Jay Leno Drives Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Is Impressed With the Tech

Yes on both counts, according to our research. He's not the biggest Porsche guy in showbusiness but has owned a variety of classics. Also, you can call Leno a really early EV adopter, since his $50-million collection includes a 1909 Baker Electric, which he claims to get up to 100 miles of range out of. In 2011, he also daily-drove a Chevy Volt and had a Tesla after that.

In the past, Leno has said there's almost no reason to have a gas car right now and believes EVs will turn combustion engines into pure recreation, just like the car did to the horse. With that out of the way, let's check out how the Porsche Taycan caught his attention.

After quickly mentioning the super-small steering wheel, Jay wants to talk about how the Taycan boasts a two-speed gearbox. The Porsche representative on hand explains how the first gear is engaged almost like a drag race box and the second goes in smooth, like an automatic. This is an oversimplification, obviously, but only Porsche saw the need for such technology in a mass-market EV.

But it's the performance that matters the most here. The Taycan Turbo S can deliver up to 750 hp and 774 lb-ft (1,050 Nm) of torque, but only when launching with Overboost. The rest of the time, it's a 616 hp, $186,350 electric car. Does Leno bring up the range or price? Watch the video below and find out. Our money would go towards the upcoming Taycan 4S, costing only $105,150 and boasting a respectable 522 hp. But Porsche probably has much better EV tech coming up.