Porsche Taycan (2022) Review

PRONE to overthinking over the years I find myself analysing cars to the nth degree.

What makes a vehicle special, stand out, separate from an also-ran? It’s not as obvious as you think.

Is it the badge? Not all always. Is it performance? Not necessarily. Is it the aesthetic? Not when beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.

Some cars leave me cold and that can include the pricey end of the market. Conversely, some budget vehicles prove to be absolutely magnificent. So price isn’t always a factor either when judging a car’s worth.

It’s exactly the same with badge engineering. Having a prestigious moniker doesn’t guarantee that the car will feel right. In fact in some instances I wonder why such ordinary vehicles command such high price tags and why others are so cheap when they are so great to drive.

It must be down to the need for speed then – not always. I’ve lost count of the number of occasions when I’ve looked at the spec sheet, seen the performance figures and have felt nothing but disappointment under my right foot.

But when you consider Porsche as a range, thankfully, it helps clear the mind. Obviously it has the badge, the looks, the performance and often the noise to set spines tingling and juices flowing.

That would explain it then. Noise and acceleration equals exhilaration. There, simple, except it’s not. If that was the case then Porsche’s electric vehicles should also leave me cold but they don’t, far from it in fact.

Take the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo, for instances. It makes no noise whatsoever yet will leave your heart pumping and you lying panting spent upon the shore.

This thing is electric – in the metaphorical sense as well as the literal – and is as exciting to drive as anything that makes a din.

For me it meets the demands of being a perfect sports car. Its performance is blistering in a way that no internal combustion engine can ever match. Power is switch-like in its instantaneous nature and it is as controllable as a rheostat. From the minute you step on the throttle the Cross hurtles down the road at warp-speed and it builds and builds with seemingly endless reserves.

So thanks to Cross Turismo I now know what I need in a sports car – torque. That’s the pulling power you feel under acceleration and the more the better as far as I’m concerned. Taycan has power aplenty – let’s look at the figures.

Stick it in ‘launch control’ and there’s 571PS to play with and 650Nm of torque, so 60mph will arrive in under four seconds. Don’t drive like that and you could get 280 miles between charges. The 4S has more than enough performance and mid-range so strong that it will actually warp the space time continuum. It will overtake anything in perfect safety and there is so much control on the throttle that you barely need to touch the amazing brakes. Just accelerate, lift off and slot back in to the slow movers – easy peasy.

There’s no need for all that noise and the performance is so addictive you certainly don’t miss an angry six cylinder and loud exhaust; those traits are only great when you are in the mood.

The other thing I love about the Cross Turismo is the handling which is incredible. Jump in a 911 GT3 on the road, with all the associated lumps and bumps of badly maintained asphalt nowadays, and surprisingly confidence fails to grow because it feels jittery.

By contrast the Cross feels completely, utterly and inexorably planted, partly because it is all wheel drive, boasts massively wide track, features adaptive air suspension and fat 19in alloys, but mainly because the battery pack of almost 400 cells is so low that the centre of gravity must be somewhere near the core of the Earth. This thing feels glued to the road by some sort of invisible magnetic force and as a result it corners with the downforce of an F1 race car.

Now that is a performance/handling combo that makes this vehicle special, stand out and separate from an also-ran. It feels just right and confidence grows accordingly.

Cross Turismo looks the part too, definitely a Porsche, but somehow sleek and chunky at the same time giving it even greater presence on the road. It’s got an estate car look and that translates into even greater practicality, with more space in the boot and greater headroom in the back.

The interior is a masterpiece of hi-tech design with virtual dash, a curved computer screen on which to display a plethora of information. There’s a dearth of knobs, switches and controls with functions performed by a variety of touchscreens. It complements perfectly the advanced nature of this 21st century sportster.

But the best thing about Cross Turismo is the fact that there’s no need to overthink anything. It feels intuitive, instinctive, like you, as the driver, are part of the car and that’s what makes it so special.

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