Taycan 4S First Thoughts

PanameraFrank

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Alright, I'm jumping on the "first impressions" bandwagon. Here is my build. PLSHB2S8

I'll start with the summary. The Taycan is a marvel of a car and unbelievably good. It not only sets a new bar for EVs, but a new bar for cars in general. I have driven a lot of different cars from many manufacturers and I'm incredibly picky.. but the Taycan is just next level stuff. If this isn't the best daily driver ever made.. I don't know what is. (I've owned a 2017 Panamera Turbo, 2017 Macan Turbo, iPace, and lesser cars; extensively driven a 991.2 4S, 992 4S, 2020 RS5, 2020 RS3; messed around in plenty of other stuff)

Things I love about the car;
-Honestly pretty much everything but I'll try to narrow it down.
-Dynamically it's the best balance of sportiness & luxury I've driven. Just fantastic. The handling is absolutely fantastic and certainly on par with a 992, but not as raw as the track focused Porsches.
-The surprising amount of personality in the car. It's dynamically interesting which is something you can't say about other EVs, and frankly most cars these days.
-The car is an absolute road trip cruiser. Quiet, super comfortable, relaxing, but instant incredible power the second you want it. Bonkers.
-Included in this, the car feels like it's standing still at 90 mph. Ultra stable at high speeds.
-The ENTIRE aesthetic of the car. Just the right mix of sporty & understated exterior, a super clean modern interior. The gauge cluster is the best I've ever seen and a joy to use.
-The efficiency. I don't know how Porsche has done it but they've made an EV that scoffs at high speeds and hard acceleration. So far it's had negligible impact on my range or efficiency. I would absolutely feel comfortable hyper miling 300 miles in this car if I needed to.

Things I like about the car;
-The infotainment & climate screen. I have had zero issues with either and I'm surprised how much I like them. They look fantastic and work perfectly for me.. not sure if it's the latest software update or what but I've had zero lag or glitches. I'm also surprised by how much I like the climate screen and scroll pad, initially I disliked them but I've done a complete 180 and really enjoy using it.

Things I don't like;
-The backup & surround camera are mind bogglingly bad. I don't really use them anyway but they are the worst I've ever seen. Maybe a software issue? But barely functional.
-I'm terrified parking it anywhere because I love it and don't want it to get scratched. :CWL:

I would 100% buy this car over any Porsche with a turbocharger. I think it's better than a 992 and much much much better than a Panamera. I'd still take a NA flat six with a stick for a day around the track but I'd want to drive home in the Taycan.
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Alright, I'm jumping on the "first impressions" bandwagon. Here is my build. PLSHB2S8

Things I don't like;
-The backup & surround camera are mind bogglingly bad. I don't really use them anyway but they are the worst I've ever seen. Maybe a software issue? But barely functional.
-I'm terrified parking it anywhere because I love it and don't want it to get scratched. :CWL:

I would 100% buy this car over any Porsche with a turbocharger. I think it's better than a 992 and much much much better than a Panamera. I'd still take a NA flat six with a stick for a day around the track but I'd want to drive home in the Taycan.
First, congratulations!!!
Second, criticism: no pics ?!? Feed the crowd...:)
Tap on the icon left side and the backup camera image is more in line with what you would expect from a camera - but the guides are gone. The sad part was that the dealer gave me a Macan today as a loaner while I had the update installed - perfect backup camera..... Talk about being envious....
 
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PanameraFrank

PanameraFrank

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First, congratulations!!!
Second, criticism: no pics ?!? Feed the crowd...:)
Tap on the icon left side and the backup camera image is more in line with what you would expect from a camera - but the guides are gone. The sad part was that the dealer gave me a Macan today as a loaner while I had the update installed - perfect backup camera..... Talk about being envious....
I drove all the way to the coast to take pics today and it was cloudy & all of the good photos spots I knew of were jam packed. Feels bad. Next week I'll get a bunch!
 

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"I'd still take a NA flat six with a stick for a day around the track but I'd want to drive home in the Taycan."
Nice! You nailed it for me Frank!
 

