Taycan Turbo S
Discussion
I am surprised by the reaction of people when I tell them I have bought an EV. It seems very political and they tell my I am not saving the planet. I was in a bar on Saturday night telling a friend that, by optimising charging, you can go from 10% to 70%+ in around 20 minutes. Someone else just shouted "LIES".
Why did I buy an EV? This first bit is a confession. I have kept my Cayenne GTS just in case. It looks like my drivee to Mont Tremblant could be done with as little as 30 minutes driving. If that is the case, it is remarkable as it is 454 miles. But, the Taycan probably does not have the luggage space we would need for the trip. That's why the Cayenne is a Sports Utility Vehicle.
The journey to electric started years ago. I have been researching 3rd car options since before COVID. The 599 looked a relative bargain at one point but then, like everything else, shot up during covid. Same for McLaren 720s. There was always a concern at the back of my mind. Would I use the car? There are very few roads near me that I would enjoy driving on. A friend of mine bought a brand new motor bike and returned it 2 weeks later. He said he had to ride 60 minutes to get to roads that were enjoyable. I feared a sports car would be the same. A couple of weeks ago I saw a 570S bouncing on the roads in my town and it looked like a miserable experience.
This is when I decided it made more sense to drive the car as my primary and keep the Cayenne as the back up. I saw the depreciation on these cars and it gave me an opportunity to benefit. It made more sense paying a bit more to get a much higher spec. But, I only had 2 must haves. 4 zone climate and ACC. The original owner went beyond my required spec.
Speaking of the original owner, he has been great to work with and, at this time, I would recommend auto trader to buy private. They took care of everything. The only challenge we had was shipping which I scheduled outside of auto trader.
I will report back on how my EV experiment works out.
Why did I buy an EV? This first bit is a confession. I have kept my Cayenne GTS just in case. It looks like my drivee to Mont Tremblant could be done with as little as 30 minutes driving. If that is the case, it is remarkable as it is 454 miles. But, the Taycan probably does not have the luggage space we would need for the trip. That's why the Cayenne is a Sports Utility Vehicle.
The journey to electric started years ago. I have been researching 3rd car options since before COVID. The 599 looked a relative bargain at one point but then, like everything else, shot up during covid. Same for McLaren 720s. There was always a concern at the back of my mind. Would I use the car? There are very few roads near me that I would enjoy driving on. A friend of mine bought a brand new motor bike and returned it 2 weeks later. He said he had to ride 60 minutes to get to roads that were enjoyable. I feared a sports car would be the same. A couple of weeks ago I saw a 570S bouncing on the roads in my town and it looked like a miserable experience.
This is when I decided it made more sense to drive the car as my primary and keep the Cayenne as the back up. I saw the depreciation on these cars and it gave me an opportunity to benefit. It made more sense paying a bit more to get a much higher spec. But, I only had 2 must haves. 4 zone climate and ACC. The original owner went beyond my required spec.
Speaking of the original owner, he has been great to work with and, at this time, I would recommend auto trader to buy private. They took care of everything. The only challenge we had was shipping which I scheduled outside of auto trader.
I will report back on how my EV experiment works out.
No interior shots as the listing has been taken down and I didn’t save the photos.
Another one from pick up. Note the stickers on all 4 sides for CA green cars. I assume they will come off easily enough.
Delivery day is Thursday. I then have to figure out which charger meets the requirements for tax and rate incentives.
One issue I am going to face is the electricity supply. It comes in from the street at one end of the house and my garage is the other. There’s no easy route for a cable.
Another one from pick up. Note the stickers on all 4 sides for CA green cars. I assume they will come off easily enough.
Delivery day is Thursday. I then have to figure out which charger meets the requirements for tax and rate incentives.
One issue I am going to face is the electricity supply. It comes in from the street at one end of the house and my garage is the other. There’s no easy route for a cable.
Out of every EV, these (to me) look good. Would be nice to somehow get battery pack upgrades on existing cars, but feels like it would be a rather expensive job.
Had an affiliate say that the interior is far better to sit in than all else it competes with EV wise. Not sure what to make of that as I've not sat in an EV bar the Leaf, which isn't really a benchmark in any way.
Lovely colour though.
Had an affiliate say that the interior is far better to sit in than all else it competes with EV wise. Not sure what to make of that as I've not sat in an EV bar the Leaf, which isn't really a benchmark in any way.
Lovely colour though.
I remember your review, RDMcG, and can’t believe it was 4 years ago.
I have been ev curious for some time but not enough to buy one. I’ve got a 2013 Cayenne GTS which I have been looking to replace for years. The issue has always been that my GTS is all the car I need and replacing it with another GTS just didn’t make sense to. It wasn’t a step change in experience. Having said that, I was close to buying a Gts with the sports lightweight package.
Then last year I decided to walk away from my job. Car buying was off the cards for 7 months while I spent time with the family and travelled. Buying a car while being temporarily retired seemed like a bad idea.
