McLaren P1 versus Porsche Taycan
Discussion
I suppose if you're going to have an electric car, you may as well have a quick one. But apart from drag races - and I include traffic light ones - they do seem a bit flawed for a performance car. They weigh - literally - almost 1 tonne more. I'm much more interested in blatting down a twisty road than acceleration in a straight line. Even the P1 is fat compared to cars of decades ago, but electric cars are clinically obese!
davek_964 said:
I suppose if you're going to have an electric car, you may as well have a quick one. But apart from drag races - and I include traffic light ones - they do seem a bit flawed for a performance car. They weigh - literally - almost 1 tonne more. I'm much more interested in blatting down a twisty road than acceleration in a straight line. Even the P1 is fat compared to cars of decades ago, but electric cars are clinically obese!
+1I thought the Government were campaigning to reduce obesity ?
All that extra weight is wearing out our tarmac more quickly.
Close race? Not really. The Taycan wins the first second, and the P1 wins the rest. It’s all about the launch.
My Tesla MS P100D daily would do the same (even though it doesn’t have the 2 ratio gearbox of the Taycan), but my 650 would catch it in a few seconds.
The thing with these EVs is not the acceleration, but the jerk, which is the rate of change of acceleration. One moment you are at a standstill and the next you are at full accleration with no wheelspin. The weight and AWD give you the traction and motor gives you the torque.
So the question is, do you consider a launch from a stop performance driving? My Tesla doesn’t stand a chance once the 650s is moving (and in the right gear). Neither would the Taycan.
My Tesla MS P100D daily would do the same (even though it doesn’t have the 2 ratio gearbox of the Taycan), but my 650 would catch it in a few seconds.
The thing with these EVs is not the acceleration, but the jerk, which is the rate of change of acceleration. One moment you are at a standstill and the next you are at full accleration with no wheelspin. The weight and AWD give you the traction and motor gives you the torque.
So the question is, do you consider a launch from a stop performance driving? My Tesla doesn’t stand a chance once the 650s is moving (and in the right gear). Neither would the Taycan.
WilliamWaiver said:
An electric car would have to be ballisticllly quick for me as I dont want to be seen dead in one thanks
I used to say the same about turbos, but now I have a NA V12, a V8 turbo and 3EVs for effortless commuting. I think the performance EVs coming will be very interesting. Certainly a nice variation from the same old stuff we get overhyped by the traditional super car makers. I recognize the strengths and weaknesses in both.The Evija looks interesting, with the battery centrally located as in Formula E.But I do wish the you tubers would stop with the stupid EV vs super car drag races, or even worse the rolling races with the ICE car in auto.
Edited by 12pack on Monday 10th August 18:13
MAC 720S said:
WilliamWaiver said:
An electric car would have to be ballisticllly quick for me as I dont want to be seen dead in one thanks
Can’t dodge them when you are dead.Extended Nissan Leaf Hearse.
WCZ said:
p1 murdered it aside from the start
For public roads, I suspect the Taycan would be the quickest a-b without losing your license. The amount of stop-starts, roundabouts, lights, slip roads, that instant torque would be put to use. You'd be at license losing speeds before the P1 took you. This new breed of EVs are delivering power at the speed range where it's legal/needed. But on a track ... that P1 
ChocolateFrog said:
Seems to be all about traction off the line.
The Taycan made the P1 look slow off the line but the equally the Taycan looked like it was going backwards when the P1 went past.
A rolling race would have been interesting just to see the Porsche get mullered.
Similar story in the new 992 turbo s vs the 720 video.The Taycan made the P1 look slow off the line but the equally the Taycan looked like it was going backwards when the P1 went past.
A rolling race would have been interesting just to see the Porsche get mullered.
2 wheels can never give same start as 4 wheels, but after that the 720 reeled it in and then showed that in other real world driving it was as quick or quicker.
Not bad for a 3.5yr old car up against Porsches latest 4wd turbo s.
And just like here with Porsches very latest tech electric 4wd going up against a 7 yr old supercar.
However, the video of Mr jww with his 675LT going up against the Porsche 918 was just mind boggling; its not like the 675 is a slouch and the 918 just vanished.
Electric cars are just going to get better and better; a bit depressing really.
650spider said:
However, the video of Mr jww with his 675LT going up against the Porsche 918 was just mind boggling; its not like the 675 is a slouch and the 918 just vanished.
Electric cars are just going to get better and better; a bit depressing really.
For the 918, it’s ALL the factors playing in - 2 electric motors and AWD for the initial launch, and then a 4.6l V8 with a 7 speed dual clutch PDK for the rest.Electric cars are just going to get better and better; a bit depressing really.
The compromise is the weight, but that actually helps the traction for the launch (as is also the case for the 992 Turbo S), and is not as much of a factor for bottom end straight-line performance.
Edited by 12pack on Wednesday 12th August 11:34
Pioneer said:
For public roads, I suspect the Taycan would be the quickest a-b without losing your license. The amount of stop-starts, roundabouts, lights, slip roads, that instant torque would be put to use. You'd be at license losing speeds before the P1 took you. This new breed of EVs are delivering power at the speed range where it's legal/needed. But on a track ... that P1
Not really, I've driven the Taycan Turbo S. It is SO heavy, and feels it. Instant torque, but it struggles to stop hard, and also when pushed very hard on bends. Also followed one on an organised run a few weeks ago, in my 720S. The Porsche was not that quick at all in practice. It was particularly hampered by having to brake very early, but also by lack of acceleration at high speeds. The 720S didn't need over 75% throttle at any point to keep up in fact.
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