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I'd still take a NA flat six with a stick for a day around the track but I'd want to drive home in the Taycan.
this mirrors my feelings exactly - driving an EV to/from the track to flog your NA GT3 beast is the best of both worlds - all the pro’s none of the con’s
 


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PanameraFrank

PanameraFrank

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A few thoughts on options. I went into my build choices with a firm budget of $130k. My goal was to get the best driving Taycan possible, both in terms of sportiness & comfort.

Volcano Grey is a fantastic color. It's one of those colors that is subtle from a distance and stunning up close. I almost went Mamba Green or Gentian Blue but in the end I'm glad I got VG, if just to be a little more subtle.

Turbo Aero wheels. Very happy with these, would spec again regardless of budget. (Or go base wheels and upgrade aftermarket)

I mentioned on another thread but the Standard interior has far exceeded my expectations. On every other Porsche I've seen the Standard interior has been very low quality but they really bumped it up in the Taycan.

Rear Axle Steering. It is integrated perfectly and you never "notice" it, you just get a car that's amazingly agile for the size. I'd always recommend speccing this.

Sports Chrono. A must spec on a Porsche car and should be standard, IMHO.

PTV+. 100% yes. It's on every high trim Porsche and speccing it helps bridge that gap.

Premium Package. Hmm (for non US customers that's Bose, 14 ways, P+ battery, sunroof, matrix headlights, surround view, comfort access, lane change assist) Everything is a great must have except the surround view. So far I've found it a terrible implementation and kind of useless. But I'll play with settings and update if it gets better. Please don't buy the car without LCA, it's the best and least instrusive safety option available.

What I would have changed;
I would consider adding one of the interior trim packages for a little extra character. Maybe colored seat belts as well.
ACC would probably be next up on my list of options. The car is a fantastic highway cruiser and this would be a nice touch.
Two tone leather is fantastic but it'd be further down my list. It's just very expensive for a purely aesthetic choice. If I had a limitless budget it'd be an easy add, though.

That's it. I don't think there are other options I'd add.
 

MissionC

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@PanameraFrank agree with your options list other than Sport Chrono. I spend 90% of my time toggling between Normal and Sport, and the Sport button does that just fine. The actual chronograph is useless to me and I really dislike the look and don’t need a touch of analog in my otherwise digital car.

I did the dark silver accents on the interior, along with the door sill guards in brushed black aluminum (best free option ever) and love how those accentuate the black standard interior. I don’t have PTV+ as I wasn’t sure how, with my general driving, it would help, but I think it’s one of the future Function on Demand options, so can try it out that way.

Haven’t missed ACC, but agree that I would spec if I had to do it all over again. That said, the beauty of these cars is the individuality and that you basically can’t make a wrong choice. I love my build and sounds like you do, too!
 

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@PanameraFrank The actual chronograph is useless to me and I really dislike the look and don’t need a touch of analog in my otherwise digital car.
Agreed! Porsche isn’t the only car company that thinks we want an analog clock in our cars. I don’t get it. Just give me the digital time, and show it all the time. My BMW is annoying in another way, there are lots of situations where it doesn’t show the time at all.
 


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PanameraFrank

PanameraFrank

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Fair enough. For me Chrono & PTV+ are maybe more mental than anything. I want to know my Taycan isn't "missing" performance even if it might be performance I never use.

I also will be spending almost all of my non-highway time in Sport Plus, though, and pushing the car as hard as it'll safely go on public roads. That's just not realistic use for most, especially as the tolerances of the car are so high to start with.
 

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It's very nice to read your comment on options. My order is similar spec to yours. I get the extended leather though.

I didn't spec the matrix light. Should I?

I wasn't sure about the LCA so it's comforting to know someone like it.
 
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PanameraFrank

PanameraFrank

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It's very nice to read your comment on options. My order is similar spec to yours. I get the extended leather though.

I didn't spec the matrix light. Should I?

I wasn't sure about the LCA so it's comforting to know someone like it.
Nah, I'd only get the matrix lights if they're bundled with something else.

LCA is really a fantastic option. The view out the sides is only okay (out the rear nearly nonexistent) and the mirrors seem a little small to me, so it just adds safety. It's standard on almost every car these days and silly that Porsche charges for it.
 
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PanameraFrank

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Okay! I'm over 1k miles and had a chance to wring it out (8.5/10) on some very sporty roads that I've also driven a 2017 Panny Turbo and a 992 4S on. So further thoughts.

