What are your top 3 Taycan 4S performance options in order and why?

[obxckw]

All great questions so here I go after countless hours of considering each very carefully.
For context, this would be our 4th Porsche but first EV so much more learning went into the EV part as the dealer will never take the time and they are just happy for customers to tick as many boxes possible at least around here.

-Why choose the Night Vision? I've gone back/forth.
Night Vision is a must where I live since we have animals crossing the road all the time and people walking at night. I cannot tell you how many times this system caught a herd of deer before you can even see it when we travel on the Cayenne with that option. Then one time a deer stopped in the middle of the road when we happen to drive in the dark in the forest going to Destin FL and the car saw it beyond the headlights (that's the key benefit), alerted, and then proceeded to stop on its own if you do not react. The deer did not move and we just staired at each other for some time until it decide to go on.

-For the headlights, what would I get if I uncheck the lights and get whatever is standard? Not sure what they don't do that the Matrix lights would.
You always have to check > Standard Equipment list at the bottom of the build to see what really comes standard with a given trim. 4S happens to have LED with PDLS+ as standard which give you everything to the max for US regs which is LED, PDLS (swivel), and + for High Beam assist. The Matrix lights provide no additional value in the US since they are programmed (84 individual LEDs) to emulate these standard lights. The intended use of the Matrix function is that the 84 LEDs work independently to illuminate part of the road and that is allowed in Canada for example but for US it is not allowed. Therefore, you are paying for absolutely no additional value in terms of light tech. There is a slim chance that when US regs allow Matrix then over the air they will enable full functionality but there are no guarantees Porsche would do that for older vehicles equipped with these lights. Please reference online catalog for full description for LED + PDLS, PDLS+, and Matrix with PDLS+ standard which describe what I just stated.

-What made you choose the 21" vs 20" wheels? Spyder wheels look slick.
I wish there was a 20" wheel that I liked, but I do not. The only wheel that I liked going monochrome theme with Ice exterior is the RS Spyder with contrasting B/W elements with Summer Tires with a plan going Michelin All-Season when those wear out.

-Why would you not also get the 19.2 kW On-Board Charger or the On-Board 150 kW/400V DC Charger options?
These were the biggest learnings of them all and I am so happy to bank the savings as for someone knowing nothing about EVs these look like a must as they APPEAR to speed up the charging 2x on the first and 3x on the second. I have learned that both are absolutely useless in North America and here is why.

19kW AC requires a 100AMP dedicated circuit to be useful. This much power is typically reserved for the entire house. Therefore, if you are absolutely sure you can get a 100AMP line at home AND buy a charger that can deliver 19kW from 100AMP AND you need 5 hours of charging instead of 10 hours while you are sleeping then this option is useful. That is a big NO for me as I am happy with a 50AMP circuit, do not mind 10 hours overnight, and prefer to get the home Electrify America station with 9.6kw so I use only one App to charge on the road and at home.

150 kW/400 DC while not expensive is the absolute waste since the whole idea of the Taycan is 800V architecture and 270 kW max charging is standard allowing for 20 min charge at EA stations on 350kW marked up chargers. I have learned that there are absolutely no charging stations in North America that are DC and 400V to be useful to charge Taycan with because the DC standard is 800V. That is why I skipped it as several posted that this became a boat anchor for them after purchase since 400V DC charging is nowhere to be found.

VERY helpful. Thank you.
Dealers just check the boxes- they don’t explain all this.

We have deer everywhere- night vision is now a must for me. Thx.
Charging systems- unchecked. Thx.

One more- why didn’t you pick the chrono/clock vs the standard chrono? I can’t yet get my head around looking at a seconds dial with a small LED clock. I wish I could just remove it completely.

 

[SergeyIndy]

@gnop1950

Very nice points on 100AMP 19.2 kW and 150kW 400V DC. I am in the learning mode so thank you so much for your perspective that I was not aware of.

$5K for 100AMP is not a value for my situation.

I cannot see myself charging at a 400V Tesla station with plenty of EA stations along my routes but what is the speed if you do? That might be a good value if they open it up and charging speed is reasonable. I assume the 50kW at 93 min on the Tech Spec is for 800V charging.

 

[SergeyIndy]

VERY helpful. Thank you.
Dealers just check the boxes- they don’t explain all this.

We have deer everywhere- night vision is now a must for me. Thx.
Charging systems- unchecked. Thx.

One more- why didn’t you pick the chrono/clock vs the standard chrono? I can’t yet get my head around looking at a seconds dial with a small LED clock. I wish I could just remove it completely.

Chrono/Clock vs the Standard Chrono
I assume you mean the difference between the standard Chrono Clock vs. the Porsche Design clock for additional $1,120. I have the Chrono Clock in my Cayenne and the second hand going around all the time does not bother me although I thought it would. The difference on the Cayenne is that it is configurable to be turned off completely and have no light on it or to show just digital time. However, I understand on the Taycan it is not configurable to be stopped and may not be dimmable (not sure) but may be in the future OTA update. Both of my testers did not have the SC package and did not have the clock and it felt like something is missing as it defines the center of the dash. This is certainly personal preference but the standard Chrono Clock for me looks good and sporty. Porsche Design clock does not have the large second hand going around but it looks more like a desk clock mounted on the dash to match the wrist watches they offer now.

