The expression facelift always sounds so succinct, so inconspicuous. But what Porsche is launching here with the model revision of the electric sports car Taycan, which has been fascinating from the start, goes much deeper than cosmetic surgery on the surface: more powerful drive, larger batteries, more range and better performance. There is also a new top model with well over 1000 hp.
Of course, the optics have also been revised. We show this right at the beginning of the video driving report up here. But the technical updates are much more important. One thing should be said straight away: The technology is the same for all three body variants: Sedan, Sport Turismo and Cross Turismo, but weights and performance differ slightly. What is stated here essentially refers to the normal four-door car. Powerful battery whistles in the cold – sometimes half the charging time. There has never been much to complain about in terms of performance with the Taycan, when it comes to range there was more potential and need for improvements. And so the new generation is now up to 35 percent further than its predecessor. The WLTP-Primus can travel up to 678 kilometers (up to 821 km in urban areas). This is the rear-wheel drive car with a performance battery, which now stores a full 105 kWh instead of 93 kWh (net: 97 kWh). For this top range, it obviously needs features like the new aero rims, which alone provide 40 kilometers more range. So it always depends on the equipment. This generally applies to electric cars, because the size of the tires makes a big difference. When it has to go to the charging station, the Taycan also charges faster than before. Although the maximum alternating current remains at 11 kW, the maximum charging power at 800 volts direct current increased by 50 to 320 kW. If you plug in at 5 percent SoC (state of charge), the charging power should be kept constantly above 300 kW for five minutes (if the charging station allows that). In addition, the battery is no longer as sensitive to temperature: in the first generation Taycan, the charging time from ten to 80 percent SoC at a battery temperature of 15 degrees is 37 minutes. Under the same conditions, the facelifted Taycan only needs 18 minutes – despite the higher battery capacity. Another way of charging has also been greatly improved: the maximum recuperation power when decelerating from high speeds increases from 290 to up to 400 kW, although Porsche remains true to its strategy Controlled primarily via the brake pedal. In the lower speed range, the maximum deceleration generated by recuperation has been increased by around 15 percent. More power: 2.4 seconds from 0 to 100. It is significantly more fun to use up the charged energy, and Porsche has now increased this fun too. Despite larger batteries, all variants are lighter than their predecessors and have more motor power. Background: a further developed drive train with a new rear axle motor (up to 80 kW and 40 Nm more, but 10 kg lighter), a modified pulse inverter with optimized software, more powerful batteries, a revised thermal concept, a next-generation heat pump and an optimized recuperation and all-wheel drive strategy. The engine in the basic model now produces 300 kW/408 hp instead of 240 kW/326 hp, which results in an improvement of the standard sprint value by six tenths to just 4.8 Seconds leads – not bad for 2090 kg DIN weight. The 20 kW/27 HP more powerful, but also 80 kg heavier version with the larger battery runs out at the same time. Both reach a top speed of 230 km/h. At the other end of the food chain, the Taycan Turbo S boasts a sprint time of 2.4 seconds – thanks to a significant increase in performance. The predecessor managed 2.8 seconds and achieved 560 kW with the overboost function in launch control. The new Turbo S already produces 570 kW in normal operation. If you pull the new push-to-pass lever, it’s 640 kW/870 hp, and with launch control even 700 kW/952 hp and 1110 Nm. Push to Pass remains active for ten seconds and can be activated again four seconds later. The range for the Turbo and Turbo S is stated to be up to 630 km according to WLTP. Adaptive air for everyone, hover suspension as an option. The adaptive two-chamber air suspension with automatic, driving mode-dependent level control with two-valve dampers will be standard in the basic model. A special highlight can be ordered as an option – unfortunately only for the all-wheel drive versions: the new Porsche Active Ride suspension. Its dampers actively compensate for uneven ground with an electrically operated hydraulic pump. This means that the structure of the Taycan always remains horizontal, even during dynamic braking, steering and acceleration processes. And there’s more: Instead of swaying outwards in curves, the vehicle can actively lean into the curve. You can see the super chassis as soon as you get in: If you open the door, the car