software and technology
3. I should have had the larger battery - you could pick back then
4. Some of the features have simply never worked well e.g. auto boot opening with foot
5. low profile and driving position were nice but not great for me on the longer journeys
6. non porsche but charging network was/is rubbish at times
7. Having to go back to dealers for major software changes was a pain
8. My porsche / profile was/is poor

It still gets admiration and looks great so can't fault it for that but I won't be rushing to climb back into another one.

Thanks for all the help and support on here, especially in the early days. In the end I just gave up with all the niggles!

Hi @robborover , I did the same this week with my 2020 4S . But a happy 3 years. I agree with your points. To add:
9. The opening of the front hood was unpredictable. Never worked when I tried, but opened when I didn't mean to. Using key was best option.
10. Long distance driving with other ICE cars (like on local PCA events) even with great L3 chargers, leaves you on your own, the ICE cars can all refuel within 5 -10 minutes - so after 250 miles or so you get separated and need to catch up later.
11. Software and Porsche Network are indeed immature, unreliable, unpredictable and support even worse (no Helpdesk, and dealers/service centres have little information). Mind you, my 2023 Macan S Porsche Car Connect isn't much better either. It's a generic Porsche issue, not just a Taycan issue.
12. OTA has never worked for me apart from some map updates.
13. Auto charge (plug-in with EA) has never worked for me - always need to use an app - and sometimes a credit card.
14. In the early days the PCM got bricked after an update and was replaced,; the car has been fine since.
15. Trade-in values are sliding (wasn't too bad a year ago)
16. I never used the backseats for other than the USB ports (doesn't launch Apple CarPlay) or some excess luggage, so more like a 2+2 rather than a 3 passenger car.
17. It was great as a car - not just as a looker, but as a driver too - it out performs most of the ICE Porsches and other sportscars in the same price bracket.

I will only go back to EV for a daily driver (maybe the Macan EV), but for my sportscar (and touring), I'll be looking for a Boxster or a 911 in spring - I love to stay with the brand..

 

[andyd]

Loved my MY20 so much I bought a new one. Its even better,. Only thing I'd consider is the i7. That really does look nice.

Hi!

Long time, no post

So my MY21 4S is being returned next week (contract hire via biz) and here are my views:

1. It was fine as a car
2. It was average at best with software and technology
3. I should have had the larger battery - you could pick back then
4. Some of the features have simply never worked well e.g. auto boot opening with foot
5. low profile and driving position were nice but not great for me on the longer journeys
6. non porsche but charging network was/is rubbish at times
7. Having to go back to dealers for major software changes was a pain
8. My porsche / profile was/is poor

It still gets admiration and looks great so can't fault it for that but I won't be rushing to climb back into another one.

Thanks for all the help and support on here, especially in the early days. In the end I just gave up with all the niggles!

 

[Irv09]

My impression is that Rivian is doing a better job updating their software. Not Tesla level frequent, but substantially better than Porsche (low bar, I know).

Some of my pet peeves about the Taycan is that we are still lacking features that frankly in 2023 a Porsche should have. And there's zero indication that they are adding it via OTA or at least in new cars. As far as I can tell, the Taycan I would buy in 2024 would be nearly identical to the one in 2021. Which is par for the course, I suppose, but given that 2021 Taycan was already running behind, not great. Tesla introduced many of these near 8 years ago, and Rivian has been more aggressive about straight out copying Tesla on the software front (e.g., dashcam, phone key).

Lastly, I feel that all EVs right now are struggling with quality. Sometimes we blame the company ("Tesla/Rivian/Lucid doesn't know how to build a car!"), sometimes we blame the novelty of it being an EV ("Well, this is the first real EV for Porsche/Mercedes/Audi, what do you expect?"). Bottom line is that there doesn't seem to be a safe pick out there. Something about paying 140K for a car only to spend a whole winter freezing without the heater working bugs me more than bad fit/finish on a 80K truck that would take a beating hauling bikes/canoe/skis. So the Rivian might not really be any better on this front, but what I want from that kind of car differs, and also at nearly half the cost, I'm hoping I can just set my expectations/bar lower (might be wishful thinking).

