Automobile Mag Taycan review: The Porsche Taycan Turbo Redefines Speed and Acceleration

felixtb

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They have actually said for a while now that they will start with the top tier trims and large battery pack, so I am not sure where they are being devious or dishonest..... for this tier the price should be between cayenne turbo and Panamera turbo....... no? So if you want to have a lower trim level then you would have to wait for that to come out...... They do a similar release set with their other offerings as well so they are not being unusual in that regard either......

I think the only problem is that you have put money down on something you want and they are not going to offer that at the beginning.... and yes that’s a let down for you but not necessarily unprofessional or anything else......
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MissionC

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They do a similar release set with their other offerings as well so they are not being unusual in that regard either.....
Mmmmm...Porsche generally doesn’t release the top tier models in the first wave as the only choice. For instance, the recent Cayenne Coupe was released in base and Turbo versions simultaneously with S trim a fast-follow. The new 992s came out with S and 4S trim and a Turbo hasn’t even been officially announced, let alone the 992 GT models. I think it was a huge mistake for any Porsche official to discuss pricing on the record without being able to commit. I’m certainly hopeful that the Taycan pricing is between Cayenne and Panamera, but not holding my breath. “Soul electrified” will also mean “wallet empty.”
 

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You're right of course that usually they tend to release middle of the road variants first but never the lowest spec:ed ones. And the top specialty lines are later but so they seem to be for the Taycan as well, as far as we can understand from the chatter, since they are talking about a coupe version and a two wheel drive GTS variant for the mid 20s..... So I apologize for the specifics of the "Turbo" but still hold on the idea that its not un normal for porsche to release fairly high value variants first, Haven't seen them start with a simple non lettered or T model in a long time.... that was my general meaning and that Yes they are now starting with the top of the line...….Probably because that is the largest battery they can produce right now anyway...…. And that with that seize battery they can have a few variants within..... similar to Tesla s/x 100D or P100D...…. same but different... So who knows except I don't think they are going to be much outside their intended price range per model designation......
 

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Mmmmm...Porsche generally doesn’t release the top tier models in the first wave as the only choice. For instance, the recent Cayenne Coupe was released in base and Turbo versions simultaneously with S trim a fast-follow. The new 992s came out with S and 4S trim and a Turbo hasn’t even been officially announced, let alone the 992 GT models. I think it was a huge mistake for any Porsche official to discuss pricing on the record without being able to commit. I’m certainly hopeful that the Taycan pricing is between Cayenne and Panamera, but not holding my breath. “Soul electrified” will also mean “wallet empty.”
Yep
 

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They have actually said for a while now that they will start with the top tier trims and large battery pack, so I am not sure where they are being devious or dishonest..... for this tier the price should be between cayenne turbo and Panamera turbo....... no? So if you want to have a lower trim level then you would have to wait for that to come out...... They do a similar release set with their other offerings as well so they are not being unusual in that regard either......

I think the only problem is that you have put money down on something you want and they are not going to offer that at the beginning.... and yes that’s a let down for you but not necessarily unprofessional or anything else......
Let’s tell the real story. EVs are expensive to produce with thin profit margins at best, especially first editions. Porsche officials up to Bloome have been quoted on numerous occasions to expect pricing between Cayenne and Panamera with NO mention of turbo pricing for those variants. Anyone can see the quite dramatic price creep that has driven the low price to “ under €100k”. To say this is anything like Porsche’s initial statements is disingenuous. And, believe me I’m a Porsche loyalist, having owned 9 models. This is a clear case of Porsche scrambling to protect their industry leading profit margins.
 


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Taycan is not just a new Porsche - it is a new type of car which required a huge investment. EV’s are expensive. It makes business sense to sell the higher profit models first. Consider that the Tesla Model 3 was promoted as the $39k sedan. They are selling them as fast as they can make them, BUT they have been making ONLY top of the line versions. More profit margin and more excitement over the new vehicle. It’ll probably be at least a year before they build the first $39k Model 3. Why wouldn’t Porsche try to get cash flow similarly?
 
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Taycan is not just a new Porsche - it is a new type of car which required a huge investment. EV’s are expensive. It makes business sense to sell the higher profit models first. Consider that the Tesla Model 3 was promoted as the $39k sedan. They are selling them as fast as they can make them, BUT they have been making ONLY top of the line versions. More profit margin and more excitement over the new vehicle. It’ll probably be at least a year before they build the first $39k Model 3. Why wouldn’t Porsche try to get cash flow similarly?
Exactly - the upper reaches of the model range is where the margins go hockey stick. Although Porsche wants to protect their margins, the overall volume of 2020 Taycans won’t impact it negatively as they have plenty of offsetting inventory. There’s a ton of unknown costs in the lifecycle of this car for them. It’s a huge gamble and not surprised that we’ll pay for it at least until J2 II is release.
 