rises by 5.5 centimeters in a flash. It then drops back to normal level. This is what it feels like in the Taycan Turbo. We were driving a Taycan Turbo in the southern Spanish hinterland, in a truly twisty area. You don’t notice any of the high technology in the chassis. The only thing you notice is how well the Taycan handles, how flat the asphalt suddenly is, how little the body moves and how you end up understeering when turning into tight corners. The car glides around corners as if on rails, supported by the optional rear-axle steering. You don’t feel anything unusual about it either, because it’s well tuned and allows a maximum steering angle of no more than 2.8 degrees. Given the sheer mass, it’s incredible how this four-door car can move. 2290 kg DIN weight, plus special equipment as well as driver and front passenger, is estimated to be around 2.5 tons. Nevertheless, everything always remains under control, and the combination of recuperation and disc brakes (six-piston fixed calipers at the front, four-piston fixed calipers at the rear, discs 410 mm in diameter at the front, 365 mm in diameter at the rear) also works perfectly with fairly normal driving style. If you are driving extremely dynamically and are putting maximum strain on the material, the brakes will be a bit soft and your foot will definitely come into contact with the carpet during an emergency stop. If you want more, you can have carbon ceramic brakes (ten-piston fixed calipers at the front, four-piston fixed calipers at the rear, 420 discs at the front mm, rear diameter 410 mm) – or order the Turbo S or the Turbo GT – they come as standard. The steering feel is absolutely Porsche-typical. You can simply feel at every moment what is happening and what the car is doing. This means that the driver can react in a relaxed manner, even to delicate situations, because there is no confusion between his nervous system and the current driving state. Comparable to an azimuth error of zero in cassette recorders, for people who are still familiar with this kind of thing. On a straight line, you almost have to force yourself not to keep your foot on the accelerator pedal for too long. In the 707 hp (884 hp with launch control) turbo, it takes 2.7 seconds from standstill to 100 km/h; after just 8.2 seconds you would have reached 200 km/h on the speedometer. It’s not far off up to 260 km/h. Improved soft skills Porsche has also revised the Taycan in detail. Thanks to online calculation, the navigation system lays out a charging stop route three times faster than before, the charging flap now opens and closes electrically on site, and the connection is illuminated. You can specify a desired charge level at the destination.Matrix LEDs are standard; optionally they now have 32,000 instead of 84 pixels per headlight and can handle special functions such as carpet-like illumination of the lane at the width of the vehicle in motorway construction sites, so that trucks can be overtaken more relaxed. The adaptive cruise control now also has an evasion assistant. The user interface in the cockpit has been revised, there are new displays on the speedometer display (including a separate display for battery temperature etc.) and Apple Car Play has been deeply integrated into the on-board software, so that you can get out of the Apple -Environmentally controlled vehicle functions. Video streaming is now also possible on the central display and the optional passenger display, on the latter even while driving – a foil wrap prevents the driver from being distracted.The pricesThe list prices have of course increased with the technical improvements and the increase in equipment. The starting price for the Taycan with rear-wheel drive, 300 kW and the battery with 82.3 kWh net capacity (previously 71 kWh) is 104,317 euros in Austria (Sport Turismo 105,200 euros, Cross Turismo 115,991 euros). 5900 euros surcharge for the performance battery. The list goes up to 213,584 euros for the Turbo S or up to 243,982 euros for the newly added Turbo GT. Fahrzit: Now the Taycan is finally where it belongs. Above all, it is the extra range that makes it a better electric car than ever before. The additional power and the active chassis make it a significantly improved athlete. And anyone who treats themselves to the new top model Turbo GT will actually get a record-breaking vehicle. We won’t be able to report on how it drives until April 10th. If you don’t need all of that and can get by with the current features – used Taycans should now be available relatively cheaply. But they also require an income that is not too tight.Why?Top performance in terms of drive and batteryExcellent driving characteristicsWhy not?Here you can only mention basic things such as the price or the nature of an electric car. Or the not quite adequate durability of the brakes.Or maybe…… grab a used pre-facelift model cheaply.
source site-13