Switching from Telsa Model S to Taycan 4S. Feedback from anyone who has done this?!

Jgint

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Hi All!

I am looking for anyone who has went from a Tesla Model S to the Taycan? Please provide some insight. Are you happy with the change?

I am frustrated with Tesla over:
Service
Communication
Build Quality
Long term dependability of the car

I love:
Telsa's Current Auto Pilot and other cutting edge tech.

I have test driven the Taycan 4S from a local dealership. I loved everything about it but they are very behind tesla on the driver assistance features (innodrive lane keep and adaptive cruise control. 1 Pedal Driving, the app, and some other things too) I am very worried I will miss the Tesla Autopilot as I drive about 30 mins a day each way to work. However, I love everything else much more about the Taycan. I know the Taycan much higher quality car.

Any feedback from owners who switched would really be appreciated.

Thanks!
Jim
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PanameraFrank

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The things you listed as a frustration with the Tesla can all occur with the Taycan, depending on the dealership.

The thing you listed that you love about the Tesla is much worse on the Taycan.

I think you should stick with a Tesla or look at some of the other EVs coming out that are more tech based.
 

XLR82XS

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I'm joining the Taycan bandwagon soon - ordered one yesterday. I will be replacing a Tesla and I agree with your frustration points exactly. I can say that in 14 months of ownership (new 2020MY) I have had multiple service calls for trim issues and still have an ongoing weird 'axle click' issue that I'm ignoring. (LF axle shaft replaced @ ~15K miles) Other service issues are ignored or claimed to be within spec. I do have concerns of continuing ownership outside the 4y/50k warranty.

The car drives well, auto pilot is wonderful, charging network great. It's just not a Porsche. I got the Tesla in 11/19 because the Taycan was out of the budget. Now that the RWD version is available the decision was easy.
 

kort

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one big short coming of the Taycan is that it cannot match tesla's "fsd"/EAP performance
lnnodrive isn't terrible, especially on interstate like roads. but there really is no comparing the two.
 

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If your biggest concern is if the car can drive itself, then Porsche isn't your brand. Choose the Taycan because you want Porsche driving dynamics or you want the personalization Porsche offers.

We have many Taycan owners here who were likely looking for something put together better than a bunch of NUMMI rejects in a tent, and I expect they'll be off to the next shiny tech object for their next car.
 


XLR82XS

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If your biggest concern is if the car can drive itself, then Porsche isn't your brand. Choose the Taycan because you want Porsche driving dynamics or you want the personalization Porsche offers.
Agreed!
 
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Jgint

Jgint

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I am hoping/thinking the other benefits to the taycan outweigh the auto pilot being better on the Tesla.

Looking forward to hearing from some folks who switched from the Tesla to the Taycan. And getting their feedback and see if they have any regrets.
 

Miwa

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I have done 2 1000mi road trips in my Taycan, and Innodrive worked great for both. I tested a bunch of situations, including going through the mountains on CA-152. For highway use, Innodrive has worked fine. It will do stop and go traffic. There are a few things that need to be configured though (like telling it to ignore speed limit changes and setting the max speed in range mode)

The Taycan has Apple CarPlay, and I can't imagine owning a car without it. Waze is a must-use when on the highway! (and not for navigation)
 


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Jgint

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I have done 2 1000mi road trips in my Taycan, and Innodrive worked great for both. I tested a bunch of situations, including going through the mountains on CA-152. For highway use, Innodrive has worked fine. It will do stop and go traffic. There are a few things that need to be configured though (like telling it to ignore speed limit changes and setting the max speed in range mode)

The Taycan has Apple CarPlay, and I can't imagine owning a car without it. Waze is a must-use when on the highway! (and not for navigation)
How has the range been for you? I am deciding between the turbo and the 4s (More loaded with options)
 

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For me the Taycan is a driver’s EV. A Tesla is a techy’s EV. Get the Taycan if you like to drive your car. Buy the Tesla if you want the car to drive (somewhat) for you.
 

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Cant comment really as not got my Tacan yet, but so looking forward to driving a proper car again. The 3 years of Tesla ownership quickly wore thin, the car is badly made, feels cheap and autopilot in the U.K. is vapourware at best. It’s quick, but once you get over that fact it’s really quite an ordinary experience.
 