When back employed, I started researching again. I rented a hybrid in the UK and was impressed. So much so I put an offer on another Taycan Turbo S which was accepted. That car had a similar list price and, for me, a better spec but that’s nit picking. The purchase didn’t work out due to my travel commitments. The vendor sold it for $3k more than they offered it to me. I was happy for them and even at $3k more than I could have bought it for, the buyer got a great price.
The car I bought was offered by a private seller in California. He has a Cayenne hybrid being delivered shortly. I’m curious to know what the dealer offered him for the Taycan if he ended up selling privately to me. I don’t want to be insensitive and over share but I was happy with the number I made the deal at. Other cars are listed for a lot more but not selling. The seller was stellar. My shipping company messed him around but he dealt with it and I’m ver grateful.
Car arrives Thursday. Well that’s what they told me.
I have been ev curious for some time but not enough to buy one. I’ve got a 2013 Cayenne GTS which I have been looking to replace for years. The issue has always been that my GTS is all the car I need and replacing it with another GTS just didn’t make sense to. It wasn’t a step change in experience. Having said that, I was close to buying a Gts with the sports lightweight package.
Then last year I decided to walk away from my job. Car buying was off the cards for 7 months while I spent time with the family and travelled. Buying a car while being temporarily retired seemed like a bad idea.
When back employed, I started researching again. I rented a hybrid in the UK and was impressed. So much so I put an offer on another Taycan Turbo S which was accepted. That car had a similar list price and, for me, a better spec but that’s nit picking. The purchase didn’t work out due to my travel commitments. The vendor sold it for $3k more than they offered it to me. I was happy for them and even at $3k more than I could have bought it for, the buyer got a great price.
The car I bought was offered by a private seller in California. He has a Cayenne hybrid being delivered shortly. I’m curious to know what the dealer offered him for the Taycan if he ended up selling privately to me. I don’t want to be insensitive and over share but I was happy with the number I made the deal at. Other cars are listed for a lot more but not selling. The seller was stellar. My shipping company messed him around but he dealt with it and I’m ver grateful.
Car arrives Thursday. Well that’s what they told me.
Edited by h0b0 on Tuesday 16th July 03:29
h0b0 said:
But, the Taycan probably does not have the luggage space we would need for the trip. That's why the Cayenne is a Sports Utility Vehicle.
I will report back on how my EV experiment works out.
Out of interest, would the spatial constraints have existed in the Taycan estate version (whatever it's called in Porsche-speak)? I will report back on how my EV experiment works out.
Looking at the price list I was shocked by the price of the wheels, seen a few Taycans wearing them around here and presumed they were standard on the Turbo as they don't look that big or interesting. Also the $300 'door stickers in black' that someone didn't like enough to leave on - mad what some people blow their money on.
I think the estate version would have been big enough to be my only car. But, as they came out later, they were out of budget. Also, I couldn’t let my Cayenne go for what it would sell for. It makes more sense to keep it for the cost of insurance and maintenance at a lower mileage.
Insurance did go up 60% on my existing cars though. After shopping around I got it to a 30% increase. House went up 100%. Crazy.
Insurance onthe Taycan isn’t dramatically more. In fact to add it to my existing policy was about $1000/yr. It is the car that is most impacted at renewal time as it will be $1600. Comparing to others, I seem to have a bargain. The Cayenne and Audi are $1300 each.
Insurance did go up 60% on my existing cars though. After shopping around I got it to a 30% increase. House went up 100%. Crazy.
Insurance on
Edited by h0b0 on Tuesday 16th July 12:45
Relative to the rest of the Porsche line up, they have performed very poorly in terms of depreciation. I toyed with the idea of buying a 911 but the used market is still high and my kids have legs. Similar cars to the one I bought are being listed for around $100k upwards. But, they are not selling. I made an offer that was under the advertised price and it was accepted.
I’m avoiding sharing the details in respect to the seller. He is the one that invested in a Porsche EV future and it didn’t work out financially. He has bought a hybrid Cayenne. I suspect it’s the Turbo S again but didn’t ask. He went with the Cayenne as he is getting older and the Cayenne is easier to climb in and out of.
I’m avoiding sharing the details in respect to the seller. He is the one that invested in a Porsche EV future and it didn’t work out financially. He has bought a hybrid Cayenne. I suspect it’s the Turbo S again but didn’t ask. He went with the Cayenne as he is getting older and the Cayenne is easier to climb in and out of.
Here is an update now I’m a few weeks into ownership. I was away for three weeks, including two weeks baking in Scottsdale AZ. That meant I didn’t get to really use the car as a daily.
Now I’m back I’ve been driving it solely. The Cayenne hasn’t moved except to let the electrician I the garage to for the charger.
I will start there. The charger. The number of incentives is crazy and a mine field. I’ve applied for several but will not hold my breath. I found a contractor that could install my charger. They estimate $750 for the install. Mine came in at $3600 excluding the charger. I knew it was going to be painful. It took two guys 8 hours working none stop to install. I also had other complications due to generators and other stuff so the final bill wasn’t unexpected. My utility company had closed their $1500 incentive so I thought it was done. It turns out, they opened it up again two days before my install. If I had done it earlier in the week I wouldn’t have been considered.