The 14 way seats are fine but not amazing. Hoping they break in a bit more and I do wish they had more bolstering. The 18s in the Macan & 911 are perfection.

I do miss the sound during very sporty driving. The Panameras V8 was quiet but lovely and the 992s flat six is fantastic, if a little Turbo-y. 95% of the time I prefer the silence of the Taycan but I do really miss it in that 5%.

It really is right between a Panamera and 911, probably a bit closer to the 911. You do feel the weight on corner entry but grip & corner exit are both absurd. It handles quick turns and nimble driving much better than the Panamera, but the 911s size advantage does make a notable difference. Even in hard driving, though, it is a luxurious ride and bumps/dips don't bother it at all.

The Pilot Sport 4s do a fantastic job on this car. Awesome tires.

I would never consider a Panamera over this but if not for my dog I might still get the 992 instead. It's close.
 

Chuck J

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Well, I’ve had my car for about two weeks now and the bottom line is I am thrilled. It’s not perfect, but close to it. I am a long time Porsche owner (18 now since 1967) so I used to the way Porsche does things and true to faith, things are very familiar. 911s have become very GT like and this is even more GT. It is a sporty sedan, not a sports car- a great family car. Here’s my summary of the quirks, features and performance I’ve experienced so far. In an effort to provide complete information in a short space, forgive my use of phrases instead of complete sentences sometimes.

Power- More power than my 991 and much less fuss about going fast quickly. I don’t know that anyone needs more power than this on the streets. Passing of cars is amazingly quick. So much, you have to be sure not to get too close to the car you are going to pass before you put your foot down (move to the left lane before punching it) or you will eat the car in front of you. If you max pass a car on a two lane road doing 50 you will be near 100 before you pull back over so you have to be aware of hazards on the side of the road that might come into your passing lane. It has catlike quickness and stealth.

Cornering- I got the Michelin the tires on the Turbo wheels. I live on roads with tight corners and this car doesn’t disappoint. I usually take corners faster than in my 991. That’s probably not because of the car’s max g capabilities, but because the Taycan feels as if you are going slower than you are. That actually might be a little risky.

Ride- Amazing! Even rides well on older concrete with expansion joints vertically misaligned. It takes RR tracks well. Smooth with good road feel in Sport Chrono. I almost thought I liked the Sport Plus better than the Normal, but we took a little back road trip last night on Normal and loved it. It can be a very relaxing car as well as an intensive car- whatever your preference for the day!

Navigation and passenger display- I got the passenger display and my wife and I both love it. It is crisp and fast and user friendly. We both particularly like the satellite view which provides the terrain. She love exploring ahead to get a feel of what’s coming and to pinpoint endpoints- like finding the Walmart based fast charge we went to last night in that huge parking lot. Entering a new destination is the easiest I’ve ever used. Both voice and manual inputs are great.

Lane keep assist- I ordered it and might use it on a long trip late at night when I wanted the car to avoid an accident because I fell asleep, but I never use it normally. Most exasperatingly, when the car hits little ruts in the road and you haven’t made input in a few seconds it beeps and tells you to take control of the car. This includes when the car is perfectly in the middle of a lane. As soon as I could figure out how to turn the notification (entire system) off, I did. Maddening! The blind spot monitoring system works fine.

Night Vision assist- I live in a rural area with families of dear. I’ve already had one dear run into my new Porsche back in 1984 and so I took the opportunity to reduce the risk. Very cool to look it, and seems to work well although it did not pick up the two raccoons that ran across the road right in front of me last night after dark. I’ll admit, the atmospheric temperature caused the warning feature to be off. Fortunately the lights are great and the brakes are fantastic so the raccoons made it to the other side.

360 camera- I noticed the car was wide and measured it at the dealership when I went for the test drive. I only have 8’ wide garage doors (even though I have a very large 2 car garage) and because the measurements showed it would only fit by a few inches, I decided to get the Park Assist camera. Good thing I did! The camera is of excellent quality and gives me confidence to drive through the doors. It has white, yellow and red warnings (object distance related) and I get all of them with every pass. Today was the first day I got all the way in without one of the sensors turning red. The car’s wheelbase is longer than my 991 and the camera enables me to see the right rear’s wheel’s proximity to the curb wheel when making a close turn into a parking area with a curb. It is worth the money by far especially for commercial parking garages.

