I’m totally sold on the super potent all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo

I’ve been waiting to drive the Porsche Taycan, well, for as long as it’s been around. The wait, it turns out, was well worth it, especially seeing as the model seen here is the Taycan Turbo, in fully loaded guise with an extensive suite of options that makes it even more expensive than normal. I had read a lot of good things about both the performance and the efficiency of this fully electric super cruiser, which, given the fact that it’s both big and heavy, sounded impressive.

As it turns out, my experience with the Taycan Turbo has been completely positive. To be honest, I can find little to complain about. I think I like it as much as the Audi e-tron GT, which similarly benefits from 800V charging architecture as both cars are built on the same platform. That’s a big part of the appeal, because during my time with the Taycan Turbo I charged it quickly and easily, even more so thanks to a Porsche charging card. I’ve had my fair share of stress-filled charging sessions over the years, but the Porsche experience was flawless.

The Porsche Taycan is also a little different from some of the other premium all-electric options out there. I think it stacks up as a fine alternative to big EVs like the BMW i5 M60 and Mercedes-Benz AMG EQE. It’s also more premium in feel compared to the Tesla Model S Plaid, and you get the benefit of the irrepressible Porsche pedigree.

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Porsche Taycan Turbo

The Porsche Taycan Turbo is extremely likable. While it’s supremely comfortable for taking on long trips, its size is also surprisingly easy to manage in more confined spaces. Performance is blistering, charging is rapid, and the top speed is more than anyone will ever need. It’s an awesome package.

Engine

Electric motor powered by Lithium-ion battery

Drive Layout

Four-wheel drive

Horsepower

520 kW / 707 hp

0-60mph

2.7 seconds

Torque

890 Nm

Top Speed

162 mph

Transsmission

Automatic

Pros

• Awesome performance and handling
• Wonderfully comfortable interior
• Oodles of tech to enhance your drive

Cons

• Feels big and bulky on smaller roads
• Options push the price up considerably

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Price, specs, and availability

The Porsche Taycan Turbo in the specification seen here costs £167,485 (over $224,000), which is considerably higher than the £134,010 (nearly $180,000) base price thanks to a host of extras. This includes the stunning Oak Green Metallic Neo exterior color and other extravagances like the £6,291 (over $8,400) Active Ride Control and £3,926 (over $5,200) Panoramic roof, which does come with variable light control that helps to make the price seem justified.

Design and Build

Everything expected from a Porsche

I love the shape of the Taycan Turbo, which Porsche has tweaked and fine-tuned to make the new model look just right. My test car sported an ‘Oak Green Metallic Neo’ paint, with Truffle Brown leather for the interior. Topping it all off was a set of enormous 21-inch RS Spyder alloys shod with Goodyear tires, which gave it an incredibly imposing stance on the road. The car also benefited from an optional panoramic glass roof, which cleverly had variable light control. That meant I could change the opacity of the glass depending on the weather.

Getting in and out of the Porsche Taycan Turbo was interesting. My car would also pop up whenever I unlocked and opened the door, plus the doors opened widely too, so access was easy. Admittedly, there was size to contend with, which I had to be mindful of when parking and during drives through narrow country lanes. Once I’d got used to its bulk though, I thought that the Porsche Taycan Turbo didn’t feel nearly as big as it is in reality.

It’s also practical and easy to use. Charging, for example, allows you to press a button on the central touchscreen to open the charging door on the front fender, prior to getting out. Similarly, there are neat touches, like the soft-close doors, that constantly reminded me just how much thought Porsche put into the design of the Taycan Turbo.

A refreshing interior

Comfortable but practical too

One of the most interesting aspects of sitting in the Taycan Turbo is how low to the ground it seems — well, after the Active Ride Control has dropped and hunkered back down after popping up to make getting in that little bit easier. I always felt like I was sitting in the Taycan rather than on it. The feeling was much the same as I get from my Honda S2000. That’s a good thing.

The interior is everything I expect from a Porsche. It’s practical rather than ostentatious. Sure, there are lots of nice touches, but the execution isn’t wild or silly. In fact, my Truffle Brown cockpit felt sober and sensible, with everything falling to hand in that typical thoughtful way German engineering works. Seating, both front and rear is quite solid with the leather proving comfortable and either warm or cool, thanks to climate controls within their structure. The massage option was a glorious benefit too, with a range of intensities on offer.

The trunk is completely separate from the rear seats, and it’s surprisingly spacious with 366 liters on offer, while a ‘frunk’ offers 84 supplementary liters of storage under the hood. The shape of the trunk isn’t going to be suitable for something like a mountain bike, but it’ll handle a couple of cases without too much fuss.

The technology breakdown

Comprehensive suite of features

My car came fully loaded, so I was spoiled when it came to the tech treats on offer. This included features that made it ride and handle better, like the rear axle steering and Active Ride Control. There was a Porsche electric sport sound on tap too, for amusement mainly, while the head-up display and surround view along with parking support tech helped with squeezing this monster into tight spaces. The sat nav was effective and being able to adjust the ride, as well as benefit from the excellent massage seats with those multiple options made long drives sublime.

This model also came with a fantastic Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound system, which delivered everything expected from an option costing over three and a half grand. Everything was all very usable too, with many of the control options sitting inside the central touchscreen, supplemented by another just below that for dipping into charging options and the like. I liked the press-and-click functionality a lot, while controls on the steering wheel also let me easily adjust the look and layout of the instrument panel in my eyeline.

Battery, range and performance

Impressive on all fronts

The Taycan Turbo I’ve been driving features a 105kWh battery (97kWh usable) and it needs it in order to deliver the performance and range offered. Driven hard, the Taycan soon starts to munch through its battery power, especially if I employed the Launch Control feature that tops up the torque levels to 890Nm. Official figures suggest efficiency is 3.5 miles per kWh combined, which is not bad really given the overall bulk and I got similar during my stint with the car.

The 376-mile official overall range figure quoted by Porsche seems achievable too, despite the near five-meter size and 2,290kg weight of the Porsche Taycan Turbo. As I mentioned earlier, the everyday usability of this car is made all the easier thanks to its ability to fast charge from 10 to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes. Top speed is 162mph, which I didn’t get to achieve on public roads obviously, but it’s the acceleration that is just as impressive, with zero to 62 mph arriving in just 2.7 seconds.

Should you buy a Porsche Taycan Turbo?

Sure, the Porsche Taycan Turbo is expensive, especially when it’s packed with all the toys, like my example was. However, I think it delivers the goods on all levels and is everything I’d expected from a Porsche. There are endless levels of performance to enjoy, with some quite mad acceleration antics being the icing on the cake. Equally, though, I thought the Porsche Taycan Turbo was great for just pootling around in, and it’s much more versatile than it might appear. I certainly didn’t want to hand it back.

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Porsche Taycan Turbo