Porsche Please Listen the Customers and change……

[Dr Monty]

I will preface all of this by saying: I think that the Taycan is a superb car. It's amazing to drive, and has exceeded my expectations in all respects except for the software--which is sad given how low my expectations were based on my previous Porsche ownership experiences.

I don't know that I agree with most of the asks on the OP's list, but I think that the thing that Porsche *does* need to learn (quickly) is that software eats the world.

All cars today are basically computer networks with a bunch of devices connected. Ultimately that means that there is a ton of functionality that can be gained solely through the clever application of software. Functions that used to require dedicated hardware can be built using just some imagination and code.

What Porsche (and most other legacy automakers) seem to still miss is that this fact has helped to set consumer expectations thanks to smartphones and even desktop computers in the past decade--where a device purchased years ago continues to gain new capabilities through regular software updates and upgrades. Building cars in such a way that they, too, can't take advantage of this is really idiotic in 2021.

I hear rumblings about VW group having 'gotten' software religion, but there's relatively little evidence yet to support that. Their in-car software for EVs has been buggy and difficult to use, with OTA updates either absent or shockingly infrequent.

As a 2020 Taycan owner I will give Porsche some credit for the new features they delivered with the WMA5 update. That gives me some hope that maybe they 'get it' and will continue to advance older cars via software updates. And then I will take away all of that credit for the fact that the update was something that had to be done at the dealer, and apparently takes even experienced Taycan techs the better part of three days to apply...

Porsche is changing. The mere existence of the Taycan is evidence of that fact. But they're still changing too slowly, and they have a very long way to go.

Thought this might be interesting food for thought, 'though a bit dated:

Per a nifty newsletter from Frederic Filloux sent out last August, in June 2020 (or was it 2019?) "Volkswagen Group’s CEO Herbert Diess (...) the following during a management meeting:

“It will be years before we have reached the necessary level of expertise in software to be able to compete at the forefront. (…) Even today, hardly a line of software code comes from us.”
About VW’s competition, he added:
“One of the unpleasant truths is that in China our market leadership is not a law of nature. (…) In China, the leader in electric cars is now called Tesla”. "

As my Taycan CT is scheduled for delivery in September, I am fervently hoping that the SW continues to improve and that instead of developing more options to charge us for Porsche will improve the SW and (re)structure their organization so that we can have the quality Porsche is known for in both HW and SW.

Listening to the customer and evaluating what may indeed be worth doing (if it aligns with the Porsche's objectives) seems like a no-brainer, but a SW UI (PCM) provides such an novel level of flexibility that Porsche's senior management might not even consider the concept of rapid user feedback-> change a valid way of working.

 

[ORZOWEI]

They really need to sort the actual software mess in the Taycan, and also to update the voice assistant. It´s a shame compared with Mercedes Benz, and VAG group is much larger and it should have better resources to fix it soon...
Also the app is terrible compared with almost anything from other brands, and with this price tag, they should deliver something much better, specially almost two years after release.

Also, the center console lid is a nightmare to use daily. Why can´t they copy the best? (Mercedes Benz again).
Besides that and the stupid piano black hurting my eyes, I´m enjoying this beast, and loving the Porsche approach to EV´s!

Just fix those little and stupid things to make us even happier, please!

 

[Harbor_Dawg]

I would like the simple option to keep the HVAC running when leaving the car like in the Tesla. This was a great feature and one I used all the time when it was very hot or very cold outside and I wasn't concerned about range.

Totally agreed. If I end up giving up my Model S for the Taycan CT, this is the feature that my dog and I will miss the most.

 

[Dee]

Totally agreed. If I end up giving up my Model S for the Taycan CT, this is the feature that my dog and I will miss the most.

That IS possible.
Press precool/heat on the lower screen and it'll run for an hour.
People should get familiar with their vehicle before they refer to Tesla... ??‍

 

[porsche_coyote]

That's already possible.
Press precondition on the lower screen and it'll run for an hour.
People should get familiar with their vehicle before they refer to Tesla... ??‍

It is somewhat confusing that the button is labeled 'Precool/heat'

 

[Dee]

It is somewhat confusing that the button is labeled 'Precool/heat'

Is it?
To me it's perfectly clear but then again, I'm used to EVs. ?