Also, let me add one more point to the Night Vision experience. The tech is infrared camera so when it detects animals, people, or anything else that has heat signature, it will alert you, outline it on the screen, and will identify as animal, person, etc. and the pickup is very wide and far. So many times it would pickup people and deer that is way out and to the side and will react to it. Super useful like another sense for the car that also works together with other safety systems.

 

[Ambroos]

Don't pass up on 150kW 400V charging. While it's true that it provides no benefit on Electrify America chargers (and most other 150kW+ CCS chargers), the small cost is worth the potential for much better future access to Superchargers (and other remaining 400V chargers).

 

[gnop1950]

@gnop1950

Very nice points on 100AMP 19.2 kW and 150kW 400V DC. I am in the learning mode so thank you so much for your perspective that I was not aware of.

$5K for 100AMP is not a value for my situation.

I cannot see myself charging at a 400V Tesla station with plenty of EA stations along my routes but what is the speed if you do? That might be a good value if they open it up and charging speed is reasonable. I assume the 50kW at 93 min on the Tech Spec is for 800V charging.

https://insideevs.com/news/512344/porsche-taycan-fast-charging-analysis/ is a good article on the Taycan fast charging. Mostly, once Tesla opens up their charging network, it is a convenience, and possible added value when selling the car, since that is one area, charging network, where Tesla is way ahead of the competition and would give us many more options when traveling.

WIth the 150KW 400V option it will charge up-to 150KW so approximately 3x faster than the 50KW. Here is a thread on the topic: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/on-board-150-kw-400v-dc-charger.5397/

 

[obxckw]

The 19KW AC does require a 100AMP circuit, but I beg to differ that it is usually reserved for the entire house. Every house in my area, not a super expensive area by any means, can support an extra 100AMP breaker. It isn't really necessary unless you want to have the fastest home charging, but most modern homes could probably support the extra 100AMP breaker. But you are right, if the faster charging isn't a high priority then this is a rather expensive option. The total cost for my Porsche Wall Charger Connect and the electrical work for the 100AMP circuit was over 5k.

The idea behind getting the 150 Kw/400DC option is to future proof the car to permit fast charging on the Tesla network should they open that to other vehicles (which it looks like they well may in the next couple of years.) There is a thread on this topic. For the cost, $460, it is a very cheap option that may pay big dividends in the future.

I now understand the 150 kW/400 DC Charger option and will select it. But, I'm still confused by the 19.2 kW on-board charger option. Yes, it'll give me faster charging at home but won't it speed up charging on the road, too?

 

[B61]

Onboard charger will give you faster charging if you have proper wiring.

 

[02bluesuperroo]

I now understand the 150 kW/400 DC Charger option and will select it. But, I'm still confused by the 19.2 kW on-board charger option. Yes, it'll give me faster charging at home but won't it speed up charging on the road, too?

It would only be faster on the road when you use a Level 2 charger (not DC fast charging) like at a hotel or store parking lot. However, that Level 2 charger would need to be able to provide over 10kw of charging power which would be unusual.

 

[obxckw]

It would only be faster on the road when you use a Level 2 charger (not DC fast charging) like at a hotel or store parking lot. However, that Level 2 charger would need to be able to provide over 10kw of charging power which would be unusual.

I clearly need an "Porsche EV Charging for Dummies" tutorial. If anyone can refer me to one, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[kewina12]

This depends on dealer slots. My dealer has a 4S slot for me with March build date and late April delivery.

same here, just ordered a 4S last week, delivery in April, and asked about swapping to a GTS, but every dealer I asked in the LA area, said they only get 1 allocation (at best) per month so they are charging 10-20% above MSRP.

So I stuck with my spec’d out 4S for an April delivery.

 

[gnop1950]

I now understand the 150 kW/400 DC Charger option and will select it. But, I'm still confused by the 19.2 kW on-board charger option. Yes, it'll give me faster charging at home but won't it speed up charging on the road, too?

The 19.2kW AC on-board charger is really, IMHO, only valuable if you opt to buy the 19.2KW Porsche home charging solution, or an equivalent other brand option, for charging from home. You might find an appropriate charger at a destination, but my understanding is that all of the commercial charging stations are DC.

 

[McgR]

It would only be faster on the road when you use a Level 2 charger (not DC fast charging) like at a hotel or store parking lot. However, that Level 2 charger would need to be able to provide over 10kw of charging power which would be unusual.

In Europe we have lots of 22 kw chargers in malls, highway parkings, ski resorts. For example destination charging at a ski resort after arriving would take 3-4 hours in stead of 6-8. I don’t know if they will come more available in the US in the future. And it’s quite expensive.

 

[02bluesuperroo]

In Europe we have lots of 22 kw chargers in malls, highway parkings, ski resorts. For example destination charging at a ski resort after arriving would take 3-4 hours in stead of 6-8. I don’t know if they will come more available in the US in the future. And it’s quite expensive.

Understood, thanks for the insight. I tend to not even reply when it comes to charging questions in Europe because things are different there, but OP appears to be in the US.

 

[02bluesuperroo]

I clearly need an "Porsche EV Charging for Dummies" tutorial. If anyone can refer me to one, I'd greatly appreciate it.

This might be the next best thing:

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...age…for-those-that-wish-to-over-do-it-….2343/

 

[McgR]

Understood, thanks for the insight. I tend to not even reply when it comes to charging questions in Europe because things are different there, but OP appears to be in the US.

Sorry I won’t give any European insights anymore. It interests me tough how things are solved around the globe. So I hope others keep on sharing international insight on this very valuable forum.

Sponsored