Things are heating up in the high-end electric vehicle segment, and it’s only natural for everyone to keep an eye on the latest developments. And, with the base Taycan RWD coming up for sale in the United States this spring, we’re all keenly interested in what the EV has to offer in a real-life setting.
The newly introduced version kicks off at an MSRP of “just” $79,900 in U.S. specification, and from there on, it gives buyers the option of a Performance (79.2 kWh) or Performance Plus Battery (93.4 kWh and a maximum recharging speed of 270 kW).
According to EPA estimates, that means the Taycan RWD is good for range estimates between 200 and 225 miles (322 to 362 kilometers), but there’s yet another reason to opt for the $5,780 upgrade. That’s because the Plus version brings the one-motor RWD configuration to its maximum potential of 469 hp (350 kW) and 263 lb-ft (357 Nm).
In the latter specification, the electric sedan can then cover the 60 mph (96 kph) sprint in 5.1 seconds (zero to 100 kph is rated at 5.4 seconds) and reach a top track speed of 143 mph (230 kph). Some would say that all this doesn’t compare favorably to the 750-hp Taycan Turbo S, which nails the 60-mph sprint in 2.6 seconds and will go all the way up to 161 mph (259 kph).
On the other hand, there’s also a sizeable pricing difference between the RWD model's $80k and the $185k you need for the flagship version. So, let’s have some real-life performance samples to help us decide if the RWD is more than it meets the (statistical) eye.
Unlike other features from the vast inventory of the AutoTopNL YouTube channel, this trial also focuses squarely on the numbers and less on the styling of the Taycan RWD. As such, the team put to good use their Dragy GPS performance box, delivering a couple of runs to see the figures for the sprint time and standing mile.
The zero to 100 kph (62 mph) time is even better than Porsche says, and the second run also answers a few other questions, including in the statistics the times for the quarter-mile (13.07s), 0 to 200 kph/124 mph (16.04), 100 to 200 kph/62 to 124 mph (10.8s), as well as the half and full miles (20.2 and 32.8s, respectively).
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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