Very good points. I have a 2020 Taycan Turbo that has been okay in terms of hardware. I have experienced the loss of LTE connection about three times with no real explanation. The car experienced a hard reboot while driving today. I think it is hard to feel good about keeping the car for the length of the battery warranty and for the cost, I am not sure if a Taycan is better as a commuting car over a lower cost EV. My 2014 911 is something I will keep for a long time and I do not see EVs being that type of platform. Eventually my iPhone, my Mac, or my iPad cannot keep up and it is not chip failure. . .

 

[Crick]

Ability to use my iPhone as the key to the car.

do you mean by “swiping” via BLE? The ability to unlock and lock via iPhone exists - but it takes a few steps with the app. It would be interesting to use the phone to unlock as one uses I Apple Pay. BUT- would you not also need to have your key anyway since it data is alll of your driver settings?

 

[snstevens]

do you mean by “swiping” via BLE? The ability to unlock and lock via iPhone exists - but it takes a few steps with the app. It would be interesting to use the phone to unlock as one uses I Apple Pay. BUT- would you not also need to have your key anyway since it data is alll of your driver settings?

No, I was hoping for something that didn't require opening eh My Porsche app, but rather involved the Apple Car Keys capability. However, I'm not sure if the Taycan supports NFC connectivity at present. BMW offers this capability today (i.e., leave your key fob at home and let your iPhone be recognized as the key).

 

[WuffvonTrips]

No, I was hoping for something that didn't require opening eh My Porsche app, but rather involved the Apple Car Keys capability. However, I'm not sure if the Taycan supports NFC connectivity at present. BMW offers this capability today (i.e., leave your key fob at home and let your iPhone be recognized as the key).

That would mean not carrying the emergency physical key in case of electronic lock failure.

 

[Fantasmos]

I don't think that's the main reason. After all you can have an electronic lock failure even with the regular key so there isn't really a difference. The thing is that Porsche are still developing their software in a very old-fashioned way while Tesla are mostly software company and understand CI/CD much better than Porsche.

 

[BigBob]

I don't think that's the main reason. After all you can have an electronic lock failure even with the regular key so there isn't really a difference. The thing is that Porsche are still developing their software in a very old-fashioned way while Tesla are mostly software company and understand CI/CD much better than Porsche.

Yes, but the regular key, has an (analogue?) key inside it!

 

[Fantasmos]

You can always get it from home, right? The main case they need to cover is to prevent you from locking yourself inside the car really. If your phone dies and you don't have a physical key, there is nothing to "touch" or move to unlock yourself and you can starve to death I guess

 

[WuffvonTrips]

You can always get it from home, right?

the human race is going soft, Skynet will get us all. We seem to be on a path to using IT for trivial/dubious conveniences (hey look at my networked kettle that I can talk to!), creating additional failure dependencies and security risks, with the potential for extreme inconvenience when something goes wrong.
<at this point I remember that I'm on an EV forum, disengage rant mode>

 

[f1eng]

the human race is going soft, Skynet will get us all. We seem to be on a path to using IT for trivial/dubious conveniences (hey look at my networked kettle that I can talk to!), creating additional failure dependencies and security risks, with the potential for extreme inconvenience when something goes wrong.
<at this point I remember that I'm on an EV forum, disengage rant mode>

I agree.
It wouldn’t bother me if most of the poorly functioning features people complain about here were absent from the car altogether!

 

[D00]

I know there’s a separate thread on this, but has anyone had interior rattle issues? And if so, where, and what year is your car?

Mine has now been MIA for 2 months, waiting for a cheap dashboard metal clamp that is embargoed because it is manufactured from Russian steel.

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