JacobDK
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Jacob
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2020
- Threads
- 13
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 299
- Location
- Denmark
- Vehicles
- Porsche Taycan 4S
- Thread starter
- #1
The day arrived when I had the time, when the Corona precautious ways of living permitted it and also the dealer actually having a tester Taycan 4S ready for me all came togehter in best way imaginable (with fantastic weather in the Greater Copenhagen area Denmark).
The car - a pretty basic 4S - standard (small) battery pack, standard seats and stereo. Upgraded leather, 20" inch alloys, rear axel steering, innodrive and minor visual tweaks was what the dealer had in store for me for the 3 hour testdrive.
I tried the car on the roads I drive on a daily basis, drove the fun roads and blasted the motorways without being inconsiderate to others and safety, did the bumper-to-bumper car traffic and city driving all within the limited time.
What were my thoughts.
First - I have no regrets having ordered a Taycan based on paper alone - this I a true Porsche but way better than most I've tried. The comfort is beyond what in any reasonable way can be expected of a car with this level of performance and roadholding. The testdrive did also reveal some areas which Porsche can and should do better. The car in itself is true to concept and therefore will be attractive to some but certainly not all car buyers. Practicality is not top notch - actually it's only just acceptable, but id rather have a car that fits my daily needs than one that serves 1 drive per year.
My background is - well I'm a true petrolhead/carnut - drove a million miles with BBurago toy cars, Tamiya remote cars, drove carts, and all the cars I could get near. I‘ve always had fun cars though at different budgets! I was a roadtester on 2 car magazines and did during that time have the fun and experience of driving Lamborghinis with Valentino Balboni, go sideways in +150 km/h in Ruf Porsches, did the Mille Miglia in a Ferrari 575, drove all kinds of performance cars and dozens of daily drivers through the years. But Porsche has always had a special place in my mind - due to the fact that they made cars which could be used everyday while beeing true to the feeling of driving. They had performance but moreover they always had driveability and a certain purity to the interaction between driver and car. The kind of interaction only a racecar, a go-kart, or some italian supercars give you (Ferrari 355/360/458 or Pagani Zonda).
I actually bought the Taycan based on trust to the Porsche engineers ability and track-record.
So what did I find.
Let's start with the areas which should be improved or are weakpoint with the car! The HVAC system is not up to the standard that should be expected and it’s ability to keep the cabin comfortable left room for improvement. Its really way to complicated to adjust which would all be "fine" if the automatic functions were doing the job - but as an example the "sun sensor" is not doing its job so depending on your orientation to the sun, temperature has to be adjusted (a lot!) - a bit like a Maserati Quattroporte from 1998! As a result my spec must have the upgraded tempered glas added! The standard stereo sucks. It's actually way worse than a Kia which is just plain redicoules prices taken in to consideration. I'm happy my spec has the BOSE system, I trust it to be acceptable. The fake performance/engine noise is just to artificial so that's deleted in my spec. Standard sounds are actually really nice. The standard seats are not supportive enough for me - my back is really hurting if the support is insufficient, moreover you're not being held enough in the shoulder area when pressing on hard through the bends (corners). My spec must As a result include the sports seats. The panoramic sunroof is really dark and only little light gets through - its an option deleted for me. Lastly its more a 2+2 seater than a limosine - if you see it as a 911 with acceptable room for passengers in the rear then all will be fine - but 4 adults on a cross european tour is not in the cards!
Now the strong points. Damn - its just the most fantastic car I've ever driven. The only car that will ever come close is the BMW M5 E39! The energy consumption is really impressive. I did a lot of different driving and made many fast accelerations, drove at really spirited speeds on country roads etc, but only used 23 kWh/100km during the 3 hour drive. Its just plain impressive! The suspension and driving comfort (sound insulation and complexity in suspension) is really second to none. I bet its more comfortable than even the best Mercedes S-class out there. The grip in corners is beyond belief and brake power (standard 4S brakes) are really powerfull (no need for upgrade). Actually the tyres (efficient) actually are the limiting factor with the braking ability. The acceleration out of corners, and the way the Taycan puts down the power individually on the axels is just beyond what any car I've ever driven is able of producing - the Taycan feels like it has unlimited amount of grip, the balance is so gratifying in regards to supporting the emotion of driving.
During the drive I made some notes - the sport setting firms suspension in the damping - but adjusting the ride height not so much (actually on just barely), regenative braking is less than a normal petrol car in standard setting (its coasting) if turned up - it's only a bit more noticable and not in any way enough to make 1 pedal driving possible - but (a small hack) if the Active Cruise Control is turned on - and adjusted to a low speed the regeneration will actually improve vastly. I won't make use of it - the standard setup is more to my liking.
But as the day came to an end, the car was back at Porsche Center Copenhagen, and I was already missing the Taycan experience. I'm so excited and looking forward to december when I'll get my very own. It will have the bigger battery and more top end power, the color just changed from grey to gentian blue, the window surrounds to black, the panoramic roof was deleted, the seats upgraded to full 18-way sports seats and the rest of my spec just remains the as prior to the drive. Porsche ended the day by sending me an email to acknowledge the support to staying on the Taycan program in spite of Covid-19 and offered free service for 2 years, and the day ended in a tranquile way in my garden with rays of evening sunshine and calm spot to enjoy a "due Espressi" served in a Taycan coffee cup. It was one of those days, that makes it alle worthwhile.