Brakes- Speaking of brakes, I really like them as much as any car I have ever driven. It’s very hard to tell they are not friction brakes. The pedal feel is just fine, although the through might be a little longer than the 991. I got used to it fast. I wonder about keeping them rust free. We’ll see.

Fit and finish- Wow!!!! The paint is not without texture, but it is beautiful. Gaps are perfect. The leather is Porsche perfect. Interior lighting is fine. The sun roof does not seem to let a lot of heat through from the son. Greenhouse effect is not a problem in 90+ degree weather.

Air conditioning vents- There is a lot of fuss out there about the party trick vents adjusted in the PCM. There is little radiation issue and the air conditioning is quite comfortable as it would be in your home.

Third
back seat- I got the third back seat to be able to put long items in and still transport passengers in the back seat. It is well done, and not that expensive.

Entry and exit- a lot of people have complained, but I’m 5’ 10” and I just set my seat in the driving position and I can get in as well or better than my 991. Getting in is simple and for getting out I simply put my left shoulder on the B pillar and pull myself up from the car with my right hand on the triangle area as the front base of the window. I have the standard Taycan seats.

Rear vision- When I test drove the car I thought the rear view mirror was marginal, but now that I have driven it a bit, it’s not a problem. The outside mirrors work great and the lane blind spot assist is a must.

Glove box- A little small

Phone charger in the center compartment- Works great!!! Don’t worry about a USB C to keep you phone charged going home unless you don’t have a phone with wireless charging- Really?

Range and Mileage- Everyday driving seems to be about 260 miles in Normal this time of year, driving the way a Porsche should be driven to enjoy it. That works out to a normal of 31 KW/100 miles or about 108 MPGe. Best so far in NORMAL mode is 29.5 or about 114 MPGe and over 275 miles of range. That’s just fine and slightly better than my 2018 Volt’s efficiency when it is using all electric, which is good. It’s actually showing 270 mile range with the last trip in NORMAL mode so I’m guessing if you put some effort into maximizing the mileage it would come out close to 300. Much better than I expected from the EPA specs. I charge with the same 240v charger I use for the volt. It’s a Siemens brand. There are many third party charging station apps. Too bad they can’t be downloaded to the car- even if that has to be done through Porsche so they could control it better. It would make the navigation system even more powerful! Now, you are forced to manually look up an alternative charging site and manually put in an interim stop.

Taycan Turbo wheels- Look great and wash easily.

Radio- I did not opt for the Bose because I am old and my ears can’t discern the best music or voice. That said, the radio is clear and loud the Satellite radio works well. Siri works well except it will turn on many times and ask how she can help without saying “hey Porsche”.

Porsche Connect- Unfortunately, the Porsche Connect is not ready for prime time and in fact is near worthless. Unlike other manufacturer’s products, the tire pressure is not shown unless you are driving and that is already displayed in the car while driving so it wouldn’t be used there. It would be useful if it could prompt me to check the tire pressure before I get in for a drive in a text if they are low, (which is done with other manufacturers).

It still doesn’t show a full circle of connectivity between my Wifi, the Porsche servers and the car. When I asked the expert at PCNA about it, the response was “Do you really need it”?

It has killed a couple of other customer’s batteries that they have reported on the forums with bugs in the profiles/timer combo. That may be fixed now with a software update and is being tested by customers.

It takes a long time to load and a long time to respond to commands. That may be an Android issue, I’m not sure. The expert at PCNA had not heard of that problem. It was designed to lock and unlock the doors remotely, but that feature has not been implemented yet. It is designed to “climatize” your car to prepare it for a comfortable trip, but it does not “climatize” and bring the traction battery up to temperature so as to get 100% performance (especially in the winter time).

It has an “explore” feature that is supposed to enable one to plan trip navigation and send it to the car. Unfortunately it did that but only used Electrify America stations which in one trip I planned provided a route that was 50% longer than the shortest route (which does have other brand charging stations). And I have the optional Intelligent Range Manager.

It will not find the car along the road if my wife gets stuck someplace. Other manufacturers systems do this also. That feature reduces insurance rates so it would be good to have for that as well.

