TaycanHero
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- Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo (2023)
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Did my PEC at Silverstone last week in a GTS ST. Better described as an aggressive yet controlled test drive.
For those interested, or want to know what to expect, the half-day below is summarised. It also explains why I have decided against Carmine Red, where the PEC is also a great way to see lots of Porsche colours parked side-by-side.
I did the morning session, which included breakfast. The afternoon session includes an afternoon tea.
Sections below:
1. The start of the PEC
For the morning session, the day starts early, where you should arrive by 8.30am. Finding the Porsche Centre at Silverstone is easy. Ample parking, where you will see many Porsche's parked up. On entering the building, you register along with your guest if someone is with you (I shared the driving time with a friend). You can then take a look at the cars in the lobby, before heading upstairs where you will be shown your designated table.
Downstairs had a very nice 911 Sport Classic in Crayon ("chalk") along with a £10m vintage roadster:
At just after 9am, your designated pro instructor visits your table, and introduces themselves. They quickly explain how the day will progress before everyone is collected and taken to the briefing room. Here, there's a quick presentation by one of the Porsche reps.
You get to watch a video that covers inane dross about things like diet and exercise, and that is soon after you've just hoovered up an eggs benedict and gulped down a generous full fat cappuccino...
About halfway through the presentation, I couldn't help thinking that those 20 minutes would have been better used driving the car, not least as the room was filled with your archetypal Porsche demographic: 50+ wealthy gent, many who had brought along the wife. Are they really going to get into iron man training and clean eating as part of their Porsche buying experience?
Probably not.
After 20 minutes of Porsche shamelessly wasting everyone's life, you exit the briefing area to the rear of the building where you meet your instructor. We quickly decided that I would drive the first session; my friend the second session and the fun finally could begin.
2. The GTS ST demonstrator and the driving
The GTS ST demonstrator was nice in Gentian Blue, though it didn't feel like an ST where it had roof rails, and those awful-looking aero wheels. I don't know if it had PDCC or not, where I was keen to drive a Taycan with and without that option. That was not possible, as they only designate a single car to each participant group. I do know the chip shortage meant the AWD/g-force display was not available, so perhaps supply is limited, which is why you couldn't drive multiple Taycan's on the day.
I was expecting that, otherwise how can I decide on driving options like PDCC? I can't, so that means I am not optioning it.
My instructor, a guy called Keith, did explain the brake options were a waste and there only for cosmetics. The interior of the car was the standard GTS Race-Tex. It is nice. In recent months I decided I had to go GTS exclusive Race-Tex, where I was set on a leather interior. Race-Tex is really growing on me, and I love how grippy the steering where is compared to leather, where my (sweaty) palms on a long drive makes leather a less-than-ideal choice.
Also useful is the car seat set up, where Keith got me into the optimal seating position.
The Porsche-owned tracks are fun to drive and are perfectly designed to showcase the capabilities of the car. I only had 1 hour 15 minutes of driving time out of a total of 2.5 hours, where I was sharing my driving time with a friend. In that time, I hit:
We swapped seats and Keith then showed me what driving a Porsche is all about. He drove the standard circuit and the Handling Circuit, taking the chicanes and driving in a way I don't think is possible unless you are Lewis Hamilton.
I was left with no doubt that the Taycan is a very capable car!
3. Food and Drink
Both food and drink was good, especially where this is not a restaurant, but essentially a car dealership with a track outside of it. The menu was simple, but nicely done. For breakfast there was various options, from a full English to eggs benedict to a granola bowl. Lunch had three courses, where you could choose from three options for each.
I went for eggs benedict, which was nicely done. For lunch, a venison carpaccio to start, cod dish for main, a chocolate dish for dessert. No complaints.
Service was also good, but then spending £100k+ for a car, it would be a bit embarrassing of Porsche to not deliver anything less than very good hospitality on the day.
They reserve their bad service for the actual dealerships.
4. The problem with Carmine Red
Another benefit of the PEC, not much spoken about, is the chance to see the cars actually being driven and in many different colours. This lets you see light hit the cars from various angles that you just won't get in a showroom or a parked car. It therefore makes it a great way to decide on the colour(s) you might like.
I've always been set on CR since the day I placed my order. However, I'm yet to see a CR Porsche that really "pops", where those I have seen are in underground car parks or on a Macan, in overcast light. I am not sure if the boxy lines of the Macan makes CR look worse, but I personally would not choose it for that car.
