The Porsche Taycan Turbo And Turbo S Don’t Actually Have Any Turbos

Although there aren’t any actual internal combustion engines to speak of, Porsche has decided to forge ahead with the Turbo and Turbo S nomenclature for the Taycan to enable customers to equate the EV to the existing trim on its current models. We think it’s pretty foolish as this would’ve been the perfect opportunity to carve a new terminology for its models seeing that electrification will be a huge part of the carmaker’s future.

Still, no use crying over spilt currywurst.

Size wise, the Taycan will share a similar footprint to the likes of the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Tesla Model S.

Both the Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S will have power sent to both axles from a pair of permanently excited synchronous electric motors. That’s a scientific term and not the motor’s state of emotions from powering a Taycan.

Porsche admits these motors are costlier but bring more benefits to the table such as a compact design, good power density and better heat management; all of which more than make up for the extra cost.

The front axle makes use of a single-speed gear set with an 8:1 ratio. Interestingly for a modern EV, the rear axle has a two-speed transmission. First gear accelerates up to about 100kph before it shifts and tops out at 261kph for both models.

Rather confusingly, the Turbo and Turbo S make an identical 616hp. The former uses an “overboost” function that sees power climb to 670hp for the former while the latter’s will hit 750hp. Torque is 849Nm and 1,049Nm respectively. Torque split between both axles are completely variable.

Now onto the second most important figures; century sprint times. The Taycan Turbo does it in 3.0-second while the Taycan Turbo S will bring it lower to 2.6-second. Both times are slower than the Model S. As for the quarter mile the Turbo will dispatch it in 11.1-second and that drops to 10.8-second for the Turbo S.

If those are the second most important, what’s at the top of the list you may ask? Well, seeing it’s an EV, operational range of course. Porsche claims a range of 450km.

The lithium-ion battery pack is floor-mounted with a max capacity of 93kWh. Aiming for reduced charging times, Porsche has gone with an 800V charging system as opposed to the 400V system in most other EVs. Nonetheless, the 270kWh peak limit is still imposed by the battery though Porsche expects this to climb to 400-500kWh as tech improves. Optimal conditions will see the Taycan go from five per cent to 80 per cent in just 22.5-minute. This however is dependent on temperature and charging infrastructure.

The Taycan’s centre of gravity is lower than a 911 but still can’t completely hide its 2,323kg weight. Both models will benefit from plenty of Panamera parts such as the three-chamber air suspension, control arms and bushings.

An electronic limited-slip differential us standard but the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control is optional. Wheel and tyre sizes are 245/45R20 up front and 285/40R20s in the rear for the Turbo while the Turbo S goes up to 265/35R21 for fronts and 305/30R21 for rears.

Braking is clearly something Porsche didn’t skimp on. Both models use massive 10-piston calipers up front and smaller four-pistons for the rear. Splitting them apart are rotor diameter with a 415mm front and 365mm rear on the Turbo while larger 420mm and 410mm pieces go on the Turbo S.

Five drive modes will be available; Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, Range and Individual. As the name suggests, Normal offers a moderate amount of power balanced out for efficency as opposed to balls-out performance. Sport and Sport Plus holds first gear longer, increases throttle response, opens cooling flaps, raises the rear spoiler and lowers the suspension by up to 22mm. Range of course prioritises efficiency and operates solely in second gear. The Taycan does have rear-wheel steering that virtually reduces its wheelbase for better handling and stability.

We’ve covered the Taycan’s interior before. There’s the five screens with the electronically-controlled air vents. For the tree-huggers, there’s an optional leather-free interior.

Pricing for the Taycan Turbo starts at RM644,000 while the Taycan Turbo S will begin at RM786,650 in the United States of America. Expect Malaysian pricing to be approximately in the region of the Panamera here… so somewhere in the RM1.6million range or so.