{"id":24435,"date":"2019-12-02T19:24:25","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T23:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=24435"},"modified":"2019-12-02T19:24:25","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T23:24:25","slug":"payne-porsche-puts-its-dna-in-an-ev-with-the-electrifying-taycan-sedan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/payne-porsche-puts-its-dna-in-an-ev-with-the-electrifying-taycan-sedan","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Porsche puts its DNA in an EV with the electrifying Taycan sedan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n<\/div>

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S carved up Angeles Crest road north of Los Angeles.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n

Tesla pioneered the high-performance electric vehicle. The Porsche Taycan has put it on steroids.<\/p>\n

The Tesla Model S caught the automotive world flat-footed in 2012. It could\u00a0shoot from zero-60 mph in under 3 seconds and whip around interstate cloverleafs as if on rails.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, EVs were cool. But while other legacy automakers scrambled to catch up to\u00a0innovations like iPad-sized touchscreens, mega-batteries\u00a0and on-air software upgrades, Porsche focused on raw speed.<\/p>\n

With the Taycan, Porsche has set a new standard beyond Tesla\u2019s Ludicrous-mode performance benchmarks. You know that because Tesla chief Elon Musk is camped out at Germany\u2019s Nurburgring track trying to beat the Taycan\u2019s lap time.<\/p>\n

Raw speed is\u00a0what the Stuttgart-based manufacturer has been doing for the last six decades. Significantly, Taycan does not go head-to-head against Tesla on autonomous driving, charging networks\u00a0and minimalist big-screen interiors.<\/p>\n

The Taycan is a market of one \u2014 a $100,000-plus electric four-door sports sedan boasting Porsche 911-like performance characteristics well above comparable EVs. It\u2019s an EV for Porsche-philes.<\/p>\n

Porsche is deserving of its reputation. Scott Burgess, one of my predecessors in this seat, advises journalists to grab a Porsche at least once a year to reacquaint themselves with the driving standard. When I asked K.C. Colwell, Car and Driver\u2019s skilled test driver, which car stood out at the magazine\u2019s legendary Virginia International Raceway Lightning Lap this year (a performance-car showdown including notables like the McLaren Senna and Mercedes-AMG GT63 S), he didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Porsche 911 GT3,” he said.<\/p>\n

When I tested the mid-engine 2020 Chevy Corvette last month, I compared it to the Porsche Cayman,\u00a0the best mid-engine sports car under $100,000\u00a0I\u2019ve ever driven.<\/p>\n

Now Taycan is the EV gold standard. Developed by Porsche\u2019s mid-engine chassis team, think of it as a 5,200-pound electric Cayman.<\/p>\n

The Taycan\u2019s capabilities are welcome news for us motorheads. Automakers are evolving into highly regulated utilities as governments dictate their drivetrain choices. Michigan says DTE Energy must get 15% of its energy from wind power by 2021. California says about 8% of carmakers’\u00a0product must be electric by 2025.<\/p>\n

For most automakers, that\u2019s a chore. But for a select few performance shops \u2014 Porsche, Tesla, Audi \u2014 the EV is an opportunity to explore the envelope of battery propulsion.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking serious giddyap.<\/p>\n

I will never forget my first launch in a Tesla Model S P90D in Ludicrous mode. My brain\u00a0slapped against the back of my skull by instant 100% torque in the 2.6 OMG seconds it took to get from 0-60.<\/p>\n

The Taycan offers the same concussive acceleration in its top-drawer 772-torque Turbo S, which explodes to 60 in a mere 2.6 ticks.<\/p>\n

Mash\u00a0the brake and accelerator pedals to the mat in launch-control mode as you would in a gas-powered 911 \u2014 wait a moment for instrument panel approval \u2014 then release brake. Zot!<\/p>\n

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