It does look good on the Taycan, or so I thought.
There were many CR Porsche's there on the day, and I have decided I no longer love the colour any more.
CR seems to pop only if you are looking directly at it or from certain angles. If you are at an angle, and certainly in low light, CR looks dulled, almost matte in appearance. The shots below were taken on a Sony smartphone, where colours are not oversaturated unlike Apple/Samsung. So you can get a more accurate idea of what CR looks like in medium light:
These shots reveal the colour can be vibrant, but that is my problem with CR. Outside the front of the building were two other Macan's, both CR.
Both looked matted, with almost a hint of grey, yet they were not dirty. They were clean and polished. The blow press shots illustrate better what I saw. I did not take photos:
Only today, parked up outside of my gym was a Taycan saloon with the silver RS Spyders. It was in Carmine Red.
The sun was shining today and the car was not in any shadows.
Once again, the colour looked muted/matted with a very subtle hue of grey. I don't know if that is just how the surroundings (road) reflects off the paint, but it also doesn't look like a colour befitting a cutting-edge EV.
I want a vibrant colour that looks great - and not just good to mediocre - in all light conditions.
CR doesn't fit that criteria, at least to my eyes.
I am now in a dilemma. But one of timing. I have made my mind up I want to go PTS where I'm not keen on any of the standard colours. That will most likely extend delivery time by another six months, unless I am lucky. Speaking to my dealer, where I do like Crayon, but on the saloon, not the ST. It is also going PTS next year and I don't like any other standard colour.
5. Other cars/colours
Below are some of the other cars on the day, and in various colours. I really liked the grey on the Cayman GTS, and feel that would look stunning on the Taycan GTS ST. Subsquently, my PTS shortlist is Grigio Telesto/red calipers/GTS red interior or Gold Bronze Metallic/black calipers/GTS crayon interior. Possibly Stone Grey Metallic, which is another deep grey with a nice dynamic range.
6. Closing Thoughts & Instructor's Delivery Prediction
The PEC @ Silverstone is very fun day, made sweeter where you have access to complimentary (and good) food and drink, plus are surrounded by lots of incredible cars.
It's a shame the service levels offered at the PEC are not mirrored by the dealers themselves, but then I suppose there is only so much they can do with the supply chain issues. Patience is required.
You can only schedule the PEC during weekdays, and from what I can tell, only 10 drivers are allowed out at any one time. That is why it can be difficult to book a slot quickly. Other Porsche buyers are there on the day, not just Taycan buyers, so the tracks are shared with different models.
The instructor I had was very pleasant and gave very useful feedback about my driving style, things I did good, and things I did bad. Even the seat set up was useful.
It is possible to book another session (you have to pay for It I understand, though I will ask my dealer if another complimentary session can be organised as "compensation" for the wait), and I will be doing this shortly before my car arrives. It is useful to get feedback from a pro driver in such a powerful car and I am sure even for very experienced drivers, there may well be useful tips/feedback.
Finally, my instructor asked me when I am expecting to receive the car. He did say that despite the supply chain issues, Porsche has a habit of purposefully quoting extended delivery times, but then delivering the car sooner than expected. While anecdotally that doesn't seem to be the case on this forum, I wait in hope that my car arrives Q123, instead of Q4 2056...
For those interested, or want to know what to expect, the half-day below is summarised. It also explains why I have decided against Carmine Red, where the PEC is also a great way to see lots of Porsche colours parked side-by-side.
I did the morning session, which included breakfast. The afternoon session includes an afternoon tea.
Sections below:
- The start of the PEC
- The GTS ST demonstrator and the driving
- Food and Drink
- The problem with Carmine Red
- Other cars/colours
- Closing Thoughts & Instructor's Delivery Prediction
1. The start of the PEC
For the morning session, the day starts early, where you should arrive by 8.30am. Finding the Porsche Centre at Silverstone is easy. Ample parking, where you will see many Porsche's parked up. On entering the building, you register along with your guest if someone is with you (I shared the driving time with a friend). You can then take a look at the cars in the lobby, before heading upstairs where you will be shown your designated table.
Downstairs had a very nice 911 Sport Classic in Crayon ("chalk") along with a £10m vintage roadster:
At just after 9am, your designated pro instructor visits your table, and introduces themselves. They quickly explain how the day will progress before everyone is collected and taken to the briefing room. Here, there's a quick presentation by one of the Porsche reps.
