Porsche Taycan Turbo S India review: Porsche Unleashed

"If I had to drive it blindfolded, I would still know immediately that I was sitting in a Porsche,” said double world champion and rally legend Walter Röhrl after driving the Porsche Taycan. Surely, then, it is the most involving EV there has ever been. But what about the most extreme version of that? The Turbo S is the peak of what Porsche could do with the Taycan, and we’ve finally got our hands on it. 

Porsche Taycan Turbo S powertrain

Let’s start with that suffix. ‘Turbo S’ in Porsche speak translates to fast, agile, surgically precise and loud. And the Taycan is all but the last bit. Powering it is a 93.4kWh battery pack doling out energy to twin electric motors putting out up to 761hp and 1,050Nm via a 2-speed gearbox sitting on the rear axle. 

And since the torque is available from the word go, and at all four wheels, the neck-snapping acceleration never fails to bring a smile to your face. With launch control, it catapults from 0-100kph in just 2.8sec and can carry on till up to 260kph. Straight line speed is staggering, and only a highly tuned ICE car can give it a run for its money. The first gear with a short ratio helps with the launch, while the second gear with a taller ratio acts as an overdrive at high speeds in order to prevent any dip in power. The shift is noticeable but smooth and natural. 

There are drive modes too: Range, Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual, and they change the car’s characteristics depending on how vicious you want it to be. ‘Range’ mode, in the quest for maximum kilometres per kWh, chokes the power and performance, and the AC switches to a low-powered Economy mode to help save juice. Normal is when everything is in moderation, and Sport is a sampler of what the Turbo S can do. Sport Plus, though, is the wild mode, with full power from the battery and everything turned up to eleven. 

Porsche Taycan Turbo S ride and handling

However, straight-line speed is a cliché with EVs. What a Porsche is known for is dissecting corners with precision. Bear in mind though, the Turbo S weighs in at a portly 2,295kg, so some skepticism is understandable. 

Unsurprisingly, Porsche has worked its magic on this one too, especially with the steering calibration. Cornering is impressive and is aided by many gizmos like the optional PDCCS (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport), the PTV Plus (Porsche Torque Vectoring), 4D Chassis Control and rear-wheel steering. 

That, paired with the burst of performance, makes it very enjoyable right up until the point it’s not. You see, 761hp and 1,050Nm, it goes without saying, can be quite intimidating. And when you combine that with the weight and the dimensions, the Turbo S feels almost scary to drive enthusiastically. The grip is incredible, which means it powers out of a corner with ferocious efficiency. Get it out of Sport Plus and into Sport or even Normal and that is when the otherwise sharp power delivery is a bit muted and you can feel a lot more in control. Simply put, if you’re at a drag race, use Sport Plus; for the corners, dial it back slightly.

What’s also impressive is the ride from the air suspension that can be firmed up for when you want top-tier performance. Otherwise, it is surprisingly adept over our roads and touring is effortless too. However, the long wheelbase and low-set battery mean the lift system is an absolute essential. Most speed breakers are cleared with a bit of crab-crawling, but the poorly constructed ones are an issue.

The Taycan Turbo S also gets carbon ceramic brakes, which are by far the best we’ve seen on an EV yet. Given that the braking system uses recuperation initially and only when it needs a lot more stopping power it involves the pad and disc. The system feels shockingly natural and the calibration couldn’t be more right. The pedal feel is exactly like you would have with conventional brakes and there is none of the wooden feel there usually is on EVs that have to deal with recuperation. Speaking of which, there is only one mode for recuperation on the Turbo S. You can either switch it on or off, which does rob some of the configurability one could have while driving. That said, the system can recuperate up to 90 percent of its braking energy up to an outstanding 275kW. Which means, on a whole day of driving, you can recuperate a third of your energy by just braking. 

Porsche Taycan Turbo S battery

Recharging is a straightforward affair with a 50kW DC charger that gets you 100km worth of range in just 31 mins. 5-80 percent with 50kW takes 93 mins and, although there isn’t one in India yet, a 270kW DC charger will get it from 5-80 percent in just 22.5 mins. What makes this possible is the 800V electrical architecture, which is crucial for fast charging due to the fast flow of electrons. As a result, the power transfer is quicker too, and so is the recuperation.

Porsche has also included a synthesised spaceship-like sound, but needless to say, it has nothing on a 911 Turbo S bouncing the needle off its rev-limiter. 

Porsche Taycan Turbo S price and verdict

However, the larger question is, is the Turbo S the best driving EV? At Rs 2.3 crore (ex-showroom, India) before any options are ticked, it is an expensive car and you can’t help but think: why not buy a standard Taycan (Rs 1.6 crore, ex-showroom, India), get the optional ‘Performance Battery Plus’ (Rs 8.3 lakh), a few more essential options, and have a car that is RWD, lighter in weight, a lot nicer to drive, equally good when it comes to range, and almost Rs 1 crore less expensive. That Taycan, would be the best driving EV. But if getting shot out of a cannon is something you’ve always wanted to experience and you get a kick out of embarrassing ICE powered supercars at a drag strip, the Turbo S is the one to reach for.