Taycan RWD

[eisenb11]

I'd say the RWD is plenty fast. I had a BMW i4 M50 before, sold it and got a fully loaded RWD Taycan. Did test drive the 4s but i kept comparing it to the M50 and it felt slow. For some reason I didn't have that feeling at all in the RWD, i just like how it drives. Yes its noticeable slower when you floor it from 0, but in return, the driving dynamics are great.

I had a Model 3 Performance and it was way faster than the RWD, but the car was kind of cheapy. I test drove the i4 M50 and almost bought it. About as fast as the M3P, but way nicer and better dynamics. Ultimately picked the RWD - it’s slower, but nicer quality and the driving dynamics is better than both the M3P and M50.

Just test drove a Model 3 LR highland this weekend for my GF. Even that car feels way faster than the RWD. Driving dynamics of the Highland are much improved over the prior model. Still not RWD levels and still cheapy, but less cheapy than prior - was a pretty impressive jump, IMHO.

For the price, though, RWD is between the Model S and Model S Plaid. Admittedly, I didn’t test drive any of those as I was turned off by the extra length (another 4 inches).

For city driving 0-40 power is what you want and where the RWD feels a bit lacking. Need that torque off the line. It’s OK, but it should be better.

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[slothinker]

My general sentiment is that the Taycan RWD is plenty fine for normal driving but… it’s still slow by *today’s* standards. For $100k plus it really needs to be faster than a Tesla Long Range. This is a Porsche, not a MB luxo-barge - it should be considered “fast” overall.

Again, it’s not slow, but it’s comparatively slow. It’s a tad slower than my 2012 BMW M3 V8 so really not that bad as that was a fast car at the time. But for $100k+ I’m not comparing it to cars built 12 years ago, it needs to compete with cars built today.

I think part of the problem is that Porsche has too many darn trims. Base, 4, 4S, GTS, Turbo, Turbo S - the car can only go so fast, so when you start backing off the times to differentiate the trims you end up too slow on the low end.

In my perfect world, the 4S would be the base and cost the same as the base. Speed is roughly on par with the Tesla LR at roughly twice the price of a Tesla LR.

The talk about not getting tickets and keeping your license is just ridiculous. That’s on the driver, not the car. If you’re so worried about tickets, drive on comfort or eco mode and/or set the speed limiter. Heck, if you’re that worried, why are you buying a *sports sedan*?

Nice car, love it - but its slowness is a disservice in this price range and with the brand reputation IMHO. Hopefully this is better addressed in J2 in 3-4 years when the next body style comes out.

This is a good point and well-reasoned. I especially agree about the fact that the entire line is overpriced, as the widespread depreciation numbers show. However, the concept that land-based vehicles need to go faster and faster 0-60 seems fraught, potentially hazardous and is undoubtedly a factor in the high price of the Taycan and other premium EVs. That's counter-productive since a key idea behind so many EV initiatives and incentives is (or at least was) to replace gasoline-based vehicles and help (significantly) reduce upward pressure on global temperatures.

 

[BMonte13]

2022 RWD very happy owner here. I didn't buy the car to drag race. I spent six figures to own a spectacularly built luxury EV that drives better than any vehicle I've owned and that includes acceleration when merging on to a highway or changing lanes. For those who want to splurge more i say you do you and enjoy! We're all family in the end.

 

[Donar]

It is as fast as the new base Panamera..

And even 50K euro less here.

 

[d00d]

The RWD replaced an M5 that never felt that tied down on the highway.
Even starting off in 2nd gear with range mode feels fast because of the low end torque.
It accelerates faster than a 930, and without the exciting off throttle oversteer.

 

[TonO]

The i3 is still in many ways the most logically engineered EV but people are conservative and don’t understand better being different. Same with Toyota’s E-CVT they did a mode for Lexus customers with fixed ratios, making it worse but familiar

I own a Taycan RWD and also a BMw i3 and i love both cars. The taycan for long trips and the bmw i3 for trips to town love te drive and the easy parking

 

[DCYL725]

I have a 2021 RWD, love the driving dynamic, however is so slow, 0-60 5.1 sec. The only EVs that can beat are Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt and perhaps the smaller battery Model Y which is embarrassing. I heard that the new RWD have different acceleration mappin that makes the car feel faster. Has anyone asked the dealer for throttle mapping update?

that 5.1 seconds saved my license many, many times...

 

[ntom32]

I thought I would get over its lack of punch, but never did. It is a beautiful car and I love driving it relaxed, but in a way feel cheated by Porsche. In the end it is a love-hate relationship with my Taycan.

