Launching an EV felt like a big risk for Porsche back in 2019, yet the Taycan was a triumph. The press declared it a ‘proper Porsche’ and buyers formed an orderly queue. Within a year, it overtook the Macan as the best-selling Porsche in Europe. Then in 2021, it outsold the 911 worldwide.
How quickly times change. After its initial enthusiasm, the market got cold feet about luxury EVs and Taycan sales nosedived. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume was recently forced into a strategic U-turn, taken in “response to the significantly slower growth of the demand for exclusive battery-electric vehicles”. Next year’s new Boxster and Cayman will now be sold with “brand-defining” flat-six engines alongside EVs, and 2027’s ‘K1’ super-SUV will switch to hybrid or petrol power. The flagship Mission X electric hypercar has almost certainly been abandoned, too.
Where does that leave the Taycan? Well, following a facelift last year, Stuttgart’s OG EV has fought back with more performance and cleverer tech. Now, there is a new GTS model, promising the sharpest definition – except for the extreme Taycan Turbo GT – of that ‘proper Porsche’ driving experience. Best get on and drive it, then…
With great power…
‘GTS’ denotes Porsche’s medium-hot trim level, typically situated somewhere above the ‘S’ and beneath the Turbo. However, the badge means different things on different cars. The new 911 GTS, for instance, is the first Neunelfer to go hybrid. Conversely, the Panamera GTS is the only Porsche saloon to retain an old-school, defiantly non-electrified V8.
Three things all GTS models share in common, though, are plenty of power, sportier styling and more driver-focused dynamics. It’s a potent combination that, ever since the 911 (997) Carrera GTS of 2010, has seen journalists declaring these mid-range models as the ‘sweet spot’.
Let’s start with POOOWEER (say it in your best Jeremy Clarkson voice), because the Taycan GTS has lots of it. Base output is now 605hp, up from 517hp in the outgoing GTS, while using launch control unleashes 700hp (previously 598hp) for short periods. It means this four-seat family wagon can punch to 62mph in 3.3 seconds, and reach 100mph in just seven seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph.
A bigger battery (now 105kWh, with 97kWh usable) also increases the Taycan’s official range from 313 to 370 miles, while maximum charging speed is 320kW (up from 270kW) if you can find a suitably rapid connector. By the time you’ve visited the bathroom and bought a coffee, in other words, the battery has potentially gained another 100 miles.
Feels like the future
Moving onto the sportier styling, you’ll note this particular Taycan is a Sport Turismo. You could save £1,000 by opting for a four-door saloon, but this sleek estate is both more practical and better looking. Oh, and before you ask, the GTS isn’t available in pseudo-SUV Cross Turismo spec – that body style is reserved for the 4S, Turbo and Turbo S only.
Whichever Taycan you choose, this is a very handsome car indeed, one that still looks futuristic despite its advancing years. See a Sport Turismo hum past on quiet, neon-lit city streets and it feels like you’ve stumbled into a sci-fi film.
Externally, the GTS upgrades run to a Sport Design bodykit and liberal quantities of gloss black trim, plus a choice of 20-inch Aero Design wheels from the Turbo S (fitted here) or 21-inch RS Spyder rims.
Step inside and you’ll find a mix of leather and Race-Tex upholstery, adaptive sports seats, the Sport Chrono package and a Bose surround-sound audio system. Passengers are well catered for, but boot space is a modest 405 litres with the rear seats upright.
Driving the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo
The final piece of the GTS puzzle is the driving experience. The first time I drove a Taycan Sport Turismo was on a closed road in the Austrian Alps. This time, the wilds of Surrey and Kent – with a sizable side-order of M25 – had to suffice, but the GTS still brightened up some very dull journeys.
As you’d expect with more power than the old Taycan Turbo, it’s brutally fast. A full-bore launch control getaway feels downright violent, and is something you will probably try only once. Four-wheel-drive traction rockets you off the line, then speed builds relentlessly and seamlessly until you either lose your nerve or, well, lose your licence.
The Taycan’s steering is direct and full of detail, while its PASM adaptive air suspension generally stays taut and controlled while filtering out the worst of British road surfaces. GTS-specific stiffer anti-roll bars, along with rear-axle steering and PTV torque vectoring, also help to boost agility, making the car feel smaller and lighter than it really is.
Until reality bites, when you encounter an equally wide vehicle (a Range Rover Sport, for instance) coming the other way on a country lane…
Active Ride rated
Even Porsche’s chassis wizardry can’t entirely mask the Sport Turismo’s 2,310kg kerb weight, however, and there are brief moments when the car loses its composure – particularly in Sport and Sport Plus modes.
The answer to this, dare I suggest, may be found among the extra-cost options: specifically the £6,476 Active Ride system, which uses two electric motors and two hydraulic pumps to counteract body-roll when cornering, pitch when accelerating and dive when braking. It can even make the car lean into corners like a motorcycle.
My test Taycan wasn’t fitted with Active Ride, but I sampled the system on the related Audi RS E-Tron GT Performance and found it a real boon, both enhancing comfort and allowing you to better exploit the car’s potential. Porsche’s options lists are legendarily long and you could easily get carried away. But if you have already splashed out £119,200 on a Taycan GTS Sport Turismo, this upgrade seems a worthwhile one.
Verdict: Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo
Talking prices, the entry-level 435hp rear-driven Taycan costs £89,200 in Sport Turismo guise. – and I’d confidently declared it the pick of the range in a previous review. Can the GTS really be worth £30,000 more?
Objectively, no. Yet buying a Porsche is never an entirely objective exercise, and you could just as easily argue the £163,200 Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo makes a GTS look good value. Certainly, this middling model never left me wanting more performance. And anything more than 700hp (or 500hp, frankly) is a game of diminishing returns on the road.
Should you buy one? As a private punter, I’d be cautious, as the severe depreciation affecting high-end EVs means you’ll take a hefty financial hit. If your company is paying, though, that’s a different story. I can’t think of another EV I’d rather run as a daily driver, even if there are times when I’d yearn for a V8-powered Panamera GTS instead.
• Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo
PRICE: £119,200
POWER: 700hp
TORQUE: 583lb ft
0-62MPH: 3.3 seconds
TOP SPEED: 155mph
BATTERY SIZE: 105kWh
CHARGING SPEED: 320kW
RANGE: 370 miles