Photo: SH Proshots
The Tesla Model S Plaid isn't the be-all and end-all of high-performance cars. But – bang for the buck – nobody can touch it as of May 2023. The Model S may be getting long in the tooth, yet does that even matter when you can easily run 9s in the quarter mile on a prepped strip with a road-legal car?
A street-going sedan that accommodates up to five and their weekend's worth of duffels, that is. The Plaid is also capable of 396 miles (637 kilometers) between charges, which is only 9 miles (14 kilometers) worse than the base version with two instead of three motors. However, Tesla is feeling the heat.
A track package that costs between $15,000 and $20,000 has been released only recently in a bid to keep the hype going as Tesla's competitors encroach on the American manufacturer. Porsche isn't one of them, but more on that later. The Zuffenhausen-based automaker is currently testing a mid-cycle refresh of the Taycan, including a three-motor Turbo GT version with circa 1,000 ponies versus 1,020 for the Plaid.
The carparazzi have spotted the newcomer in Germany, sporting more aggressive front-end aero under thick camouflage. Pictured on conventional five-lug wheels rather than center-lock wheels, the Turbo GT also rocks a fixed rear wing and a small deck lid spoiler below it. We can also notice a redesigned aerodynamic diffuser out back, which appears to be engineered for more downforce instead of better range.
Lars Kern lapped the Nurburgring in a pre-facelift Taycan Turbo S in 7 minutes and 33 seconds back in August 2022. There's no denying the facelifted Taycan Turbo GT can shave off a few seconds off that lap time, and that's bad news for the Plaid. Or is it? The truth of the matter is, someone interested in purchasing a Model S Plaid wouldn't cross-shop that with the Taycan Turbo S or Taycan Turbo GT.
Totally different machines aimed at totally different customers. Porsche has a motorsport legacy to protect as it transitions to a full-electric vehicle lineup, and Tesla couldn't care less whether German automaker breaks the lap record for series-production EVs yet again. The refreshed Taycan is due to be unveiled later this year, most likely as a 2024 model, and chances are that the Turbo GT will come for 2024 as well.
As ever, customers will have a choice between four-door sedan, five-door shooting brake, and the latter with some plastic cladding and more ground clearance. Previewed by the Mission E concept in 2015, the Taycan currently starts at $90,900 in the US for the base rear-wheel-drive specification.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Taycan Turbo S can be yours from $194,900 excluding the destination fee. The current range-topper normally makes 616 horsepower. With the overboost function enabled, peak output improves to 750 horsepower and a staggering 774 pound-feet (1,050 Nm).
A track package that costs between $15,000 and $20,000 has been released only recently in a bid to keep the hype going as Tesla's competitors encroach on the American manufacturer. Porsche isn't one of them, but more on that later. The Zuffenhausen-based automaker is currently testing a mid-cycle refresh of the Taycan, including a three-motor Turbo GT version with circa 1,000 ponies versus 1,020 for the Plaid.
The carparazzi have spotted the newcomer in Germany, sporting more aggressive front-end aero under thick camouflage. Pictured on conventional five-lug wheels rather than center-lock wheels, the Turbo GT also rocks a fixed rear wing and a small deck lid spoiler below it. We can also notice a redesigned aerodynamic diffuser out back, which appears to be engineered for more downforce instead of better range.
Lars Kern lapped the Nurburgring in a pre-facelift Taycan Turbo S in 7 minutes and 33 seconds back in August 2022. There's no denying the facelifted Taycan Turbo GT can shave off a few seconds off that lap time, and that's bad news for the Plaid. Or is it? The truth of the matter is, someone interested in purchasing a Model S Plaid wouldn't cross-shop that with the Taycan Turbo S or Taycan Turbo GT.
Totally different machines aimed at totally different customers. Porsche has a motorsport legacy to protect as it transitions to a full-electric vehicle lineup, and Tesla couldn't care less whether German automaker breaks the lap record for series-production EVs yet again. The refreshed Taycan is due to be unveiled later this year, most likely as a 2024 model, and chances are that the Turbo GT will come for 2024 as well.
As ever, customers will have a choice between four-door sedan, five-door shooting brake, and the latter with some plastic cladding and more ground clearance. Previewed by the Mission E concept in 2015, the Taycan currently starts at $90,900 in the US for the base rear-wheel-drive specification.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Taycan Turbo S can be yours from $194,900 excluding the destination fee. The current range-topper normally makes 616 horsepower. With the overboost function enabled, peak output improves to 750 horsepower and a staggering 774 pound-feet (1,050 Nm).
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