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For me the Taycan is a driver’s EV. A Tesla is a techy’s EV. Get the Taycan if you like to drive your car. Buy the Tesla if you want the car to drive (somewhat) for you.
Even as a techy, the tech in Teslas doesn't really interest or impress me. I'd never trust Tesla's autopilot to do the things they claim it can do so regular adaptive cruise control is fine with me. Other than that, what do they have that's actually useful or unique? Built-in video games, youtube, etc are ridiculous considering we all carry phones that more than capable of providing entertainment when stopped for charging. They have built-in spotify (a lot of cars including the Taycan now offer built-in music streaming apps), but their phone integration is like something from 10 years ago-- forget carplay, they have barely mastered basic bluetooth. Their built-in nav system lacks some basic features like waypoints. Not going to even bother talking about stuff like fart mode, dog mode, etc. At the same time they lack tech that is found in other cars (including the Taycan) like surround view cameras, heads up display, a real blind spot monitoring system, active anti-roll systems, etc. They've done a great job of hyping themselves and making people believe that they are some amazing tech company but Im just not seeing it. They are great at coming up with "Meme-able" features that go viral on social media though.
 

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Hi All!

I am looking for anyone who has went from a Tesla Model S to the Taycan? Please provide some insight. Are you happy with the change?

I am frustrated with Tesla over:
Service
Communication
Build Quality
Long term dependability of the car
Like you, Jim, I am a long-time Model S owner, a 2015 85D specifically. The car has been for the most part, terrific, but Tesla, the company is simply awful. I have had some issues, most frustratingly with the MCU which has been replaced twice out of warranty to the tune of $4500, and the customer service from Tesla service was, to put it mildly, appalling from the lack of loaner cars to the nickel and dime policies like not washing the car after service.

I had ordered and was prepared to buy a Model Y and when I was told that my Y was ready to pick up, the final straw came when they offered me $21K for my low mileage, perfect condition $103K Model S in trade. To say I flipped out was an understatement, so I decided to divorce myself from Tesla once and for all.

Having owned a 1998 Porsche 911 (993) I decided to check out the Taycan. I test drove it a few times and even swung an invite to drive the Taycan on the track at Infineon Raceway here in Northern California. I was blown away by the car. It's as if my Model S and my Carrera got together and had a baby and that baby was a Taycan.

Miwa's post above is spot on--you don't buy the Taycan for the self-driving experience; that's not what the car is about. It's a Porsche, for crying out loud, a driver's car, a car that you experience and enjoy because of its amazing handling.

Granted, there have been some growing pains with the Taycan's technology and that is to be acknowledged, but the Model S can't hold a candle to the Taycan's fit and finish, its styling, and pure driving pleasure.

Bottom line, if your objective is to have a car that semi-drives itself (everyone knows that FSD is a fantasy) then the Tesla is your best choice. But if you want a car that's going to be a blast to drive, a car that will plant a grin on your face stretching from ear to ear, then get the Taycan.
 
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manitou202

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Another Tesla (Model X 100D) to Taycan owner here.

As stated above, keep the Tesla if you really value the autopilot. I hardly used it in our Tesla except for road trips, but when used it's very impressive. I recently used Innodrive on an 880 mile road trip in the Taycan. It's fine, but requires more active user attention, especially in traffic or on curvy sections. As a result I mostly use the Innodrive for the adaptive cruise control, not the steering assist.

The part I miss most about the Tesla is the simple user interface. In my opinion this is their strongest feature. Their touch screen is iPad simple to use. Very intuitive. Porsche's user interface isn't horrible, but it's not great either. Once you get used to it, it's tolerable, but still can be frustrating. CarPlay is the only user feature I wish Tesla added.

About 6 months ago, I would have also said the I miss the Tesla Supercharger network. However, after the improvements in Electrify America's reliability over the summer, and their recent expansion, for me it's just as good as Tesla's network. They don't have as good of coverage, but it covers any road trip I would take in the next few years. I would now argue the Taycan is a better road trip vehicle compared to a Model S or X. It charges significantly faster and has nearly the same range / efficiency as a Model S. Combined with the better driving engagement, and features like massaging seats, CarPlay, etc, it's a much better all around package.

Definitely worth the premium.
 

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Looking forward to hearing from some folks who switched from the Tesla to the Taycan. And getting their feedback and see if they have any regrets.
I switched from a Tesla P85 (2013) to a Taycan. My Tesla didn't have any autodrive stuff. It didn't even have park distance sensors. Early Teslas were quite different, even though the chassis was the same.

One "regret" I have is that there aren't more chargers at the start of my Taycan ownership as there were at the end of my Tesla ownership. Which is kind of unfair, since at the start of my Tesla ownership, there were almost no Superchargers, and they were often broken.

So, I figure I owe Porsche at least as much time as it took to get Tesla to get to where they are.

I completely agree with the comments @Miwa made - if you don't want to drive your car, Porsche is not for you. But the differential between the Tesla and Porsche driving experience is as large as the difference between Autopilot and InnoDrive. And personally I'd rather have a car that drives better.

My only other regret is that the Taycan has a trunk rather than a hatch. Of course, now you can get the wagon, so that's no longer an issue...
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