By now, you probably know all there is to know about the Porsche Taycan Turbo S. It’s been the subject of numerous reviews in recent weeks and the consensus is that the German automaker has created something rather special with its first electric vehicle for the street. Now it’s time to see how it performs along the twisty canyon roads of California thanks to The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah.
First, we have to get to the stats. Found beneath the slippery skin of the Taycan Turbo S is a 93.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack coupled to a pair of electric motors pumping out up to 750 HP and 774 lb-ft (1050 Nm) of torque with Overboost enabled. The sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) is dealt with in roughly 2.6 seconds.
Loaded With Tech: The Porsche Taycan Is An EV You Might Actually Want To Drive
Using an electric powertrain doesn’t just provide you with astonishing straight-line performance thanks to the instantaneous torque of the electric motors, but also results in seriously impressive handling, as Farah demonstrates. Because the vehicle’s heavy battery pack is located in the floor, the Taycan has a very low center of gravity. This means it can take corners at stunning speeds. Farah also notes that it steers and brakes much like a regular ICE-powered Porsche.
One interesting thing about the Porsche Taycan that Farah mentions while driving it is that, unlike Teslas, it doesn’t use a regenerative braking system that virtually allows for one-pedal driving. Instead, Porsche believes it is more efficient to have an EV that coasts when you let off the throttle. Consequently, those driving the Taycan need to use the actual brakes much more than they would in a Tesla; which, come to think of it, is what they’d do in any other Porsche as well…