Previewed by the Mission E concept, Porsche’s battery-powered Taycan is a commercial success for the Stuttgart-based automaker. Not the best-selling car as Rory Reid states in the clip below, but it’s getting there.
According to a press release published in October 2022, the German automaker delivered 221,512 vehicles in the first nine months of the year. The Cayenne is the undisputed leader, with 66,769 units to its name, followed by the Macan with 59,604 units. The 911 continues to rise in popularity, clocking 30,611 worldwide deliveries in the first three quarters of the calendar year. As for the Taycan, it sold 25,073 units in the nine-month period.
Despite this little hiccup, Rory is perfectly right about the 992-series 911 in GTS flavor. “Sports car perfection. Developed for speed, precision, and - most importantly - for fun,” said the host. “It might be the best car that Porsche makes, or, at least it would be if it weren't for the Taycan GTS.”
Previously a co-host on Top Gear, the director of YouTube content at Auto Trader wants to find out which of these sporty machines is better in terms of sportiness. A very subjective characteristic, but on the other hand, bear in mind that sportiness can be expressed in numbers. Rory proceeds to drag race these stablemates in very cold weather on a small racetrack.
Care to guess which is quicker in the quarter mile? Before you pick a favorite, let’s go through a few more numbers. First things first, 473 horsepower versus 510 for the Taycan, with the zero-emission contender also capable of 590 horsepower in so-called overboost mode. A little weird to call it that, given that it’s not rocking a force-fed combustion engine, but hey, the Taycan range also includes the combustion-less Turbo and Turbo S.
Peak torque obviously favors the Taycan GTS because electric motors develop peak torque nearly instantly. Pictured as a red-painted Sport Turismo rather than the more common sedan body style, the Taycan GTS is officially rated at 627 pound-feet (850 Nm). By comparison, the twin-turbo boxer in the 911 Carrera 4 GTS makes 420 pound-feet (570 Nm).
Finished in a lovely shade of yellow, the Neunelfer tops 192 miles per hour (309 kilometers per hour) versus 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour) for its electric sibling. Tipping the scales at 1,595 kilograms (3,516 pounds) compared to 2,310 kilograms (5,093 pounds), the 911 has the better power-to-weight ratio, which matters a lot in a straight line.
Lightness also favors handling, but more on that later. From a dig, the Neunelfer obliterates the Taycan right off the bat, and keeps that momentum as it crosses the finish line. More than a car’s length ahead of the loser, that is. Can the Taycan redeem itself on a hot lap? Well, no...
In Rory’s hands, the most he could squeeze out of this car in such cold weather conditions is 34.15 seconds. The lighter 911, by comparison, recorded 33.05 seconds with the same driver and in similar conditions. Rather than laughing at the loser, we shouldn’t pick a side here.
Instead, we should be thankful that Porsche hasn’t lost its Porsche-ness when developing the Taycan, which is an incredibly sporty vehicle despite the lack of a six-cylinder boxer’s howl enhancing the driving experience.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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