LOOKING UP!
I drove hi-tech electric Porsche – massage seats and 376-mile range are great but best bit was above my head
It's not even the most expensive model – we've got the full list
IF you thought electric cars were the death of thrilling driving, the Porsche Taycan Turbo wants to have a word with you. And it’s so hi-tech, maybe it just might.
This sci-fi-made-real masterpiece seems purpose-built to convince petrolheads that EVs can knock your socks off just as well as any motor powered by explosions.
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Porsche’s all-electric Taycan line is an increasingly common sight on UK roads.
You may have seen one silently rush by, ghostlike.
It’s clearly Porsche on the outside and inside too, and – as expected – it goes like the wind.
I had a chance to spend a week with the car, testing out all of its gadgets and gizmos.
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First, for the motoring enthusiasts: it’s ruddy fast.
It’ll whisk you from zero to 62mph in just 2.7 seconds. That’s Lamborghini speeds.
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And it has a top speed of 162mph, which you’ll never need to hit – but it’s nice to know.
A more useful statistic is its electric range, which comes in at 376 miles.
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That puts it on the higher end of EVs, and it’s actually practical, which is the important bit.
Its maximum charging power is 320kW, and it has a minimum charge time from 10% to 80% charge of just 18 minutes.
If you can find rapid chargers, the battery absolutely flies up.
Better still, there’s a Porsche Charging Service that gives you discounted access at the speedy IONITY stations.
And you can just tap your car key on the terminal to pay. Very swish.
Much of the electricity goes towards powering the truly delightful driving experience.
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But it also powers a lot of the magical features inside the car too.
The model I drove had 14-way electric seats that were heated in the front and back.
Pair that with four-zone climate control plus heated steering and you’ve got a ride that’s exactly how you want it.
Even better was the massage feature in the chairs that wasn’t quite as good as a proper masseuse but it was plenty relaxing.
Your passenger can also get a massage. You’ll have pals lining up to pop to the shops with you.
Perhaps more mind-blowing was the panoramic roof overhead, which would change its opacity at the touch of a button.
You could block out light, let a bit through, or make it transparent – seemingly as if by magic.
I probably lost about 15 minutes just poking the button in awe, like if you’d handed an iPhone to a caveman.
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And if that wasn’t entertaining enough, the passengers get their own display, there’s a bass-thumping Burmester 3D surround sound system, and USB-C charging ports that work just fine with the new iPhone (and modern Android blowers too).
The tech isn’t just there for your comfort, mind. There’s some handy gizmos for driving too.
For a start, you’ve got Apple CarPlay support, which is hard to live without these days.
It creates a kind of mirror of your iPhone on the in-car display so you can access your music, maps, and contacts in a familiar form.
PORSCHE'S ELECTRIC LINE-UP – PRICED!
Here's how much Porsche's Taycan models price up at in the UK...
- Porsche Taycan – from £86,500
- Porsche Taycan 4S – from £95,900
- Porsche Taycan GTS – from £117,500
- Porsche Taycan Turbo – from £134,100
- Porsche Taycan Turbo S – from £161,400
- Porsche Turbo GT – from £186,300
- Porsche Turbo GT with Weissach Package – from £186,300
- Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo – from £87,300
- Porsche 4S Sport Turismo – from £96,700
- Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo – from £118,300
- Porsche Taycan Turbo Sport Turismo – from £134,800
- Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo – from £162,100
- Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo – £96,800
- Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo – £100,400
- Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo – £135,200
- Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo – £162,500
Picture Credit: Porsche
There’s a heads-up display that’s projected onto the road via the windscreen so you can see how fast you’re going and speed limits.
You’ve got parking support thanks to a suite of cameras, as well as active lane keeping so you don’t stray while cruising.
And the cruise control is adaptive, so it’ll automatically slow down in keeping with traffic ahead – rather than just blasting along at a single set speed.
The wing mirrors are heated, the vanity mirrors are illuminated, and there’s an electric sport sound so you feel like you’re going warp-speed when you press the go pedal.
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There’s also a cool trick with the headlights, which use HD-Matrix LED tech to split them into 11 segments.
These can then be lit up or dimmed individually, so you can keep the road lit without blinding oncoming traffic.
And all of this happens automatically, so you don’t really have to do much other than keep driving.
The beauty of the Porsche Taycan Turbo is that it was clearly made with love – and not just a bid to churn out a half-baked EV.
This is a proper car for people who love driving, but it runs on electricity and goes “vshhh” instead of “vroom”.
If you can deal with that – as well as the UK’s still-growing charging network, which isn’t where it needs to be yet – then you’ll have a blast with this model.
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The catch? Well it’ll cost you at least £134,000 for a base Taycan Turbo – or about £167,000 for the model I tried.
Christmas is coming up, so if you’ve been good, try sticking it on the list for Santa. It’s more fun than a PS5.
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