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I think the issue isn't just the price but the overall package. "We're going to roll out a large charging network with 15 minute to near full charging!" "Amazing range and efficiency!" "Price starts between Cayenne and Panamera!"

As of most current information none of those things are true. Plus we already know the car won't be as fast or have as much range as a Model S that's significantly cheaper.

Porsche is currently banking on wealthy Europeans going crazy over the Taycan because there just won't be a significant US market until the range and network significantly improves.

With current info I'd estimate you're looking at a 200 mile range being the best case for slightly spirited driving. So you're going to drive your $120k Porsche 100 miles only to plug it in at Walmart for 30-45 minutes? In a car that most likely drives very similar to a Panamera, maybe a bit better handling?

At this point I would say if they messed up any of the pedal or handling feel, awfully interesting they haven't let anyone not on payroll touch the pedals or steering wheel, the Gen1 Taycan could be a massive failure.
 


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I think the issue isn't just the price but the overall package. "We're going to roll out a large charging network with 15 minute to near full charging!" "Amazing range and efficiency!" "Price starts between Cayenne and Panamera!"

As of most current information none of those things are true. Plus we already know the car won't be as fast or have as much range as a Model S that's significantly cheaper.

Porsche is currently banking on wealthy Europeans going crazy over the Taycan because there just won't be a significant US market until the range and network significantly improves.

With current info I'd estimate you're looking at a 200 mile range being the best case for slightly spirited driving. So you're going to drive your $120k Porsche 100 miles only to plug it in at Walmart for 30-45 minutes? In a car that most likely drives very similar to a Panamera, maybe a bit better handling?

At this point I would say if they messed up any of the pedal or handling feel, awfully interesting they haven't let anyone not on payroll touch the pedals or steering wheel, the Gen1 Taycan could be a massive failure.
I think making all those assumptions are simply silly, not one driver says it drives like a panamera. But now they're all part of a massive coverup because a dumb company like Porsche is pushing a "massive failure" vehicle. Based on the company's track record I'll wait for production vehicle to decide if I keep going forward with purchase.
 

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I think the issue isn't just the price but the overall package. "We're going to roll out a large charging network with 15 minute to near full charging!" "Amazing range and efficiency!" "Price starts between Cayenne and Panamera!"
Porsche is currently banking on wealthy Europeans going crazy over the Taycan because there just won't be a significant US market until the range and network significantly improves.

With current info I'd estimate you're looking at a 200 mile range being the best case for slightly spirited driving. So you're going to drive your $120k Porsche 100 miles only to plug it in at Walmart for 30-45 minutes? In a car that most likely drives very similar to a Panamera, maybe a bit better handling?

At this point I would say if they messed up any of the pedal or handling feel, awfully interesting they haven't let anyone not on payroll touch the pedals or steering wheel, the Gen1 Taycan could be a massive failure.
Issue? Already the first year has essentially sold out. Most dealers in the USA will probably not even have demos as the allotments to each dealer are contracted for sale before they will even arrive at the dealer. The USA only represents 20% of Porsche sales, of which 40% of the American purchases are the cheapest Porsche, the Macan. So my prediction is that about 15% of all Taycans produced will be sold in the USA (so 3500 sales if they produce 20,000 or 7000 units if they produce 40,000.. BTW, I want a unique car, not a car that everyone has! The less sold in the USA and the more exclusive the price the better, as long as it is real Porsche!!!! That is the whole idea of the Porsche! The Macan is great looking SUV and the electric version may be my next SUV, but it really kind of has destroyed the image of the Porsche.

When the Panamera went plug-in hybrid, the sales of the hybrid in Europe represented over 60% of Panamera sales and increased sales by 90%, so the Taycan will indeed have a much bigger appeal in Europe (especially Norway) and in China, so you may be partially right about that it will be the electric sports sedan for wealthy Europeans and Chinese.
(all my stats quoted are are from flatsixes.com)

Virtually NOONE that owns an electric vehicle charges their car at charging stations and I dont think Porsche owners shop at Walmart....lol . Its just not a practical thing. Just as your phone, you plug your car in when you get home. A network is ONLY for psychological comfort for those with range anxiety and for long distance traveling. Stations at Whole Foods and retail locations are for customer relations, not really where people actually regularly charge their car. And quite frankly, VERY few Porsche drivers take their cars on cross country trips. They are usually weekend cars that are driven 5-8k per year, (mine is 4k per year) , so as long as the car has 250-325 mile range, I dont think to many Porsche owners will be concerned about range. If its around 300 mile range, it will be all about performance and handling, not battery range.