You get to watch a video that covers inane dross about things like diet and exercise, and that is soon after you've just hoovered up an eggs benedict and gulped down a generous full fat cappuccino...
About halfway through the presentation, I couldn't help thinking that those 20 minutes would have been better used driving the car, not least as the room was filled with your archetypal Porsche demographic: 50+ wealthy gent, many who had brought along the wife. Are they really going to get into iron man training and clean eating as part of their Porsche buying experience?
Probably not.
After 20 minutes of Porsche shamelessly wasting everyone's life, you exit the briefing area to the rear of the building where you meet your instructor. We quickly decided that I would drive the first session; my friend the second session and the fun finally could begin.
2. The GTS ST demonstrator and the driving
The GTS ST demonstrator was nice in Gentian Blue, though it didn't feel like an ST where it had roof rails, and those awful-looking aero wheels. I don't know if it had PDCC or not, where I was keen to drive a Taycan with and without that option. That was not possible, as they only designate a single car to each participant group. I do know the chip shortage meant the AWD/g-force display was not available, so perhaps supply is limited, which is why you couldn't drive multiple Taycan's on the day.
I was expecting that, otherwise how can I decide on driving options like PDCC? I can't, so that means I am not optioning it.
My instructor, a guy called Keith, did explain the brake options were a waste and there only for cosmetics. The interior of the car was the standard GTS Race-Tex. It is nice. In recent months I decided I had to go GTS exclusive Race-Tex, where I was set on a leather interior. Race-Tex is really growing on me, and I love how grippy the steering where is compared to leather, where my (sweaty) palms on a long drive makes leather a less-than-ideal choice.
Also useful is the car seat set up, where Keith got me into the optimal seating position.
The Porsche-owned tracks are fun to drive and are perfectly designed to showcase the capabilities of the car. I only had 1 hour 15 minutes of driving time out of a total of 2.5 hours, where I was sharing my driving time with a friend. In that time, I hit:
- Standard circuit - This isn't named on the below map, but it's the track that circles the Low Friction and Ice Hill tracks. You will drive this first and it's a nice way to get comfortable in your car before driving the more challenging circuits.
- The Handling Circuit - which was very fun, and allows a good amount of speed out of the corners. The instructor explained my steering wheel technique left a lot to be desired, but was confident he could clean it up... Had the full 2.5 hours been available. I will instead practice at home using a dinner plate. The turn of speed in the Taycan is vicious! It hides its weight incredibly well and I still can't get over how the cabin/excellent seating position makes it feel like you are driving a much smaller car.
- The Straights - consisting two lanes on one side, three lanes on the other to simulate a motorway. Allows you to test launch control, the first time I've ever done such a thing in car and accelerated to 60mph in under 4 seconds. Huge fun. This is also where you get to test out the (standard) brakes, which are incredible. Porsche designs their braking systems so that all of their vehicles have a stopping time at 60mph that is half that of 0-60 time. Another advanced braking technique that I nailed was accelerating to 70mph, then on instruction, had to slam on the brakes for an emergency stop and then steer a hard 45 degrees and get into the farthest lane. That simulated a sudden obstruction ahead of you on the motorway (with nothing to the side of you, obviously).
- Ice Hill - I found this a bit tedious. I didn't really feel any loss of traction driving up the ice hill, even with traction control switched off. The sheer weight/size of the Taycan and with it being AWD, means the car sticks to the road even in challenging conditions. I am sure if this was a RWD or much lighter vehicle, loss of traction would have been more obvious.
- Low Friction - I didn't drive this as didn't have the time.
- Kick Plate - this was great fun. A large plastic veneer covers the road, and it is sprayed with water. As you drive over the kickplate, the back of the car spins out. You have to control it. I did this with traction control on and off. On both occasions, I handled it like a pro and managed to stop the car from spinning out. However, it soon dawned on me why: it's that 2.3 tonnes and AWD doing most of the work again. Undeterred, I reassured myself that I truly am a great driver. No, really. Then I drove back to parking to let Keith show me how to actually drive a sports car...
We swapped seats and Keith then showed me what driving a Porsche is all about. He drove the standard circuit and the Handling Circuit, taking the chicanes and driving in a way I don't think is possible unless you are Lewis Hamilton.
I was left with no doubt that the Taycan is a very capable car!