 

[Harbor_Dawg]

That IS possible.
Press precool/heat on the lower screen and it'll run for an hour.
People should get familiar with their vehicle before they refer to Tesla... ??‍

I am very familiar with my current vehicle: a 2017 Tesla Model S.

 

[RickDC]

It is somewhat confusing that the button is labeled 'Precool/heat'

What about open and close trunk, two buttons, s and hard to read, just behind the curve about software simplicity

 

[RickDC]

I do understand your point. Fortunately for me, to date I've either not had problems with any of the issues you list or they are inconsequential because they weren't part of my expectation in the first place and have no impact on my enjoyment of the car.

Porsche did underachieve on some of their promises regarding the Taycan. OTOH, they excelled at delivering on the vehicle attributes that are most important to me. Also, as long as we're assessing competence, to be fair we should grade Porsche's competition which has a history of producing a product with inferior quality control and a tendency of their own to overpromise and underdeliver in some areas. I suppose it depends on which promised features one values the most. As I already stated, nothing is perfect.

The competition that you talking about is leading where the automobile industry is going, the under deliver statement, I don’t even get it, the experience of having an automaker that makes your car every single time better via OTA with out asking for a penny or the customer to buy the next year model with upgrades it is hardly callEd under deliver.

 

[feye]

Is it?
To me it's perfectly clear but then again, I'm used to EVs. ?

Since the button is on the battery popup dialog, don't you wonder, if it is for the battery or for the cabin or both?

 

[feye]

The competition that you talking about is leading where the automobile industry is going, the under deliver statement, I don’t even get it, the experience of having an automaker that makes your car every single time better via OTA with out asking for a penny or the customer to buy the next year model with upgrades it is hardly callEd under deliver.

I wish my 6 year old MS90D would have the original software - at least the AP as a simple ACC with ALK would work - or not anymore, considering the overall quality!

 

[Mike in CA]

The competition that you talking about is leading where the automobile industry is going, the under deliver statement, I don’t even get it, the experience of having an automaker that makes your car every single time better via OTA with out asking for a penny or the customer to buy the next year model with upgrades it is hardly callEd under deliver.

Well, the post of mine that you referenced today is months old but I'll try to remember the context.

Since you don't "get" the underdeliver comment regarding Porsche's competition (Tesla) I'll give some examples of their inability to deliver vehicles and features that were promised:

1. The CyberTruck which was supposed to be shipping by now and has been delayed until late 2022.

2. The Roadster, for which Tesla required deposits of $50K and has now been delayed indefinitely.

3. Tesla mileage claims which are pretty consistently less than advertised.

4. Tesla FSD (full self driving; their description) which has been and still is relentlessly hyped by the company yet has never achieved the ability to fully self drive.

It's great that Tesla provides OTA updates and has been a leader in the EV movement. But they are very far from perfect, which was my original point.

 

[PDACPA]

Totally agreed. If I end up giving up my Model S for the Taycan CT, this is the feature that my dog and I will miss the most.

I use the app to hit the "Climate" button at the top when I am getting ready to head to the car. It will say it needs an hour to get to that temp, but its comfortable by the time I get to the car.

I do have it preset to cool the car for my departure too.

 

[ORZOWEI]

Totally agreed. If I end up giving up my Model S for the Taycan CT, this is the feature that my dog and I will miss the most.

I also love dog mode in my Model X. The workaround with the Taycan is to turn it on with Connect app, but this should be available with a button in the screen...

 

[Dee]

Since the button is on the battery popup dialog, don't you wonder, if it is for the battery or for the cabin or both?

I can see the confusion but you can't condition batteries in any EV other than through the system (timers etc) so my answer to your (rhetorical) question is: no. ?
And I've read the manual.
It helps. ?
But I agree it could be more intuitive.
What would be your solution?
You never know if Porsche reads this...

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