It happened. Again. Porsche has ruined their brand. Again. It’s funny that they keep self-sabotaging themselves, yet continue to remain so successful. First it was the Cayenne - and that car revolutionized the SUV market. Then it was the Panamera - that car revolutionized the luxury sedan market. Now it’s the Taycan - and guess what? It will revolutionize electric cars.
Up until now, the gold standard for luxury, and I use the word luxury sparingly, has been the Tesla Model S. I have a hard time understanding the fascination with this car. I got to drive the Model S extensively, and it’s not fair to judge the Tesla’s driving dynamics because they do not have the R&D budget that the big boys have, nor do they claim that the car is a performance sedan, but for people to state the level of luxury of a Tesla is on par with the usual suspects of luxury sedans - that is flat out wrong. It is also unfair for someone NOT to judge a car’s driving dynamics because their R&D is limited in scale.
There only needs to be one reason why the Taycan is going to revolutionize electric cars from here forward. It is a Porsche. From the beginning of their history, Porsche has somehow taken what doesn’t make sense and make it brilliant. They have done that with a rear engine platform. They’ve done it with an SUV. They’ve done it perfecting the double clutch transmission. And they are doing that with sedans. Porsche creates these magical cars ever so often (i.e. 959, Carrera GT, 918 Spyder) and the technology from these cars slowly trickle down into every one of their cars. Don’t you think that Porsche is planning on using the failures and successes of the R&D they had with the Taycan on future models? Of course!
What people who don’t live and breathe Porsche fail to understand is Porsche does not try to What people who don’t live and breathe Porsche fail to understand is Porsche does not try to compete with other cars. They try to surpass, destroy, and humiliate other brands, not with petulant advertising, but with irrefutable evidence. They are ruthless in their desire for success, and that is why they are so damn good. Also, they are terrible at naming cars. That's a given.
Take any car in any segment, and run it against a Porsche in that segment; there will be no comparison. The Porsche always does it better.
I understand that the electric car market SHOULD be based on efficiency, being green, and inexpensive commuting, and I know there is room for more than one electric car in the premium electric car market, but after you drive a Porsche, would you even consider the others?
Someone once told me, “It’s hard to go back to the farm after you’ve seen Paris.”