Stay safe out there - let's be sensible and get back to the life we all miss and care for!
Jacob
The car - a pretty basic 4S - standard (small) battery pack, standard seats and stereo. Upgraded leather, 20" inch alloys, rear axel steering, innodrive and minor visual tweaks was what the dealer had in store for me for the 3 hour testdrive.
I tried the car on the roads I drive on a daily basis, drove the fun roads and blasted the motorways without being inconsiderate to others and safety, did the bumper-to-bumper car traffic and city driving all within the limited time.
What were my thoughts.
First - I have no regrets having ordered a Taycan based on paper alone - this I a true Porsche but way better than most I've tried. The comfort is beyond what in any reasonable way can be expected of a car with this level of performance and roadholding. The testdrive did also reveal some areas which Porsche can and should do better. The car in itself is true to concept and therefore will be attractive to some but certainly not all car buyers. Practicality is not top notch - actually it's only just acceptable, but id rather have a car that fits my daily needs than one that serves 1 drive per year.
My background is - well I'm a true petrolhead/carnut - drove a million miles with BBurago toy cars, Tamiya remote cars, drove carts, and all the cars I could get near. I‘ve always had fun cars though at different budgets! I was a roadtester on 2 car magazines and did during that time have the fun and experience of driving Lamborghinis with Valentino Balboni, go sideways in +150 km/h in Ruf Porsches, did the Mille Miglia in a Ferrari 575, drove all kinds of performance cars and dozens of daily drivers through the years. But Porsche has always had a special place in my mind - due to the fact that they made cars which could be used everyday while beeing true to the feeling of driving. They had performance but moreover they always had driveability and a certain purity to the interaction between driver and car. The kind of interaction only a racecar, a go-kart, or some italian supercars give you (Ferrari 355/360/458 or Pagani Zonda).
I actually bought the Taycan based on trust to the Porsche engineers ability and track-record.
So what did I find.
Let's start with the areas which should be improved or are weakpoint with the car! The HVAC system is not up to the standard that should be expected and it’s ability to keep the cabin comfortable left room for improvement. Its really way to complicated to adjust which would all be "fine" if the automatic functions were doing the job - but as an example the "sun sensor" is not doing its job so depending on your orientation to the sun, temperature has to be adjusted (a lot!) - a bit like a Maserati Quattroporte from 1998! As a result my spec must have the upgraded tempered glas added! The standard stereo sucks. It's actually way worse than a Kia which is just plain redicoules prices taken in to consideration. I'm happy my spec has the BOSE system, I trust it to be acceptable. The fake performance/engine noise is just to artificial so that's deleted in my spec. Standard sounds are actually really nice. The standard seats are not supportive enough for me - my back is really hurting if the support is insufficient, moreover you're not being held enough in the shoulder area when pressing on hard through the bends (corners). My spec must As a result include the sports seats. The panoramic sunroof is really dark and only little light gets through - its an option deleted for me. Lastly its more a 2+2 seater than a limosine - if you see it as a 911 with acceptable room for passengers in the rear then all will be fine - but 4 adults on a cross european tour is not in the cards!
Now the strong points. Damn - its just the most fantastic car I've ever driven. The only car that will ever come close is the BMW M5 E39! The energy consumption is really impressive. I did a lot of different driving and made many fast accelerations, drove at really spirited speeds on country roads etc, but only used 23 kWh/100km during the 3 hour drive. Its just plain impressive! The suspension and driving comfort (sound insulation and complexity in suspension) is really second to none. I bet its more comfortable than even the best Mercedes S-class out there. The grip in corners is beyond belief and brake power (standard 4S brakes) are really powerfull (no need for upgrade). Actually the tyres (efficient) actually are the limiting factor with the braking ability. The acceleration out of corners, and the way the Taycan puts down the power individually on the axels is just beyond what any car I've ever driven is able of producing - the Taycan feels like it has unlimited amount of grip, the balance is so gratifying in regards to supporting the emotion of driving.
During the drive I made some notes - the sport setting firms suspension in the damping - but adjusting the ride height not so much (actually on just barely), regenative braking is less than a normal petrol car in standard setting (its coasting) if turned up - it's only a bit more noticable and not in any way enough to make 1 pedal driving possible - but (a small hack) if the Active Cruise Control is turned on - and adjusted to a low speed the regeneration will actually improve vastly. I won't make use of it - the standard setup is more to my liking.
But as the day came to an end, the car was back at Porsche Center Copenhagen, and I was already missing the Taycan experience. I'm so excited and looking forward to december when I'll get my very own. It will have the bigger battery and more top end power, the color just changed from grey to gentian blue, the window surrounds to black, the panoramic roof was deleted, the seats upgraded to full 18-way sports seats and the rest of my spec just remains the as prior to the drive. Porsche ended the day by sending me an email to acknowledge the support to staying on the Taycan program in spite of Covid-19 and offered free service for 2 years, and the day ended in a tranquile way in my garden with rays of evening sunshine and calm spot to enjoy a "due Espressi" served in a Taycan coffee cup. It was one of those days, that makes it alle worthwhile.
Stay safe out there - let's be sensible and get back to the life we all miss and care for!
Jacob
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