rajctt

I have a 970.2 Panamera GTS which I absolutely love. I am considering a Taycan and here's how I feel about it.

I am mainly looking at GTS or Taycan as "fun" sports car. Driving experience is the most important thing. I am very happy with the button interface of GTS, and would embrace the modern interior of Taycan - this part is not a differentiator for me. Likewise the smaller rear seats or less trunk space in Taycan - I can live with that. So back to the most import criteria of "driving experience".

I did test drive the Taycan Turbo. It has the typical benefits of EV like incredible acceleration, very smooth etc. The overall experience was kinda lacking for me because

1. The "vacuum cleaner like" sound was off-putting. I guess that can be turned off by some setting which I didn't explore. Then it would be much quieter. GTS has so much more personality here

2. The incredible acceleration felt kinda hollow, there wasn't much feel or engagement. Like a video game controller, you can just go fast. Where's the visceral nature of speed, or some form of engagement when you see an ICE engine pickup RPM, paddle shift?

For context - few years ago I had the option of Panny GTS or Turbo. I chose GTS because of the driver engagement. Turbo was too smooth, quiet and lacking personality for me.

Taycan owners - please provide feedback. Maybe I am over-indexing on 15-20 mins of test drive experience. Living with the vehicle may be much more enjoyable as the mind adapts to the paradigm shift.

I also wonder what's the future of high end sports cars like 911 Turbo, AM, Lambos, Ferraris. Are EV sports cars going to be really exciting for an audience that has appreciated the mechanical nature of ICE engines?

umwolverine

I went from a Panamera GTS (didn't get the turbo for the same reasons) with over 100K miles and 7 years - best car I've ever owned...until now. The Taycan is simply in a different dimension. It really doesn't compare to any car that I've ever driven. The response of the car to throttle inputs is unlike anything I've ever driven, including quite a few race cars - open wheel included. The effortless speed, comfort and physics defying performance is a combination that again, I've never experienced before. The quietness and smoothness of the ride on the highway is as good as an S class Benz. The acceleration is as good as anything on the road at anywhere close to this price. The handling is ridiculously easy to access to the point that I'm sure a mediocre driver in a Turbo S could outrun me on the track in my Cayman racecar. ( I do remember outrunning a few 'mediocre' drivers in their 911 Turbo S cars, although not by much...)

I do miss the sport exhaust on my GTS - probably the best exhaust of any mass-produced car. I'm sure my neighbors don't miss my firing up the ICE at 7:30 every weekday...

You lose some things, but I like to focus on what you gain. The car is not 'engaging' in the same way that paddle shifting isn't as 'engaging' as a manual, and electronic braking doesn't have the feel of hydraulic, electric steering doesn't have the feel...etc., I believe ICE cars will soon go the way of manual tranny, hydraulic braking, and rack-and-pinion steering.

XLR82XS

I owned a 970 Panamera turbo and loved it. The only thing I'll miss a bit is the wonderful Porsche exhaust music. Everything else is not a big deal - Taycan is incredible for the reasons wolverine mentioned and more. Driving ~20K miles a year I greatly enjoy not buying gas and for daily use there is nothing else I would rather have. At the rate Electrify America network is expanding it's getting even better for road trips.

I believe the future of EV sports cars will be exciting even for consumers that appreciate ICE vehicles + a new breed. Maybe the 'electric sport sound' will be enhanced, or have user programmability with high-end marques. Motor tech may expand and battery technology certainly is evolving at a quick rate.

kev0927

I'm entering this exact delima but in a different way.
I'm debating between purchasing a used 970.2 GTS or getting a Taycan.

With recent used cars prices being what they are and no running cost on Taycan - a new Taycan really isn't that much more expensive then Used Pana over 4 years (~ $10k).

Question for you GTS pana owners - what is making you want to give it up? Just the age of the car? Or something more - maintenance costs / creekyness / wear and tear etc..