The biggest negative impact of the Taycan sales could be if the Clown-In-Chief imposes a tariff on European cars in December as threatened again last week when he declared European cars a national security threat to the USA. He now ties tariffs on vehicles to agriculture. Since the USA cheats WTO rules in agricultural world trade with farm subsidies, the Europeans are highly unlikely to budge on agriculture. They have offered NO tariffs on the automotive industry. Luckily, NONE of the American car manufacturers or companies producing vehicles in the USA are on board with tariffs, so maybe their lobby will be strong enough to influence the bozo.
 

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I think the issue isn't just the price but the overall package. "We're going to roll out a large charging network with 15 minute to near full charging!" "Amazing range and efficiency!" "Price starts between Cayenne and Panamera!"

As of most current information none of those things are true. Plus we already know the car won't be as fast or have as much range as a Model S that's significantly cheaper.

Porsche is currently banking on wealthy Europeans going crazy over the Taycan because there just won't be a significant US market until the range and network significantly improves.

With current info I'd estimate you're looking at a 200 mile range being the best case for slightly spirited driving. So you're going to drive your $120k Porsche 100 miles only to plug it in at Walmart for 30-45 minutes? In a car that most likely drives very similar to a Panamera, maybe a bit better handling?

At this point I would say if they messed up any of the pedal or handling feel, awfully interesting they haven't let anyone not on payroll touch the pedals or steering wheel, the Gen1 Taycan could be a massive failure.
I agree. I’m afraid it’s going to disappoint on range and price unless you spend 150 k for the “turbo’
 

DrParis

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Issue? Already the first year has essentially sold out. Most dealers in the USA will probably not even have demos as the allotments to each dealer are contracted for sale before they will even arrive at the dealer. The USA only represents 20% of Porsche sales, of which 40% of the American purchases are the cheapest Porsche, the Macan. So my prediction is that about 15% of all Taycans produced will be sold in the USA (so 3500 sales if they produce 20,000 or 7000 units if they produce 40,000.. BTW, I want a unique car, not a car that everyone has! The less sold in the USA and the more exclusive the price the better, as long as it is real Porsche!!!! That is the whole idea of the Porsche! The Macan is great looking SUV and the electric version may be my next SUV, but it really kind of has destroyed the image of the Porsche.

When the Panamera went plug-in hybrid, the sales of the hybrid in Europe represented over 60% of Panamera sales and increased sales by 90%, so the Taycan will indeed have a much bigger appeal in Europe (especially Norway) and in China, so you may be partially right about that it will be the electric sports sedan for wealthy Europeans and Chinese.
(all my stats quoted are are from flatsixes.com)

Virtually NOONE that owns an electric vehicle charges their car at charging stations and I dont think Porsche owners shop at Walmart....lol . Its just not a practical thing. Just as your phone, you plug your car in when you get home. A network is ONLY for psychological comfort for those with range anxiety and for long distance traveling. Stations at Whole Foods and retail locations are for customer relations, not really where people actually regularly charge their car. And quite frankly, VERY few Porsche drivers take their cars on cross country trips. They are usually weekend cars that are driven 5-8k per year, (mine is 4k per year) , so as long as the car has 250-325 mile range, I dont think to many Porsche owners will be concerned about range. If its around 300 mile range, it will be all about performance and handling, not battery range.

The biggest negative impact of the Taycan sales could be if the Clown-In-Chief imposes a tariff on European cars in December as threatened again last week when he declared European cars a national security threat to the USA. He now ties tariffs on vehicles to agriculture. Since the USA cheats WTO rules in agricultural world trade with farm subsidies, the Europeans are highly unlikely to budge on agriculture. They have offered NO tariffs on the automotive industry. Luckily, NONE of the American car manufacturers or companies producing vehicles in the USA are on board with tariffs, so maybe their lobby will be strong enough to influence the bozo.
Yes. What you write about the tariffs is true. As usual, Trump is the turd in the punch bowl. He could seriously ruin Porsche’s party. The shit heel
 

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I mean I don’t disagree that is possible, I just think that’s not very professional or honest of Porsche if they do that.
I have no doubt the higher trim can exceed the “between cayenne and panamera “ price point, I just feel the first trim we are getting is what we are seeing and the price they are vaguely referring too.
Who knows though.
My dealer told me that the higher trim levels will be the first available and lower levels will be as much as a year later? But I have no way to evaluate any of the dealer speak since Porsche seems to be undecided or fluid on many issues. Perhaps many issues aren’t yet locked down?:rolleyes:
 

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The 2006 Cayman S was introduced first followed by the 2007 base Cayman the following year. The Taycan may follow the same path.
My dealer did not deny that the base model would be delivered much later than the S version.
 
 




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