 

[beefster]

A lot of it depends on where you live, driving habits, and previous experience with EVs and high HP cars. I have plenty of roads and opportunities nearby to safely feel the acceleration. Instant torque shove is addicting and fun, that's one of the reasons I've been driving EVs for years. I like twisties and sweepers as much as anyone, but quickly accelerating to the speed limit without drama or attracting attention while feeling that torque shove is also really enjoyable.

That said, the RWD can be a great value compared to other Taycan trims but feels slow compared to other EVs. It's fine for daily driving but the acceleration is not impressive by modern EV standards, but that's okay since the Taycan has so many other positive traits

 

[Lotus4RS]

My general sentiment is that the Taycan RWD is plenty fine for normal driving but… it’s still slow by *today’s* standards. For $100k plus it really needs to be faster than a Tesla Long Range. This is a Porsche, not a MB luxo-barge - it should be considered “fast” overall.

Again, it’s not slow, but it’s comparatively slow. It’s a tad slower than my 2012 BMW M3 V8 so really not that bad as that was a fast car at the time. But for $100k+ I’m not comparing it to cars built 12 years ago, it needs to compete with cars built today.

I think part of the problem is that Porsche has too many darn trims. Base, 4, 4S, GTS, Turbo, Turbo S - the car can only go so fast, so when you start backing off the times to differentiate the trims you end up too slow on the low end.

In my perfect world, the 4S would be the base and cost the same as the base. Speed is roughly on par with the Tesla LR at roughly twice the price of a Tesla LR.

The talk about not getting tickets and keeping your license is just ridiculous. That’s on the driver, not the car. If you’re so worried about tickets, drive on comfort or eco mode and/or set the speed limiter. Heck, if you’re that worried, why are you buying a *sports sedan*?

Nice car, love it - but its slowness is a disservice in this price range and with the brand reputation IMHO. Hopefully this is better addressed in J2 in 3-4 years when the next body style comes out.

Porsche has always been "slower" than the competition $ for $. Comparing the Taycan to the Tesla 0-60 would be analogous to Panamera vs BMW M5 / Audi RS7, Boxster vs BMW Z4 M40i or 992 vs Corvette ZR1. Porsche always loses the value 0-60 comparison but wins on the driving experience / steering feel / chassis balance / power delivery / build quality / reliability vs its peers. I test drove a CPO'ed '23 Taycan GTS last weekend and had difficulty appreciating the power difference for day-to-day street driving and could not justify the $50K differential from my '23 Taycan RWD. Plus, my base Taycan has better steering feel / lighter chassis that can be appreciated at all times-

That said, I’d be all in on a Taycan GTS RWD!

 

[Fish Fingers]

Porsche has always been "slower" than the competition $ for $. Comparing the Taycan to the Tesla 0-60 would be analogous to Panamera 4S vs BMW M5 / Audi RS7, Cayman S vs BMW M40i or 992 vs Corvette ZR1. Porsche always loses the value 0-60 comparison but wins on the driving experience / steering feel / chassis balance / power delivery / build quality / reliability vs its peers. I test drove a CPO'ed '23 Taycan GTS last weekend and had difficulty appreciating the power difference for day-to-day street driving and could not justify the $50K differential from my '23 Taycan RWD. Plus, my base Taycan had better steering feel which imo is as important as a power bump-

I think the last point regarding steering feel is often overlooked, due to less weight from the single motor and it being lighter.

This is Top Gears thought on it (Jan 2022 - so pre GTS)

 

[Jasper4S]

I think the last point regarding steering feel is often overlooked, due to less weight from the single motor and it being lighter.

This is Top Gears thought on it (Jan 2022 - so pre GTS)

“Fetishize numbers” that is most spot on description

 

[hifi239]

I read this thread and I understand all the points, but I'll just leave this here for anyone feeling down about their slow RWD.

Taycan RWD 0-60 mph ~5.3 with no launch control

Some 1960s Cars
69 Camaro Z/28 RS 5.3
69 Plymouth Cuda 440 5.5
69 Mustang Mach 1 5.7
65 Ferrari 330 GT 6.3
69 Pontiac GTO Judge 6.4
69 Porsche 911 S 6.5

Some 1970s Cars
78 Ferrari 512 Boxer 5.4
78 930 Turbo Carrera 5.4
Porsche 911 SC 5.5
AC Cobra 289 5.6
Lambo Countach LP400S 5.8
DeTomaso Pantera GTS 6.4

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