The last weekend was a holiday here but the weather sucked. We woke up on Sunday and checked DC. Looked good so jumped in the car and headed out.
The car was excellent. Driving at normal speeds it’s comfortable. The suspension is a lot smoother than my Cayenne. I think the seat could go lower and the steering wheel go higher. The B pillar is in the way getting in and out of the car. That’s not helped by the mess my back is in. Once in, the car is great for long distances.
Range… it looks like it is accurate on a warm, but not too warm day. Doing 70mph on flat roads. If I go up to 75-80 I’m getting 5-10% less range. If I drop to 60-65 I get 5-10% more. City traffic and spirited driving drinks range.
I recently had a petrol Volvo. I drove from Scottsdale to Sedona. I started with 450 miles range. I dropped to 350 and saw at one point 700+ later. Totally useless.
Ok, now the chagers…. I used an app to plan the trip into DC. It suggested a charge station where I would have way over 100 miles range left. I know trip planning an EV is different but I wanted enough range to “bounce” into and out of DC. We decided to drive in. That’s where we stopped and 5 out of 6 chargers were broken. I waited for the 6th and, once plugged in, rejected my car because it was asking for too much power. I called the help and they said the older chargers couldn’t cope with the latest EV charge rates. I pushed on and found a charge station that would work. Unfortunately, the 350 was occupied by a tiny car that couldn’t use the higher rate. After a brief chat, the extremely nice person offered to move his car.
On the way back, I used the same app to plan our trip home. By “massive coincidence” it recommended the same place it had recommended on the way down. This time, I thought I should go with the flow. We got there and there was a queue of 5 cars. It was all very civil except the child who loudly announced the “Porsche guy jumped the que”. “It’s Porshaaaaa”.
I’m extremely suspicious that the WaWa paid to be recommended on the app. Makes sense but meant a bunch of people hanging out in their AC. Also, the 350 never went over 150. Got to figure that out.
Lessons were learnt. It wasn’t a total nightmare. Tesla drivers have a much better experience at the moment. I’m going to try a Tesla magic station next.
Now I’m back I’ve been driving it solely. The Cayenne hasn’t moved except to let the electrician I the garage to for the charger.
I will start there. The charger. The number of incentives is crazy and a mine field. I’ve applied for several but will not hold my breath. I found a contractor that could install my charger. They estimate $750 for the install. Mine came in at $3600 excluding the charger. I knew it was going to be painful. It took two guys 8 hours working none stop to install. I also had other complications due to generators and other stuff so the final bill wasn’t unexpected. My utility company had closed their $1500 incentive so I thought it was done. It turns out, they opened it up again two days before my install. If I had done it earlier in the week I wouldn’t have been considered.
The last weekend was a holiday here but the weather sucked. We woke up on Sunday and checked DC. Looked good so jumped in the car and headed out.
The car was excellent. Driving at normal speeds it’s comfortable. The suspension is a lot smoother than my Cayenne. I think the seat could go lower and the steering wheel go higher. The B pillar is in the way getting in and out of the car. That’s not helped by the mess my back is in. Once in, the car is great for long distances.
Range… it looks like it is accurate on a warm, but not too warm day. Doing 70mph on flat roads. If I go up to 75-80 I’m getting 5-10% less range. If I drop to 60-65 I get 5-10% more. City traffic and spirited driving drinks range.
I recently had a petrol Volvo. I drove from Scottsdale to Sedona. I started with 450 miles range. I dropped to 350 and saw at one point 700+ later. Totally useless.
Ok, now the chagers…. I used an app to plan the trip into DC. It suggested a charge station where I would have way over 100 miles range left. I know trip planning an EV is different but I wanted enough range to “bounce” into and out of DC. We decided to drive in. That’s where we stopped and 5 out of 6 chargers were broken. I waited for the 6th and, once plugged in, rejected my car because it was asking for too much power. I called the help and they said the older chargers couldn’t cope with the latest EV charge rates. I pushed on and found a charge station that would work. Unfortunately, the 350 was occupied by a tiny car that couldn’t use the higher rate. After a brief chat, the extremely nice person offered to move his car.
On the way back, I used the same app to plan our trip home. By “massive coincidence” it recommended the same place it had recommended on the way down. This time, I thought I should go with the flow. We got there and there was a queue of 5 cars. It was all very civil except the child who loudly announced the “Porsche guy jumped the que”. “It’s Porshaaaaa”.
I’m extremely suspicious that the WaWa paid to be recommended on the app. Makes sense but meant a bunch of people hanging out in their AC. Also, the 350 never went over 150. Got to figure that out.
Lessons were learnt. It wasn’t a total nightmare. Tesla drivers have a much better experience at the moment. I’m going to try a Tesla magic station next.
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