The primary trick is to persuade you that it’s extra highly effective than it’s. The headline says 563bhp, however in truth that’s solely briefly obtainable throughout a launch management begin after which provided that you’ve spent the additional on the massive battery. In regular use, an ordinary Taycan 4S has 429bhp, much less even than the 911. The second trick is it nonetheless doesn’t really feel that means. Naturally, all efficiency figures are recorded utilizing launch management – so with 88bhp greater than is normally obtainable even with the massive battery – but that 4.0sec 0-62mph sprint feels completely believable. And bear in mind that is the slowest of the three Taycans on sale.
The explanation why truly has much less to do with energy and extra to do with torque or, extra particularly, torque supply, which is instantaneous. So whereas its real-world power-to-weight ratio isn’t in the identical avenue as that of the 911 (218bhp per tonne versus absolutely 300bhp per tonne), as much as speeds that don’t straight threaten your licence or liberty, you’ll swear the Taycan have been as quick.
Nevertheless it’s cleverer than that. Far more intelligent, in truth. It doesn’t simply appear quicker than it’s however smaller and lighter, too, and that’s a far tougher trick to tug off. Now, this Taycan did have £1650 value of rear-wheel steering to ameliorate the worst elements of its huge, near-three-metre wheelbase, however that alone can’t clarify the way it feels so agile and correct, so eager to alter course, so responsive in your arms. At instances, it doesn’t even really feel like magic however one thing nearer to witchcraft. It should sit on the 911’s tail quietly and fortunately and require a fraction of the trouble from the motive force to do it. You think about the 911 driver managing the revs, endlessly stirring that stick, toiling away whilst you sit there enjoyable within the silence, permitting a skinny smile to unfold throughout your face on the thought.
And the one downside with that’s the ear-to-ear grin on the face of the individual driving the 911. The Taycan could also be as fast, it could possibly pull the identical quantity of g-force in a nook whereas, bear in mind, accommodating 4 average-sized adults in satisfactory consolation, even when the boot is simply too small for his or her baggage. What it may possibly’t do to remotely the identical extent is that small however essential factor we talked about earlier: contain the motive force. And the magic works solely up to some extent. I’ve famous that the 992’s singular ability is to contain from the outset, but it surely simply retains on getting higher all the best way to the restrict. In contrast, the Taycan isn’t as involving because the 911 at any stage, and as soon as you actually begin to boss it alongside, it begins to indicate its dimension and weight only a bit.
