Car Review: 2021 Porsche Taycan 4S

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I’ve had 40 years of testing vehicles. More than 2,000 cars, SUVs, pickups and minivans driven, everything from polished turds to genuine gems, disappointments and delights.

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But after driving the newest version of Porsche’s electric-powered Taycan lineup, the 4S, I believe I’ve actually experienced an epiphany — or maybe it was just bad tuna.

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Look, I know Tesla has been building outrageously fast — make that “ludicrous” — cars for a number of years. But despite its success and sometimes thin-skinned fan base, the House of Elon is still an outlier. Porsche, on the other hand, is one of the most respected brands out there, with an 80-year history of building hugely-entertaining sports cars, not to mention a fabulously prolific motorsport record.

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So even though the 4S, my first experience with any electric sports car, four doors or otherwise, is the least-expensive ($119,400 to start) and least-powerful of the three Taycan trims — the others being the Turbo and Turbo S — it is, by the very nature of its powertrain, still deliciously quick.

In its most basic form, its 79.2-kWh “single-layer” Performance Battery puts out 429 horsepower, or 522 horses in over-boost. Naturally, there is an option: For a mere $7,500, one can upgrade to the “two-layer” Performance Battery Plus, its 93.4 kWh translating into 482 hp, and 562 hp when in over-boost. My tester had the upgrade. As a result, the 2,220-kilogram 4S launches like a bottle rocket, hitting 100 km/h in four seconds, and the power — seemingly unending — shoving my daughter and me back in our seats. And with motors on the front and rear axles to facilitate all-wheel drive — as well as a two-speed transmission on the rear axle — it grips like nobody’s business.

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And hence, what passes for my enlightening: High-performance machines powered by internal combustion engines are on borrowed time. I know, Captain Obvious or what? But as an avowed gearhead Baby Boomer, it’s not an acceptance that comes easily. Sometimes you have to actually experience it before the realization sinks in.

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The weirdest thing about driving the Taycan is its complete lack of auditory drama. With my foot firmly on the pedal, the Porsche sounds like a ticked-off golf cart. It’s the lamest thing about it. And, yes, there is an electronic “loud button” (aka Electric Sport Sound) that can artificially create more noise, but the sound it makes reminds me of the turbo-lift from the Starship Enterprise.

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In other cases, the 4S feels very similar to its internal-combustion-powered Porsche family members, notably the Panamera 4S, which, at least to those who are not diehard fans of the brand, it resembles.

For instance, the 4S comes with an adaptive air suspension with three-chamber technology, including Porsche’s Active Suspension Management (PASM) electronic damper control as standard. The end result is the Taycan handles corners with negligible body roll, the suspension providing a firm but not punishing ride. Rear-axle steering, a no-cost option, helps. And since the car generates an impressive turn of speed, it has the brakes to back it up — red-painted six-piston aluminum monobloc fixed-caliper brakes at the front, and four-piston aluminum calipers at the rear.

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Being an electric car, the Taycan also benefits from regenerative braking, recharging the batteries and dropping the speed. Yet unlike most other EVs, at least the ones I’ve driven, getting off the accelerator doesn’t generate a massive loss of speed, and Porsche clearly puts more stock in coasting rather than recuperation. It also means that those accustomed to “one-pedal” EV driving are going to have to get used to using the brake.

Styling is always subjective. That said — and judging by the numerous looks the car got — the Taycan is a stunner. Long, low and wide, with pronounced fenders, the car in profile seems an inspired blend of 911 and Panamera elements. Very cool design touches include the LED matrix headlights and the the glass-effect Porsche logo, integrated in the light bar at the rear.

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Unfortunately, the exterior’s brilliance isn’t matched internally, especially considering the tester’s outrageously expensive $164,000 as-equipped price. It’s not the dash area, with the large infotainment screen that showcases all manner of interactive graphs and pictures that the EV crowd loves to geek out on. Or the fact that the overabundance of switches, buttons, knobs and other controls that dominate most Porsche centre consoles has been greatly reduced in the Taycan, with voice control function taking over many of the jobs. It’s that the cabin itself offers no sense of occasion.

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It’s all very drab, monochromatic, and lacking anything bordering on luxurious. Part of the problem was the tester’s optional $4,710 leather-free interior, offered, according to Porsche, to “underscore the sustainable concept of the electric sports car.” Love the idea, less than impressed with the execution.

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That’s a minor irritation, though. The bigger one for me was that, unlike any previous EV I’ve tested, the Porsche cannot be recharged using standard household current. It requires a 240-volt wall socket with which to plug in the supplied charging unit.

Admittedly, most owners who can afford the Taycan can also afford to have this, or even a dedicated charging station, installed in their garage. But since I didn’t have one in mine, I had to rely on public charging units. Between stations that were out of service, or already in use, it was a pain in the posterior. And considering the 4S’s range is a little more than 300 km — as indicated by the car’s display when I picked it up — any trip of distance is going to require a top-up. Make sure you have a handy app, such as PlugShare , on your phone. [The Taycan’s price includes three years of charging at Electrify Canada public charging stations. —Ed.]

I admit I would like the Taycan 4S far more at its $120,000 base price than the $164,000 of the tester, but I do like this car — a lot! Not having tested a Tesla Model S, I will avoid any direct comparison, though the two clearly compete. Still, Porsche’s first all-new EV sport sedan is an extraordinary driving experience and sets a high bar for other manufacturers to meet — as they most assuredly will.