3. Food and Drink
Both food and drink was good, especially where this is not a restaurant, but essentially a car dealership with a track outside of it. The menu was simple, but nicely done. For breakfast there was various options, from a full English to eggs benedict to a granola bowl. Lunch had three courses, where you could choose from three options for each.
I went for eggs benedict, which was nicely done. For lunch, a venison carpaccio to start, cod dish for main, a chocolate dish for dessert. No complaints.
Service was also good, but then spending £100k+ for a car, it would be a bit embarrassing of Porsche to not deliver anything less than very good hospitality on the day.
They reserve their bad service for the actual dealerships.
4. The problem with Carmine Red
Another benefit of the PEC, not much spoken about, is the chance to see the cars actually being driven and in many different colours. This lets you see light hit the cars from various angles that you just won't get in a showroom or a parked car. It therefore makes it a great way to decide on the colour(s) you might like.
I've always been set on CR since the day I placed my order. However, I'm yet to see a CR Porsche that really "pops", where those I have seen are in underground car parks or on a Macan, in overcast light. I am not sure if the boxy lines of the Macan makes CR look worse, but I personally would not choose it for that car.
It does look good on the Taycan, or so I thought.
There were many CR Porsche's there on the day, and I have decided I no longer love the colour any more.
CR seems to pop only if you are looking directly at it or from certain angles. If you are at an angle, and certainly in low light, CR looks dulled, almost matte in appearance. The shots below were taken on a Sony smartphone, where colours are not oversaturated unlike Apple/Samsung. So you can get a more accurate idea of what CR looks like in medium light:
These shots reveal the colour can be vibrant, but that is my problem with CR. Outside the front of the building were two other Macan's, both CR.
Both looked matted, with almost a hint of grey, yet they were not dirty. They were clean and polished. The blow press shots illustrate better what I saw. I did not take photos:
Only today, parked up outside of my gym was a Taycan saloon with the silver RS Spyders. It was in Carmine Red.
The sun was shining today and the car was not in any shadows.
Once again, the colour looked muted/matted with a very subtle hue of grey. I don't know if that is just how the surroundings (road) reflects off the paint, but it also doesn't look like a colour befitting a cutting-edge EV.
I want a vibrant colour that looks great - and not just good to mediocre - in all light conditions.
CR doesn't fit that criteria, at least to my eyes.
I am now in a dilemma. But one of timing. I have made my mind up I want to go PTS where I'm not keen on any of the standard colours. That will most likely extend delivery time by another six months, unless I am lucky. Speaking to my dealer, where I do like Crayon, but on the saloon, not the ST. It is also going PTS next year and I don't like any other standard colour.
5. Other cars/colours
Below are some of the other cars on the day, and in various colours. I really liked the grey on the Cayman GTS, and feel that would look stunning on the Taycan GTS ST. Subsquently, my PTS shortlist is Grigio Telesto/red calipers/GTS red interior or Gold Bronze Metallic/black calipers/GTS crayon interior. Possibly Stone Grey Metallic, which is another deep grey with a nice dynamic range.
6. Closing Thoughts & Instructor's Delivery Prediction
The PEC @ Silverstone is very fun day, made sweeter where you have access to complimentary (and good) food and drink, plus are surrounded by lots of incredible cars.
It's a shame the service levels offered at the PEC are not mirrored by the dealers themselves, but then I suppose there is only so much they can do with the supply chain issues. Patience is required.
You can only schedule the PEC during weekdays, and from what I can tell, only 10 drivers are allowed out at any one time. That is why it can be difficult to book a slot quickly. Other Porsche buyers are there on the day, not just Taycan buyers, so the tracks are shared with different models.
The instructor I had was very pleasant and gave very useful feedback about my driving style, things I did good, and things I did bad. Even the seat set up was useful.
It is possible to book another session (you have to pay for It I understand, though I will ask my dealer if another complimentary session can be organised as "compensation" for the wait), and I will be doing this shortly before my car arrives. It is useful to get feedback from a pro driver in such a powerful car and I am sure even for very experienced drivers, there may well be useful tips/feedback.
Finally, my instructor asked me when I am expecting to receive the car. He did say that despite the supply chain issues, Porsche has a habit of purposefully quoting extended delivery times, but then delivering the car sooner than expected. While anecdotally that doesn't seem to be the case on this forum, I wait in hope that my car arrives Q123, instead of Q4 2056...
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