Greetings St. Louis Region members!
I hope you have been able to join your club friends in one or more of our recent events, such as our 2 driving tours and the 718/991 tech session. As always, your health and safety are most important. As such, the club has been cautious about resuming activities, only having them when we feel they are safe to have. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Back in April, I had lamented about missing an opportunity to test drive the latest addition to the Porsche model line, the all-electric Taycan. I was fortunate to recently receive an invitation from Porsche to attend a test-drive event, showcasing current 2020 models. Due to Porsche’s goal to minimize risks to participants’ health and safety, it was a very, very small event, limited to 20 guests. Chatting with one of the brand ambassadors, we found out that normally this is a much larger event. But in light of the current pandemic situation, the number of participants and venues had to be drastically reduced.
I was given the opportunity to road-test 2 vehicles for about 20 minutes each. I chose the Taycan and Cayenne e-Hybrid, since I have not driven either, and was very curious about both. Greg recently drove the Taycan at the Atlanta Porsche Experience Center track, and was very impressed with how well a 5000-pound car cold handle. So, I was looking forward to my road test drive, just to get an idea of what the car was like from the driver’s seat. The test drive route covered both straight 55 mph sections, along with curvy 25 mph sections of pavement to represent everyday driving. First up was the Cayenne e-Hybrid. Having just recently driven a regular, gas-powered Cayenne a couple weeks ago as a loaner from Porsche STL, I was able to directly compare the 2. They are really not that different in feel. Standout differences include the acid green color accents and the dial for switching power mode to electric or hybrid. Since Sport and Sport+ modes utilize the electric motor to supplement power (as opposed to increasing fuel economy), I would have like to test it in more of a performance situation, but that will have to be another time.
The Taycan is a bit more different than a gas-powered Porsche, as initially indicate by the ‘on/of” push-button in place of the usual protruding turnkey to the left of the steering column. The drive was done in a lead-follow format, with the instructor in front, me behind him, and 2 cars behind me. As he got to the exit of the parking lot, he noticed that I was not following him, and I was instead waving my hands out my window. As if reading my mind, he tells me over the walkie-talkie: “Oh yes, the shift lever is directly behind the steering wheel on the dash. I should have mentioned that.”
So other than those 2 things, the car felt similar to a gas-powered Porsche. When letting off the throttle in the Taycan, it coasts just like a gas-powered car. This is unlike Teslas, which immediately start decelerating. Unfortunately, I didn’t try the launch feature, but I could tell there was plenty of power underfoot. The steering was very responsive, and the car stayed flat through the turns. I could definitely tell this was a member of the Porsche family, as it felt a lot like driving a bigger 911. So, although I am still not quite ready to convert to electric, the technology and usability are pretty cool and have advanced a lot. As such, I am excited to see what the future will bring.
Nancy