RCorsa

I had a panamera gts as well. It was a great car that I really enjoyed. Ive since sold it for a 911 TTS which was replaced with a TTS cab and this year I bought a 2021 turbo s cab and a Taycan 4s. The Taycan is my favorite of all the cars by a long shot. My 911 has 350 miles on it compared to 2500 on my Taycan if that is any indication. I’ve had several Teslas over the years mainly as daily drivers/City cars so it’s not the Newness of the EV. The Taycan is just an incredible car that feels special every time I drive it. With prices of 992s skyrocketing I may sell mine although I’m sure as summer weather comes along I will
drive it more hopefully.

jimshadow

Bought a 2015 Panamera GTS in 2017 with 11k on it. Sold it in 2020 with 101,000 on it. BEST car I’ve ever owned by far and I’ve owned a few (110 and counting....).
Purchased a 2020 Taycan 4S off-lease with 4,000 miles in Nov. 2020 and THIS CAR ROCKS!!!!! The handing is as amazing as the instant acceleration. The interior is laid out great and I can drive it for days without fatigue.
As mentioned above, there are some trade-offs, but they are minimal compared to what you get. Did I mention the instant torque/acceleration?

dweeb

Traded my ‘16 Panamera GTS 970.2 for a base Taycan. Loved my car - only had 35k miles on it, however Taycan really is another dimension and I love it too! It’s smooth and powerful in a different kind of way. The RWD base model isn’t violent but gradually increases in power as you slam it. I love it.

My only annoyance is the homelink buttons - having digital profiles on the PCM is really annoying when backing out of my garage because I have to turn off the park assist cameras, pull up homelink(used shortcut button on steering wheel) close garage then shift back into reverse. I have a voice solution for this on my phone now but it is a bit annoying.

daveo4porsche

interesting note - the home link button works great during the backup scenario _IF_ you only have one homelink button programmed - I too used to have this complaint, but when I deleted my 2nd homelink button profile cause I sold my 2nd home - this is no longer a problem...

I know this does _NOT_ "solve" the problem and the feedback is still valid - but Porsche may not be fully aware of it cause they haven't "fixed" the software to deal with the multiple homelink-profile configuration - cause it works flawlessly with only one garage program…

I think they could fix this in software, by using both the GPS information and the homelink button to select the correct profile when backing up…

buy yeah I had this problem also - but then I got no longer needed a 2nd homelink profile, and now it's no longer a problem

perhaps feedback to your Porsche dealer to ask Porsche to do better in this space will encourage them to roll out an OTA update that fixes this for multi-configuration owners…Porsche may not even be fully aware of this issue since they may not have realized their current solution doesn't work when there is more than one homelink garage profile programmed.

dweeb

I wish this could possibly work since my other profile is for my front gate which is a couple of hundred yards away from my driveway. It’s already finicky with a saved location - I live a little out in the country. I don’t know how well it would work but this seems like a reasonable solution.

My garage door openers are wifi enabled and so I added them to my homebridge setup and I can now just say over car play “hey siri <scene name>” and doors close/open. Works flawlessly.

An awesome update would be to use “hey porsche” instead.

justabout

Like reading that folks are ok with trading their PGTS for a Taycan. I would like a Taycan but would have to trade one of my 4 vehicles and the 2014 PGTS would be the logical choice but I would regret trading it.

kort677

your regrets will fade very quickly. the taycan in an incredible car

umwolverine

I have yet to read a single review of anyone who has bought a Taycan where they don't believe it is one of the best cars they have ever driven. Not to say there aren't people with problems related to software that cause them to trade in the car or switch to something else. But overall the driving experience in this car is impossible to duplicate with anything else on the road.

kort677

as a driver the car is fantastic, but oh my the techno side is a sheet show.

Dr Chill

Now, even after 6000 miles in my Taycan 4S, getting behind the wheel it is an absolute joy. Getting in and out, however, is not a joy as the B pillar is too far forward. Fortunately that fact is forgotten as soon as you hit the accelerator pedal. More fun than my 991.2 TTS.

Driv200

Good thread. I’m interested in the Taycan experience. But I am a driver. Just bought a 718 GT4. Love the TTS cars. Kind of a techy, and appreciate what the Taycan TS represents. I don’t have a business write off? Would a LLC YouTube channel suffice? Ha!