Gulf Insider reviews the Porsche Taycan
Electric cars are coming whether we like it or not, and this is Porsche’s first all-electric car.
Currently – in 2021, it’s generally accepted by those with an interest in EVs (Electric Vehicles) that the Porsche Taycan is the ultimate fully electric performance car.
Why? Well, what sets it apart from other super-fast electric cars, such as the Tesla, is its level of superior handling and luxurious comfort.
The Taycan isn’t just designed for speed. Its benchmark standard while in its design stage was to handle as close as possible to a 911, and the its low center of gravity massively influences the car’s agility.
It is fantastically fast, fun to drive, and practical enough to be the car you drive every day. It has four doors and enough space for a couple of adults to sit behind the driver and front passenger, and plenty of storage capacity in the boot.
There’re four versions available of the Taycan:
- The rear-wheel drive Taycan
- The all-wheel drive Taycan 4S (the model I drove)
- Turbo
- Turbo S
If you’re wondering how an electric motor can have a “turbo”, the word is simply used by Porsche to denote the fastest cars of a particular model range.
Power ranges from 321bhp (= 0-100 kph in 5.4 seconds) in the Taycan, to 750bhp (= 0-100 kph in a hair raising 2.8 seconds) in the Turbo S.
Even in the less powerful Taycan 4S, floor it from a standstill and it takes off like a silent missile. The kick-back is violent.
Even though I didn’t drive anywhere near to this car’s abilities, I noticed my passenger nervously clinging to the side when I accelerated.
Despite its immense performance capabilities, it handles impeccably in day-to-day traffic. It is beautifully built, and its interior is what you would expect of any top range luxury car.
The only negative, apart from its price, is that the Taycan isn’t yet on sale in Bahrain because the infrastructure and costing for an island-wide charging system is still to be agreed by the government.
The Dubai-registered Taycan I drove was only in Bahrain for a few days, so the media and potential customers could experience it. It is now gone.
Prices still to be confirmed.
For more information, call +973 1745 9911 or visit their website.