At 3:02 PM on 9-9-2020 I checked to see if the car stopped charging at 85% using the Porsche Connect app. It had stopped updating the charging status and was indicating that it would be fully charge at 2:47. I went out and checked the car and it was fully charged to 85%. I recycled the app and it showed that car control was lost and to contact Porsche Support giving this report:

I shut down the app and reloaded it and the car showed charged.

The app locks up occasionally and just keeps cranking when opening. The solution seems to be to uninstall it and download it again.

If you have trouble with Porsche Connect, the direct line is: (844) 707-7101. The general number is (800) 767-7243.

Expect long waits and to be disconnected a couple of times. Good luck. So far, virtually not a single feature on the app works properly and consistently. They did take down notes of the issues and said they would report them up the chain- we’ll see. Fortunately, this app is not essential and there are workarounds, but it doesn’t seem like this is a Porsche quality product. If Porsche made cars like this, I wouldn’t be buying them.

PCM profiles- I’m not sure how this happened, but I set the profile for 85% charge and one day it went to 100% on its own. I’m still investigating what caused that, but the next time I took it below 85%, the profile worked and it stopped charging appropriately.

Paul Steinbruner has some excellent instructional videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmoaL0bruSj83YJa2chWzGQ. He is an Area Trainers for Porsche Cars North America and is VERY good. I wish all Porsche instructional videos were this good. He has videos on:

  • Activating Porsche Connect
  • Customize the charging settings
  • Pairing a garage door Homelink
  • Customizing the PCM screen
  • Create a driver profile in the PCM
  • And more coming
Porsche NA app- I used it to charge at Walmart based Electrify America station last night at a HS charger and it worked as advertised with no cost to me. At the time my car was 80% full and even though it stated that it was a 350kw charger that last bit charged at 1.3 miles/minute. Surprisingly, the charge was reported properly in the Porsche Connect. It showed the duration, cost ($0.00) and power at 100kw.

Door opening- Party trick with the door handles opening up automatically. Many times you have to be standing right next to the car for them to come out and prepare for opening. Once prepared, they do feel substantial, but I like my 991 handles much better. This seems like technology for technology sake to me.

Key proximity operation- I had the key in my left pocket when I drove to the store and when I came out the car started again, but when I put it in reverse, it stopped and told me it couldn’t find the key. I switched it to my right pocket and it worked. It should have bigger range.

Auto start- When you get in and buckle your seat belt the car starts without having to press the start button. Okay, another party trick. But when you get out, you have to hold the start button down for a couple seconds to get the car to stop.

Road noise- OMG, I almost paid for the extra thick windows to get a quiet cabin. I’m glad I didn’t. This thing is like closing the door to a sound booth and talking while riding at any normal speed is easy. If you have good ears you could consider getting one of the upgraded sound systems. It will be as close to getting a sound system for your home as you will find. You will be asking yourself if you bought a Bentley or a Porsche.

Trunk- Just fine in the 4S, but I am told there is less space in the Turbo models. The back seats fold down nicely and reasonably flat so there is lots of space- especially for us that are accustomed to 911s. There is a nice hidden spot under a flap in the trunk to hold the Porsche charger in case you want it there for an emergency.

In summary, this is quite a GT automobile! And it still has the sole of a Porsche.

Porsche Taycan Taycan 4S First Thoughts left front1


Porsche Taycan Taycan 4S First Thoughts Right side high1


Porsche Taycan Taycan 4S First Thoughts Interior1


Porsche Taycan Taycan 4S First Thoughts Right side low1
 
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PanameraFrank

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@Chuck J Awesome write-up and I love your spec! What a classy color combination! Have you thought about swapping out the amber markers to the clear ones?

Just for reference, the item you have listed as "Lane Change Assist" is actually "Lane Keep Assist" and it is indeed terrible. "Lane Change Assist" is the blind spot monitoring that works very well (as you mentioned) and everyone should 100% spec it 100% of the time.

Lane KEEP assist on the other hand is pretty much the worst. I believe it's standard on all Taycans and should immediately be turned off forever. Why LKA is standard and LCA isn't.. I'll never understand.

Just so no one reads this and mistakenly thinks LCA isn't worth it!
 

Chuck J

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Thanks Frank, I made the change.

Chuck
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